Shoutout to a Fellow Employee

Stewart Pittman is just another video photographer or vidiographer or photog or shooter. He is a fellow employee. Are we "friends"? Well no, not in the sense that we hang out together and drink beer after hours and conmisserate about life. Do we "know" each other? Yes. Very much so even though we work in different departments. We both need each other so to speak. He needs me to keep his camera and gear working and a transmitter to send his pictures to the world with. I need his pictures to send to the world so people will watch and buy advertising (and answer my stupid blogging questions). "It is the circle of life Simba." Oh yeah, he is also a damn fine writer. Much better than I will be in my whole life.

He writes his own blog, Viewfinder Blues at lenslinger.com. He chonicles his life as a medium market photojournalist. (I never knew so much news happened around here. You can't tell it on TV.) My life compared to his is nothing short of non-existant. Thirty-five thousand volts withstanding.

From hanging out on the beach, huricane hunting ,

to hanging out with fellow shooters at those same huricane scums

to hanging and having real relationships with celebs like

Bucky Covington

and Chris Daughtry.

Of course being a shooter isn't all cushy assignments. It does have its problems too like shooting a remote vehicle demonstration when the vehicle goes out of control and into the group of photog's set up to record the event

or covering the worst mass homicide in American history, Virginia Tech.

But Stewart's real strength along with his photograpghic eye is his wordsmithing. Along with his daily tales of "commiting news" as he likes to describe it, he has an alter ego he writes about named Garrett and his fellow newsers of News Leader 3. In the latest installment he writes: "Thirteen minutes they pulled up on scene, a dipping curve in an otherwise featureless country road. The ride over had not been pleasant. As he always did, Garrett drove like a pyro en route to a barn fire, causing Camille to not once, twice but thrice curse his choice of RPM’s. It didn’t help that the rain really picked up just as they got on Highway 42, a twisting country corridor known for it’s own collisions. And then there was Live Three - by far the hoopty of the lot. Garrett and the fellas had been trying to kill Live 3 for years, but the ’83 SUV with the stubby mast and peeling logos just wouldn’t die. Nor would it hydroplane, a fact Garrett tested several times on his way to the ‘bus ax‘." I can name SEVERAL people who fit that characterization of shooter and "hair do" (reporter) Camille and equipment! I just couldn't do it with such pazz that makes you want to read more. My interpretation would make you want to leave screaming as quickly as possible.

Stew keeps saying he has a book in there somewhere. I hope so, because I would love to be first in line for the book signing!

Others in the biz also think highly of not only Stew's writing ability, but his opinions on the biz from lone VJ shooters to network lenslingers who cover hot spots around the world. He is linked from around the world blogs. He has even been quoted in some of the trade rags. Not bad from a self proclaimed slacker from eastern North Carolina.

To check out Stewart's little piece of the net, http://www.lenslinger.com/ will get you there. To check out his MANY still pics as he "commits news" check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/86947467@N00/

And ah, Stew, anytime you feel a little parched after a day behind the glass, give me a call. I buy the first round!