Mostly its good natured, a lot of drunks screaming "Hi Mum" down the lens… their mum would be so proud. But this year I had couple of firsts.
A production crew filming a reality show about the hospital tried to ban me from filming the paramedics.
"Mate I’m a news crew, this is a public street. You can’t stop me from shooting."
The 12 year old with a clipboard and a fluro vest tried to tell me they had an agreement with the Hospital comm’s unit. I told him that was nice but while they might be able to tell the paramedics not to talk to me they couldn’t stop me shooting them in a public place.
He was stumped as nothing in all his long moments of experience prepared him for that.
The other fist was a guy trying to steal the battery of the back of the camera while I was filming.
How did he think that was going to work out?
I could feel the bumping at the back of my camera as I tried to get a shot. Turned as asked the guy not to touch the camera. He gave me the "what who me?" look.
Then later I feel the bumping again, I bring the camera forward and spin round, its this guy again, he steps back, knocks into another drunk and drops the battery he has just got of the back of my camera.
Why?
At what point did he think this is a good idea?
Then on the way back to my car I had another run in with a reality show crew following the Police.
When the clipboard waving kid came up to me I said.
"News crew. Public place. Get over it."