Staggering into traffic: a BAD idea.

Hooligan Dan · Mar 26, 2009

Hey guys, I just thought I'd share a photo I took just about an hour and a half ago. A kid got knocked right the heck out of his shoes after falling into that red van you see between the cops legs. I was shooting the van and saw these shoes from a distance and thought they'd make for the more captivating photo.

Here's the caption that will run with the shot(it will probably be edit to fit AP style):

DAN EVANS/NEWS-SENTINEL
Officer Matt Latino of the Lodi Police Department circled the shoes of a young man who fell into traffic and struck a Dodge Caravan on Thursday. Witnesses saw the man, estimated to be 17 to 20 years old by a passenger in the van, staggering while walking down the median on Lower Sacramento Rd. around 6 P.M. Diane Ericson, 49, Lodi, the driver of the Caravan, saw the man begin to fall and swerved while traveling Southbound. The man fell, striking the driver side window of Ericson's van. "I was just driving down Lower Sac going the speed limit, maybe under. I saw this kid walking on the median and I tried to avoid him," said Ericson. "Next thing I know he just smashed right into me."
According to Officer Latino the man was unconscious when the fire department arrived. He was taken to Lodi Memorial Hospital with major injuries. He was not identified at the time of the accident. Nobody in the caravan was injured.

I would have liked to have gotten the cop's face a bit more, but ya win some, ya loose some.

Comments and crits alwas appreciated.

Kenny32 · Mar 26, 2009

I think it's great. Considering most of my encounters with the police when I had my camera weren't pleasant, this is a nice shot.

Hooligan Dan · Mar 26, 2009

Kenny32 said:
I think it's great. Considering most of my encounters with the police when I had my camera weren't pleasant, this is a nice shot.

Thank you.

Yeah, cops aren't always the nicest guys to deal with if you're not connected. Luckily for my have this great little thing called a press badge. Makes the job easier. haha.

Kenny32 · Mar 26, 2009

Hooligan Dan said:
Thank you.

Yeah, cops aren't always the nicest guys to deal with if you're not connected. Luckily for my have this great little thing called a press badge. Makes the job easier. haha.

I do as well. I'm not sure if you watched any of the shows like "Stringers LA" or shows like that...but thats how the cops have treated me in the past...

Usually at scenes of car accidents where the FD is still working they are a REAL pain and won't let me get the money shot by getting in my way and telling me to move back (even though I'm behind the barrier)

Now I'm not saying all officers are like that...I actually do know quite a few who are quite pleasant and understand what we photogs have to go through.

Luckily I don't do that type of press photography anymore really...They have me going to sports games and stuff instead. It's a lot better just sitting down at a ballgame and shooting. Ohhh I can't WAIT until next month.

Hooligan Dan · Mar 27, 2009

Maybe it's the way people approach them. I know lots of photogs who go into police controlled situations like they have every right to be there and the police should work around them and not the other way around. I started out doing every single thing the police/chp/sheriffs/and firefighters told me to do. Now I regularly walk past police lines, stand directly next to burning buildings, etc. They know who I am now and they know I'll stay out of their way and if I need to move i'll do it willingly.

Not saying you're one of the former photogs I mentioned, but those are the kind I often encounter. And that being so I'm sure the police often encounter the same kind of shooters so they lump us all together.

Kenny32 · Mar 27, 2009

Yeah I mean I'm a shy person and I really don't say much. I kinda just move my way towards the scene...I tend to avoid where the cops are standing...But they usually don't have an issue if the FD is done working on the car/building, but we all know that's boring. If they tell me to step back, I'll usually do so...but then a minute later I'll move back up...You gotta do what you gotta do to get the shot...and if that means pissing off a few police officers, then I'll do it.

One of the worst was when I got to the scene before the fire truck did. (On a car accident)...The cops were there and hadn't set up any boundaries, but I still stayed far enough back...They didn't like that too much and proceeded to setup a boundary pretty far away from the scene...Nothing that my 70-200 couldn't handle though.

I wish my hard drive was still alive so I could share some of these photos...oh well