Animal attacks always makes news because it is usually does not happen all the time, so when it does happen it is newsworthy especially if there is a fatality. Whether it is an exotic animal  on the loose such as a tiger or monkey, a shark attack or even a fatal attack by the family dog it will make the news so get to the scene and shoot it. The best way to hear about an attack is just like any other call, with a police scanner. Listen if the animal is still on the loose or is dead to find out the safest location to set up. When an animal attack is dispatched law enforcement and fire/rescue will be called out to treat the patient and investigate the incident so the sooner you get to the scene the better. Animal control will also be dispatched to the scene to recover the animal but in most cities animal control is not considered an emergency vehicle so it may take some time to get to the scene.  If the scene you are about to shoot is a shark attack don’t ever pass it up, shark attacks almost always make national news so if you happen to get there and shoot the patient being pulled out of the water, you will be able to sell those photos at a premium.

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Scene Safety

When arriving to the scene especially if a wild animal such as a gorilla or a tiger is still on the loose be sure to be near a cop with a rifle.. just in case! You don’t want to be wandering around the area alone where an animal has just attacked someone and is still on the loose. Ok Ok.. that was an extreme scenario and chances are if that did happen you will be not be allowed anywhere near the location the animal was last spotted! More than likely you will be responding to a call where a dog attacks and kills a child and has either been killed or is wandering a neighborhood. Sadly fatal attacks make the best news and in that case tensions will be high, especially if a young child is involved. Family members may be grieving outside and the sight of a news camera outside their house will infuriate them. First of all make sure you are not on their property (a sidewalk is usually safe) and be sure you are in the view of law enforcement just in case it gets ugly and they try to attack you.

Parents and family members may be at the house grieving or in custody of law enforcement and being interviewed so try to locate where they are just in case you need them. With all news scenes where a fatality is involved there is always the chance of someone attacking you just because they are so upset that a camera man looks like the perfect target to attack.  Being the first photographer on the scene can be great for sales but also dangerous to your safety. A family member will not usually hassle a group of news photographers gathering photos/video but a lone photog is a perfect target. When making photos be sensitive to the scene especially if the victim is a child, realize that parents and family members are going to be extremely sad so try to remain professional and don’t cross the line. If you know that the shot you are about to take (for example a child in the yard mauled to death and bloody) will cause more grief than good, don’t take the shot. It’s just not worth ruining your reputation and integrity to try to get a photo that you really don’t need or wont sell.  Be aware that if you make a shot that is so graphic your buyers won’t run and so bad that it upsets the family you are just causing problems for yourself. Don’t be “that guy” who takes photos of dead bodies for no good reason, it’s just not cool.

The Moneyshot

Here are the shots you should be looking for

• Photo of the animal either on the loose, dead, or being taken into custody by animal control or law enforcement.
  A good shot would be a photo of the animal in the back seat of a police car or inside the animal control truck
• Up close photo of the animal especially if the animal has blood on it’s fur.
  This photo can be very graphic and not many papers would purchase it but it is good to get if you can just in case.
• Photos of the grieving family
  If you arrive on the scene pretty soon after the incident you may see the family members outside grieving, if so shoot it.
• Photos of cops arriving to the scene with guns drawn
  This will usually happen if an exotic animal like a tiger is on the loose
• Animal belongings
  The animal involved is the key part of the story so try to get photos of the animal’s enclosure, dog house, “Bad Dog” warning signs, or anything else that shows that the animal was bad or shows method of escape.
• Shark Attacks
  Usually by the time you get there the patient should be already transported but if there are personal items left at the scene like clothing, wetsuit, or surf board get a shot of that, especially if it has teeth marks.
• Animal on the loose
  If the animal is on the loose, try to make photos of cops looking through binoculars or through the sights of their guns

** Photos in this lesson are of a fatal dog attack in Tampa, Fl it was the first fatal dog attack in the county in the past 10 years. An 8 year old boy was mauled to death by a friends two Pit Bulls.

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