Perspectives

Fear and photography ...

08/12/2013
Okay, I've got a confession to make ... I suffer from vertigo and I'm rubbish at swimming.
What's this got to do with photography? Well, I spend most of my time shooting from high cliffs and mountains, or with waves lapping around my boots. So, when the wind is nearly blowing me over the edge, I usually find myself thinking half way through a shoot, what am I doing up here?
So why do I do it? Well, there's a bit of facing your fears, but also as soon as I get a camera in my hands, everything is fine. So, for all the time that I have visions of being washed out to sea or falling from a great height, there's an equal amount of time that I'm thinking about what I'm going to shoot, and everything is okay.
I've even had the good fortune to shoot from balloons, helicopters and planes - and each time I've gone through the same range of fear and emotion. Before I start, all is fine. Then we leave the ground, and the fear and foreboding kicks in. Then I pick up my camera, look through the viewfinder, and everything is fine - until the shoot is over and the reality of being several hundred feet off the ground hits me ... and I can't wait to get my feet firmly back on the ground.
Now I'm not suggesting that I put myself in any real danger (although there have been a couple of 'near misses' over the years), but even when I know it's completely safe, I still get a real rush from getting shots despite my fears.


Rinsey Head, Cornwall
Rinsey Head, Cornwall