Election direction

First call of this morning:
"Are you available for some photography of the election today?" asked Cheryl Shoji, Photo Editor of the Vancouver Sun.
"Yes, I've got some time this evening," I said - knowing the usual excitement on these events is after 8 pm when the polls close and the candidates watch the results come in across their riding and the rest of Canada. I've photographed plenty of these elections in the past.
Each one has the potential for some interesting emotional reactions in the news photos - tremendous enthusiasm from the winners, awful despair from the losers. As a news photographer, you've got to be ready for anything, anywhere, any time.
Surprise! The Vancouver Sun needs the shot taken in 25 minutes across Okanagan Lake in Westbank - Defence Minister and former Prime Minister Stockwell Day is about to cast his ballot at his local polling station.
I'm off to the races, take the coffee to go, stuff a half-sandwich in my pocket and out the door I rush.
Fortunately, I arrive well ahead of the deputy prime minister, even ahead of his security detail. I check out the location - I foresee a challenge. Cloudy skies outside (that's good) Incandescent lighting in the foyer (very red-yellow) and flourescent in the voting room (very green).
Sure, if I shoot in RAW I can change the colour balance in post processing easily - but I may have to change my flash colour gels quickly to match the background.
Challenge number 2 arrives as I am determine my colour balance. An elections official tells me there will be no photography allowed in the voting area - not even of the minister who appreciates these media photo opps. My camera can't come inside.
I'll just have to make sure I get something better outside - to make up for a sub-standard angle on the usual shot of the Politician placing ballot in box.
A couple glad-handing shots in the parking lot when the Minister arrives are followed by a low angle shot of Stockwell and his wife checking their voting cards with an official at the door. Yes, the Days are at the correct voting station, they may procede.
Okay, so it's not the excitement of hands raised in victory .... but it's a new angle on election coverage. In this run-and-shoot quickly world of election photography, you take what you can get.
What do you think? Front page tomorrow?
Well I'm not expecting the cover, but I'll check the Vancouver Sun in the morning. I'm just glad to do my duty on election day. And I'm glad this is Canada, where our election campaigns last six weeks and results are known within the day. Not like the recent marathon elections in the US.
Look for more of my news at www.kelownaphotographer.com/editorial.html