The Lock Up

When your told you'll be in a lockup for a few hours, you naturally think dark room, dripping water and a concrete bed..??

But actually it was the opposite, I was lucky to be sent down to Hobart for the Tasmanian Budget, where journalists and photographers are 'locked up' from 9:30 - 3pm - phone and internet devices confiscated, no leaving the top floor while you read and start to write stories about the budget papers..

Lucky for me I shot the budget rally outside Parliament before entering the dungeon, nice food actually and a serious mood, as 60 odd journalists from many media organisations absorb the numbers and well scripted words. 

The Treasurer and State Premier's press conference begins.. my responsibility, the emotion, hands, nervousness and sweat, up close and moody - oh and the two of them side by side spreading cheer and hope, 

Questions are yelled as they stroll out - press conference done the rush to return to the tables, before I knew it it was time to leave and dash for Parliament - the Treasurer to now deliver his speech to both sides of power - my mission to get reactions and body language from the room. 

Now to file madly on an old laptop that's battery life is close to death... 

I sat in Parliament for half and hour, kicked out, sat in a coffee shop, closed at 5:40, dashed back to the car park found a power point, security moved me on, went to McDonalds, no power point (WHAT!?), drove 20min to the next one and bam! One power point near the toilets - quickly filed 70 images, now the drive back to Launceston.

What a big day! To be an observer all day waiting for that right gesture and those reactions..