Originally posted by RookieGuy To be honest, I figured that one out in the woods. I was walking up to a shot with one eye closed and the other looking through the viewfinder. All of a sudden my field of view was six feet lower and sideways. So that's something I try to pass on. Especially if it'll save you a chipped tooth and a broken battery door.
When I was young, I learned to get my settings then get my shot. I was, um, enthusiastic about getting the shot. I went swimming off a bridge by accident getting a picture of a crab. I was able to save the camera. I have been bitten by every bug native to Maryland doing something stupid trying to capture something. And I lost count how many times I've been invited to leave by very large non humorous men.
So the corollary to my advice is to pay attention to what you're going down or up into.
What a levitous description! I have
dyspraxia (a.k.a. "my gross motor skills are often terrible") so I've inspected many floors myself, often without the aid of a viewfinder, and can appreciate the fun of a rapid unplanned descent!
On the plus side, it does mean I habitually compensate for my clumsiness by dedicating a lot of mental energy to concentrating on moving around; by compensating for my shortcomings I've had to become exceptionally aware of my surroundings, just to have the footing of a normal person - though in this case it seems to work out in my favour!
I have, as yet, not been asked to leave anywhere, though! I've actually been pretty lucky in terms of asking random folk if it's okay to go somewhere to take pictures - Scotrail in particular are more than happy to let folks take pictures of the choo-choos. They also smirk if you call them choo-choos. Even better, Scotland's land access rights (right to roam, right of way, and.... the other one?) allow folk to go almost anywhere, within reason, as long as they don't cause damage, inconvenience, or endangerment.
As a side note, stay away from the naval base where they service the nuclear submarine fleet... They don't like you visiting the forests near there - in fact, soldiers pop out of bushes and tell you to turn back. I don't need to tell you how scary that is... but I do need to emphasise exactly how surreal it is to see a bush disgorge two very large, armed men who order you and your grandmother to turn around... and then helpfully give you directions to where you want to go, explaining that you took the wrong fork in the path half a mile back - thanks, guys!