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As I have mentioned before I work as a tv news shooter so I readily admit my categories of 'client' and 'customer' don't exactly fit, but I figured I would toss in this story here to add to the general merriment. All apologies if I have chosen the wrong part of the board.
Back in May I had a ladder collapse under me and I shattered my left heel bone. I had surgery and was out of work six weeks. Since I have returned they have had me working in the building editing.
Mind you I appreciate the work, it needs to be done, but my usual thing is to work out in the public, running around, shooting news, so to be stuck inside for months has been a bit hard.
Recently, with the gracious assistance of my dad I was able to resurrect an 2004 Ford Explorer that had been my work truck until it blew the engine 2.5 years ago and I bought it from the company for $200 hoping to one day fix it. I have been without a vehicle since I returned to work (insert long story about divorce, lawyers & child support here) so to get wheels was a joy.
Once I got it running I found an old scanner, tossed my camera & gear in the back and I am ready to catch anything cool I find during my off time. It is important to realize that as a field guy I generally make a tidy overtime shooting random spot news I stumble on, something I haven't done since May. I am just coming off crutches, so my abilities are limited, but I can still hold a camera and zoom in.
Last Friday as I started to make my way to work my scanner locks in on some chatter about a guy on a roof of a Italian chain restaurant nearby. Now i don't know why they are all worked up but this is the area that endured snipers, terrorism and all that, so I get interested quick. I call it into the station and start that way to see what we have.
Once I get close I stop behind another store (the area is a vast shopping district in Virginia - something like a two mile long shopping center) and prep my gear, moving my camera into the back seat so it is easier to get to. Then I get back into my truck, drive casually through the parking lot once to get my bearings, then exit the area and drive two blocks away to wait. When I park at that scene I see I can view the man on the roof and his ladder to I get my camera on my shoulder (while still in my tinted out truck) and fire off a few shots without being seen.
Then the call goes for the takedown. I go ahead and make my way over and arrive a good minute after the arrest. I hop out and get my video of the suspect in cuffs, and other activity. All is good.
Where is the suck you ask? Well the detectives came at me like I just wizzed in their Wheaties. Who are you? ID? How did you hear about this? You are interfering with an investigation! Who is your supervisor? We're going to call and complain!
Honestly I was shocked by the reaction. Of course I gave them my supervisor's info, because I have been doing this 22 years and I had no doubt I played it well.
In the end I think it was all a result of the fact I live really far away from DC and nobody here is used to aggressive newsgatherers. They said my truck looked too much like a cop car and that any accomplices would have been spooked when I drove by. Argh.
Still don't know what it was about, I heard it was part of a larger story that will probably get a press release today. I'm on vacation and the station has my raw tape, hope it's a good story! Anyway, that's my tale.
Back in May I had a ladder collapse under me and I shattered my left heel bone. I had surgery and was out of work six weeks. Since I have returned they have had me working in the building editing.
Mind you I appreciate the work, it needs to be done, but my usual thing is to work out in the public, running around, shooting news, so to be stuck inside for months has been a bit hard.
Recently, with the gracious assistance of my dad I was able to resurrect an 2004 Ford Explorer that had been my work truck until it blew the engine 2.5 years ago and I bought it from the company for $200 hoping to one day fix it. I have been without a vehicle since I returned to work (insert long story about divorce, lawyers & child support here) so to get wheels was a joy.
Once I got it running I found an old scanner, tossed my camera & gear in the back and I am ready to catch anything cool I find during my off time. It is important to realize that as a field guy I generally make a tidy overtime shooting random spot news I stumble on, something I haven't done since May. I am just coming off crutches, so my abilities are limited, but I can still hold a camera and zoom in.
Last Friday as I started to make my way to work my scanner locks in on some chatter about a guy on a roof of a Italian chain restaurant nearby. Now i don't know why they are all worked up but this is the area that endured snipers, terrorism and all that, so I get interested quick. I call it into the station and start that way to see what we have.
Once I get close I stop behind another store (the area is a vast shopping district in Virginia - something like a two mile long shopping center) and prep my gear, moving my camera into the back seat so it is easier to get to. Then I get back into my truck, drive casually through the parking lot once to get my bearings, then exit the area and drive two blocks away to wait. When I park at that scene I see I can view the man on the roof and his ladder to I get my camera on my shoulder (while still in my tinted out truck) and fire off a few shots without being seen.
Then the call goes for the takedown. I go ahead and make my way over and arrive a good minute after the arrest. I hop out and get my video of the suspect in cuffs, and other activity. All is good.
Where is the suck you ask? Well the detectives came at me like I just wizzed in their Wheaties. Who are you? ID? How did you hear about this? You are interfering with an investigation! Who is your supervisor? We're going to call and complain!
Honestly I was shocked by the reaction. Of course I gave them my supervisor's info, because I have been doing this 22 years and I had no doubt I played it well.
In the end I think it was all a result of the fact I live really far away from DC and nobody here is used to aggressive newsgatherers. They said my truck looked too much like a cop car and that any accomplices would have been spooked when I drove by. Argh.
Still don't know what it was about, I heard it was part of a larger story that will probably get a press release today. I'm on vacation and the station has my raw tape, hope it's a good story! Anyway, that's my tale.
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