Wednesday, June 19, 2013

How The Sons of Steve Garvey Saved Me From Jail: The Backstory To The "All Hail Vin" Photo

Fellow Loge Box Suite reveler Scott Killeen posted this comment yesterday afternoon, but I wanted to elevate his story of how he name-dropped the Sons of Steve Garvey at Dodger Stadium...and how it DIDN'T get him thrown in the Dodger Stadium slammer (while simultaneously nabbing the Dodgers' photo of the week) [pagination mine]:

I’m a visual guy, if you can’t tell by now; that’s probably why I married the talkative type of person my wife BJ is. I see things in a different light than most, my thoughts are expressed in the photos I capture with my Nikon equipment. Being a professional photographer, meaning I get paid for taking photos of whatever someone wants to pay me for. You name it and I have taken photos of it sometime in my career.

Having worked at many well-known magazines, I’m skilled at having the photo tell a story, but I’m primarily known as an automotive photographer, so taking photos at a Dodger game is actually fun and challenging. When the Killeens go to a Dodger game, though, we usually sit a bit lower in the stadium than the Loge section, but it was different, so I tried to make the best of it.

Dodger Stadium has a standing rule that no ticket holders can bring in any camera lenses longer than six inches! Yeah, WTH? I guess they don’t want any quality photos from the riffraff in the stands. But I can understand, it would suck having someone in the next seat shooting photos all night with a long lens in your peripheral vision and hearing that clicking during the entire game. I have always been aware and try not to have that happen to someone we sit next to. BJ is used to it, though.

I have used my Nikon 80-400mm zoom lens at many Dodger games, but this year I’m being questioned and almost hassled to the point of it being a pain in the butt. The lens measures at about 6.25 inches, about a quarter inch over the stated length allowed. The Dodger security guards must all have bionic eyes now with an embedded laser tape measure because this year I’ve been questioned at every game. I call them “Dodginators,” just doing their jobs.

My last encounter was during my now infamous “All Hail Vin” photo for the SOSG boys; BTW, thanks for posting it guys! I was bored with the angles of photos I could get around our seats so I started an Aussie “walkabout” around the stadium on the Loge level. I ended behind the right-field foul pole. Looking around for something interesting to photograph, I noticed the SOSG Party Box seats were directly underneath Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully! So I shot some photos and then heard a voice say, “that looks like professional camera gear.” The area around me was void of people, only the occasional trophy wife of a Diamondback pitcher making the climb up to watch her hubby throw some balls in the pen.

Turning around I see not one but two Dodginators scanning me and my equipment up and down. And then I hear the usual, “that lens seems awfully long,” along with, “is that professional equipment?” “Why, yes it is thank you,” I answered with the truth that night.

Hey Dodginator guys, I said, I’m with the Sons of Steve Garvey, you know the best Dodgers blog around, and the Dodgers PR staff set up the SOSG in a Party Box tonight and I’m taking photos for them. Instantly, one of Dodginators pulls out his smart phone and starts checking for the blog. The other guy asks what I’m taking a photo of, so I start to show him the photo on the back of my camera when the first Dodginator guard finds the blog and does a little giggle showing the other. That broke the ice from them booting me out with the only other question being who I was talking to, telling them it was my wife on the phone, directing all the SOSG guys underneath Vinny, hence the reason for me shooting the photo. I guess being on the phone with a long camera lens caught the Dodginators attention, and they were just doing their jobs, quite well I might add. The rest, as they say, is history…

Thanks again, Scott!

6 comments:

QuadSevens said...

Very cool story. Hopefully those Dodginators won't give you too much hassle in the future so you can keep snapping great photos.

Orel said...

And you call BJ the talkative one. Nice work, Scott!

BJ Killeen said...

@orel. Lol

Dusty Baker said...

I've been kicked out before for having more than six inches.

Alex said...

Enjoyed the picture, Scott!

rbnlaw said...

Security must've read one of Spank's comments that ended with *streaks.*



*streaks*