West Side Wildfires

Ok, so they are not really wildfires. Or at least what most people would refer to as a wildfire.

I've coined another definition of the word "wildfire". I use it to describe the vast amount of unexplained fires we have overnight here in the always beautiful metropolis of Dayton.

It seems that during the hotter days you are guaranteed at least one a night, somtimes up to three. They always seem to be vacant houses, but you can never be to sure what you will find inside. Sometimes there will be a homeless man, other times there will be some stray cats, and sometimes a body. You never know.

Also what is always a mystery is what kind of fire it will be. Will it be a warehouse, a vacant house somewhere in a dirty neighborhood? Or will it be the random car that somehow parked itself next to the railroad tracks and spontaneously combusted?

On slower nights I drive by to look at these fires. It's part of the job. Sometimes it can provide something exciting to look at on a boring night. These fires are like Crackerjack boxes, you never know what you'll find inside.

After all, isn't the prize what we buy Crackerjacks for in the first place?

One Too Many Entries, One Final Result

So, I haven't been writing that much. Not to worry, just been a little busy with things around the apartment and such.

After six years I finally get some recognition, albeit a second place one. The 2007 Ohio AP Broadcast Awards luncheon was yesterday, and today I was surprised to find an award on my desk. After several entries into the contest I'd all but given up on the idea of winning an award.

Winning an award doesn't make me feel better than anyone else. I can understand the other winners and why, it's just some icing on the cake. It's nice to hear "Good Job!" every once in awhile, and that's something that is sometimes forgotten in this business. I'm happy. Still thinking about my place in the world and where I want to go next, but I'm glad I've made it this far.

As one dear friend in the business once said, "You're only as good as your last story." If the story I won an award for was my last story I ever did on this earth, I would be happy.


It's good to see other people in the business agree.

I may be broken, but I'm still alive

It's been awhile since I've written in here. I was bored at work and remembered that I once had this thing going to keep me busy, and to keep track of myself. I looked at my last post which was dated during the summer of '06. That's a long while ago, and a lot has changed. So let's get started.

I've learned women are crazy. Well, actually I didn't learn that, and not all of them are this way. Just the ones I come into contact with it seems. Maybe that or I fall for the crazy ones. Who knows. Now on to some real photographer issues.

Last time you may have checked in I was probably in perfect health, or at least was an able photographer.

Well that changed on the night of February 13th, in the early morning hours. Someone at the station wanted a piece shot from the view of the reporter travelling on the snow covered and dangerous roads. So, I was the guy who sat in the passenger seat and shot the road through the windshield as we travel into the white death.

I should have known it was going to be a bad night when the first corner we took the reporter nearly took us into a telephone pole. But, I figured it was probably just a fluke, considering it was the first one, and on we went.

After we got done shooting, on our way back to the station, the reporter loses control of our news car and decides to plow it nearly head-on into a guard rail. I knew we were going to hit, and that he lost control, so I attempted to brace myself by grabbing on the the handlebar that is on the ceiling. Bad Idea.

What you are looking at is a x-ray of my arm. That joint in the lower right corner is my elbow, and well, you can see what happened. My upper arm, also known as the humerous bone, snapped in half from the impact. The reporter, naturally, was fine and didn't have a scrape on him.

This wouldn't have been so bad, but what you can't see is there are two other fractures, and I was required to have surgery to fix the break two days later.

I was actually quite lucky. A major nerve was sitting right between the broken bones, and had it moved ever so slightly there was a good chance it would have been severed. Nerves can be put back together, but there was a chance that I would permanately lose use of my wrist and fingers. That would really have put a damper on my shooting career, considering this is my shooting arm we are looking at.

Even after the accident my Orthopaedist was relieved I still had movement in my hand. I count my blessings everyday, but my road to recovery is a long one. I am currently working as an assignment desk person til I can lift a camera again. I guess I should be happy I'm alive, but it's not where I want to be. The people eat me up inside sometimes.

Especially those that like to let the reporter drive.