"If
you've ever had a Photographer Nightmare, then you can understand this
story, but it wasn't a dream. I was doing some yard work one day at
my house when I noticed some strange vehicles driving around my street.
Finally I asked who they were, and they were the cops (Sheriff Dept.)
staking out a house about 10 houses down from mine. No biggie, went
back to my lawn. Next day, I hear a Sheriff Chopper above, and yup,
it's flying over that house. So I call the station, and drive over there.
There is another photog there, good scanner ears, and when I get out,
he say's, "Hurry up, shots fired".
So I, in my gardening attire, run to the back of my car, and proceed
to put on my brick battery. IT WON'T GO ON!!!! I think I was so excited,
I was a little rough. I can't get my battery on my camera, and I have
4 people sitting in the driveway in hand cuffs, a couple were shot and
screaming for help. Come to find out a cop had been shot as well, they
killed a guy, and MY CAMERA ISN'T WORKING!!! I find that if I hold the
battery on, and just put my camera on the ground, I can roll tape. That
does me a lot of good though. I notice the problem, it's the little
pin on the plate that holds the battery, it's bent. So I try to bend
it back and it breaks off!!! Now I'm totally @#&%$!!! While the other
photog is getting great stuff, I'm just sitting there wondering what
to do. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!! Then I look up, and there's a neighbor with
his VHS-C cam corder. I run up to him and ask if I can use his camera.
He gives it to me, and I'm golden. I get the cop getting brought out,
and all the other stuff that goes with it. Granted, it looked like home
video, even had the date, time, and life of the battery, but it's better
than drawing pictures. Now, when I put my brick on my camera, I do it
very softly."
More Photog "Whatchashoot"
Stories
-"Would you ever stop shooting
video to help at a scene"
"I had been on scene for 10 mins when a fireman
yells: "There's someone under this van! We gotta move this thing!" There
was no tow truck around. I was standing about 10 feet from the van"
More...
-"I watched a guy die today"
"I see a head move, then a hand. Both slightly stained
with blood, but not much. I figure the guy is coming too and basically
waking up from his drunk. Not the case.. he was gasping for air."
-Aussie Gunplay
"The gunman turned away from us and walked the
other way up the street. PUT THE GUN DOWN! He started to raise one of
the guns he had and... CRACK CRACK CRACK......"
-Flooded Fido
"It was weird doing the breast stroke and occassionally
feeling your foot hit a car's roof or antenna."
-Chopper Crash
"He got to about a thousand feet and his tail
is cut off and the chopper starts a death spiral."
-Deer Me
"Just as I pass the deer, it is coming back
into my headlights, WHOOOOAAAA! "
