The emphatic answer is YES! Now certainly, photography is not a dangerous profession like fire fighting or police work, but you CAN hurt yourself. A few tips for photographers that want to stay pain free! :)
1. Short photoshoots are no big deal for your fingers, but long events can take a toll. I carry the lightest cameras and lenses that I can, but I still end up with sore fingers by the end of the night. I find that my middle finger takes the brunt of the pain and the fingernail is actually dented after a long event. To combat this, there are a few things to do. The simplest approach is to make sure you stretch your fingers throughout the night. Instead of keeping them curled around the camera for hours, take time to extend your fingers completely. I press my wrist against my hip with fingers extended to really stretch the muscles. Yoga for your hands!
The second easy tip is to keep your nails cut short...especially that middle fingernail. Without the nail to bend sideways, the pain is much less. Your hands will look much more piano player than guitar player, but I think it is worth it!
2. Shoulders are often in pain after long shoots due to carrying around loads of equipment. I sometimes carry a second camera on my shoulder, especially during key moments like the actual ceremony, but I try to put things down if I don't need them. There really is no reason to have five cameras dangling around your neck or on your shoulders for the entire event.
The best solution? Put down some of your gear and again...stretch! Up, back and down usually release tension in your shoulders (thank you band camp!). Once you come home, if your shoulders hurt...DO SOMETHING about it. Shoulder pain rarely just goes away if you ignore it. Rub out the kinks, use a hot compress, use icy hot or advil. DO SOMETHING.
3. Have you ever fallen on a shoot? I haven't often, but I've had my moments. Poor Tiffany...I once was taking a photo from above, standing on a chair and fell knocking Tiffany in the head with camera. She laughed it off, but I felt SO bad!
Since then, I've found a few tactics that work. Bare feet can sense balance much better, so I am usually working in flipflops and easy to slip off shoes in the winter because I will throw them off if I decide I need to climb on something. I also make sure that I give chairs and other structures a good shove before trying to stand on them to make sure they will support me.
Oh, and don't be stupid...I recently tried to take a photo by standing on a chair, leaning backwards over a railing. STUPID. I didn't fall, but I could have. It's worth taking the time to change lenses or change the subjects positioning. I try to catch subjects "in the moment" and keep things rolling, but there is a point at which, you should stop, rearrange and take the shot.
4. My eyes hurt after a long day of shooting or especially after a long day of editing. Most people working at a computer all day will give the same tips. Change what you are looking at often. Look at something far away every few minutes and get out from behind the camera every few minutes. It takes just a few seconds and keeps your eyes from going "blurry". Take a few minutes every now and then to close your eyes and "see" the blackness. This takes 10-15 seconds and is best done when you are a taking a break. If you truly try to see while your eyes are shut, you will see colors and patterns. I'm not sure why it helps, but it seems to help my eyes stretch a bit. (This also helps you fall asleep and ignore headaches by the way!)
5. Back to fingers, I always have pain in that little webbed section between the thumb and index finger from holding the camera and pressing the shutter. A simple little massage in that area every hour or so helps (and supposedly relieves stress too!) Speaking of releasing stress, if you have never tried running your fingers along your eyebrows as hard as you can stand, you are missing out. It totally takes away tension in your face you didn't know you had!
There will probably be a part 2 to this post as I injure myself more along the way...stay tuned! :)
...and because blog posts are always better with a picture...
Halloween is just around the corner - yay!
I am scheduling fall costume shoots now if you are interested in
professional photos of your little ones all dressed up!
