NY_Dan
Well-known
Today I was the first photographer to arrive on the scene of a construction accident on East 43rd Street and Madison Avenue. The press photographers who arrived afterward only got shots of idling response vehicles. The media wound up posting a cell phone shot someone took through a dirty office window, and another phone shot of a person loaded into an ambulance -- both were awful. I rushed home to develop, scan and PhotoShop. Contacted three newspapers and four TV stations. NBC was interested, but only wanted to pay $150. The guy couldn't grasp that black and white film doesn't include a version in color. The NY Post photo desk person thanked me for "combat" processing to make deadline. Unfortunately, the story wasn't big enough. However it was satisfying to see what, and how fast I could shoot an unfolding event over the course of a few minutes. And then I had to figure out the best way to turn it around in under 5 hours, including 2 hours to get a train, get home, and start processing -- that was stressful. It was also fun to call media outlets and say, "well it will take a little while because I was shooting film..." What I like about these shots is that this is what the take might have looked like 60 plus years ago. To me, I like it better than the digital shots of today -- it has true grit. Looking back on the experience I recall Weegee's discussion of the importance of arriving first on a scene, and how the window of opportunity to make photos only lasts a minute or two -- very true. The only thing I'd do differently in the future is to reload right away so I have a full roll, instead of a half roll before the action starts -- I had a few minutes wait, and that would've been a smart thing to do. I did prepare by filling a pocket with flashbulbs, made sure my synch was set to bulb flash, checked the connections, and chose my angles based on the route the rescuers would take to the ambulances.
Shot 3 1/2 rolls of TMY 120. First shot is with a vintage flashbulb - 1/60 f/11.5. Middle were under cloudy skies - 1/125 f/8. Last shot 1/30th f/2.8 - guessed distance and exposure. Did a Hail Mary shot and just held the camera where I thought it should be. Four construction workers were taken to Bellevue with non life-threatening injuries.
Shot 3 1/2 rolls of TMY 120. First shot is with a vintage flashbulb - 1/60 f/11.5. Middle were under cloudy skies - 1/125 f/8. Last shot 1/30th f/2.8 - guessed distance and exposure. Did a Hail Mary shot and just held the camera where I thought it should be. Four construction workers were taken to Bellevue with non life-threatening injuries.
