What’s the Craziest Thing You’ve Experienced as a Photographer?
“What’s the craziest thing you’ve experienced as a photographer?”
I actually get that question a lot! Thankfully, I have not had any horror bridezilla stories, been mauled by a drunk wedding guest, or fallen into a lake. But I thought it would be fun to reflect on my experiences over the last eight years and write down some of my crazy stories, “Friends”-style, of course!
The Time My Phone Came Back
One September Saturday in 2017, I booked three bridal portrait sessions in the Upstate of SC and the NC mountains, all a good 2-3 hours away from me…in one day. I meticulously planned an itinerary, leaving the house at 6:30am. I planned for pit stops along the way and left plenty of room in between just in case. I did not expect: traffic construction jams on I-85 (which I have realized is the norm), the Blue Ridge Parkway to be shut down due to damage from Hurricane Irma, to lose my cell phone, to get lost due to terrible satellite signals in the mountains... My plan was to spend a few hours that morning in Clemson, SC, then drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC, and then down to Sassafrass Mountain in the upstate of SC for a sunset session before heading back home to the Charlotte area. My morning session with Katie at Clemson went perfectly, and then I met up with Courtney and a couple of her future bridesmaids on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had originally intended to go to Crabtree Meadows, but it had been closed due to recent hurricane damage, so we just decided to ride along the Parkway and stop at a few picturesque locations. On one of the overlooks, I set my phone on top of my car…and forgot about it. We left that location and drove 5-6 miles to another, and I realized my phone was missing. I looked everywhere and then realized what I must have done, and I started to panic inside, knowing that was my only line of communication with my third bride, Jessica. I told Courtney and her bridesmaids to hang tight, and I rode back to the overlook where we had last been.
If you know anything about the Blue Ridge Parkway, you know that groups of motorcyclists like to ride it. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and if I weren’t so scared of motorcycles, I can understand the appeal of riding around the curves with the cool wind in your hair, soaking in all the mountain glory. When I arrived at the overlook, I saw a gang of motorcyclists. I rode over to where I had parked and looked for my phone, and when I couldn’t find it, I rode over to the bikers and asked them if they happened to see a phone in a pink case laying on the ground anywhere. They told me no, and my heart sunk… I knew I needed to get back to Courtney, but I had no idea what I would do for the rest of the day with no communication. As I pulled out, I passed a bicyclist on his way into the overlook and kept going. A few seconds later, I saw the motorcyclists behind me, waving frantically. I stopped, and the bicyclist ran over to me WITH MY PHONE! He had found it in the grass along the side of the road about a mile away, and he just happened to ask the motorcyclists if they had lost a phone… so they knew exactly whose it was! And even more surprising, it was unscathed! Not a crack. My Otterbox case had done its job! I could have kissed that cyclist and that gang of bikers…and I told them so! What a godsend. I made my way back to Courtney and finished up her session, and thank goodness I had my phone to communicate with my next bride, because those mountain roads and my car GPS did not cooperate! I would have ended up lost without my phone. I wrapped up all three of my portrait sessions successfully and arrived back home, close to midnight, with my phone.
The Time I Broke Into My Own Car
Mini-sessions take a lot of planning. From finding the perfect location to organizing the timing of the sessions, it’s quite an intricate process. In November 2017, I had arranged to do my mini-sessions at locally owned Lutz Christmas Tree Farm, about thirty minutes from my home. On Saturday, I got a few sessions in, and then it began to rain. Thankfully, I had arranged for the following day to be a rain-back-up date, and I was able to watch the radar using my phone (yes, the same one that had been rescued in the story above) and communicate with my families so that only one ended up leaving their home before the bottom dropped out. The next day, I arrived with a few minutes to spare, and promptly locked my keys in my car, along with all of my photography gear! I frantically rushed to the owners of the farm, but we were unable to get into my Hyundai Tuscon with any of his tools. I could have called AAA, but I was out in the boonies, and it would have taken them until probably dark to arrive. And time was ticking…I had already rescheduled my families because of the rain, and I didn’t want to have to reschedule them again! That would have made my business look bad.
