Our information told us that the King would be in the KingMobile. I knew what that looked liked as I saw pictures of it on TV earlier that day, standing empty at the airport waiting for the arrival of the King.

The KingMobile was very similar to the PopeMobile, a converted Landrover with a bullet proof class cage in the back. Inside the glass box was the king’s throne.

People were anxious and everybody was pushing to get a better look of the road the king would drive on. I stood on the pavement in amongst the crowd right in front and as I waited patiently i maneged to get some pre-shots.

We knew the King was approaching as from the distance we could hear the screaming of people as the King drove passed them. My camera was rolling and pointing to a curve ahead, about 100 meters away from where I was standing. I saw the first car come around the corner and then the second one, and one-by one the convoy cars came into view. Then I spotted the KingMobile and I could see the King waiving. People around me exploded in an uproar as the KingMobile came closer, my view constantly obstructed by waiving flags. But I kept following the KingMobile as it came in and out my view. The pictures were fantastic as the foreground added a whole new dimension to the feeling.

As it came close and I was panning to keep up, I then noticed, to my horror and disbelieve that the throne was sitting there but no one was sitting on it. Nobody there, nadda, no King, just an empty chair all alone. I was confused; I swear I saw him earlier. I panned my camera around the convoy to spot him, but nothing. Why were all the people screaming if he is not here? The convoy disappeared in the distance.

My correspondent glanced at me and clearly saw that I was confused.

“Did you get him?”
“The KingMobile was empty”
“He was in the Mercedes in front of it”
“What Mercedes in front of it?”
“The one that had a king sticking out from the sunroof”
“Ah! That Mercedes”
“You did not get him?”
“What Mercedes?”

Back in the edit room I looked at the tape very very closely. I did have him in shot right at the beginning when he came around the corner. The compression of my telephoto lens made him look like he was in the Landrover even though he was standing trough the sunroof of the Mercedes ahead of it. Another cameraman, a friend, while trying desperately not to burst his spleen handed me his tape and pointed out that if I wanted more shots of empty cars, unfortunately he could not help.

by Anonymous