Think Quick - You're a Photog

As a news photog deadline approaches faster than a runaway train in a Hollywood Blockbuster and when you add a Live Shot to it you may as well fast forward to the end of the movie.

Our Live Shot Location was farther from the truck than I had extension cords (or time) to run, and my on camera light was convienently not with me in the live truck so in a flash of - WTF do I do now - I zip tied a handheld, battery powered, spotlight to the umbrella pole on my light kit.



That whole mess started 4 hours earlier.

When water began spewing steadily out of the ground on a main thoroughfare today in Kernersville I was quickly dispatched to the scene.

I was less than a mile away...doing an interview at town hall with the Mayor about the passing of a former Mayor. My quick arrival made for an easy grab but as I disected the situation I determined I'd better get more than the obligatory 15 seconds of spray....no pun intended.

After about 20 minutes shooting every conceivable angle I made the call...and told the desk it would be a great nightside story....they could do 5 an 6 o'clock live shots during rush hour because it was only 2 and the roads were already backed up.

I stowed my gear and drove the footage back to the station. As I was loading that footage and the other 2 stories I had shot earlier I was given my next assigment. Drive the 20 minutes back to the watermain break with a reporter for 5 and 6.

With the traffic at a standstill and me sitting on the exit ramp at 4:52 I knew making the top of the 5 was a no go. But I didn't want it to be much later. I pulled from the right turn lane into the straight lane and passed all the traffic bottled up because there was only 1 lane feeding the rush hour beast today.

I made the right...right across the bows of cars coming from the right and the left....threading the livetruck into a space my Explorer shouldn't have fit.

I didn't look for any fingers...or listen for any horns...I had the parking lot nearest the gusher in sight. I set up the truck. Dialed the IFB. And we were on at 5.....12. First story in the B-Block.



We did it again at 6....with my rigged up light kit. It was pretty flawless. The crews were just getting ready to get started digging. They had to work all night.