I arrived in Ireland a couple days ago, and I have been taking plenty of photos along the way. I’ll post them in future articles, but there is something more important to discuss for now: the dangerous, idiotic behavior I saw at the Cliffs of Moher.
The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most iconic sights. At upwards of 700 feet (210 meters) tall, and dropping directly into the sea, it is no wonder that they are such a well-visited place. Unfortunately, as in Yellowstone National Park, this popularity comes at a price. Not everyone follows the established trails rules, and several people die each year falling off the cliffs; in fact, to warn visitors of the danger, a memorial statue was placed at the path’s trailhead.
I spent a couple days photographing this area, and I had a couple takeaways from the experience. First, if sunset is nice, the light on the cliffs is truly beautiful. It isn’t a particularly easy landscape to shoot, and the best vantage point is somewhat over-photographed, but it is still an incredible sight. The more important thing I noticed, though, is the horrifying behavior of photographers and tourists approaching as close as possible to the edge.
These photographers were nearly walking over a cliff. Consciously. Some were posing for their friends, others were photographing the landscape, and many were taking selfies. It was dangerous and careless, especially considering the weather; there was a light rain, and gusts of wind were upwards of 30 mph, or 48 km/h.
And then a woman slipped. She was sitting with her legs over the edge of the cliff, and her friend was taking a photo with the ocean in the background. As she stood up, her foot caught a path of grass, and she landed on her knees at the edge. Luckily, somehow, she caught herself and did not fall over. She laughed it off quickly and walked back to the path. I felt sick to watch — as, I know, did a dozen other people who saw.
In the next thirty minutes, I spotted six more people walking within arm’s length of a 700-foot drop, enduring strong winds and wet, slippery grass. Tourists were so engrossed in taking pictures that they seemed to ignore the deadly drop-off entirely. One woman even did yoga poses on the edge while her friend took pictures.
What is it about our culture that we are willing to pose on the edge of a cliff in order to take a photo? Is it a desire to seem daring and adventurous, or is it simply a misunderstanding of the dangers that a place like this can pose? Certainly, the reason is not to take better pictures; whether or not you are on the path, the view is exactly the same.
I am not trying to excuse myself from the idiocy that affects obsessed photographers. I have climbed a few sharp and slippery hills that were beyond my comfort zone, and I’ve taken photos farther into the ocean than what seems smart in hindsight. In recent years, though, I have worked to take more care to avoid these situations — and I have never walked so close to the edge of a cliff. No shot is worth this type of risk.
If you ever take pictures at the edge of a large drop like the Cliffs of Moher, realize the dangers that you are facing. Risks are a natural part of life, and they can be important to taking successful photographs; I don’t dispute that at all. But when dozens of people walk to the farthest edge of a 700-foot drop on a windy, rainy day, something is very wrong. As photographers, we have a collective responsibility to reject — and avoid taking part in — this type of behavior, not encourage it. Until then, people will continue making these tragic decisions.
Just evidence of natural selection in operation
Somebody’s mother, daughter, sister, and/or wife. Sunset Cliffs are very scenic, so we know she’s a lover of beauty.
I’m glad she survived, but every year maybe a dozen don’t survive falls from our many unstable shoreline cliffs.
I was done with this thread, but this article was in today’s San Diego Union Tribune newspaper on page B-2, about an incident last at Sunset Cliffs, located in Ocean Beach, a San Diego neighborhood:
Heading: “Man, lifeguards rescue woman who fell from bluff into ocean”
SAN DIEGO
A Good Samaritan jumped into the ocean to help rescue a struggling woman who fell off a bluff in Ocean Beach Tuesday night, authorities said.
The woman, reportedly in her 50s, suffered unspecified injuries. She was not completely conscious but was mumbling a few words after the rescue, San Diego lifeguard Lt. John Sandmeyer told reporters.
She was caught in a strong rip current when Sean Hanrahan, who was walking along the cliff with a group of friends, heard her yelling for help about 8:20 p.m. near Del Monte Avenue and Ocean Front Street.
Hanrahan, 25, jumped from the bluff, pulled the unresponsive woman away from the currents and treaded water with her until lifeguards arrived shortly after, Hanrahan told reporters.
“If it wasn’t for them, that would be it,” the Ocean Beach resident said of the lifeguards’ swift help.
