Risking Your Life?

[Trenton Romulox]

If the photograph would make my life be remembered, the life lost getting the shot, then yes. I would.

 

[Mike_E]

Risking my life for kicks was a lifestyle for a long time so for a photo isn't much of a stretch.

But, there is risk and then there is Risk.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

There have been times I have gotten into physical confrontations, but I can assure you, that none of it was ever instigated by me.

1971- I was 16 years old and shooting for the high school newspaper. I was living in Los Angeles at the time. I was shooting an anti Viet Nam War protest in Griffith Park and I had my two front teeth knocked out by a police baton. I was young, inexperienced, and did not move fast enough.

1979- I was living in Dallas and doing feelance work for the now defunct Dallas Times Herald. I was covering a Ku Klux Klan march in downtown. Things got out of hand and anti-Klan protesters started attacking the Klan marchers. I got hit in the head with a flying bottle and one of my cameras was banged up and eventually lost. It took 20 stitches to close the wound. This was by far, the most frightened I have ever been because the mob got completely out of control.

November 2006- This was the day before the elections. President Bush was in town to drum up votes, and there was a huge anti-war rally in downtown. Things got a little testy and some folks started pushing and shoving and so on. Then some started swinging signs they were carrying. I ducked one sign, put my hand up with my camera to defend myself and another sign caught me square on the hand, breaking my index finger and smashing the lens all to hell. The cops quickly jumped in and restored order- it really wasn't that big of a deal.

Over the course of the last two years, I have received several death threats to me and my family because of my work documenting the anti-war movement here in Texas. The threats came in person, by phone, and by email. But those guys are usually full of hot air.

Overall, I would say I have been fairly lucky. Nothing too serious, I guess.

I know Skieur mentioned he has had several problems while out street shooting. I do a lot of street shooting too, and I have never had any problems really, except for a few glares from folks or people staring me down, but never have a felt threatened. I have been lucky in that regard.

 

[Renair]

This one really cant be anwered as it depends on the situation. I had been caught up in the Dublin City riots of 2006 and got hit with a bottle to the head, likewise I had been taking shots during controlled explosions of suspect bombs in Dublin and risked injury or being caught up in actual car bombs in Northern Ireland.

It really depends on the situation, people wont intentially risk their life but some situations demand it.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

This one really cant be anwered as it depends on the situation. I had been caught up in the Dublin City riots of 2006 and got hit with a bottle to the head, likewise I had been taking shots during controlled explosions of suspect bombs in Dublin and risked injury or being caught up in actual car bombs in Northern Ireland.

It really depends on the situation, people wont intentially risk their life but some situations demand it.

Rene, I had a PJ friend that was working in Ireland during all the unrest back in the early to mid 1980's (I think I have the dates right), and he told me some wild stories. He was involved in a small riot and actually had an arm broken and suffered a concussion.

By the way, I went to your site. You have some really nice work on there.