No go areas

cliveh

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As a lot of APUG members seem to live in the USA, can I ask if you have any no go areas? Or what would you consider the most dangerous places to visit and take photographs in the USA.
 

BrianShaw

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I'm not quite sure what you mean by "no go areas". In the US there are prohibitions against photographing without permission on military bases and some other industrial complexes, for instance. But that is very different from "dangerous places". If you are looking for a rush and want to see how quickly you can get arrested by using a camera... just try photographing the gate of a nuclear reactor facility or an airport or a military base. I hope that is not your intent.
 
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cliveh

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No, I don't mean illegal, but dangerous.
 

BrianShaw

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Oh... dangerous. Here are two that I have experienced and hope to never have to do them again: aerial photography from helicopters and underground photography in mines.
 

Photo Engineer

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Yellowstone park is warning tourists about an outbreak of Hanta virus, and several areas have outbreaks of West Nile Fever. Chicago is having a severe outbreak of random shootings, and New Orleans and the central USA is flooding.

Oh, 400 minor earthquakes in the LA area.

But then you are not on the level of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and some earthquake prone areas of the Pacific basin, and areas with TB and Malaria.

PE
 

BrianShaw

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Add to that Los Angeles for hantavirus and Yosemite for random shootings. Or maybe that's vice versa. All I know is that one can get wicked diseases in some parts of LA.
 

Leigh B

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There are lots of dangerous places in the US.

The lower-class areas of all large cities are dominated by gangs and drug addicts, making any venture
involving expensive equipment potentially hazardous with a real possibility of theft or assault.

A few years ago during a 10km Folksmarch in Baltimore, two of the participants were robbed in broad daylight in the downtown area.

The best defense is staying in areas with numerous pedestrians. It's no guarantee of safety, but it helps.

- Leigh
 

Photo Engineer

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Hey, its an election year. Hang around politicians. They are never mugged due to all of the security!

PE
 

BrianShaw

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... and to make it really dangerous, keep saying out loud, "I'm here to shoot the candidate."
 

Vaughn

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My ex-wife's house...
 

Gerald C Koch

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I would add that bear attacks are possible in most of the national parks. Here in Florida black bears routinely come into populated areas. In the western parks there is also the possibility of mountain lion attack although these are quite rare. Any large animal can be dangerous. People here in the US and Canada have also been attacked by elk, moose, and bison. However in most cases it is the human's fault. Always announce your presence by making noise and avoid females with young.

There are excellent photographic opportunities in our national and state parks. Just use common sense and stick to marked trails. Always follow a ranger's advice and read the signs.
 
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Photo Engineer

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Clive;

Every time we at EK had a visitor from Harrow to Rochester, we tried to give them a nice tour of the area. Same with visitors from Chalon. The one thing that they all remarked on was the huge amount and variety of wildlife everywhere you look. Deer in front yards, squirrels in trees, foxes and coyotes running wild. This is our neighborhood.

Visitors from Europe in general comment on the abundance of trees in the cities (but not LA in the path of the Space Shuttle!). I guess a lot of wildlife was killed off in WWiI, because one French visitor told me that they knew exactly how many bears there were in France and where they were. Bears keep turning up in surprising places here all the time and we just cannot keep count of them.

Enjoy your visit.

PE
 

bdial

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The rough areas of cities would be about the only place I'd be really concerned.
There are lots of wilderness places where people do mix with wildlife, as with very few beach goers around the world encountering sharks, most people go there and come back with no problem. Doesn't mean you shouldn't take reasonable precautions though.
In actuality the same is true for the not so great parts of cities, but I'd put more trust in critters than fellow humans in many places. Mostly the critters prefer to avoid you, which isn't always the case otherwise.
I've photographed from helicopters and small planes, no worries there (IME anyway).
Besides some parts of some cities, my major no-go places would be in the path of destructive storms like tornados or hurricanes. Generally they are not so difficult to avoid though, especially if you are already mobile.
 

summicron1

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cliveh said:
As a lot of APUG members seem to live in the USA, can I ask if you have any no go areas? Or what would you consider the most dangerous places to visit and take photographs in the USA.
Click to expand...

there are a few inner city crime areas you might want to avoid at night, especially in economically depressed areas such as detroit, but other than that the country is pretty safe and user-friendly.

That business about the hanta virus is sort of true, but i small media frenzy there. Wash your hands a lot, ur good.

oh, yeah, and if you go to yellowstone STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THE BISON, THEY CAN RUN 30 MILES PER HOUR, YOU CAN'T.
 

tkamiya

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It seems each major city in US has at least one area that is drug infested and pretty risky.

In Orlando Florida area, an area behind downtown police building is one such area. I will not venture into that area even during day time alone and there's no way I'd go there during night. It's kind of scary because it's right next to very popular convention/trade show/concert complex. If you don't know the area and make a wrong turn, you'll be in it before you realize it.

If you are planning to go anywhere, it will be wise to ask someone local if and where those places exist, especially if you intend to go on foot and with an expensive looking camera.
 

MattKing

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Some of the larger photographic retailers might be dangerous for your wallet.
 
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