The things we do for the shot

mikebeecham

mikebeecham

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Mike
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What's the craziest thing you've done to get 'the shot'?

*edit - this should probably be moved to Talk Photography!
 
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Crawled on my belly for 300 hundred yards through a drainage ditch.
But I couldn't risk missing the Taliban marksman.
 
I ssaw a bee sunbathing around 7 feet up a tree and I had my 100L macro with me. I set the cam to AF and liveview, climbed up the tree so I was well above the bee, clung on one handed, dangling from a branch while taking the shot one handed at arms length. I think I was well over 10 feet up the tree while hanging on but at least I got it.

This is it, I know it's not the best but not bad for a one handed grab shot.
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I spent an hour yesterday morning laid in the snow in minus 4.5 degrees to get this shot


Ribblehead Viaduct In Snow by mark_mullen, on Flickr

I've driven 900 miles in 26 hours to go from Yorkshire to Mallaig and back via Glencoe just to get a sunrise. I've climbed down cliffs on wet grass, spent ages laid in snow, avoided rockfalls when shooting seascapes, all sorts.
 
Tunneled under security fencing, nearly been hit by falling rocks and climbed cliffs, (and thats without people shooting at me) but I wouldn't change a minute of it.
 
I lost the print years ago, but I climbed into a ditch on the inside of a bend to catch Colin McRae as he stormed into the lead on Rally GB in 1995.

Because I've lost it I'm sure that shot is much better now (in my memory) than it was the day I picked it up from Jessops.
 
I have dodged a few plastic bullets and P.S.N.I water cannons in East Belfast.

Also dodged petrol bombs, bricks, golf balls and all sorts of weird and wonderful items thrown from short strand during the recent flag protests in Belfast all to get a few shots.
 
How about setting pines ablaze?
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Nearly drowned self plus gear in the bog one misty morning...
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Ive sneaked passed security guards doing my impression of the great escape, ducking from searchlights and patrol cars, but just in order to get into an old docks building.... no bullets, explosions or anything.... total fail! :D

I did spend two hours, after two weeks trying, under an orange blanket squatting cross legged and moving very slowly which became excruciating painful at the end when I shot a few like this. ..Ooh me back!

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The best is when you do something crazy, stupid , illegal or dangerous and at the end dont even get the shot. Has happened to me a coupla times, when Ive managed to get past security to back stage of a concert only to realise the bands left already.
 
Allowed myself to slowly sink into quicksand. Took me 5 minutes of slowly trying to relax and not panic to extricate each foot without sinking even deeper... it was touch and go...
 
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I once wound my car window down on a really cold day.

Not all the way down ofc....but probably 3/4 of the way down.

Had to keep it wound down for at least a minute to get the shot, but was worth it.
 
Steve said:
I once wound my car window down on a really cold day.

Not all the way down ofc....but probably 3/4 of the way down.

Had to keep it wound down for at least a minute to get the shot, but was worth it.
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:LOL:

I once sacrificed a pint of beer to the Earth God on the Great Orme when Raikkonen's rally car appeared suddenly and unexpectedly around the corner. :thumbsdown:
 
How does getting feet properly wet in a cold stormy sea and mud sound? And how about chasing a deer just because the lens wasn't long enough? Probably not as crazy as some of the above to be fair
 
2006 GB rally, I found a nice hole just at the side of the track using a point and shoot head stuck over the edge of the road. I didnt even think the fact I was very very close to the bend and was sitting on the outside of it with the flash blazing as cars were coming round very fast.

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Little John said:
2006 GB rally, I found a nice hole just at the side of the track using a point and shoot head stuck over the edge of the road. I didnt even think the fact I was very very close to the bend and was sitting on the outside of it with the flash blazing as cars were coming round very fast.
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Without sounding a killjoy, please don't do that, aside from the good possibility of getting killed (that's your business) it is people doing things like that which get stages cancelled, none of the marshalls want to be the one who lets a car through which kills a spectator in a stupid place like laid on the outside of the bend.

If a stage gets cancelled because of you arguably you're at more risk from the droves of spectators who've wasted a day, a journey and £20 each than the cars.
 
ohhh I know how stupid I was, my 1st rally and there was a bloke standing not in the hole but behind me with a SLR and huge telephoto lens on a monopod so I thought me being down there was ok I would only damage the front bumper with my head but he would hit the bonnet windscreen and roof as well as the bumper. It was years ago and I was young and stupid I now know better. I was in view of the marshals as well so though they would have said somthing if it was an issue.
 
Hanging in a canvas sling seat suspended from a helicopter (with a sack of sand under it to stop it swinging too much , and Hanging (upside down ) from a steel beam 30 feet above the audience to get concert shots .(back in the days of film !! not easy changing rolls of film while hanging upside down like a Bat)
 
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