Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 09:57 AM 9/30/99 -0400, Ruralmopics@aol.com wrote: >-- oh man, remember the Great Flood of '93. I thought my cameras would never >dry out -- just part of the gig. Man is that ever the truth. The flood of '93 will stick with me for life! I worked for six weeks with maybe two days off, and worked from 7:30 in the morning through about 11 p.m. at night. Dang if I didn't distinguish myself as the fastest scanner of film into the computer. So guess who got to stay late and scan pictures for four full pages of photos and photos for the rest of the paper too. I was exhausted, but it was the best professional experience I ever had. When people told me that our paper saved their lives by telling them when the rain was coming and when to get out (while TV didn't do that job adequately) I felt my life, and career, was for something good. When National Geographic almost used one of my pictures as the closer for their article on the flood, but canned it because, according to the editor, it was "too depressing" I was shattered. But then said, "Oh well, don't want my career to peak so soon." Turns out, that might just have been the peak. My Leicas performed flawlessly during that time. And the rain was a significant challenge for much of the time, early on in the process anyway. Night football in November is the worst. No, come to think of it, rain blowing in off the Ocean at 40 mph at mid-day the length of the football field which pointed right at the ocean 50 yards away in Gold Beach, Oregon two years in a row was the worst. My Nikon F5 died from the cold on the second trip there. (The week-old batteries, actually). Lost my umbrella within 10 seconds of the start of the game. I looked like a frozen, drowned rat. I love this job! :-) Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch The "C" students run the world. -Harry S Truman