Blog It Like You Stole It

Though we’re often portrayed as grumbling dunderheads, your average TV news photog is really quite chatty. After all, we’re storytellers at heart, ones who use natural light, dimpled coworkers and wireless microphones to spin our many yarns. What’s more, some of us come home and climb on-line, where we while away the hours trading war stories and legends but never spit. If that kind of thing appeals to you then you’re in luck, for I’d like to spend the next few minutes exploring the outer reaches of the ever throbbing photograblogosphere. You might wanna strap in.

First stop Sacramento, an outpost overrun with Photog-Blogifus. The latest TV tech to join the Sac-Town fray is one Joseph Huerta, a 21 one year old editor who, despite the requisite knit skull cap, is still a little wet behind the years. Therein lies the fun of course, as the edumacation of a newbie shooter is always worth a few laughs. Especially when he’s being harassed by his first transient.

Todio’s no schmoe. Neither is he a rookie. Fact is, the dude’s been a freelance television sound recordist for 22 years! That’s a lot of time watching the needles dance. While that may shake up lesser souls, ole Todio’s holding steady. As for how he came to harvest noise for a living, it’s a tale of hijacked opportunity, in which our hero shrugs his way forward and ends up with a career full of endless gigs. Now if only we can get him to take off those headphones.

This next cat is no novice either. Hell, he practically invented the form. While not technically a blogger, Tim Rutherford has been posting regular content at Photog’s Lounge for ten years now. Ten Years! That makes him a freakin’ pioneer, though to hear Tim tell it, he’s just another schlub working behind the scenes of a nightly newscast. I’ll buy that - but only because I know just what a hoot your average crew member can be. Now, hopefully, you can too.