Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Our New 12 inch Photog

Well, the new guy showed up today. He is a bit smaller than the rest of us...but we are trying to help him out. I don't know his full name yet...but he goes by "Tivo." As you can see, he got a little boost from a cubicle while working with Larry Flowers today.








As you can see...he uses a smaller camera as well (parked between the 2 DVCPros at the right). It looks just like the rest of our cameras... there is no way he could use one our size. One thing comes to mind...If he can get a Pro Camera that small...why are all the one man band "VJs" across town not using them?

Jason...one of our full size photogs...tried Tivo's camera out. Jason says that it is not the most ergonomic thing he has used...and it is hard to focus. "All the buttons are in the right place, but my fingers are to big to switch them." Jason said.

Tivo can't wait to start driving here in Nashville. The chief photog is going to take him to Toy's R' Us this week to see if the station can find a car to fit him.

I'll keep you all informed of Tivo's progress at the station after he has had some time to settle in.
-Cam

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

My Freshly Emblazoned Car




Here are the pics I promised. To the car's credit...I actually did get an exclusive news tip because someone saw me in the car. So I will just focus on the plusses of driving a marked car.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

So BE HAPPY...the small stuff dosen't matter :-)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

So.... fellow news photogs! The consider the day in and day out trials of the biz....JOY! Every experience develops perseverance...and a lesson you learn from a bad experience you have now may save your butt in the future. So be glad in all things...your body will thank you for it.
-Cam

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Nice surprise.

I was out some of last week with foot trouble...and now I return to drive a billboard!
No more ability to check things out in stealth. No more being understated during those tense or sensitive situations. ... Ohhh well.

Pics to come.

Friday, August 11, 2006

A Sad Day for News

Well, my station just lost the best photojournalist in the business.
Pat Slattery has been at WSMV for 24 years and today he left to head a new department at Vanderbilt University. His shooting was truly great in every way.
Pat would craft a story....his work was not just pictures...it was an experience.
Pat hired me in 2000, and I have been in awe of his work ever since. Pat had it all...an eye for composition, an ear for audio, and good story "horse sense." You never saw Pat complaining and he always had time to mentor other photographers. I feel truly honored that I got to work with Pat...and that he considered me good enough to be a part of the team of photojournalists he assembled.
The airwaves at Channel 4 will never be the same.
Watch the video of Terry Bulger saying goodbye to WSMV Chief Photographer - Pat Slattery

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Rising from the Rubble



Tornados are bad things. Back in April one swept through Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, and Gallatin...Destroying property and taking lives.

The picture above is from my house in Gallatin. It has to be torn down...and re-built from scratch. I lost my roof...and the whole corner of my house was picked up and slammed back down. I, however, was more blessed than many people in the area.

I was not home when it happened.

Amy Hawkins WAS at her house in Hendersonville when the storm blasted through. Amy placed herself over her children to protect them. She saved her children...but was paralyzed from the waist down in the process. She and her husband Jared have lost their house and their lifestyle has had to change because of Amy's injuries.

Over 50'000 people signed a petition to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for Jared and Amy to get their house back...and It happened this past week.

The entire crew came to Hendersonville and built a new home in a week. The Hawkin's story was covered so much after the tornado that all the locals were out to cover the event...even though EM:HE is an ABC show. We had to shoot across the street, no live shots, no wireless mics - SO MANY RESTRICTIONS!

But the faces of the Hawkin's family members was worth it after the crowd yelled "MOVE THAT BUS!"

Of course many people came out to see the shows star ...TY. He didn't disappoint. The image to the right is him almost slapping my camera :-)

Sky 5...the CBS affiliates chopper made some circles around the site and some people on the EM:HE crew went ballistic! ...but that is another story for another time.

At the left is the Hawkin's new home...complete with a tornado safe room. The news crews spent all day out in the sweltering heat...and no chairs :-( ...but it was worth the time to do a GOOD story about people pitching in and helping neighbors rise from the rubble.

