In Our Hands, Part 1: How We Got What We Have (1950)

This is part one of an interesting take on things from 1950. I love old films like this :-)

Drink plenty of water.

Attention all news photogs! I don't know how hot it is in your market.. but in Nashville... IT IS HOT! We are in our second day of 100+ temps. I felt it today :-)...running around with a news camera and doing a story on the heat. The Nashville school system has actually suspended all outdoor sports practice for the week. Anyway... I neglected to bring water with me today and in the process I think I managed to drink every sugary icy drink I could find in between shoots. I started off with a Jumbo ICEE from Exxon...but I didn't quit there. The reporter had the great idea of going to Wendy's for large ice cream floats! ...STRIKE 2! I was so into sugar by this time that I was craving a slush from Dairy Queen. I knew we had to get one more temperature display... so I suggested one on West End (also happens to be where the only Dairy Queen near downtown is). So strike 3 was a LARGE cherry slushee. I have not had this much sugar in months!
Back to the water... I'm buying a case at Costco tomorrow....and a cooler. Now I will stay hydrated and won't have an excuse to seek out cold sugary drinks to bring down my core temperature.
Your sweaty photog,
Cam

Here is a short film I worked on...straingt from the 48 Hour Film Project.

A film reel found at an estate sale unwraps one of America's greatest conspiracies. Will the truth become public?... or will certain powers keep the secret?
Produced for the 48 Hour Film Project - Nashville... by Genuine Human Productions
www.GenuineHuman.com
Genre - Detective/Cop
Character: Steve Fogarty - Electrician
Line: Can I Get a Little Help, Please?
Prop: Auto Part

Iphone, Blackberry, or Treo?

Ask Cam:
What phone should I buy?

Depends on you.

Are you a Mac head...A PC user... or Linux? Do you need advanced e-mail or web browsing?

The 3 types of phones you mention...while all "smart phones"...all appeal to different types of customers.

Lets start with the Blackberry:

Are you a corporate user? Is E-mail your priority? Then Blackberry may be for you. You get your own Blackberry e-mail and.......

read more | digg story

Well, my tornado destroyed house is closer to completion. Actually it is a brand new house on the lot where my old house was destroyed. A couple of picture updates show the new garage door and kitchen counters.

You can check out the progress on my new edit bay/screening room at:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=792815

-Cam

Video: Female reporter shoved against shipping containerby police officer a

Aug. 3, 2007LOS ANGELES At a public event in Long Beach Friday morning, police officers accompanying Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa scuffled with reporters asking about the mayor and his girlfriend, Mirthala Salina, who was disciplined Thursday as a result of ethics violations at KVEA-TV, the Telemundo local station in Los Angeles.

read more | digg story

Undercover NBC Dateline reporter bolts from DEFCON 2007

Actions like this give our business a bad name...If you are going to do undercover... DO IT RIGHT!Undercover reporter Michelle Madigan (Associate Producer of NBC Dateline) got a little more than she bargained for when she tried to sneak in to DEFCON 2007 with hidden cameras to get someone to confess to a felony. When DEFCON staff announced the “spot the undercover reporter” game and told the...

read more | digg story

Average PC is a smorgasboard for a new MP3-eating trojan

W32.Deletemusic does exactly what the name implies: it hunts down MP3 files on unsuspecting music collectors' computers and nukes them from orbit. While you may not lose your personal data with this worm, you'll certainly lose those long hours spent on ripping, labeling, and organizing your music collection.

read more | digg story

Return of the Carnation Breakfast Bar

An online petition begging for the return of those tasty Carnation Breakfast Bars...Remember the chocolate covered crunchy ones? YUMMMMM!Sorry for posting this again...but it is part of submitting it to Digg!

read more | digg story

This is a test post from my Treo. A view of my home office-edit bay-screening room. Here is a link to the project:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=792815

Instant Breakfast Bars!

I have really been missing Carnation Breakfast Bars as of late. Remember....nutrition bars that actually tasted good?
Anyway...I started an online petition to get them back.
http://www.petitiononline.com/cb01/petition.html
Sign it if you feel the same way I do.
-Cam

Alexandria Fire

Blast from the past from 2003. A huge fire destroys a huge factory in Alexandria, TN.

Tennessee UFO Sightings Part 1

Part one of a UFO series I did.

I'm Back!

Sorry for the eternity that I have been away. Anyway...I'm stil getting my house put back together...and ... I'm moving to the TV station across town. I am leaving WSMV and will be working at FOX 17 (WZTV). I will have more opportunities to work on special projects.
I'll try to post some videos and restart my blogging ASAP.
-Cam

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

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

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.

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

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

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