[VIC] Response to a comment about me on Yuri Sos' site (was: R711 B76)

[James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au>]

I know that most of you here (including me) are regular visitors to Yuri Sos' site and
you may have seen the following statement on his "Picture for the fortnight commencing
Sunday 09 April 2000" page. (http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/the_shot.htm) If you
haven't read this page yet, then this post probably won't interest you.

Yuri Sos wrote the following on his site:

> ... After this shot, I leisurely drove down to Little River to set
> up for a long distance running video shot, arriving with 10
> minutes to spare.

> However, I was beset by some last minute arrival who turned
> up and in spite of a vast expanse of free space, positioned
> himself beside my already running camera and proceeded to
> set up his camera with all the attendant noises of camera bag
> being unzipped and tripod being set up.  The train departed
> and so did the other cameraman, only to be
> replaced by another..."

If you have read this and my original post to this newsgroup then you may have guessed
that I am the photographer referred to in this statement. If that is the case then I just
want to explain my side of the story. I usually turn up with about 10 to 15 minutes to
spare but unfortunately I was running very late on Saturday. When I arrived at Little
River, Yuri Sos was on top of the mound of earth on the Melbourne side of the level
crossing and if I had positioned myself in the "vast expanse of free space" I probably
would have been in his shot because he was panning right around. I then went up to where
he was so I wouldn't be in his shot and I couldn't see any indication of him already
recording. At that time the train was still in the distance and you couldn't even see it.
I then asked him if I could set up my camera next to him and he said ok. I didn't just
barge in and set it up like he indicates in his statement. All "the attendant noises of
camera bag being unzipped and tripod being set up" were a result of me trying to set up
my camera in about 30 seconds so there wouldn't be any noise on his tape when it
appeared. I had no idea that he was already recording and he didn't make any comment or
give any indication that he was. If he had just told me that he was already recording
when I asked him if I could set it up there, I wouldn't have set it up and I would have
kept quiet as he was the one who got there first.

I'm sorry if some of you have no interest in this, but I see no other way of explaining
the situation to some of you who have read his statement and guessed that I am the
photographer mentioned. If he hadn't published this statement on his site then I wouldn't
have needed to respond to it.

James Brook wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I was running a bit late this morning and when I set up the video camera at Little
> River (with the R in the distance!) the auto-focus was confused by the sun reflecting
> off the lens. By the time I fixed the problem, I got a rather mediocre shot but I
> managed to salvage this video capture:
>
> http://www.railpage.org.au/vr/pics/vidcaps/r711_little_river.jpg



--
- James Brook -

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