5 Famous Photos Captured at Great Risk to the Photographer
Photographs allow us to experience a situation from the comfort of our own, normal life. Sometimes, the situation captured is one that absolutely no one wants to experience for themselves. Of course, for it to be photographed in the first place, at least one person has to put themselves in harm’s way: the photographer.
Here are five extremely risky photos taken by brave photographers…
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper
Probably one of the most well-known photographs in the world, it’s likely you’ve seen this image before. It’s enough of a cultural touchstone to have scores of spoofs. Obviously, the men in the photograph are in an extremely dangerous situation, good mood aside. What’s forgotten, however, is that the photographer taking their picture was perched on a similarly precarious beam. The photographer, thought to be Charles C. Ebbets, may have been even more of a daredevil, given that he had to angle himself to get the shot he wanted.
Robert Capa/Fair Use
Another famous photographer, though not quite the lofty, household identification level of the above? Photographer Robert Capa, renowned for his war photos, of which, the photos taken of the invasion of Omaha Beach might be the most unbelievable. The photos show the very first wave of troops storming the beach, and in order to capture them, Capa had to storm the beach along with them. Except his hands weren’t holding a way to defend himself. It takes serious stones to charge into oncoming fire to defend your country. It might take even more to do it just so people of the future will know what that looked like.
The Elephant’ s Foot, Chernobyl
Artur Korneyev/Fair Use
The danger is immediately, visually apparent in the first two entries. This photo requires a little more background before inspiring an “oh, god.” The strange mound shown is the so-called “elephant's foot” in the radioactive ruins of Chernobyl, and it’s one of the most radioactive sites on earth. Simply standing in the presence of this amorphous pile of waste would have killed you within minutes, when it was fresh. Not that it’s particularly peachy now. So for Artur Korneyev to decide the world seeing this site was worth blasting himself with eye-watering levels of radiation? Pretty ballsy move, though those balls are probably never having kids after shooting this photo.
Atif Saeed’ s Lion Photo
Here’s the thing that makes this photo so frightening: that’s not a zoom lens. It wasn’t taken from safety as a lion charged some prey just outside the frame. The photographer, a man named Atif Saeed, was the prey, and he barely escaped with his life. He sat down, snapped this photo as the lion charged him with highly ill intent, and just barely managed to hop back in his car before becoming a light lunch.
The Eruption of Mount Saint Helens by Robert Landsburg
Robert Landsburg
Unfortunately, our last entry isn’t a close call, but a picture that did indeed result in the taker’s untimely death. Robert Landsburg was on Mount Saint Helens as it began to erupt. He realized that he wouldn’t be able to escape, and so instead, as his final act, photographed the event unfolding. As the ash seen in this photo descended, Landsburg covered his camera and film with his body to protect them, and in doing so, he was able to pass these photos on to the world, even after he had sadly left it.
