The cool stuff we are priviledged to experience

[HIDEOUSVlD]

On Friday, the day after Christmas, I got to go shoot my first photo essay at an exotic animal refuge in Oklahoma. I got to hold, pet, and let climb on me, three Barbery lion cubs. There are only 43 Barbery lions in the world, they are extinct in the wild, and I got to hold and pet and kiss three Barbery cubs, 2 females and one male. My husband and I went back sans cam yesterday, and we were kissed by a coatimundi and some sweet deer, we got grabbed by the coati and a ring-tailed lemur, petted a wolf's nose, and played with a six-month old tiger's toes and touched his nose. And got growled at and lunged at by a 900 lb. eating machine (male adult tiger) named Goliath.
What is some cool sh*t you guys have gotten to see or do?

[ December 29, 2003, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: b-roll ]

 

[photogguy]

Got a ride on the Concorde...pre-crash. Very cool ride. Sorry that they're out of circulation.

 

[Salty Dog]

-Fly in a stunt plane (while it did stunts).
-Camp at the base camp of Mt. Denali in Alaska.
-Hang out of a flying helicopter.
-Visit Quebec and other exotic locations.
-Go to the Olympics.
-Stand along the front line of a huge forest fire at 3am.

So many things, it's hard to remember them all. It can be a very interesting job.

 

[Scannerhound]

Fishing.

 

[Currentchief]

flew in the nose of a B-17 while it buzzed an airfield.

met presidents

went to Hollywood and went behind the scenes of many different shows

Free food!

Took a girlfriend to play with 3 baby tigers at a local wildlife rehab center (MAJOR brownie points!)

Flew in a ultralight to "test" the audio

And a thousand other things I can't think of right now.

 

[TXPhotog]

-Sad to cover but still memorable was when the shuttle, Columbia crashed here in TX.
-I have met: Robert Duvall, Sam Elliott, Willie Nelson, Haley Joel Osment, Raekwon from Wu-Tang,
Robert Englund(Freddy Kruger).

 

[<CJ>]

So far, I've met David Robinson- very nice guy i might add, interview many deans and department chairs at the university and of course have gotten to know the FD and PD's of the city.

 

[Jax]

Flew in one of these bad boys a few times. I cannot stress enough how cool it is to keep a still camera in your truck.

 

[<lens envy>]

Went to Australia for Olympics and shot travel log packages, hung out of blackhawk helicopters, flew refueling missions with the air national guard. Sit courtside at NBA playoffs, hang out and do live shots at NBA player houses. Met countless stars at the Park City filmfest, Oh and you have to run the mic cord up models and actress's one piece tight dresses then figure out how to hid the mic box. This morning it was pedecure time for the morning show. The anchors have fun with that!! Not to mention the cool people and life of other we met in all situations all day.

 

[<macgyver>]

Got to meet my childhood hero "Captain Kangaroo" Bob Keeshan, and the guys from ZZ Top. Plus many many more.

 

[BluesDaddy]

During the 2002 election season, a debate was staged with the candidates for US Senate from North Carolina, Erskine Bowles and Elizabeth Dole. We were there covering the event and got to interview Bob Dole, who was there to support his wife. Afterwards, we packed up the car and rolled out. At the first stoplight we came to, a sedan pulled up next to us. The person in the back seat motioned for us to roll down the window. It was Bob Dole! "I just want you to know you do a great job!" A Grey Poupon moment with Bob Dole. Too cool.

 

[jbone]

-Garth Brooks put me in a headlock...sweet pic..
-Meet John Elway-Steve Young-Grant Hill- Kevin Garnet...hung out of helicopters shooting arieals..(sp) of Crazy Horse Mt. South Dakot..Numerus high speed chases and not get busted..shooting 9mm in the police pratice range with them....but the thing that i find the best is the chance to see things diffrently from what joe public does..behind the scences diffrent aspect of a play or just the people we get to meet in our everyday dealings...then i relieze wow i freaking get paid to do this...its a good life and i am happy to be here...happy holidays everyone.

 

[focusthis]

-stunts in an open cockpit airplane
-catapult launches and traps on aircraft carriers
-climb the rigging of the Coast Guard's tallship
-interviewed Bush as a candidate
-shot police weapons
-toured Camp X-ray
-saw Muhammed trial evidence
-up close&personal with a smouldering Pentagon
-Pat is the tall one. Vanna is tiny.
-haven't paid for gas in five years.

 

[Tippster]

Met and was served tea by Nelson Mandela. Still stuns me.

Got a hand-signed (not stamped) card from Bubba Clinton for my wedding.

Had a cocktails with (at separate times): Mikhael Gorbachev, Al Gore, Colin Powell, all the German Govt. BigWigs, 2 members of Kuwait's ruling Family.

