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Is it safe to carry a camera around Dublin at night?
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I have been planning on getting into the city center at night to do some nighttime photography. One thing i am nervous about though is safety.
I will be standing in the open, with (relatively) expensive camera, lens tripod, and most likely be on my own.
Even in a crowded street im not sure if thats safe in dublin.Have any of you ever had issues when out taking photos on your own in Dublin?
I have never done it but if your nervous of doing it bring somebody for support or maybe a camera club do this.
If you look nervous there is always somebody who will annoy you.
good luck hope you get a more experienced interpretation.
I have taken pictures in Dublin at night before, but I was with a friend. I would recommend bringing someone with you, just incase anything happens and for your own peace of mind. It’s also handy to have someone to talk to to while you are walking around to different locations and watch your back while you are looking through the camera composing your shot.
Be in a group of two people (minimum), club camera preferable, but small group is better for all the reasons. Try to avoid late hours, winter nights are better because of early sunset and reasonable hours. Be prepared to be friendly and patient because some folks try to be smart with photographers who carry a lot of equipment (backpack and tripods often seem to be “excessive” oversize gear). If you are using the camera handheld it’s OK. But the long-exposure is out of the question, so you decide. Expect to get bumped into if your shooting in crowded areas (like Grafton St).
All the above are sometimes obsolete if you are relaxed and you don’t think something bad will happen to you or your camera.
Good luck.I did some night photography once in Dublin up to 3:00am & I never had any problems
but in saying that, I was in busy areas with a lot of pedestrians but I suppose that’s no guarentee either!
Bring just whatever you feel you need & an ‘assistant’Why not link up with Dublin Photography School who have a night time shoot coming up on 22 Jan, it is advertised as a free event on their website:
http://www.dublin-photography-school.com/Location_photography_shoots” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
you may then meet others here to link up with for future shoots,
MikeI’ve done a few night-time shoots with Dave McKane of The Institute of Photography. Security in numbers and all that.
In fact we get a lot of attention with queries such as “Is it Boyzone? ” or “Has he resigned?” [political reference :!: ]I’ve found if you avoid areas where drunks tend to be I’m fine, but also be aware that the city is a different place at night, areas that might be nice during the day could be places where certain types of people congregate at night.
ive done it a fair bit, never any trouble, and i dont stay in busy areas either. then again i dont look the sort that gets messed with
I got chased at 8.50 am in the morning down by the Half-Penny Bridge when I had the camera and tripod out,
no experiance of night-shooting there but if my day trip was anything to go by…well ??
To be fair it was a few lovely drug takers that were after me…I was told later that they stay in a hostel down there at nights
and are back on the streets early in the morning…lesson learned though.Noel.
I rekon there are really no safe or unsafe places when you are alone and have relatively expensive gear. I’ve had a few dodgy moments where someone “liked” my gear, both in the countryside at night & in the city early morning. There is definitely safety in numbers, but if alone, you can either stand your ground & fight or run. It’s important to remember that your gear can be replaced if stolen. I’d suggest meeting up with a few folks as mentioned already, at least until you become familiar with the areas that you want to shoot. That way you can get an insight into the possibility of any dangers in that area.
I’ve taken shots everywhere in Dublin at all times of the day or night and never had a moments trouble and I’ve never been with anybody. Then again, I know the city like the back of my hand. It’s a little bit like when people used to tell you not to walk around Manhatten looking up towards the sky because then the bowsies would know you’re a tourist. Unfortunately, a person is either streetwise or they’re not. If you’re the type of person that gets nervous just looking down a dark laneway then you should try the safety in numbers approach for sure. Play it safe and put safety first.
http://theirishlandscape.photoshelter.com
Hi myself and colgo2212 do a bit at night in Dublin and if you want we could arrange to meet up sometime, to be honest I would not shot on my own!!
Cheers Steve
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