What was the worst environment you have shot in?

[Rick_R]

I was shooting a local Mountain Bike race this last weekend and was standing / kneeling in Poison Oak while next to an incredibly dusty trail in the hot sun for four hours. This is a photo of the dust and has been corrected in Lightroom to bring the rider out of the dust.
http://bikeguy.smugmug.com/photos/557889276_69GQS-M.jpg


I was amazed that the camera was even focusing it was so dusty. This got me to thinking (always dangerous), what other sports photographers have been through to get their photos at events?

So, what other horrible / yucky / icky spots have you shot in? Or, maybe I am the only one stupid enough to find the really bad spots. BTW, at the end of the race, I had two ticks crawling on me.

Regards
Rick

[RDKirk]

Worst environment? A riot. There was hot lead in the air, and neither side was enamoured of news photographers.

[Playm]

Well, I shot an outdoor portrait sitting a few weeks back. We had to watch every step we took because these people had a lot of dogs.. and, well, we didn't want to carry any of the 'evidence' back to the truck.

[MJPhotos24]

Have shot in heavy dust, heavy rain, zero degrees, blizzard, harsh light, high winds, cloudy - pretty much had a taste of every atmosphere weather speaking.

[cdifoto]

I had to stand upright on a catamaran while surrounded by bikini clad women on two separate occasions. It was awful both times. I felt like a sniper in Vietnam.

[AP64]

Wow, how did you make it thru that?

[cdifoto]

Alcohol.

[jbergdoll]

Whole days (10 AM till late at night) of filming/shooting in 110+ degree heat at random Phoenix skate spots.

[S.Horton]

Rain.

Reminder to self: Never buy Mike's used gear.

Note for next lifetime: Be CDI on the boat.

[NVcameraman]

Soldiers that are photographers in a combat zone. While they are shooting pictures, others are shoot bullets. They are also working in a very dusty and extremely hot areas with no comfy chair and computer to edit on after the fact.

[Rick_R]

Worst environment? A riot. There was hot lead in the air, and neither side was enamoured of news photographers.

The original post was for sporting events. Any life or limb dangerous shooting is way beyond sports shooting. Shooting in situations like that are way beyond my level. I would imagine that most photo-journalists would think sports shooting as a vacation.

Regards
Rick

[SteveRTP]

This was a hard game to shoot.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/3543614827_d65b49a207_b.jpg

[Shoreliner11]

That picture is why I grew up playing soccer. Rain, snow, 60+mph winds...you play through it all :)

[Sledhed]

Have shot in heavy dust, heavy rain, zero degrees, blizzard, harsh light, high winds, cloudy - pretty much had a taste of every atmosphere weather speaking.

pretty much the same here.

[fiveFPS]

Rain Rain & Rain = Monsoon actually in the sierras

[Dan-o]

I live and shoot in So. California......need I say more.

[MJPhotos24]

Reminder to self: Never buy Mike's used gear.

It's well taken care of during those times protected from the conditions thanks to Think Tank and sent to CPS at least twice a year for cleaning ;)

[Peter Camyre]

Here's mine, worst so far.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3439976170_1e554cbd0a_b.jpg

[rockabilly808]

worst shooting environment, gonna have to go with a regatta I shot a few years back, pouring rain, windy as hell, probably 12-15 foot seas and a 20 foot boston whaler made for a pretty miserable day.

[S.Horton]

It's well taken care of during those times protected from the conditions thanks to Think Tank and sent to CPS at least twice a year for cleaning ;)

j/k anyway.

Still, your gear is actually used.

I think most gear is clean because it gets treated like jewelry.

[linty]

http://mtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/501248143_XbMEV-L-1.jpg
http://mtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/505398011_W6tqC-L-1.jpg
Not my best 2 shots from the day but shows the elements the best. Rain + Snow + Lots of Wind + Being hit by paintballs =/= a fun time

[MJPhotos24]

j/k anyway.

Still, your gear is actually used.

I think most gear is clean because it gets treated like jewelry.
How did you know I wear my III around my neck on a gold chain flavor flav style?

[asysin2leads]

How did you know I wear my III around my neck on a gold chain flavor flav style?

Mike's got bling!

[tomcat360]

We had a football game this past year where the kicker would set up, and the ball would blow over.....everytime. Had to get a guy to put a finger on it and kick it like a field goal for alllll the kickoffs.

Oh yeah, and it was back and forth between rain and snow, around 28-30 degrees. Stupid upper atmosphere.

[leitch]

This one was pretty bad... Night time, super heavy (constant) rain, cold (in the Austrian alps) and muddy. You can actually see my 580exII hanging from the orange mesh fence to the right of frame - it, and my 40d/24-70L combo performed admirably and lived to tell the tale.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2852029987_3089763a3b_o.jpg

[computerguru3190]

I've shot in snow, rain, 110 degree days, and hurricanes, but my favorite thing had to be going up to do a shot from a helicopter with 25 mile an hour winds and pouring. Some genius thought it would look cool and found a dumb pilot to agree.

[mizouse]

i shot a baseball game in rain with an XTi and 70-300 IS and no rain gear...

but it was socal rain so it wasnt heavy at all.

[johndevane]

Mother-in-Law in my studio.

[gjl711]

My worst was while x-country skiing in Wisconsin. Temperature was -22f with a wind chill somewhere around -80f. It was so cold that my 40 lcd would no longer work. First few shots I took off my gloves but within a few seconds I could no longer tell if I was holding the camera without looking in my hands. After that I kept the gloves on.

[SnapLocally.com]

What, no "Tijuana Donkey Show" stories some of you wandered into by "mistake"?

[canonnoob]

Mother-in-Law in my studio.
bw!

i guess mine would be a drowning rain... maybe some mist with high winds at about 10 degrees.

[Gary W.]

i shot a baseball game in rain with an XTi and 70-300 IS and no rain gear...

but it was socal rain so it wasnt heavy at all.

Hey all,

Then it wasn't rain, it was the mist makers at the stadium!!:lol:

Gary W.

[RPCrowe]

By far the worst environment I ever shot in was as a Combat Cameraman at Dong Ha near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in what was then South Vietnam.

It was so dusty that the rain drops would literally kick up clouds of dust before those drops turned the dusty ground into a sea of mud.

Oh yes! To add to the nastiness of the environment, there were some guys lobbing large caliber artillery shells at me (at least, I felt that they were directed specifically at me). They didn't hit me but, were a great annoyance.

My Bell and Howell Model 70 16mm motion picture camera (Filmo) and my 16mm Arriflex mopix camera ran merrily all through dust, dirt, rain, mud and bad guys fire throughout Vietnam. However, my two Canon film SLR cameras (FD and FX) conked out on the first day shooting in the Dong Ha area. They couldn't take the dust!

[namasste]

Mother-in-Law in my studio.
now THAT takes the cake!!!

[SMP_Homer]

I did *ONE* paintball shoot...
it was the hottest day of the year... I was given a big padded yellow raincoat, mask, etc...
I sweated like crazy... my eyes were burning throughout most of the day...
on one hand, had a BLAST... on the other hand, I had never been stuck in so much of my own sweat...
but I did manage some great shots, didn't damage anything (gear or me)... I've never been asked to do it again though, and maybe I'm a little thankful...

[bigjon0107]

Probably 30 degree weather with 15mph sustained winds, gusts going up to over 30 while it was sleeting.