Respect for Lady Gaga

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After spending the week in Houston to perform at halftime of Super Bowl LI, Lady Gaga left her Air BNB mansion in a new Lambo, rolled down her window to blow kisses and exclaim "I Love You, Houston!" to the moms and kids gathered outside the gates who shared their neighborhood. Informed by her security detail that I was wasting my time and wouldn't get any photos, but I persisted, waiting mostly alone for 8 hours until her entourage departed near dark. And of course, i was both ready and fortunate to get exclusive images to share with the world. Gaga is very cool! 

Halliburton's Dave Lesar was ready to go hostile in takeover bid of rival Baker Hughes

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 Halliburton's Dave Lesar posed for me in 2007. Photo ©2007-F. Carter Smith

News reports have surfaced that the deal was just consummated for $34.6B dollars. Lesar also stated that recent low gasoline prices are short-lived.

During his 14 years leading Halliburton Co. , Chief Executive Dave Lesar has faced down criticism over some big issues.

The company’s no-bid contract to provide logistical support for the U.S. military in Iraq, for example. A Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation into construction work in Nigeria. Halliburton’s work on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before it exploded in 2010. And, most recently, Halliburton’s role as a leader in hydraulic fracturing, which has come under fire from many environmental groups.

Now Mr. Lesar, 61 years old, is facing criticism over his hostile bid to take over Baker Hughes Inc . The smaller oil-field services rival, in an email to Mr. Lesar, described Halliburton’s actions as intransigent and inappropriate.

Baker Hughes didn’t release any responses Halliburton might have written, and a A Halliburton spokeswoman declined to comment. (WSJ)

F Shoots Video, too!

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Most people know me as photojournalist F. Carter Smith. What they don’t often know is that my career began shooting and editing 16mm film for documentary and news stories for NBC affiliate KOA-TV in Denver, Colorado in 1974. When digital video was introduced to the masses by Apple Quicktime in 1991, I was undeniably excited at its prospects. Years later, we have evolved from poor quality video to fantastic new tools that can project the look and feel of film. The basic elements of storytelling have remained constant. Please take a look at some of my recent video projects on this, my new demo reel. Thanks for the inspiration!

Being Sarah Palin

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You Betcha! The former Alaska guvernator-turned-reality star couldn't resist picking up the baby of a serviceman in uniform who stood in line for an autographed copy of her new book Monday, What the F, America? Faith, Family and Flag. Her mama bear instincts were to lift the six-month old girl wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words "Future President". Overheard was the daddy Sergeant exclaiming, "Oh, no, I'm gonna hear it from the wife now!" as he left the table.  Another group of tea party goers in red, white and blue garb had her attention now. "We're from Clear Lake, that's near NASA ..." which elicited a blank stare. Another woman who resembled Sarah herself was interviewed by a local tv newsman as she entered the bookstore. "I support Sarah because she is trying to do good things for the country." Young daughter Piper played with her mommy's iPhone in its pink case, stroking her hair, using the device as a mirror, bored of the publicity tour.

The Hurricane I Couldn't Avoid

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Five years ago, I had the opportunity to chase Katrina up the Gulf coast. As it's path veered up the coast, I feared this Cat5 storm would be the big one. Some compadres in the news biz headed to New Orleans before it hit. I doubt many were prepared for the madness to come. When the levees broke, it became Louisiana 1927, just like the Randy Newman song. When the news reports grew bleaker and the roads were closed, I would have had no luck getting in.

I viewed tornado devastation in east Texas and happened to spend the night in the Orange City jail, guest of the captain on duty. The city was in the dark with little contact to the outside world. The station had emergency power and frozen dinners. The Press (me) was welcomed to share.

After transmitting some photos via a dial-up modem connection (using their land fax line), the Captain checked in with his buddies on AOL, relieving some fears. One tiny prayer in a world turned upside down.

                Astrodome, September ©2005, ©2010 F. Carter Smith

 

Two days later I had made it back to the safety of home and family. Then the Astrodome was declared home to 25 thousand-plus evacuees from the Superdome (I tend to call them refugees - survivors of a war zone). Hurricane Katrina had hit home. 

Another call comes in from a London newspaper. Some British college kids had arrived in the French Quarter the night before the storm. After a night of partying the group found themselves out of their hotel and in a not-so-quiet corner of the Superdome, fearing for their lives. One kid texted his dad, a metropolitan police officer who caught the first plane to Houston, the evacuees' assumed destination. A reporter and I met Pete Henry as he got off the jet. His son had texted again and we headed towards Dallas' Reunion Arena. In the wee hours we finally caught up with the bus at a staging area 30 miles east. My camera witnessed a truly great father-son reunion. The stories of lawlessness in New Orleans were heard first-hand as I drove them home, stopping only for Tex-Mex and a different slice of America.

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