Model Safety

Staying Safe

Lots is written and posted regarding model safety, and rightly so. Although the percentage of "dangerous" photographers is small, models need to be aware. There is however another aspect of model safety the rarely seems to get mentioned, and that is the question of a models physical safety whilst being photographed.

An accident can happen almost anywhere and at any time, a slip in the bath, tripping over something, hitting your elbow, it happens to all of us. However a model can sometimes find themselves in a situation where there is an increased chance of a mishap and/or the consequences are more dire. A resulting injury can run the extremes of a minor cut or bruise to being fatal. It's hard to track down any sort of statistics on this, however my research did turn up the fact that in 2015 in the US at least 50 people where killed whilst engaged in photography or video, on or near a railway track!

For the vast majority of shoots a model will be working in a safe environment. However when the risk of possible injury starts to become an issue, the photographer or organiser 

needs to ensure the model is aware so they can both make decisions about safety.

A model is also responsible for their own safety and should not be pressured into doing something they feel is unsafe. You have the right to say no! This was demonstrated by a model friend who was uneasy about posing on an old jetty. She insisted on the photographer showing how safe it was, and after he put his foot through a rotten plank, they moved to another location!

In The Zone!

Believe me I know what it's like. The light is perfect, the model is working fantastic, and everything is reaching a crescendo of perfection! Or the work that has gone into getting to this point is adding to the pressure on you. Suddenly all that counts is getting that image, and you become blinkered to anything else and it can start affecting your decision making! It's a situation perfectly illustrated by a recent news story. A new designer, photographer and various team members set out to do a fashion shoot. Upon reaching the location they find a dead body, but continue doing the shoot in a slightly different area! Only after they had finished and had a celebratory meal did they get around to telling the police!

It's not confined to the photographer as I have had a model get so caught up in the moment, they have put themselves in a very dangerous situation before I could stop them!

Decaying Beauty

It's a classic genre in photography that of a beautiful model counterpointed with a decaying surrounding. The results can be stunning but it can often come with an extra risk.

Urban exploration, or urbex is the exploration of (usually) abandoned places or not usually accessible locations. In itself it can be a fascinating venture, and often provide excellent venues to work with models in. However by their very nature they can be quite dangerous, not only from the obvious, but possible toxic contaminates etc. I have heard various tales of mishaps in such places, and have even witnessed a photographer step on a nail right through his foot!

Another point to keep in mind is that, unless you have specific permission to be there, in many cases you will be trespassing. In doing so, even if a photographer should have some form of insurance cover, it will automatically become null and void and could lead to some serious legal ramifications. And on that subject. Whilst as a photographer we might be willing to take the risk of getting caught, it is unacceptable to just assume others are willing to do the same. It's important to explain the situation when arranging a shoot to allow people to make their own decisions.

Just Say No

At the end of the day your health and safety are most important and you should not allow anything to jeopardise that. As well as the physical side, and injury can have knock on effects such as loss of earnings etc. In certain situations you need to weigh up what is the risk of something going wrong, and what are the likely consequences if it does?

A model has every right to refuse to do something they feel is unacceptably dangerous, and any decent photographer should understand and respect that. After all pictures of models looking worried or scared are generally not what is wanted! Don't be pressured or threatened with for example a bad review. Admins and others will understand if you put forward the reasons why you refused to do as asked.

Above all, be safe and have fun.