-Cam

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Gallatin's Finest

Galatin is a town about 30 minutes north of Nashville.
I do the Gallatin beat for my TV station. I am also a Volunteer in Police Service at Gallatin Police Department. I live in Gallatin as well.

Gallatin's police department (in my opinion) is one of the finest in the country...and the reason for that is people like Investigator David Lo.
David had been battling cancer and continued working while on chemo. The Chief even had to make David go home after Gallatin got hit by the big tornado. David was truly committed to his community.

Unfortunatly, David passed away this week...and the community is going to miss him. He left behind a wife and four children.

It really hit me hard when I began to see all the rear windows of the GPD cars marked with David's name and radio number. I arrived at the visitation today to witness "the changing of the guard". Officers flanked both the left and right of his casket. I met many of the people that his life touched. I know that David's wife and children are strong...and they will call on Jesus to bring tham through the tough times ahead. The PD and the community will be there for his family as well.

David always had a smile on his face...and was kind to everyone. Gallatin will never be the same, but his memory will live on in the hearts of everyone he met. It is hard for us, but he is in a better place now.
Rest in Peace David

In His Grip,
Cam

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The Hole in Willie's Guitar

Here is a new video I co-directed and produced with my friend Bobby Grubic. Hope you enjoy it :-)
-Cam

Artist: Memarie
Album: My Way Home
Label: Cupit Records (Nashville) 2005
Genre: Country
Country Music Video (The Hole in Willie's Guitar)

Starring: Memarie & Sonny Shroyer(AKA Deputy Enos Strate from the Dukes of Hazzard)

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Reach Back

The car was now empty... police tape surrounded it. A 70 year old lady (owner of the car) and the McDonald's manager that rescued her were both now in Vanderbilt Hospital ER.
A man tried to grab the purse of the 70 year old lady and ended up stabbing her. The manager saw the crime and ran out to rescue the lady. A scuffle in the parking lot led to the stabbing of the manager...but not before the manager managed to hit the back glass out of the suspect's pickup truck.
Another customer at the McDonald's jumped into his truck and followed the suspect down Nolensville road. The suspect crashed and then ran across the street to a pet store. The suspect car-jacked a van, and in the process, stabbed the driver. The McDonald's "good Samaritan" tried to block the suspect in the pet store parking lot...but got rammed out of the way. Suspect gone - 3 people stabbed - 3 cars trashed - 3 crime scenes. That was my Saturday.
I stop and think about what is going on in this world. Why so much crime, war, violence, etc. And I do realize we live in a fallen world. This is not what God wanted, but alas, he gave us all free will. We have a choice weather or not to love God...if we were forced to love Him, it would not be real love...would it. And so evil runs rampant. I'm not saying all humans are evil, I'm just saying we have a choice about who we listen to. God or the devil. Paul (wrote most of the New Testament) spent the first part of his life killing Christians! Then on the road to Damascus...he met Jesus. Paul was a changed man.
Paul replaced his violence and hate with a love and zeal for Christ that was amazing. The amazing thing? Paul became free...even in the midst of a world full of people that hated Christians and loved violence. Paul became free from his past...he accepted Christ ...and God washed away his past...and gave him an eternal...glorious...future.

So while witnessing all the violence in the world today first hand, it gets really easy for me to start thinking hateful thoughts about the people that commit the crimes. Paul's example, however, makes me stop and think. I need to pray for the people that cause this hurt...and hope that in the future, they may have an experince with Jesus. Most of us spend our lives running from God, but when we get tired of running...He is there to hold us up...then you wonder why you were running in the first place. He loves us all (not all our actions...but he loves US)...and we need to love everyone as well.
I DO hate the evil, but I realize that I am no better than the guy that did the stabbing. The only difference is that I let Christ into my life ...and I identify myself with Jesus. The only reason I am saved is that Jesus reached down and pulled me out of the mess. My heart has been born again, and I continue to have hope that criminals will stop listening to the devil and let Jesus pull them out of the darkness. So in a dying society, I have comfort in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever beleives in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God is reaching out to all of us...we just need to reach back.
In His Grip,
Cam

