THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

parts Useful Information
HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
Tools and Equipment
Always be mindful that a paper
cutter is a very dangerous tool.
Use it carelessly and you could
lose a finger. Never leave the
blade up after use. Always look
before you cut, to be sure no part
of you, your clothing or anything
else you don't want to cut is in
the path of the blade.
Fortunately, photographic hardware is generally quite benign, posing few
safety hazards. The only truly dangerous piece of equipment likely to be
used with some frequency is the paper cutter. The note at left, which appears
in the textbook in regard to paper-cutter use, should be strongly emphasized.
Outside of that, the most likely risk to health and safety is carelessness
while photographing. Any photographer with one eye glued to the viewfinder
and the other shut tight is at best half-blind. It is not uncommon for one to
be so intent on getting the composition just right that a ditch or step or cliff
or passing truck is blithely ignored until too late. (Those jokes about "one
more step, one more step, splash!" have a serious side.) Students should be
encouraged to learn good habits in this as in other aspects of photography.
An advisable basic rule is: look around with both eyes before you peek
through the shutter. This is as helpful for good composition as it is for avoiding
bruised and broken limbs: scanning the environment without the camera
gives a photographer a sense of bearings that will produce better
photographs as well as prevent accidents. Under no circumstances should
one walk in any direction without first checking to ensure that the coast is
clear.
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