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Photog Lounges

Photos,etc.

The Best Site for Photogs

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Rick Portier WBRZ-TV Baton Rouge, LA

"It was 1990. I was working at KALB-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana. I got called out in the middle of the night to cover a chemical spill. This trucker hauling hydrochloric acid dumped his load on the main highway through town. When I got there, I started shooting from behind the police line. Little did I know, the police had abandoned that line and fallen back about half a block. You can imagine, Alexandria's finest were none to happy that a news photog had breeched their security. Well, they claimed I was exposed to hydrochloric acid, and ordered me to strip in the middle of the highway. When I didn't, they hosed me down clothes and all, then ordered me to strip again. I peeled off my shirt, and stopped there. They hosed me again. Eventually they got me down to my birthday suit. The worst part was, the competition got the pictures. I was taken to the emergency room along with other folks complaining the spill made them sick.(They were fully clothed and dry.) Of course the emergency room had a good laugh along with half of central Louisiana."

LOUNGENOTE: No more calls please! We have a WINNER!!!

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Mike Beal

"We were all lined up to get an interview "on the fly" with Gov. Jeb Bush. When he arrived, all of a sudden I got a shove from the left.

I ended up giving the photog on my right an elbow by accident. He got pissed and gave me a massive push to the left.

Well, as you can imagine, it turned into pushing contest, all in front of the presidents brother. The questions started and Gov. Bush pointed to a reporter and said "I'll answer your question since you're not fighting".

That wasn't the worse of it.

He told his security that the situation made him feel "uncomfortable". The state security office, which is a branch of FDLE (Florida Department Of Law Enforecement), went nuts.

As it turned out I had to go to the head of security and explain to him who started the rucuss. As it turned out the photog on my left was part of a capital news service who does alot of production for the state. Luckily, no one lost their credentials. But everyone was informed that if it happens again more than the FDLE security boys where going to get involved.

Hummm...does Secret Service sound familiar?"

LOUNGENOTE: I love it when the photogs fight.
Makes for great entertainment when you're saddled with yet another dull presser. If you're thinking of getting into a fight with another photog, here's a word of advice: Wait until he puts his camera down before you unload on him. Most photogs have learned how to use their camera as a hammer if forced into a corner.
Oh...and go for the knees. Not only hurts, it also can f**k up his entire news photog future. Done correctly, you can put him on a late-night edit shift for the rest of his career.

Check out this video for a real photog-reporter fight!

The Photog-Reporter Brawl Video

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Randall Paull

"Any one who has shot for a long time will have more than one embarassing moment, I guess one of the worst for me was while covering a flood.
The reporter and I showed up at a house that was being rebuilt after the water went down, after shooting the interview I suggested we get some shots of the home owner and the reporter walking around the site.

Every thing was going great as I backpeddled the two, that is until I missed seeing the hole on my blind side, or should I say the reporter and homeowner didnt say anything to about the hole I was about to step into. Down I go and the only thing that stopped me from falling all the way in was the rebar cemented into the hole that notched a few new scars into my leg. Any way after a few minutes of bloodletting and swearing to my self we carried on and finished up. And that reporter bought me one hell of a big coffee on the way to the doctors office. "

LOUNGENOTE: You settled for a COFFEE?!! A sixpack at least was in order. Maybe even some percocet or the name of a good black market druggist. Next time...remind that reporter every day what happened. He'll eventually buy you off to shut you up.

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Rick Foley

"I was shooting an interview with the chief of the county lock-up in Albuquerque, NM. My reporter was Jacqui Kessler, of Judge Joe Brown fame. I was bouncing a 1k off the ceiling. In the process of getting the light right, I was moving it around and not paying attention where it was hitting the ceiling. She asks him a question and it like a bomb goes off as putrid black water sprays all over everything.. TOO CLOSE TO THAT SPRINKLER HEAD, MORON!!!!

It flooded half the administrative area and luckily it was the ground floor. I helped stem the tide and apologized for a good solid hour to both the Jail Chief and the reporter. ( Who was hot!! wet or dry) . Luckily no computers were damaged. We both looked and smelled like we'd been swimming in the sewer though. The next day both she and I left food for the office trying to undo the damage I'd caused."

LOUNGENOTE: You were lucky it was a contained flood. If not: Next day's headline...County Jail Floods...Prisoners Riot...Chief Tortured and Killed...Photog Sought!

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Walter Colby KVAL-TV Eugene, OR

"I was doing a live shot for my station ( so cheap I can't mention the name ) as usual there was no reporter, It was a talk-back live. The only problem with talk-back lives is that you take an ordinary person and try to make them comfortable in front of a 1/2 million people, LIVE!