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Just a past "Shot of the Day"

Strike A Pose

Imagine what would happen to any one of us if we showed up at a breaking news scene looking like this!I wonder if this is really how the public sees us!
This image... from an "Old Maid" deck... has been haunting me for some time.
I guess Milton Bradley needs to update the images :-) I mean..."What Is Up With That POSE?!?!?!"
-Cam

Friday, July 21, 2006

Welcome Back ... and the $100,000 Lightning Rod


Today started out normal enough. We went to Ft. Campbell to shoot some soldiers arriving from Iraq. It turned out to be a really good story. We found a family that lost their home in the Gallatin tornado...now they are happy because their son is home (FYI. I'm not happy they lost their home...mine was destroyed in the tornado as well). Anyway the happy families...the hugging, kissing, screaming, American Flags...It all made for a wonderful feel good patriotic story.

So we meet up with the live truck at 4 ...but the live truck came in just ahead of a massive storm. So we break into "weather mode" and shoot the nastiness. Also the live truck tech notifies the station that we will NOT be live for 5. OK, every photog who has seen the educational safety video "Look Up and Live" raise your hand (not your mast :-). I guess you know what happened next :-)Even though we called in to tell them no live shot, they wanted us to feed back the bad weather video! We said how can we do that if we can't even put up the mast! We have lightning here!
Then we get a call wanting us to do a live weather hit! Anyway I managed to get our Soldier story edited and we went live late in the 6 O'Clock news (after the storms had passed).
We all came to a consensus that the producers should have to watch the safety training tapes as well. We need to be safe in the field...but I think everyone in the newsroom needs to understand the dangers we face outside of the shop.

ENG Safety Link

Anyway, lightning brings a scripture to mind:

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:27 KJV)

The "obviously Photoshopped" image of the livetruck above shows a cool lightning strike...but the lightning in it can't convey the greatness or the brightness we will see when the Lord returns.
So I complained a little today, but in the grand scheme of things...my problems are small. I thank God every day for his blessings.
-Cam

Thursday, July 20, 2006

An $8500 Deal


As I write this post on a laptop that can edit video...I think back to not so long ago when computer life was a little different. Check out the ad to the right :-)
The year...1989
Radio Shack was selling IBM compatible computers that ran DOS. The non-DOS Tandy computers were on the way out and a new era of compatibility was on the way. Well you could chose to run OS2 or Xenix...but DOS eventually won out for the desktop.

Look at this "incredible value." $8499 for a smokin hot desktop! Monitor and mouse not included :-)


Anyway, lets look at what you can buy at the ol' Shack today vs. then.

Tandy 5000 Desktop -----Toshiba A105 Laptop
$8499.00 -----------------$599.99
20MHz -------------------400MHz
2 MB RAM ---------------512 MB RAM
640x480 resolution -------1280x800 resolution
Hard Drive? NO! ---------40GB Hard Drive
CD/DVD Drive? NO! -----24x CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Monitor? NO! ------------Monitor 15 inch
Mouse? NO! --------------Touchpad

I think we are on the better end of things now...but it is amazing to me that $8500 was a "great deal" for a computer that had less horsepower than many of today's calculators. Imagine what we will be blogging about 17 years from now. The laptop below will be archaic in the future...I can't wait to find out what replaces it.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Water World

Water and the World System

We often think of water as a symbol of purity...washing our sins away in baptism (from the Greek meaning to Wash). Thats as far as we go. God forgets those sins. But if you think of those sins as dirt...where would they go? In the water!

Water i have come to see...is a symbol of the world system.

Going back to Genesis...the Lord flooded the earth and the water swallowed up the evil.

Plagues in Exodus made the water polluted and undrinkable.

In Exodus...the jews walk through the parted water and the sea then swallows up the evil following them.

Earlier in Exodus...Moses was rescued from the water...taken out.

That brings us to MATTHEW 4:19

And He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' "

Fishers of Men....just what are we pulling those men from....not literally water...but the world system.

We know that we are in this world ....but not OF this world.

