View to a Thrill

Think YOU had a good view of Obama's acceptance speech? Check out the vantage enjoyed by one Wes Barrett - ex El Ocho photog, now citizen of the world. I don't know exactly how Wes found himself twenty yards from the President-Elect last night, but I'll chalk it up to his newfound credentials as a D.C. insider. That, or he bumrushed Candy Crowley for a press-pass upgrade. Either way, the man who once shared a Norman, Oklahoma dorm room with your friendly lenslinger truly witnessed history last night, and gorged on eye candy he'll no doubt share with his descendants. That, generous visitor, is the essence of why we labor so behind the lens: not for the lack of glamour we endure, but for the chance to see the world from the oddest of angles. That's heady stuff for the most jaundiced of globetrotters. Imagine what it felt like to a former farm boy like the Barrett in question. So take heart,a ll you cornfield dreamers out there: You too can traverse the hemisphere with a Sony in tow. All you gotta do is work hard and act like you've been there before.

Oh - and try not to gawk when Oprah starts to bawl...