"Don't Try This At Home, Kids !"
Yesterday I put out a post about a pair of lost shoes. [Post: Shoe Shots No. 15]. After further thought, I believe it only prudent that I add this next piece as a short Safety Notice, regarding field photography when covering shoes in the streets of the city.
Red Car Zooming By
"Is That A Midas XGM-13, With A Class 7 Catalytic Converter Under There?"
Safety First
Now that we have resolved this lost shoe issue, I'd like to say a thing or two about safety and this whole Shoe Shot endeavor. This particular footwear find was in the bike lane, right on the shoulder of the road, in a very busy, industrial part of town. You can tell things were 'really hopping' in the traffic department by the previous photograph.
That photo really highlights some Safety Issues that surface when working by the side of the road during important photo-shoot events.
Wasn't That A Rack and Pinion CogWheel Assembly?
I must admit, this photo shoot was very exciting. As I crouched down along the roadway to photograph our new-found shoes, vehicles were flying by at a dizzying rate and speed.
At first, I pondered whether this whole things was a good idea -- wondering if I might be a bit too 'close to the action' -- even for such grand artistic purpose. After all, many photographers have been badly inured or killed while filming raceway events throughout history.
And though I realize this is not a racetrack, the tires and the undercarriage of cars and trucks were clearly visible for a moment or two at an angle of view I'm not used to seeing in real time, and in high-speed motion. I was a bit taken-aback by all of this raucous vehicular activity.
They Love Me, They Really Love Me
However, though initially skeptical, I soon realized all was well when I noted the drivers could see me just fine while bent low in the roadway to shoot. This was quite obvious after short observation. As the cars zoomed by, many occupants seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing. Many pointed and stared, or smiled and waved at me as I crouched down to photograph the pair of tennis shoes in the roadway.
Some of the vehicle occupants actually seemed quite pleased with the project going on by the side of the road, and even laughed along, once they fully understood what was going on. I'm SO glad I could provide them with a break from their Ho-Hum existence of the mundane, daily commute while doing this project.
Amazingly, one driver even raised his fist at me with some sort of salute/fist-pump gesture, which reminded me a bit of those fans you see at sporting events or the participants of the Summer Olympics. No doubt meant as a show of support and solidarity for my presence, the fine arts, and the Shoe Shot project in particular.
I greatly appreciated this man slowing down to a reasonable 48 mph as he passed, just so I could fully take in his heartfelt gesture. I enjoyed the opportunity to show all of the people driving by how things are properly done in the world of high art.
Red Car, Schmedd Car -- That's An 18 Wheeler!!
Maybe It's Time To Move On
This situation worked well for the first ten minutes or so of photography, and the normal sized cars and trucks constantly flew by, with the occupants continuing to show their gestural support for my work. I tried to keep an eye on them as I took in the view through my camera.
However, a short time later, a rather large 18-wheeled semi tractor-trailer rig tried to take the corner just beyond where I was shooting, and had a real time of it making the sharp angle of the intersection.
I looked up, and though in slower motion due to the geometric difficulties of the situation, I soon discovered his front bumper and everything ELSE engineered 47 feet behind it, headed in my direction. Evidently the driver needed some of the precious bike lane to complete the turn.
I decided it prudent to move out of the way, and though I didn't need my best Jackie Chan barrel roll to cover the ground, I hurried along none the less. NOTE: That is his front tire going by my just-abandoned location in the photo above.
Once on the grass out of the way, I peeked into my camera hard drive, and decided the 276 identical photos of the same shoes in slightly different 'poses' would probably suffice, and decided it was a good time to move on for safety. And the rest, as they say, is photographic/writing history.
Thanks for stopping in, and reading this Safety Notice concerning the view and photography of Shoe Shot No. 15's shoes.
Hey, Hey... "Let's be careful out there". - Sgt. P. Esterhaus
~ Finto ~
*OSHA -- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Poste Script
I looked up the definition of Addendum. I found this interesting, and a bit apropos concerning this whole photo project:
-- Definition of Addendum --
*(1) Addendum: "An item of additional material, typically omissions, added at the end of a book or other publication. Synonyms: Codicil, appendix, afterword...supplement, etc."
*(2) Addendum (Engineering Definition): "The radial distance from the pitch circle of a cogwheel, worm wheel, etc., to the crests of the teeth or ridges."
-Wikipedia
While down on the ground, photographing the shoes, I noticed I was rather close to the underside of the vehicles going by. This vantage point offered quite the 'bird's eye' view of all the underpinnings of a working car and/or truck.
I'm no mechanic, but it seems that with all the greasy 'stuff' spinning and chugging about under these vehicles to make them move, there must be some sort of worm wheels, cogs, or other highly engineered devices of a similar nature involved underneath, that help make the vehicles go.
I just thought that that alternative definition for my Safety Addendum was very interesting, in light of all this messing about by the road, often looking under the vehicles while next to the busy roadway.
[Official Press Credential Here]
A huge shout-out from the freelance reporter's cardboard holler-horn goes out to the amazing 