My first family drove up as I was staring at my car, concocting a plan… I had decided to break into it somehow. It was a choice between possibly losing some business and irritating my clients, or paying for a broken window, so I chose the latter. Thankfully, my families didn’t think I was completely insane (or at least they didn’t act like it…lol)! We found a good rock, and I picked the window we would break. I thought the smallest window would make the most sense…it should be the cheapest to replace, right? So we broke in, got my keys, and I was able to finish up my sessions.
It turns out, if you have good insurance, window replacements are completely free, EVEN IF YOU BREAK THEM YOURSELF! I was honest and told the customer service agent what I had done, and she laughed, but said it was not the craziest story she had heard about people breaking their own windows. We taped up my window with some duct tape and cardboard until it was able to be replaced, about a week later. And I learned an important lesson: the smallest windows of your car are NOT the cheapest. They are actually the most expensive to replace!
The Time I Got Locked Into a Park
One of my favorite places to shoot is a nearby park that has an automatic gate that closes at 8pm. I knew that it was there, but I didn’t know how exact the closing would be! I did an engagement session with Eva and Bryant there one evening, and we stayed just a few minutes too long. When we arrived at the exit to the park, the gate was closed! Thankfully, it had apparently happened to someone else in recent days, because part of the wooden fence near the entrance had already been disassembled, so we were able to drive through (and even put the fence back together). Now I know when I go there to make sure we are out by 7:55pm!
The Time I Got Attacked by a Dog
I love animals and taking photos of people with their pets. I have never had a bad experience with a pet, until this past Fall. And it wasn’t even during the photo session! I had just arrived at a family’s home and was walking up to their front door to greet them, when their dog rounded the corner. He seemed friendly enough and was wagging his tail, so told him hello approached the door. When I turned around, he lunged at me in attack mode and bit the back of both of my thighs! It was so sudden and shocking! Thank goodness the dad of the home must have been right near the door, because he was out in a flash and prevented the dog from doing any more damage. The mom of the home was as sweet as she could be and invited me inside (even during Corona!) to check on my wounds and make sure I was ok. She gave me bandaids and Neosporin and showed me to their restroom. The only thing was that I could not see the bites! They are on the back of my legs in a place that I just couldn’t make visible. I could definitely feel them, but I couldn’t see how bad they were (and didn’t want to have to drop my pants to ask a stranger to look at them!). I was also wearing red pants, which blended right in with any bleeding that was happening. I patched up the bites the best I could and then came out to the family’s kitchen, where I immediately got dizzy and thought I was going to pass out (I think the shock of it all caught up with me). So I had to sit on their floor, drink a Pepsi, and their oldest daughter talked me through my spell. Thank goodness I did not pass out (how awkward would that have been?), and remarkably, I was able to go on with their photo session! They really were the sweetest family, and I don’t fault them at all…their dog was just being a good guard dog!
When I got home, I had my husband took a look at the bites, and he said I needed to go to the ER and probably get stitches…the puncture wounds were pretty deep. I did not want to go to the ER during this Corona pandemic, so I found a nearby Urgent Care location that took me in quickly, cleaned my wounds, and gave me a Tetanus shot and prescription for antibiotics all in less than 15 minutes. (They don’t like to stitch puncture wounds because of the healing process.) I had to wear dresses for the next couple of weeks, but my wounds healed well, and the medical expenses weren’t even that bad because I had already met my deductible!
In reflecting on this experience, I am grateful more than upset. So many more things could have gone wrong—he could have bit my arm, which would have been devastating for me as a photographer with many more Fall sessions left (and 10 mini sessions the very next day!), the dad could have not gotten to us as quickly and I could have been bit more, the dog could have torn into my flesh instead of just biting (they were simple puncture wounds), and of all the places to bite me…he got me in the area that had the most cushion and least important muscles/veins/arteries! And my biggest takeaway? I will always check to make sure there are no rogue pets out wandering when I approach my clients’ homes in the future!
Please drop me a comment below with YOUR crazy photography stories!
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Kimberly Cauble is a teacher and wedding & portrait photographer who has been photographing seniors, families, and weddings in the Charlotte area since 2012.