Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/11/16

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Subject: [Leica] Forget Prius, buy a bike
From: leica at rcmckee.com (R. Clayton McKee)
Date: Fri Nov 16 16:01:13 2007
References: <2A42B8D8-4FCF-49CD-9276-98A4697DDF2F@nathanfoto.com>, <a3f189160711161455j687c31bfide1b3317084af698@mail.gmail.com>, <200711161817.00640.photo.forrest@earthlink.net>

Good so far.

Now.  

Today's challenge:  Carrying roughly 15 kilos of camera gear and a 4 
kilo tripod, start at my home in southwest Houston at noon (1), Go to 
Ft. Bend County Fairgrounds south of Rosenberg (44 km by freeway; 
shortest NON-freeway road I know of is closer to 60 km due to 
construction, as the nearest bridge across the Brazos River which 
permits non-motorized traffic is some ways north) 

Photograph two specific events, at 1300 and 1400.  

Leave Fairgrounds in time to make another shoot in East Houston at 
1430 (60 km by freeway, none of which allows nonmotorized traffic, 
and repeating above detour plus others for similar reasons).

The subject will arrive at 1445, due to being caught in traffic. This 
shoot takes approximately 30 minutes, indoors in low light without 
flash or tripod, thus requiring 1/15th and 1/30th shutters.   

Return home (25 km by freeway, longer on bikable roads) in time to 
process and edit 400+ photographs and transmit approximately 30 to 
make a 1600 deadline. 

All of the above using badly maintained roads with heavy traffic and 
non-bicycle-friendly or non-bicycle-aware drivers.

(1)  You can't start earlier, as you don't know you're going to Ft. 
Bend until the phone call comes in at 1150.

(2)  There is no mass transit available on the last 20k of the 
outbound leg or the first 20km of the inbound - the buses don't go 
there at all. Mass transit from first available stop  to downtown 
takes between 70 and 85 minutes each way depending on which schedule 
they're on (local run, no express available), and the bus runs once 
every hour.  You don't have the schedule.

(3) Your client just promised you a 30% raise on the new contract 
which starts tomorrow, because you're good and reliable and he wants 
you to sign on for another year.  If you blow it today, you'll likely 
lose both the raise and your contract, as both ends of the trip 
involve the children of newspaper directors (four levels above your 
client's boss who has to approve the increase).  You have other 
clients but not enough income from them to stay in business or keep 
your apartment if you lose this one.

Good luck. 




Quoth the Philip Forrest :

> http://www.terragalleria.com/images/vietnam/viet8027.jpeg
> 
> http://www.bikesatwork.com/bicycle-delivery-service/large-grocery-lo
> ad.jpg
> 
> http://www.wisechat.com/images/China_1493.JPG
> 
> http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood/images/indiph98.jpg
> 
> heh heh heh heh heh!
--


R. Clayton McKee                           http://www.rcmckee.com
Photojournalist                               rcmckee@rcmckee.com
P O Box 571900                           voice/fax   713/783-3502
Houston, TX 77257-1900                   cell phone #  on request


In reply to: Message from nathan at nathanfoto.com (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] Totally OT: Prius experiences?)
Message from sonc.hegr at gmail.com (Sonny Carter) ([Leica] Forget Prius, buy a bike)
Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) ([Leica] Forget Prius, buy a bike)