by Shelia West

Created on: July 15, 2008   Last Updated: July 17, 2008

You might as well admit it-you heard the sirens and went out of your way to see what was happening. It's not your fault. Humans are just naturally curious. Or is it nosy? Either way, we can't help it, we just have this natural urge to see what's going on. We actually get excited when we hear sirens or see flashing lights. Unless of course, the flashing lights happen to be on top of a police cruiser right behind you. Then it's usually not quite so exciting. Breathtaking, maybe, but not a good feeling.

But if something unusual is happening, we want to be there. Anytime we hear sirens, we just naturally wonder what is going on. We slow down as we drive by accidents and crane our necks to try to see. And with today's technology, specifically, camera phones, we can often capture scenes that would never be seen otherwise. Anytime we come upon accidents or something unusual happening, our first instinct is to photograph it. And many times, local newspapers will pay for those first photos. After all, usually by the time the news arrives, the police have already blocked things off or cleared up the scene. So having a photo taken by someone on the scene even before the police or fire department or whatever emergency crew was called can be a very exciting visual aid to the newspapers' story. After all, you've heard the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words". And many newspapers will pay handsomely for these photos.

So if you've decided you want to be an ambulance chaser and do this type of thing, then go for it. But first you might want to invest in a good quality camera. Keep plenty of film in your vehicle. Buy a cb radio or a scanner. Just make sure it is not illegal to have a scanner in your vehicle. Another excellent new bit of technology to have is a GPS or a global positioning system in your vehicle. That way you can punch in an address and the faster route to it will pop up.

You might want to meet with some reporters from various newspapers and talk to them about buying any photos you might take. Keep their cell phone numbers handy so you can call them to come to a scene if it is a particularly exciting story.

This could be an exciting and financially rewarding new hobby. But be very careful about the photos you take. Make sure you don't invade anyone's privacy or cause undue hurt and anguish to a family. Do not get in the way of emergency workers. Stay back and let them do their job. Because although it may be just news to you and a newspaper, to someone else, it is their life.

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