Cameras and water do not mix

You have to take a few chances to get that great shot, you know, the one of the kids being chased by the family pet dog in the swimming pool. And yeah, you’d need a tripod, right?

According to UK insurer Domestic and General these are the situations that lead to many of their claims.

Not surprisingly nearly three quarters of claims relate to the owners dropping their camera on a hard surface. A spokesman said: “Many photographers admit to perching precariously to get the shot they are after and this leads to accidents.”

Reminiscent of a Jasper Carrot routine from many years ago where he related the details of traffic accident claim forms, here are a few of the more elaborate claims.

“I was taking some shots in the garden. As I changed the lens I lost my grip on the camera. I tried to cushion its fall by sticking out my foot but ended up volleying it across the concrete slabs and down the steps.”

“My children bumped into me by the swimming pool and I fell in with the camera in my hand.”

“I packed the camera into a travel bag for a family day out and loaded the car up. When I started to drive off I heard a pop. I got out and checked the tyre but when I looked I saw the camera on the road. It had fallen out of the bag and I had accidentally driven over it in the car.”

And let us not forget to include the tripod: “The damage occurred as I was changing lenses. One of my dogs ran into my tripod, knocking it over into the water. So, my camera landed face down in the river.”

So remember, that long strap attached to the camera is supposed to go around your neck.

Words on pictures

“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.”

It’s not always photographers who have something to say on the medium, this week’s quote comes from one of Britain’s best known politicians, Tony Benn and is something I use when instructing my colleagues in radio and TV on how to take pictures.

Taking a photo can be embarrassing, but get over it. Anyone viewing the picture is purely interested in the look of the image, not how you got it.

Shiny cars...

As predicted, the motor show press day was a mix of fast cars and the occasional celebrity. Though, to be fair, zero emissions and fuel economy were at the forefront of many vehicles on offer. Click here to see my report.

New models and super-models

Tomorrow the Motor Show opens its doors to the media at London’s ExCeL centre and I’ll be going along to shoot a photo gallery for the site. I’d imagine it’ll be the usual assortment of photo-calls, press hand-outs and sweaty journalists hurrying from one stand to another.

Traditionally the launch of a shiny new vehicle is heralded by the obligatory super-model or the (usually female) celebrity posing in, around or even on the car.

I photographed Yasmin Le-bon with Des Lynam on the Saab stand during a motor show at Earl’s Court many years ago. Then in 2006 it was Jodie Kidd who posed for the snappers in front of an ice-cool Ford Focus. It would seem that not much has changed.

I’ll find out tomorrow if this year the motoring world has uncovered a new way to propel their shiny metal vehicles into the news. Or maybe I’ll just join the press pack and hope the celebrity looks my way.

What the...

Cartoon strips about the life of a photographer, especially when the photographer is a duck, would seem to have a restricted shelf life. But What the duck by Aaron Johnson, one such cartoon, is celebrating its second anniversary. You can keep up with the latest tales here.

Put down your camera

I've been photographing air shows for over twenty years now and yet again I find myself standing under the mid-day sun, cameras at the ready, waiting for the shrill ear piercing roar of the latest jet to begin its display.

There's something about airshows that attracts photographers, or maybe that should be male photographers, and over the years I've encountered snappers festooned with a boggling array of camera gear. Well, No more, those days are gone.

Now everyone has a sleek camera in the shape of a phone. It not only takes the picture, more importantantly it then distributes it to the world, or at least to their mates and buddies online.

At Farnborough's press day F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton was on hand to race a Lear jet, the boys at Top Gear would be proud. Once he'd outpaced the jet he pulled his McLaren-Mercedes off the track and was promptly surrounded by fans, photographers and a few security guards trying to push the pack backwards.

It seemed to me that everyone wanted to photograph Hamilton. No one asked for autographs, their mobiles were out and in his face.

The photographers were left to wield their oversized cameras between the miniature lenses of the crowd. Nothing wrong wth that, it made for a few reasonable snaps, but what drives our need to posses a likeness.

For the photographers it's their job, and in this case Hamilton was there to pose for a photo-call. But what about everyone else?

It's not for financial reward. Is it to prove they were there, do we need to see every moment of our lives posted online?

Don't misunderstand me, I'm all for it. I'd support anyone who expresses an interest in stills in this age of raw video, but there are times when even professionals put their lenses away.

So on occasion, just experience the moment, not through the screen of a camera, just use your eyes.

You can see my photos from Farnborough here.