Was hit on (while wearing a kilt) by Bo Derek. She was drunk (and very leathery looking.)

Accidentally touched Angelina Jolie's boob.

Was made an Honorary Lakota for a day at the annual PowWow on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Unfortunately no virgins or wenches were proffered...

I (along with the shooters from CNN and CBS)forced Julio Iglesias to give a 15 minute speech while looking left the whole time. Long Story. You need to buy me a beer for this one.

Was cussed out by Bob Barr, that f*cking Nazi.

Took a REALLY smelly dump at Henry Kissinger's house.

 

[geezer]

Back when SAC was still in business we did a lot of flying so I'm going with:
Stick time in a T 38 and a Phantom.
A night run 300 feet off the deck at 400 mph in a B52 and shooting the last flying b 29 from the back seat of a converted P 51.
Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth we had a Hughes 300 chopper. The only way to do a live shot was to put an engineer in the passenger seat with a window unit and the photographer got to sit in a mesh basket out on the strut wearing a cargo harness and a cine60 belt for the TK-76. I'd give good money to hear what our insurance carrier, OSHA and the FAA would think of us trying that nowdays.
Back on the ground I have to put shooting a sweat lodge out on the Rosebud reservation as an amazing experience.
Doing the New Hampshire primary in '92 with two favorite sons to chase was a lot of work but also a lot of fun, ONCE.
In September I hit 30 years in the business so for every plane ride I can count about a hundred ribbon cuttings and ground breakings but that's part of the job too.
Not to sound like a sap but for all the cool stuff we get to do, nothing touches a walk in the woods with my wife and son.

 

[thru-the-lens]

Hey Tippster!

I too have a Julio Iglesias only shoot me from the left side story! What a DIVA. According to him that is his good side. 5 television stations and 2 newspaper photogs had to all move to the left at a store cd signing before he would agree to come out. His fans were pissed at us for blocking their view of him. Until they found out why he wouldn't come out. Then they were laughing at him.

thru-the-lens.

"Racing is Life! Anything that happens before or after is just waiting." --Steve McQueen

 

[<1911A1>]

That little schwub lead singer for Weezer is the same way.

Yet, he's shot from both sides in the band's videos...

 

[FlickerBlu]

Originally posted by Tippster:
[QB] Met and was served tea by Nelson Mandela. Still stuns me.

Got a hand-signed (not stamped) card from Bubba Clinton for my wedding.

Had a cocktails with (at separate times): Mikhael Gorbachev, Al Gore, Colin Powell, all the German Govt. BigWigs, 2 members of Kuwait's ruling Family. [QB]

Seriously, I strive everyday to be just as cool as the lint on tippster's belly button. I bow to your awesome-ness

In Refrence to the post:

I got to ride in a blimp..not just any blimp but the snoopy blimp, to "take city shots", Funny I don't think they have ever used the footage.

 

[HIDEOUSVlD]

Tippster--you've has some amazing experiences. You suck. (just kidding)

 

[<C St. SW>]

Oh Lord, where to start?

- Planes, trains, an automobiles, people, places and things!

- Crawled around inside the Memphis Belle several time, before and after it was renovated.
- Flew in a restored B-17, Steerman, black hawk, C-5, KC-135, C-141, plus a few I'd rather not remember.
- 1/1 with Isaac Tigrett (started Hard Rock, and House of Blues clubs) on his restored private train.
- 1/1s with Sammy Davis, Jr (a great guy), Carey Grant, Hal Holbrook, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Charles Duval, Danny Devito, Jon Voight, Matt Damon, Dennis Quaid, Pricilla and Lisa Marie, BB King, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Isacc Hayes, David Porter, Al Green, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Sam Phillips (the guy who discovered Elvis and so many others....a truly nice man) Charlie Rich, Trisha Yearwood, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Toni Wine and Chips Moman. Stars touring Graceland like Aerosmith, REM, and the Stones. There are more, but thats all I can think of for now. You never knew who you were going to run into on Beale St.

-Hanging out at Jerry Lee Lewis's for a live shot and showing off my live truck to Artimus Pyle (Lynard Skinnard drummer) even though I didn't know it was him at the time.
-Carte blanche access to a jam session with Billy Joel and Albert King...wow, did Christy look great or what?
-Movie sets for The Firm, The Client, The Rainmaker, Great Balls of Fire, A Family Thing, People vs. Larry Flint and a few others....
-Presidents Carter, Ford, Reagan, Bush 1. Clinton and Gore long before they were famous/infamous.
-Three weeks in Turkey with rare access to closed parts of Topkapi Palace, Dolmabache and other museums....really fun.
-4 weeks in Atlanta for the '96 Olympics working in the NBC Newschannel labor pool. Major overtime!

Too much fun to remember. Wideangle can confirm that it's one of the fun parts of working in Memphis for 20 years.