GETTING A HEAD

  PhotoShop is a relatively new program for manipulating photographs. It’s difficult to view any media without encountering an example of its use. Movie stars not showing their age, amazing weight loss photos, you name it. Makes you wonder how we ever got along without it. Mike Gideon, retired Deputy from the CCSO, could tell you all about that.

 If you were one of the Lost TV folks, stranded on a desert island, Mike’d be one of the people you’d hope crashed with you. He’s one of those inventive people who reflect the old American “can do” spirit. Don’t have it? No problem. Give me five minutes and I’ll come up with something. Mike could build a unicycle out of coconut husks.

 Back in the 60’s he had a chance to demonstrate his ingenuity. A moonshine still had been raided out in the swamp. Moonshine still? Yep, white lightening isn’t under the exclusive purview of Appalachian Hillbillies. Cracker’s can brew up a potent batch, too. And they used to quite often.

 The Collier County Sheriff’s Office had raided a large one out in the Big Cypress. It’d been photographed, dismantled, parts seized for evidence, and jugs full of shine hauled off or busted. Problem was, in their exuberance, they’d forgotten to wait for the Sheriff and Chief Deputy to get their photograph taken with the haul.

 And it was a beauty. Just the stuff Sheriff’s like to send out to the news media to show their constituents what a grand job they’re doing protecting them.

 But, fortunately for the Sheriff, he had the versatile Mike Gideon as a photographer. And Mike invented his own PhotoShop that day.

 First, he found one of the moonshine still photos that showed Deputies posing with the evil percolator before it was razed. Then, he collected photos of the Sheriff and Chief Deputy of an appropriate size and angle, cut off their heads, and pasted them over the heads of the real Deputies at the scene.

  When he re-photographed his paste-up, you couldn’t tell what skullduggery had taken place. The photo was widely published, and no one ever expected it was a fake.