What will a photographer do to nail that image?

I would say the classic risk case is war correspondence. Jay's experience is more like a calibrated joy ride which must be a hoot because it stimulates on so many levels at once. And how do you top that at the home studio? Sounds like some of you take risks I wouldn't take and the old buildings may be easier to navigate than hanging out of a tiny helicopter with your entire world one mistake away from ending. In my case drivers had a minimum of 2 seconds to respond at highest speeds and 3-4 seconds at normal speeds. I had the same time and the advantage of being able to hear traffic coming. So the risk for me was far less than a ledge or a war zone, trashed home, and Jay's joy rides. The worst part is not being able to see my glasses from the side of the road. In general I see rather well but only to 12" or so in front of me. I can still see but without the intimate detail.

The only other risky photography I did was at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I got on my belly and made by way to the edge to shoot the cliffs. I am 6"5. The little white specs floating around about 1/3 of the way up are seagulls.

Thanks for sharing your stories ...

Japanese tourist died in Niagara falls this week trying to pose for a special shot of the falls. She fell over into the falls, body still not found.

Todd - you tell a story like that and post photos, but no photos of the snakepit? C'mon... I'm thinking Indiana Jones. Where are the photos of the rattlesnakes!

Some of the landscape photographers will chuckle at this (the rest will probably flame me):

sego wrote in post #12946164
Japanese tourist died in Niagara falls this week trying to pose for a special shot of the falls. She fell over into the falls, body still not found.

One down... xxxxxx to go!

Three kids waded into the Merced above Nevada Falls and the under currents swept them away. While I wish they could have their life back if I had to go that would be one of the better rides for sure. In regards to Niagra Falls. The woman was inexperienced and should have recognized the power in the water. Mistakes happen. I wish she had her life back. I shoot landscape but tourists don't bother me so much. I tend to shoot when they are no where to be found. Not sure how many of you have been to Niagra but that is one massive force and simply gorgeous in low winter light and snow. I never go over the edge. We have lots of places along the coast that could be lethal in that regard. I will not take those risks at all. Far more fun things to shoot like a well lit model inside a grafitti bunker, etc.

Todd I like these images. When I was in Europe I was told that Europeans detest dilapidated antiquities and find it odd that Americans are attracted to them. Of course I was in Europe to shoot antiquities.

Interesting conversations here!

Initially I thought "Ho Humm" but there have been both some good stories and some lively changes of opinion, andI get to thinking, which means that more than one brain cell are coming into contact, which tends to be a good thing for me....

One thing that came to mind when this thread first came up was the fact that I engaged in much more behavior that would "traditionally" be considered "risky" when I was young -- my family took vacation time camping out in the "wilds" every year and I had a habit of getting out and exploring and clamboring around, everything from wandering alone deep into the woods (imagine coming face-to-face with a moose sow, for example, which happened to me in Canada) to doing high rock-climbing to get to a "cool" place. Anything was game if I could get to it!

Fast forward to my adult days and yeah, sure, I wasn't so "reckless" -- the idea of being dead by 25 was no longer appealing (back in the '60s that was an actual mindset). So, typically the most "death-defying" thing I did as a young husband and father was to drive a car, something that leads to tens of thousands of deaths every year in the USA, but, hey, "watch out for the other guy" has always been a saying that I've gone by, and it has worked.

And then there are flashes, both before and after I got "serious" about photography. I went skydiving a bunch of years ago, not as a photographer, but because I just wanted to, and it was a great experience, better than the best roller-coaster! And yeah, people die sky-diving, I'm sure the "statistics" beat out driving a car. Do I regret it? Nah, no way, and when George HW Bush went skydiving for his 80th birthday did I say "What a fool!"? Nah, I cheered him on!

I should say that as "reckless"/adventureso​me as I was as a youth, yes I did have accidents and various injuries, but I have never (as far as I know) had a broken bone. I've always exercised some common sense, even as I was clamboring around thing way up above what would have been a deadly fall.

Could something have happened to me like happened to the gal at Niagra Falls? Yeah, it could have if I was taking a calculated risk but lost my footing. But, like I said, I have always exercised common sense, even though sometimes you have to compromise, like the time I was in the desert and saw a very small opening at the base of a boulder, a "crawl space", and I crawled in, despite being fully aware of being in "critter territory". Well, I got through into a room-sized opening that was covered wall-to-wall with old Native American petrographs, and no sign of a human being having been in there for what, 150 or more years? Hmm, at least I didn't get bitten by rattlesnakes. But if I had been more risk-adverse, I wouldn't have that story to tell...

