By Ron Strobel, 

In TV news, some call it “the walk of shame.” Just a few seconds of video capturing the moment when an alleged criminal walks into or out of court. You’ve seen it countless times, and so have I. Only this time the accused was Bill Cosby, and the man behind the camera was me.

When my team at VideoNet was hired this week by a studio of NBC Universal to capture Cosby’s preliminary hearing, we had no idea what the outcome would be. Would he go to trial on assault charges? The answer was yes. It turned out to be a moment of utter defeat for Cosby. And it was one that many photographers missed.

Hundreds of camera crews from local, national and international media were chaotically swarming the courthouse in suburban Philadelphia to get the same shot we wanted. We zoomed in on the prosecutor and Gloria Allred when they came out to give us interviews, thinking Cosby wasn’t far behind. What we didn’t know was that they were a planned distraction. Cosby was coming out another door on the other side of the building to leave. Something in my gut told me to check that other door, just in case. Just as Cosby emerged, I pulled out my camera. I had my shot.

From a career standpoint, the client was elated with the footage. On a personal level, I felt conflicted. Here I was, witnessing with extreme intimacy, the demise of a legacy. But I was also seeing something the alleged victims yearned for: the prospect of justice. By now you’ve seen the video clip too, and may feel the same way.

Video has that power, whether we’re standing behind the camera, or watching it later on countless digital platforms. It can move us in ways we never expected, and it often comes down to getting that essential shot. Video can change moods and minds.

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Ron Strobel is President and Founder of VideoNet, Inc., a production company headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania that specializes in video for corporate communications, product launches, national sales meetings, commercials, location and adventure shooting. http://www.videonetinc.com/