Ashley's Advice | Watch where you step!

So yeah – ^^^ THAT ^^^ is a rattlesnake. More specifically, I think that it’s a Western Rattlesnake (AKA a Prairie Rattlesnake).  And more importantly – it’s venomous. As in, poisonous. As in, it bites and ouch-ouch-ouch and an evening at the emergency room.

And a possible lawsuit on your hands.

I ran into this rattler on Saturday night, at dusk, at Garden of the Gods. As I was traipsing around in the fields in front of the Nature Center where I do many of my shoots, my client stepped OVER the snake without realizing it and I nearly did as well – this rattler was about 2 feet long and really blended in well with the environment. Luckily I have grown accustomed to keeping my eyes peeled for dangerous critters since I had a snake run-in a while ago at Red Rock Canyon, and having grown up in the deserts of California – I have some experience with snakes. Nevertheless, it pretty much scared the daylights out of us and after snapping this shot from a few steps away – we immediately vacated the area.

So why am I writing this blog? Well, I have two reasons. For one, I want to let other Colorado photographers, hikers and families to be aware, cautious and careful while they’re out and about. It’s snake season right now with the summer weather, and they come out at dusk (and dawn). So BEEEE CAREFUL!

But the second reason is just as important – I want photographers to be extra cautious, and include an Indemnification Clause in their contract. What do those big words mean in plain English? It means protecting yourself against a lawsuit in the event a client is injured while on the shoot with you – falling, breaking a bone, getting a concussion – or worse. Much worse. I can’t tell you just HOW important it is to protect yourself as a business owner. Most small business owners don’t have the ability to handle a major lawsuit and walk away from it unscathed, like a major corporation may be able to. So my advice this week – PROTECT YOURSELF. Get a great contract to protect yourself. Get liability coverage for your business through an insurance policy so that in the event a client gets injured (or worse) while working with you – you don’t lose your business if the client chooses to bring a lawsuit against you.

xoxo, 

Contract recommendation – Rachel Brenke offers some amazing, thorough contracts for photographers. You can view more about them by clicking HERE. Without a doubt, no matter where you get your contract – have a lawyer read through it to make sure you’re in accordance with local and state laws (each state and/or county can have different rules and regulations).

Recommended reading – Coping With Snakes