Camera-Tossing for the (TV) Camera

Photo by FlyButtafly (formerly TaGurit).

So if you're thinking what I think you might be thinking ;) - yeah, that's Jim Dever from Evening Magazine. Ok, well you're probably only thinking it if you happen to live in WA (western Washington at that) and tune in to channel 5 at 7pm on weeknights.
Edit: I just realized it also airs on NW Cable News at 9pm on weeknights - I don't have cable, so I didn't know. I apologize. :)

Anyway, it's a great show, and Jim usually does the more entertaining bits - whether it's breakdancing or bobsledding or anything in between. Well, he contacted me recently to help with a story on camera tossing. (Ok, well - an interview anyway, and to throw the cameras around.) We met up the 14th (of this month) in Evergreen Park in Bremerton, and he did a filmed interview with me and then we did some tossing.

How'd the interview go? Well, I'll just say I do much better when I'm scripted and on-stage. *Acting* as someone else in front of people is so much easier than just being myself and thinking on my feet. ;) I'll never be one of those impromptu actors who ad lib all over the place and are complete geniuses when they do so (not to imply I was acting... but it's just to illustrate the fact that I have to sit and think to come up with *good* stuff usually). I can write stuff, and I can recite stuff, and I can come up with sarcastic one-liners and stuff like that... but when it comes to just being me in front of a camera, I geek it all up. I just know when this airs I'm going to be just shaking my head at myself, going - did I have to say it that way? Oh it would've been so much better if I'd done/said this rather than that... and on and on. We're always our own worst critics though, aren't we? ;)

Jim was really cool though, and I never felt ill at ease. He seems like a regular guy (albeit one on TV every weeknight ;) who just has a really fun job and a hilarious sense of humor (and of course, he is one of those who can just come up with stuff right off the top of his head. Gosh I hope I didn't screw any footage up for him...)

As far as the tossing goes - we had a lot of fun with that. :) I tossed it for a while, while they shot from all different angles (well, Jim didn't shoot it obviously - Tim, the camera-man did all of that) and I tossed a couple different cameras. Got my first-ever injury (minus the bumps on the head from my little dearly-deceased P&S that I used to bounce around in the van while we were on the road) that day:

A camera that I was borrowing has little metal triangle-ish shaped loops on the sides for a strap. Well, I never toss with a strap (it gets in the way) and anyway, I somehow got sliced with one of the loops when I caught it. I hadn't even noticed until I was picking up my stuff so they could shoot in a different part of the park - I looked down and saw blood on my hand, and it was all over the pocket of my jeans too. Ouch! It's still there (on my hand, that is) and still sore, too. *Recommendation: Don't toss cameras that have little metal protruding things.*

Jim did great for a first-time tosser (I already know about the whole British slang term, so don't even go there ;) and only dropped it, um... a *few* times.

I even dropped mine (oops!) once... but only in the tanbark, so it was all good.*Recommendation: Until you're used to the way your camera handles in the air, practice tossing over soft surfaces!*


I had my new camera with me, and used it for the first tosses, but unfortunately I only have a 32mb memory card, so I wasn't able to get many images (I used to have a 512mb card... Goshdurnit, I just can't find it anywhere!) Here's a few I got:




Not spectacular, but the lighting conditions were unfortunately not the best for tossing that day. And I still hadn't gotten used to my camera, (I hadn't even read the manual yet!) so, well... And no, I'm not just making excuses! ;) (Seriously, lighting has a big role in how tosses come out. Too much light, and the shutter shuts too fast, or the image picks up too much light and it's all washed out.) Oh well. :) I did recently upload some tosses from my archives (I've got over 600 on my hard drive) that were from my old P&S though. Here's a sampling:



(click on any photo to see it in larger size)

I'll be posting a tutorial later, for those interested in trying themselves, along with a review for each of the cameras I've used so far. (Just so you know, I've only used Olympus - I just love their usability, versatility, ergonomics and - heck, everything!) :)

disclaimer: Please don't think I'm overstating my importance. I know it's just going to be a short piece, and everything - but heck, I'm still excited. :) And I know I'll enjoy it, however they put it together.
Thanks Jim, for the fun time and the opportunity to spread the word in WA about camera tossing. ;)