Category Archives: Political

Sometimes it can be mind boggling when you have to decide whether to take photos or do video when you only get one opportunity.  Here’s a scenario where I thought long but thought wrong.

It’s an event that I knew Bill Clinton was at and he would be leaving through the front entrance so I decided to pick up my video camera because Bill usually talks and is very witty.  Of course I’m looking for the conversation because during election time anything a politician says, it ends up usually doing well as far as sales, and as we know, everybody loves Bill.  Here’s where I make the big mistake though, I also knew his daughter Chelsea Clinton was inside, and I had information that she was wearing a cast on her foot.  Now anytime a picture can tell a story, your better off using your camera and photographing it than doing video.  To make matters worse, Chelsea came out in a beautiful pink dress, and as you know I love it when woman wear anything colorful because that makes me see $$$ signs.

After getting the video of the two together, I honestly felt like throwing my video camera across the street because I knew I messed up.  In my mind I knew it would have been a good (two shot) of father & daughter together.  That’s a photo that not too many photographers have, especially of them on the street.  The word two shot is something we use a lot.  You’ll hear me say it when referring to a couple walking together or mother & daughter, or even just two important subjects in the same photo.  End result, my video sucked because Bill didn’t even end up talking because a crowd gathered around and his secret service kept everyone at bay.  Lesson learned here today, when a female is involved, PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS!

Sometimes going after stories that’s newsworthy is difficult on my end because you actually have to take off your emotions hat and become a reporter and ask the questions that’s relevant to what people want to know.

Yesterday I saw Trayvon’s dad Tracy Martin and wife arriving to Washington D.C. to testify on Capitol Hill.  When doing video, these type of questions have to be very delicate because you are normally dealing with people who didn’t ask to be in this position, but then again it’s still a news story and I have to cover it.

As far as sales go with video or photos of normal people who’s story becomes newsworthy, usually the sales are only good for a day or maybe a week.  Unlike celebrity photos which can last months at a time and the residual sales keep coming in the mail week after week.  I like to call those photos mail box money.

Congressman Barney Frank seen actually chill’n at Reagan National Airport with newspaper in hand gives me a nice sit down.  O.K. he was sitting down and I was literally walking by when I spotted him.

I talked to the departing Congressman about his thoughts on protesters throwing powder or confetti on politicians & celebrities.  Of course the usually witty Frank wasn’t  snarky with me and actually gave me a great understanding on how he really felt on that topic.  I really wanted to know what he would have done if someone would have thrown powder on him, but Frank wasn’t go there with me on that one, and yes he made it clear on that. I should have asked him about his upcoming wedding, but I wasn’t quite sure if Frank would have scolded me with his eyes or just threw the paper at me, so I left it alone.

Now I was actually at the airport waiting on a celebrity but that didn’t pan out, but those are the times when walking through the airport or anywhere as a paparazzi you have to always keep your eyes open and constantly look in people’s face to see if you recognize them.  I must say, this is a big part of the job that I actually don’t like because after doing this for so many years, everyone that passes me I find myself staring at them.

So not thinking I got anything good yesterday without getting a major big name, I just found out that the T.V. show TMZ bought my Congressman Barney Frank.  See you never know what sells.

Just returned home from a full day of working on Eva Longoria.  She was and is in town for a meeting with President Obama.  I guess she is on his re election committee.  I actually took a day rate, and as a freelancer a day rate is one of those jobs when a magazine calls you, gives you the tip on who they want you to work on for that day, and they own the photos or video.  It’s usually cool, because it’s guaranteed money, kind of good money for a day’s work, but kind of tricky.  I say this because it can be one of those lucky days where the editor gives you the tip on who your working on, you head out there to the hotel or restaurant, and just like that the celebrity comes out, and bang bang – photos took and job done.  Then there are those dreadful days where you actually have to work on the celebrity all day because they are doing a ton of things and the magazine or T.V. wants things from every event.

Eva wore me out today, I stood outside the White House, hotel, and then late night at restaurant until she finished eating.  All good though cause day rates help to keep the lights on at my house.  Gotta do at least 3 of these a month, then bills are paid.

I actually did video today, and of course Eva