In my first career I worked in a high risk environment in a highly regulated organisation where risk assessment was integrated into everything we did. I am now in my second career as a photographer and I apply that same approach to my daily activities. In this blog I am going to share my thoughts on risks for landscape photographers and suggest some ways to manage these.

Consider the case of David, he is an enthusiastic and gifted landscape photographer, who also holds down a full time job. David likes to go out and take photos, but is too busy to waste his time considering a risk assessment. Sunday is his day off and he decides to get up early and catch the sunrise at a remote coastal location. The first spot he arrives at is a bit damp and drizzly, so he decides to drive to a second location. It looks more promising and he sets off to walk the mile to the exact spot of the photo. David gets set up with his camera on a tripod and has everything in place for that moment the sun breaks the horizon. He is getting excited as the time draws near and is watching everything through his camera. Unfortunately he is getting a bit too excited and is too busy watching the scene unfold to see where he is standing. He stumbles on some gravel, looses his footing and his leg slides away tearing his cruciate ligament. David is in agony and he can hardly move. He manages to crawl to his phone in his camera bag, but unfortunately there is no reception in this remote area. To make matters worse the drizzle from the first location has now reached him, it is getting heavier and soon overwhelms his light jacket. David is stuck there cold wet and in agony. Will any walkers visit a remote area in the wet any time soon? How long will it be until his partner notices he is missing and raises the alarm? 

Although fictitious, this is not an unrealistic scenario, which could easily have been avoided. There is a saying which accurately describes this situation, ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. So how could have risk assessment helped?

In my experience most people are put off risk assessment, as they think it is some dark art, involving mathematical equations that would stretch Einstein. It does not have to be this difficult and can achieved quickly easily by a few minutes thought. It can be as simple as sitting down and writing out two lists. In the first think of the things that could realistically go wrong then put them in order of how likely they are to happen, obviously in Scotland inclement weather might be near the top of the risk while an attack by a rogue bull will be further down (believe me it does happen though!).

In the second list think of ways you could prevent the things on the first list from happening or how you could respond safely if they did. Then rank this list in order of how viable it is for you to do it. Obviously checking the weather forecast, wearing layers of clothing including waterproofs and sticking to the countryside code can all be easily achieved, while having a companion with you might not always be an option. The lists might look something like these:

List 1

• Inclement weather (remember too hot weather can be as dangerous as too cold).
  

• Trip Hazards (Landscape Photographers are more usually interested in finding the shot than watching their footing).
  

• Being the victim of crime (linked to the above, cityscape photographers become engrossed in the shot and don’t watch the people watching them and their £1,000s kit).
  

• Getting lost/becoming disoriented.
  

• Site specific hazards - cliffs, “quicksand” effect, water, roads, railways. 
  

• Disturbing wild animals or domestic livestock. 
  

• Being caught out by changing tides.
  

• Medical emergency. 
  

List 2

• Plan. Decide where you are going in advance and plan your activies, using mapping tools and weather forecasts. Always have a back up plan in case your first location is unusable. 
  

• Tell someone the plan and agree a safe return time with them.
  

• Wear layers of clothing, including good waterproofs.
  

• Carry a hot/cold drink and some snacks.
  

• Carry a charged mobile phone. 
  

• Follow the countryside code.
  

• Understand the S T O P code ( Stop, Think, Observe, Plan).
  

• Situational awareness - before setting up your camera, take time to look round the area and identify any hazards.  Continue to look around as you use your camera, at the very least the light might be better in an other direction. 

These lists only took me a few minutes to write and while not in any way an exhaustive risk assessment, they probably cover most of the situations a landscape photographer might find themselves in and would certainly have prevented David’s predicament from becoming so severe so quickly. Why not give it a little thought before the next time you set out with your camera.

This blog has been written from the perspective of a landscape photographer, not a hill walker. Please remember that our hills and mountains are beautiful but rugged places and you should always follow the advice from a suitably qualified organisation (such as Mountaineering Scotland) before venturing into the hills.