But you know what? As an active photographer, yeah, I've gone through a lot to get shots, but I can't think of things that you would call "reckless", at least not like thing I did when I was young. It's interesting, but even though I've done a bit of "clamboring around", I can't recall anything "death-defying"...

Except...these days my "normal" mode of transportation has been a bicycle -- I pack gear in a backpack, hop on my bike, and go, well, wherever. That sounds "harmless", but I'm in a busy suburban/residential area where sometimes there is a sidewalk or bike lane, sometimes not, and I'm always "aware" that one wrong wobble with my bike or from a car and it could be all over, and that as I'm off to capture photographs (although it could also be just a trip to a local market)!

So, to me, that's kind of entertaining -- bikers get hurt (and die) all the time, and yet we don't view that activity as "foolish risk-taking"! Funny!

Regarding Air To Air work:

A wise man once told me the most important point of any air to air mission is when that first bottle cap comes off after the shoot.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #12946181
Some of the landscape photographers will chuckle at this (the rest will probably flame me):

One down... xxxxxx to go!

I get it. The reason I climbed up a ridge to an overhang to get that image of Neuschwanstein was because the more famous angle from Mary's Bridge was chock full of Japanese and Chinese tourists--so many that you could not get a clear shot or a steady shot with the jostling that went on. They all wanted a shot of themselves with the castle in the background.

Every famous place we went had the same obstacles. One Malaysian-Chinese fellow trying to get a shot of his wife on the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Norther Ireland blocked the bridge for nearly 15 minutes. The wife was deathly afraid of being on the bridge and he had shoved her out then stood at the end waving everyone away while he tried to convince his wife to quit hanging onto the ropes and smile. Finally, some big and angry Swedes or Germans started pushing past him and led her off the bridge so she wouldn't block the way (and would stop crying). I rarely have a shot of myself at tourist spots, but a member of our tour bus group shot this of me. What a ham.

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Duct tape my camera to a grad-all, breaking what can I assume are at least 25 OSHA codes in the process:

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

Only 25?

I don't think I've risked me much, because most places I could trip and fall from would end up in some 3 feet of water.

Hence my camera has been risked more.

jetcode wrote in post #12946227
When I was in Europe I was told that Europeans detest dilapidated antiquities and find it odd that Americans are attracted to them. Of course I was in Europe to shoot antiquities.

While the word "detest" might be a little strong, there are actually some very simple reasons for that.

In my little corner of Europe, we have more money than space. The lack of space in many smaller countries, means that we can't just let old buildings go unused indefinitely. We don't want to destroy our forests and other natural sites, to build something, if we could just as easily level an old building and use the same site. It's more expensive, but who cares.

And since our history goes back quite a bit further that that of the US, our view on "antiquities" is somewhat different.
Around here, a 100 year old building is not really considered old. My dad's previous house is from 1727 and it was still pretty much the "new kid on the block".

As for the topic..

I would say I'm a risk taker. I'm one of those silly people who like that element of danger.
Among other things I enjoy free climbing and bungee jumping as recreational sports.

Things like free climbing are inherently dangerous, but those who do it (at elast those who survive), are not just foolish thrill seekers.
We train for years to learn the skills needed and understand perfectly the dangers the activity involves.
It is a calculated risk, and we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible. But it can still go wrong. even for the best.
Over the years, I have broken some 20-30 bones and had more stitches than I can count. An old injury has forced me to train every day, to keep me knee in good working order and I only have about 40-50% feeling in half of my left hand.
And 'm 29 years old.

Has it been worth it? Absolutely.

We all have different comfort levels, when it comes to taking risks. Just like with everything else.
I take some pretty big risks. But I do so, based on my knowledge, skills and assessment of the situation. I would never take stupid risks.

pics of old house?

quiksquirrel wrote in post #12967032
As for the topic..

I would say I'm a risk taker. I'm one of those silly people who like that element of danger.
Among other things I enjoy free climbing and bungee jumping as recreational sports.

Things like free climbing are inherently dangerous, but those who do it (at elast those who survive), are not just foolish thrill seekers.
We train for years to learn the skills needed and understand perfectly the dangers the activity involves.
It is a calculated risk, and we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible. But it can still go wrong. even for the best.
Over the years, I have broken some 20-30 bones and had more stitches than I can count. An old injury has forced me to train every day, to keep me knee in good working order and I only have about 40-50% feeling in half of my left hand.
And 'm 29 years old.

Has it been worth it? Absolutely.

Talk to me when you are 60. You still think it was worth it because you haven't yet actually paid the price. You will.