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Author Topic: Acrophobia. Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 03-16-2010 03:35 PM                     I have severe acrophobia; I don't like being even a couple of metres up a ladder, and simply freeze if I go much higher than that. I can go a bit higher on scaffolding, but I still don't like it. On Sunday I discovered a forum for Steeplejacks; there are hundreds of pages of it, including some interesting photographs of some of the work they have done. On this page: web page the second picture is the view looking down 300 feet from the chimney of Slough Power Station, about 35 miles or so from London. I'm very glad that it's not me up there, but scroll down to the next picture, and see what the steeplejack is actually standing on! How can they do this? I had to Tinyurl the link as the original URL was too long for it to work properly.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-16-2010 04:20 PM                        It's all a state of mind, really. Just imagine if you were standing on the same platform, but that there was a solid floor two inches below it. Would you be afraid? No likely. Would you slip and fall to the floor? Probably not. It is no different being up high, as the likelihood of falling is the same if you have that same state of mind. If you are nervous, then the likelihood of falling increases since you are jittery and whatnot. As for myself, I am not fond of heights. What I mean by that is that I do not like them initially, but after I am up for a minute or two I get used to it and I am fine.... usually to the point of enjoying it. Going up a Genie lift or whatnot is initially disconcerting, but then it seems pretty awesome rolling around.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-16-2010 04:29 PM                     There was a girl who worked for me as a Work Study who was severely afraid of heights. She wouldn't even walk down the glass enclosed staircase in one of our main academic buildings. She would literally freeze. One time she got half way up a ladder and I had to carry her down. Strange thing was that she liked to get drunk and ride on the big roller coaster at Cedar Point! Personally, I don't mind high places as long as there is a solid footing. I'm not comfortable about being near the edge of a roof but, if I have to I can deal with it. But if I am on a wobbly platform, forget it!  |  IP: Logged Hillary Charles Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 748 From: York, PA, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-16-2010 04:34 PM                     Last year, I had the good fortune to meet photographer Peter B. Kaplan, who is famous for his incredible photography from very high places. He said that he was terribly afraid of heights, and that's what drew him to his subject matter. He forced himself to overcome his fears to ply his craft. You can find out how well he did here. Click onto "Stock Images" at the top of the page and then scroll down to "Height Workers." Fair warning Stephen! Some of those images make me dizzy--and they're not even in 3D!  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-16-2010 04:47 PM                        Not seeing anything that says "Stock images". Just click here instead. I am not fond of the fisheye look. That was made me hate IMAX all those years ago. Randy, I had a similar instance where I had to carry a girl down a ladder while she was looking for the "marquee stretcher" that we had all new employees look for. She climbed up to the marquee but was freaked out and unable to come down.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 03-16-2010 04:54 PM                        Me too. Not fond of heights, though by working on stages for 20 years I got used to it. People used to kid me about it, asking, "How can you be a pilot and be afraid of heights?!" In an airplane (even better in a helicopter with its views below one's feet) I loved the sensations of height. I guess the difference was due to no physical connection to the ground to give scale to how high up you were. And unlike the often wobbly ladders, Genies, and scissor lifts I worked from on stage, flying machines always felt solid and stable to me. Being up high on things like stage catwalks, bridges, coves and other anti-pro positions never bothered me. In fact I used to love the false sense of security one could get when walking on beams above a suspended ceiling. I admit edges of tall buildings are a bit disorienting to me. But when I used to help give ground tours at the Grand Canyon, standing on the edge there never bothered me. Again, seems to be a matter of stability and scale. "Marquee stretcher"... Love it!  |  IP: Logged Hillary Charles Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 748 From: York, PA, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-16-2010 05:12 PM                     That's weird Joe, because my link shows it clearly next to "bio." But thanks for making it easier anyway. I love the stuff at the top of the WTC and Empire State Bldg., fisheye or not. But I can't imagine being there myself. Maybe there's a name for this condition, but when I was at the observation deck of the Empire State, the thought occurred to me to climb over the fence. It scares me to think that even entered my head and wonder how much stronger that thought must be before it would become an action. Because of that, I'm uncomfortable in open decks.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 03-16-2010 05:50 PM                     Hillary, I'm not seeing 'Bio' either, but that link seems to go to a different page each time. I did manage to find the pictures though. Somebody published some pictures they had taken with a 10x8 inch camera from the top of the towers of one of the big bridges, I think it was the Golden Gate. I've done some stage rigging long ago, but always from scaffold towers; I couldn't do it from ladders.  |  IP: Logged Hillary Charles Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 748 From: York, PA, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-16-2010 05:57 PM                     Quick question Stephen, what you're seeing at the top of the page I linked? I'm seeing his name, and then beside it different departments marked, "Login, Search, My Lightbox, Stock Images, Bio, Help, Contact, Prints" Now a different photograph appears each time I logon, but the heading remains the same for me. I'm wondering if my computer's going wacky!  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-16-2010 06:47 PM                        Someone needs to tell the gent his website is whack! I don't see BIO, either. Here is what I see: Seriously, whoever designed this website is a horrible human being who was clearly conceived by mistake by his/her parents. It is ugly, not well formatted and the images are teeny tiny even when expanded. I see this a lot on photography sites. Even when watermarked, they are afraid to show you decent-sized representations of their work.  |  IP: Logged Hillary Charles Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 748 From: York, PA, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-16-2010 06:54 PM                     Ah I see! Well at least "images" is there. Could we be seeing it on different browsers? And yeah, I wish the pictures could be made bigger as well. Regardless, the guy himself is very nice. I seem to recall that in spite of his body of work, a few years ago he had to be treated for epsiodes of vertigo.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-16-2010 08:06 PM                        I'm sure he is a great guy and from what I can kind of tell, the pictures look pretty good as well. I love the Statue of Liberty ones. I am using Firefox 3.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-16-2010 08:24 PM                        I'm pretty much with Randy on this one - I'm fine with heights as long as I have some solid footing, and something to hang onto. My least favorite thing is climbing the scaffold to change the lights in the theatre ceiling. But I'm good as soon as I get to the top and can place one hand on the ceiling to steady myself.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 03-17-2010 06:38 AM                     In Firefox I get the same as Joe, in IE8 on Windows I get Bio etc.  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 03-17-2010 08:26 AM                     There was a TV show called WORLD'S GREATEST FIXES a couple of years ago. The guy on the show was a professional rigger, so he was used to heights. He had skills so he could actually help on the jobs. They did a replacement of the antenna on top of a 2000' TV tower. That was no small job. I recall another show that showed 2 guys doing an inventory on the Empire State Building. They shut off the power up there and these guys had to climb up to the top and record every wire and antenna. AND, they had to do it in 4-1/2 hours. They had a camera operator with them and on a helicopter circling the tower.  |  IP: Logged

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