I arrived for the live shot one hour before air, it was to be a lighting of the menorah candle live shot. I gave the father of the family a radio shack TV receiver pack, so he could hear the questions from the anchors. I dialed in to the headset so the director could yell at me if he needed to. Just as we go to air the radio shack pack goes bad, I take my Phone & plug the father in to the Reporters IFB system. Everything went fine until the end of the live shot, then I realized that he was very mad. apparently the IFB was open to control room audio, he had heard the rude comments from the control room, about what a bad interview he was. He asked me to leave & we weren't invited back."

LOUNGENOTE: All directors are rude...it's in their by-laws. They also eat their young.

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Joe Teposte NBC Yuma, AZ

"We were given a story by a caller about alligator sighting a few miles out of town by a resevior, so at first we were a little unimpressed then the caller e-mailed us a picture. The desk demanded a package so we went. On the way we decide to do a parody of the crocodile hunter. Stand up I tell the reporter to start talking look over his shoulder and run for his life. boom he runs, I set the camera down and start running, two steps in I biff it, totally ate dirt... fell on my phone and pager both d.o.a. When I got up, bystanders all had smirks, the reporter asked me if I wanted to shoot it again, I kept it and aired it. Now I see it at every family function."

LOUNGENOTE: The bystanders ALWAYS have smirks! What is it with these bystanders!? A little help here. No....you're too busy smirking aren't you? Gotta giggle at the clumsy photog. You hate our weatherman...don't you. I knew it! They always hate the weatherman.

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Dan Konik WBNS-TV Columbus, Ohio

"One of my worst moments came during some flooding in Southern Ohio. The governor had just landed in a helicopter to inspect some damage. After a short presser, he turned to leave and smacked straight into the back of my camera. I heard everyone gasp, and I turned around to see him reeling. Naturally, darn near every station in Ohio was there. My reporter and I felt so bad, we sent him flowers later. He was very good natured about it, but I took a lot of ribbing from my fellow camera monkeys."

LOUNGENOTE: Next day's headline...Governor Goofy! Orders National Guard to Attack Kentucky!

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Chuck Purnell WVEC-TV Richmond, VA

"How many people remember the 3/4" days!!!!!! Well at my old station (WBOC TV) I was shooting on 3/4" at the time and I had to chase down a guy leaving a court appearance. I had the camera on one shoulder the deck on the other and a BIG light belt wrapped around my waist. I was running down the street with all that extra weight, before I knew it my pants were sagging down by my knees!!!! Later that year we got 1/2" (SVHS) cameras. Another moment was that I had to shoot a story about 30 miles away (I was using a spare 3/4" camera because my 1/2" was being worked on. When I got to the location I arranged the background, set up my lights, had the talent sit in a particular spot, and when I was ready to roll tape...I realized that I did not pack any batteries!!!! Needless to say I had to drive back 30 miles then back to the location!!"
rockroll

LOUNGENOTE: I've found it's very difficult to drive while your beating your head muttering..."Christ...I'm an idiot!."

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Bruce Johnson Wisconsin Public Television

"Well, I can't remember any of mine, but here's one that happened to another photog... I was in Milwaukee covering a Presidential Press Conference. I was on the back row of the camera platform, and my audio guy (I get one of those occasionally) was behind me on the floor. It was a really long throw, so it was extender, wide open iris, etc. Next to me was a shooter from a Green Bay station. As the event progressed, I suddenly noticed a shaking in my viewfinder, like an earthquake. I pulled my eye out of the viewfinder and looked to my left just in time to see the other shooter vomiting over the back rail of the platform...right next to my audio guy! Boy, was HE pissed! And the shooter was so embarrassed...I've never seen anyone pack up and split so fast in my life."

LOUNGENOTE: Later that night...one pissed-off maintainance man with a mop was heard muttering... "Goddamn cameramen."

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Keith Jackson WSIU-TV Carbondale, ILL

"My most embarassing moment, so far, is getting a live truck stuck in the mud around 10:00 at night in Evansville, IN at my previous job. To add insult to injury, I tried to get the truck out myself which ended up digging an even bigger hole. The story ends up with a massive tow truck pulling the truck out and a mud-covered-me driving away from the scene around 1:30 in the morning. Of course I got made fun of for the next week. Most importantly, I never said anything over the two-way."

LOUNGENOTE: Old van guy's trick for getting out of mud: An intern under each wheel.

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Richard Weiss Freelance

"I was doing the live shot and "Death Watch" of the Presidents departure from Oakland, Ca (for the 10 O'Clock News, KTVU). The live shot was over and the mic stand (reporter) had left. I was still hooked up to the truck while AF1 left the ground. All this time traffic had been held up on the tarmac. Our cable had to cross a vehicle access way (road). While following the the Prezs' plane into the night the camera was ripped from my grasp w/ the tripod! A street sweeper caught our cable and pulled the camera from the scaffolding (15 ft approx.). the camera was toast! The truck operator said 'Gee, that's the second time this month that's happened'!"

LOUNGENOTE: Guys in the street sweeper: "Hey, Larry...wake up!...I don't see that cable attached to that camera up there....do YOU? "No...Vinny...I don't see it either....heh...heh...heh......

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