In this blog I have decided to look into the health and safety aspects of location photography, I will also begin to complete a general risk assessment for my photo shoots. As a photographer I must always be aware of health and safety in my environment whether this be in a studio or out on location. I must always ensure that I and my models (if necessary) are safe at all times.
Tripping
This can be known for both studio and location photography. Tripods and light stands are known to be very easy to trip over, therefore I must ensure that fittings are secure on the stands and that there is enough space for everyone to move around without tripping over.
Electricity
For both studio and location work all cables should be wired upwards preventing any form of electrocution. For studio work mainly all wires must be tidied away neatly to prevent any trip hazards. Also for location work all wires must be visible if in a public area and all models must be aware of the trip hazards around. Weather can play into this aspect as well, mixing cables with rain could not be a nice turn out therefore if I decided to use any form of light source outdoors I must ensure to check the weather before doing so.
Lighting
Some lights and flashlights are known to be very strong and could actually damage eyes, so for the sake of my models unnecessary exposure to flashlights must be avoided.
Here I have included a couple of little aspects that I find are important and relate to this project brief nicely.
Sunlight
When out on shoot I could find that the sun is shining in my model’s eyes causing discomfort, this will be displayed in the images through facial expression. Therefore I will either move location to a more shaded area or wait until an appropriate time of day to capture my images.
Traffic
As this is an every day risk I believe that it is pretty basic on how to control it.
Burns
As this project is titled people and places I have decided to include this health and safety risk as I might decide to capture one of my models holding a cigarette, this may lead to a burn. I have decided that to avoid this being a risk I would be sure to ask a friend to model, who feels comfortable in what they where doing with a lit cigarette.
Gem mae 