For Photographers: Accidents Happen

For Photographers

July 16, 2014

It finally happened. Something I’ve been worrying about since the start of my business…I hurt myself on a wedding day! I have shot weddings with a bad sinus infection, feeling nauseous (probably from dehydration), with a bad headache, and now I can say I shot a wedding with a broken bone.

Richmond Wedding Photographer_0085

Because no one wants to see a picture of my toe…here’s a behind the scenes shot from another day!

Okay, so it was just my big toe. But you know what? I never realized how much stuff my poor big toe does until I fractured it and putting weight on it became misery. Big toes need way more credit and love, people! I promise to show mine more respect going forward.

In all seriousness, I injured my toe because I’m impatient. I couldn’t wait for John to come to the other side of the car to pull the bag out…I HAD to get inside to start shooting reception details. I HAD to pull the 30-40 pound FULL Pelican case out of the car myself in a space less than a foot wide. Oh, and then I dropped the whole thing from two feet in the air onto JUST my big toe. When it happened, I started screaming and then I got upset because I didn’t want this to affect how I shot the wedding. But, I was surprised to find that it didn’t. I think there’s some kind of wedding day adrenaline that kicks in when you are working and just pushes you. Or maybe that’s just me.

I promise you the point of this post is not for people to feel sorry for me, or for me just to talk about my toe (gross, right? I hate feet). I wanted to share this story with you guys as a reminder to have a contingency plan in place for when accidents happen. It’s not acceptable to leave the couple in the lurch no matter what. In my situation, my foot was hurting pretty badly, but since it was halfway through the day already and I don’t know any photographers who live anywhere near the venue, I made it work. Having John as my second photographer (having a second shooter is so important!!!) and working with one of my favorite wedding planners, Michelle also helped because I knew they would have my back.

What would you do if you broke a bone at a wedding?? Or if you had an accident in the days leading up to one? I work with John at every wedding so there’s another set of hands and eyes there (and feet in this case) so he can pick up the slack for me when I’m struggling because of being sick or hurt. Even having an assistant would be hugely helpful because the person could carry your things or help get you water so you can shoot.

In case of an emergency situation that might prevent me from shooting a wedding (which hopefully will NEVER happen) I  have a contingency plan that includes getting in touch with a list of photographers at least as experienced as me who I would trust to shoot in my place. I also share a Google Calendar with several photog friends who I know would be there for me in a heartbeat. Knowing others you trust and forming relationships with others is important…because you never know when you might need a friend…or when you will have a chance to be one for someone else! This incident will one day be a funny story to tell, but in all seriousness, it was a great reminder to make sure I have a good backup system in place! I hope you guys all look at yours closely…AND pull your camera bags out of your car slowly and carefully:)

 

Leave a Comment

  1. Lindsay says:

    Oh Katie!! I’m so sorry!! And yeah girl, if my think tank ever dropped on my toe that’d be the end for mine as well!! Hope you can rest soon before your next weddings (and good thing it’s July/slow-ish season!!)

  2. Laura says:

    Oh no so sorry that happened but glad you were able to pull through it! 🙂

  3. Caitlin says:

    ahhhh!! i hope you heal soon, that is crazy!! thank goodness you’re super professional + amazing!! 🙂

  4. So scary! I actually got hurt at a wedding this year too! I was closing the hatch back of my Kia Soul between the ceremony and reception tiiiight before intros, the DJ had the party in a line and I was grabbing something from my car. Of course I was working fast and slammed the door shut not even thinking of my BIKE RACK and it came down and nailed me in the face and nose. I bled a little, I cried a little but tried to hold that back and I ran inside hoping it wasn’t broken and THEN had to hold the camera to my nose/face for the rest of the night. It was a nightmare. I didn’t break it thankfully, but it hurt for over a month after! That was not fun!! So scary. I hope your big toe gets better! I know broken toes are hard to properly take care of because you can’t really cast them or anything.

  5. Emilia Jane says:

    Oh my gosh I can’t believe you shot with a broken toe! I totally believe the wedding adrenaline though…I’ve shot not feeling well a lot of times and just get in the zone and don’t realize how sick I really am until after. I hope your toe heals quickly!

  6. Brea says:

    Yikes! My toe hurts for yours! That sounds downright awful! I’m so glad you have a good contingency plan. We have a google calendar in our area too 🙂

  7. steph says:

    i hope you feel better soon! Way to stick it out and be a trooper! You rock, girl!

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