...What Do You Mean the Helicopter is Grounded?!?!

We had a great time shooting at Laidley State High School on Thursday for Oxfam and National Close The Gap Day.

The school organized all 600+ kids to get into the action (literally).  I was supposed to shoot this aerial shot from a helicopter on the day but due to poor weather conditions the pilot cancelled the flight.

This was really the only shot I was sent out there to get.  Anything else was a bonus.  So there it was.  8am.  Helicopter cancelled.  600 kids ready to go.  The school had been preparing this event for weeks.  The kids had practiced.  Everyone was totally amped.  But what could I do?  Learn to fly?

With some quick thinking (and even quicker talking) we managed to organize a 12 meter cherry picker at the 11th hour.  It was the tallest we could get on such short notice. ("Yeah, we're going to need that in place in about 45 minutes...  Do you think we could make that happen?")

I must say, I was a bit skeptical that 12 meters would be sufficient.  The field had been marked for the kids in an exact pattern.  So there was no compensation for much lower perspectives.

What a relief when I got up and saw that it we could get the shot!  It took a bit of re-jigging the kids in the word 'Close', but we sorted that out and got shooting.

Good lessons that day...

- If you think you've tried everything, try something else.

- Keep assuring everyone that it will work (even if you don't necessarily believe it)

- Just get the shot.  Never show up empty-handed.  Make something happen.