Lifeguards got her on a board and onto the reef, then hoisted her back onto the cliff, where she was treated by medics before being taken to a hospital, Sandmeyer said.
San Diego fire spokesman Lee Swanson said the woman was taking photos when she fell into the water. “
Proud to sat the “Good Samaritan”, hero is my son Sean Hanrahan! <3
*say
Thanks Brian. My wife just nervously laughed when she saw the photo. We’ve been up there, but not on the edge like that. When I went to college in Portland in the early ’60s (yes, I’m older than dirt) there were no crowds at the falls except on summer weekends and holidays. Thankfully there are still many sublime places in the Gorge and near Portland that usually aren’t crowded.
Just before leaving the top of Multnomah Falls outside of Portland this weekend, I heard some odd rustling under the lookout point. Then I looked down: someone climbed off the path, right to the edge of the falls, which is a 542′ drop…all for a few cell phone pics—http://imgur.com/a/zDVEk. I thought she was going for a ride when she turned around for a selfie.
Oops, the link didn’t turn out right: imgur.com/a/zDVEk
Sadly companies encourage these kind of stupidities in their commercials. Just the other day a skier died in Chile:
www.foxnews.com/world…anche.html
Camera companies are not better. Nikon might even be one of the worst as they have used a lot of action videos to sell their cameras. If they continue with these kind of promotions a serious accident is just a matter of time.
I saw very similar behavior at the cliffs of Latrabjarg (Westfjords) in Iceland. Two women were sitting with their feet dangling over the very edge of a 1000′ foot cliff that is a nesting ground for puffins! And the gusty wind was blowing about 30mph TOWARDS the cliff edge. I was so unnerved I quickly moved away not wanting to witness the catastrophic fall surely to occur. Luckily they must have safely climbed back some time later.
We we returned to our hotel we mentioned the incident to the innkeeper and he said people die there quite often and recently a photographer who set up a tripod near the edge, moved around to the front of the camera to adjust then lens, then stepped back. The soft soil gave way and he plunged to his death. So tragic, and no picture is worth that risk.
The cliffs there and the puffins are quite dramatic but the danger is very real. I agree people seem unconscious that these are very real risks and nature can be very unforgiving. I think it may be a function of many tourists who rarely interact with nature and so never learn the inherent dangers in places like this. No amount of signs, fences, warnings will prevent some from going right to the edge. Unfortunately, this all to often results in tragedy.
I learned an important principal in the Sierra Club Wilderness courses: Nature doesn’t care whether you are injured or if you live or die. You and only you are responsible for your own safety and the safety of others in your group.
Wild areas, including popular wild areas, are often challenging and potentially dangerous or deadly even if you do everything right. There is no heroism in the consequences of ignorant, reckless, or stupid behavior, just pain and loss and possible resentment of your foolishness.
Hi Spencer! Looking forward to your future articles and photographs from your Ireland trip. Enjoy the natural beauty and lovely people. I’m grateful that I’ll be there for the month of October, based in Listowel. Please post if you find a great printing lab in the area.
Thank you, Phoenix! It is beautiful here, and I have gotten some photos that I am really happy with. I never went through Listowel, unfortunately, or I would be able to offer some recommendations. You will enjoy your trip — it is an incredible country!
Hi
This behavior to me is of the same level as people who share pictures of themselves on social media that decency and common sense would recommend to keep private.
Most people have average life with average achievements that do not convey strong social recognition among peers.
In the past this translated in people being jalouse, angry at more succesful ones or frustrated.
Nowadays people compensate by getting more visibility on social media. It provide them immediate social recognition and gratification of many small achievements.
I’ve been to the Cliffs of Moher. I have not, however, actually seen the Cliffs of Moher. We arrived to find a “pea soup” fog. If anyone went over the edge that day, we didn’t hear the scream. As for images, all our Nikon gear was for naught. We purchased a couple of postcards.
Thats why God gave man the intellect to create zoom lenses.
My thoughts exactly. Why the hell risk your life when you can easily close that small distance with the turn of the zoom ring? If you want to look down directly you can just move to another spot, plenty of curves in the path to allow you to see the foot of the next cliff if that’s what you’re after. I remember very strong gusts of wind there, clearly very dangerous near the edge of the cliffs. Why anyone would even think of climbing over the wall is beyond me.