Hello from Hollywood!

[derhammer]

welcome!

outstanding pictures you got there

 

[mso489]

Welcome aboard from central North Carolina. I used to kick around your area as an enlisted Navy radioman, when we were in port there. It looks somewhat different somewhere between homeless and well-off, but I liked it. A shipmate and I went to see the Lakers play, and Wilt must have been the day before his retirement. Years later, on business, I took in a downtown arts event that was far-out unusual and pretty interesting. Not a great "walking city," but a lot there to see.

 

[h3rodotus]

MSO Good evening sir, great to make your acquaintance. I've actually read a lot of your posts and am looking forward to hearing your opinion on a few of the Sasieni's that I've acquired for a mini documentary I'm working on I will contact you shortly I hope you don't mind.
Hollywood is no city for walking indeed sir, nor Los Angeles as a whole. I lived for a moment in the LBC and used to take the blue line train into Hollywood to cover events. My camera bag weighs about 40-50lbs full and I got attacked once in Compton on the platform when I'd gotten off because I'd forgotten to activate my pass. A fella sucker punched me, right in the face at full wind up as I came around a pylon. I think he thought he was gonna be able to get my bag or something, he ended up running off. That never really put me off it though, if it was Compton in the 90s I would have gotten knifed so I look at it as an improvement.
However, there was one time, and this was in Hollywood. The train pulling up underneath the Pantages, I saw man that was the size of Shaquille O'neil pacing toward a tiny Asian woman with the countenance of murder in his eyes. Her face was bright red, I didn't see it but he had obviously just hit her in the face, this is literally happening as the train stops right outside my window seat. A man, not 5'5" tall tried to stand between the giant and the woman. I sighed out every bit of air in my lungs as I reached over for my hat and stood up.
The doors opened.
I'm not gonna lie I was more scared than I'd been in a long time but I'd rather it be me taking that beating than that little girl. Just then a small Latina sherrif's officer ran up to him and drew her side arm, "ON THE GROUND NOW."
He went straight down, arms out. 3 other officers swarmed, it was a beautiful thing. There's always political problems in LA but those beat cops pull some super hero moves sometimes.

 

[h3rodotus]

Warren, that 600 is a beast! Pretty awesome, I like the 200-400 with the multiple extenders for shows at big theaters. I don't get to shoot much wildlife unfortunately, although there is an eagle nesting here locally in the mountains that I snapped once.

 

[h3rodotus]

Thanks Jay! ZZ is pretty gangster IMO LOL OG for sure.

 

[h3rodotus]

Thanks Pierre.
Alaskan Piper: It's not always red carpets though, I'm really more known for my music photography and there are other perks, like when the Suicide Girls come to town lol

 

[h3rodotus]

Because I love Dunhill Navy Rolls

 

[mso489]

h3', that's some police work! That's what is supposed to happen, and good for the sheriff's dept. Getting to the LA event, I had a extra large guy fall in step beside me and announce that he'd just gotten out of jail, etc. I managed to navigate into a group, so he fell back. After that, I would merge with groups, which was a good tactic since I was on my own. You have to be really tracking, can't really drink much or otherwise be off your game. I've been outrageously lucky on occasions. Hauling that gear, you must be in top shape, which always helps.

 

[cornedbeef]

Pipes can be wonderfully photogenic. Love how you captured the elegance of the Radice in the Navy Rolls photo.
Thank you for turning your camera to the gentle art of pipesmoking.

 

[jaytex1969]

I've never wanted to be electrical tape so much in my life. 8O :mrgreen: 8)
Nice work, all around.
I do all my photo work with whatever phone is 3-4 generations past release whenever my old one ceases.

 

[bnichols23]

Howdy & welcome from the Palmetto state (SC), H3rodotus! Happy to have you here. Just one thing:
An 8-dot & VELVET??? Brother, WE need to talk.... :rofl:
Bill

 

[cigrmaster]

Those pics are awesome, thanks for sharing.

 

[briarbuck]

Welcome. Enjoy reading your stuff. Who's the lady in Black Boots? Debra Harry?

 

[h3rodotus]

MSO, good thinking! I used to be in pretty good shape but now I've got back problems, probably from carrying all that gear everywhere haha.

 

[h3rodotus]

Corned Beef, thank you my friend! That is not actually a Radice but an old Sasieni, Family Era Two Dot Canadian, which was what they used to make if a Four dot had a sanding pit or a fill It was too good to be a second but not good enough to be a four dot. They were only made for a short time and are rare to find, this one smokes well and has a exceptionally large bowl

 

[h3rodotus]

Jaytex, that's a great shot with the reflection and the composure. Today's cell phones can get capture some pretty cool moments!

 

[h3rodotus]

Bill Nichols, good eye there sir good eye that's an 8 dot Viscount Lascelles. The tins are just for looks but I do love velvet haha.

 

[h3rodotus]

Thank you Cigarmaster

 

[h3rodotus]

Hey there Folanater, that is actually a newer artist named Bebe Rexha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=domR-DLjsrc

 

[h3rodotus]

So fellas, I might post pictures of celebrities and tell stories about celebrities because that's just what I do for a living and these are my stories. If I was still setting scaffolding on a job site, my stories would be about that, if I was still working in a cubicle, running test data and telling engineers that their sample size was too small, my stories would be about that. However, I take pictures for a living and I encounter a lot of celebrities because of where I live. I started writing things down because I used to be a columnist and writing is fun for me and I like to share and hear stories, but please don't think too much of this.
Celebrities are NOT important, working with celebrities DOES NOT make anyone important, and I especially am NOT important, I'm not famous--not even remotely. It is with all of that disclaimer that I share this with you, I am building a collection of autographed tins. I'd never gotten an autograph in my life before I started collecting tins, but now it seems an appropriate keep sake of the decade I have spent in this town.
Last night I attended Barbara Eden's birthday party and she was nice enough to sign a tin for me. Loni Anderson actually signed one for me too. When I handed her the tin she smiled and said that her father used to smoke a pipe. I spent my childhood watching Jeannie shake her hips so this was a cool moment for me and I thought some of you guys might like Jeannie as well. Everyone kept saying how crazy Larry Hagman was, really wished he could have been there.
Anyway, thanks for the welcome you all! Look forward to learning a lot from you guys. I've actually been reading several of you guys for quite a while before I joined