THE DAY THE GROUND SHOOK
It was late afternoon on the 29th of May 2011 when the earth actually shook. Though the tremor with its epicenter in Columbus, Ohio might not have quite registered on the Richter scale, the ground on that day actually shuddered for a moment and that has had devastating effects. Before detailing the actual episode and its consequences, it is important for you to know the events leading up to and following this seismic event.
It was one of the most beautiful Spring days. The kind of day that young couples pray that they will be able to enjoy on the day when they pledge their undying love to one another... for all eternity. The air was fresh, filled with the scent of flowers in bloom. Yes, this was a perfect day for a wedding.
The bridal party and their designated photographer had migrated from the church to a nearby park for additional photo opportunities of the happy couple and their entourage. This was truly a “picture perfect” day. The cars belonging to the bridal party were parked and the grand march began... parading the beautiful couple to an appropriate spot amongst the flowers and the trees. Many park visitors would stop ...and with rediscovered smiles watch the wedding party parade past them.
The march of the wedding party was led by the pied-piper photographer, followed closely by the groom who was grinning from ear to ear and his blushing bride who struggled to keep her snow white dress from being stained of the grass. Every now and then, the photographer would stop short, turn quickly around and attempt to digitally capture a spontaneous moment with the newly-weds or other individuals in the wedding party.
The first dozen camera clicks at this site were fairly uneventful, other than the fact that the photographer had difficulty framing shots without including other park visitors in the background. Since it was such a beautiful Spring day, the park had an inordinate number of visitors that day and many of them wanted to get a closer look at our radiant couple. So, the photographer with his face pressed against the camera and his right eye glued on the eyepiece began the now infamous “Dance of the Photographer” to get just the right shot properly framed. This particular dance might be defined as a cross between a slow-moving waltz and a fast-paced tango. Forward one step, backward two steps, then slide once to the right, then slide twice to the left ...and after that... start the process again. After several runs through this dance routine without managing to properly frame the photo, that the photographer decided to extemporaneously modify the designated dance steps. Instead of one step backward..., the dance was suddenly changed to three steps backward ...and it was at that precise moment in time when the spirits of the great Arthur Murray and Jimmy Rawlins were heard to be shouting from their graves, “Careful... Cuidado... Watch out!”. Taking that third step backward found the heel of the photographer’s shoe against the bottom of one of Christopher’s sails and so the slow-motion backward descent of the photographer began.
Most photographers will instinctively protect their cameras and photographic equipment in case of a fall. Though that did enter into this photographer’s calculation, a more important factor took precedence. If you are aware of the pain associated with a torn rotator cuff, you will understand why the photographer knew that he needed to avoid falling in such a way as to further injure his right shoulder. Amazingly, the photographer managed to perform one of those twist you see in the high dive competitions at the Olympics. Success! He landed it! Body had fully twisted mid air to the left side... but unfortunately that was the photographer's good side due to the excruciating pain in the other shoulder.
The reader should know that this photographer is a fairly large man and so when he fell backward and even though he was able to perform the amazing acrobatic twisting feat before he landed, the sudden impact was still strongly felt by both man ...and earth. The ground shook and shook again. One might have easily feared that the resulting shaking of the earth would cause the giant stainless steel sculpture to fall and crush the fallen photographer as well as a multitude of park visitors that afternoon.
From his vantage point on the ground, the photographer could see the shocked look on the young bride's face... even though she had covered most of it with her hands. Then and there the guy flat on his back decided that he was not going to let something like this ruin an otherwise perfect wedding day. Though the pain in the left arm from wrist to shoulder was quite intense, the photographer heard a motherly voice calmly stating, “No blood... you will be fine.” So after a quick check to make sure that no ragged bone fragments were protruding from his skin, the man with the cameras decided to minimize the whole event. At first he attempted to quickly get back on his feet but found that he could not brace himself with either the left or the right arm. Almost instantaneously, a half dozen macho men from the bridal party lurched forward promising to assist the photographer to his feet. Now which arm to offer? The left was in excruciating pain so did not want to further injure that one ...and if he offered his right arm to them they might inadvertently pull the painful right shoulder out of its socket. Neither choice was acceptable so the downed photographer insisted that he could manage on his own. With a prayer on his lips and while biting his tongue, his adrenalin kicked in and the photographer's new-found strength helped him to get back on his feet.
So, the camera man brushed himself off, noting that everything was fine and then he struggled to take a few more shots at that site. He knew though that he would need to quickly move to a new site so that he would have more time to shake off the pain and better compose himself. The party moved a couple dozen yards and the photographer managed to squeeze off a few more shots. A few more locations and scores of snapshots later and then it was announced that it was time for everyone to get back in the cars and head to the reception. The photographer was truly grateful for the time it took to return to the cars and drive to the reception hall which is located on the other end of the city.
As the wedding celebration progressed into the evening, each shot of the camera became a little more painful. Most of the camera work was done using the right arm and even though it was somewhat painful... it was nothing compared to the pain in the other arm. Consequently, the left arm was left to just hang to its side unless the zoom lens needed to be adjusted. When the camera man could no longer adjust the zoom with his left hand, he knew that something was seriously wrong. After the cake-cutting, the bouquet tossing and all of the other wedding reception rituals were completed and photographed the camera man quietly packed up his equipment and exited the reception hall without even saying goodbyes to the wedding party. The dancing would continue for several more hours but the photographer knew that he would not be able to enjoy it or take too many more photos.
In the parking lot, the wedding photographer found himself struggling to lift his camera bag into the car trunk. He knew the time had come when he would need to have a doctor look at the arm. Once the gear was safely stowed, he managed to drive to the hospital emergency room. Upon entering the ER he was pleased to find only a half-dozen people in the waiting room. He had feared that it might have been a 3 – 4 hour wait. In short order, the wedding photographer went from triage to x-ray and then to a bed behind a pulled curtain, waiting for a doctor to make the official pronouncement. As anticipated, the doctor advised that indeed a bone in the elbow was broken and most likely some tendons on the left arm were also torn. The arm would need to be splinted and placed in a sling. Thankfully, pain medication was administered and later prescribed. A favorite long sleeved dress shirt, as well as an undershirt, had to be cut with scissors to apply the splint. After that, the tired and sore photographer managed to drive himself home with left arm hanging out the window. Since the shirts had already been cut away it was not a huge problem undressing since gravity took care of the slacks and socks were removed by placing heel of one over toe of other and then pulling put out of sock. Within minutes, not only was he undressed but he was also sound asleep in his own bed. As he drifted off to sleep, he murmured, “Tomorrow is definitely going to be a better day.
