Think you’re a safe and prudent outdoor nature photographer? Confident in yourself and your planning? Sure you’ve got everything covered? You’ve got the “known knowns[1]” (the obvious risks you can eliminate) covered and have a good handle on the “known unknowns” (things you don’t know but can plan for) But what about the “unknown unknowns?”
Join presenters Deborah & Patrick Roy for a NANPA webinar, Protect & Prepare Yourself: Tools & Medical Supplies to Always Include in Your Camera Bag, on Wednesday, January 8, at 6pm EST. Go to the Members’ Area of NANPA.org to register or get more information.
This webinar will go above and beyond a simple list of what to put in your camera bag. It will help you take a look at the bigger picture of photographing outdoors. For example, is it hunting season where you are going? Did you pack a blaze orange hat/vest? If not, you may be completely invisible to the hunters, and put yourself in grave danger, especially if you are trying to photograph what they are trying to shoot. We recently witnessed photographers walking right into the areas where there were active hunters. We spoke to some of them and not a single person realized hunting was permitted in National Wildlife Refuges. Always do your research before a trip and know what to expect before putting yourself in harm’s way.
Deborah and Patrick will also cover how to protect and prepare yourself while heading out to photograph in the great outdoors. Suggestions will be given on specific medications and medical supplies to have on hand as well as how to choose the right clothing and shoes/boots to wear in different weather conditions. They will discuss the necessary tools and other supplies you should always carry with you. It is so much better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.
You might think “I’m pretty careful and safe, why do I need to know this?” As a nature or wildlife photographer, you should always expect the unexpected. You may have walked a trail a hundred times in an area where bears are known to forage but you have never spotted a bear so you decide not to carry bear spray. This could be a deadly mistake. Always carry bear spray in an accessible spot and learn how to use it prior to having to use it.
Mother nature can be very unpredictable and if you are a mile away from your car, do you have a way to protect your expensive camera and lens in the event of an unexpected downpour? Is it dangerous for you to be carrying that tripod on your shoulder when there is lightening in the area? Rain can offer some amazing photography opportunities, just be prepared when it happens.
Learn how to plan for these situations and many others. Be safe! Be prepared for just about anything! Sign up for this webinar and we’ll see you on Wednesday!
NANPA webinars are a benefit for NANPA members. For a list of upcoming webinars and access to recording past webinars, go to the Members’ Area of NANPA.org.