John 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

We are born into the world system... but

Jesus walked on the the water because he was above the world system...not immersed in it.

Mat 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Mat 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

Mat 14:26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

Mat 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Mat 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

Mat 14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Mat 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

The moment Peter took his eyes off Jesus...he began to fall back into...get swallowed up by the water...the world system. But Jesus saved him and pulled him out of the water. Just like we are to fish men out of the world system. Jesus saved us...now He uses us to fish for them.

This brings us to the question....what is the world system?

Many bad things...but it really all comes back to money.

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

1 Timothy 6:10

"For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."

What does money have to do with water? The same root is involved!

Mer

as in Mermaid...or how about Merchant? Merchant Marine (a fleet of ships used for commerce)?

Our entire economy is based upon the law of the sea...trade...merchandise...money...commerce.

What about the phrase "The money flows" ... Water flows as well :-)

...and... we call money "currency"

Currency is defined as "a circulation or medium of exchange"...just like the current in water.

And I think Jesus gives us one of the final clues as to what water represents in Mat. 17

vs. 24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the double-drachma tax [r] approached Peter and said, "Doesn't your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax?"
vs. 25 "Yes," he said.
When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, "What do you think, Simon? Who do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes from? From their sons or from strangers?"
vs. 26 "From strangers," he said.

"Then the sons are free," Jesus told him. 27"But, so we won't offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and catch the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth you'll find a coin. [v] Take it and give it to them for Me and you."

Where did they get the money? From a fish in the water.

Jesus shows us we can use the world system...but we must be careful not to get swallowed by it... we are above it. We have a higher focus...we pull people out of it.

Finally...in Revelation

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.


But ther is a difference between water...and LIVING WATER:

John 4

vs.13
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Revelation 21:6

...I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Retail Gangs

I was called into work last night at 9:30. There had been a shooting at Opry Mills.
No reporters were available...so I went solo. The exits from Briley Pky. were blocked...but the officer waved me past in my unmarked newscar. I arrived to find a crowd of parents on cellphones being held back by police. The kids could come to the parents...but no one was allowed to the mall.

After traffic from the mass exodus cleared a bit...police began to let people in. I followed a mom running and waving her arms to find her children.
It turns out that 2 gangs were in the mall and started stacking gang signs at eachother. The buildup resulted in a gunshot...injuring 2 members of one of the gangs.
People in the mall described the scene as pandamonium...running....jumping...yelling...crying.

Don Aaron (Metro Police PIO) commented that the police have been working to rid the Hickory Hollow Mall of gangs and that maybe, as a result, a couple of the gangs decided to hang out at Opry Mills.

In today's society it seems that almost no place is safe...but there is an answer to that. The bible seems to have an answer for every situation, and this one is covered by Psalm 91.

Psalm 91 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 91

The LORD Is My Fortress
1Live under the protection

of God Most High

and stay in the shadow

of God All-Powerful.

2Then you will say to the LORD,

"You are my fortress,

my place of safety;

you are my God,

and I trust you."

3The Lord will keep you safe

from secret traps

and deadly diseases.

4He will spread his wings

over you

and keep you secure.

His faithfulness is like

a shield or a city wall. [a]

5You won't need to worry

about dangers at night

or arrows during the day.

6And you won't fear diseases

that strike in the dark

or sudden disaster at noon.

7You will not be harmed,

though thousands fall

all around you.

8And with your own eyes

you will see

the punishment

of the wicked.

9The LORD Most High

is your fortress.

Run to him for safety,

10and no terrible disasters

will strike you

or your home.

11God will command his angels

to protect you

wherever you go.

12They will carry you

in their arms,

and you won't hurt your feet

on the stones.

13You will overpower

the strongest lions

and the most deadly snakes.

14The Lord says,

"If you love me

and truly know who I am,

I will rescue you

and keep you safe.

15When you are in trouble,

call out to me.

I will answer and be there

to protect and honor you.

16You will live a long life

and see my saving power."

Trust in God...He won't let you down.
-Cam