Stolen Camera: A cautionary tale for Lightpainters. last night Im doing a workshop demonstration type session for the local Universitys Photographic Society. Line of 10 or so students me in front of them waving the lights and explaining. One of the students has no tripod, so I offer the use of mine, meaning that my camera stays in its bag, next to the tripods and the bag with the LED sticks in it. An unknown drunken bloke is watching, wondering what is going on. He has a bottle of Vodka in a bag under his coat. Like a fool, I asked him if he wanted to wave some lights. He said yes. A couple of shots later, he knocks my coat from its perch and I manage to get there before he has a chance to pick it up, but I am now suspicious of his intent. Did he mean to go through my pockets? He sticks around, examining the LED sticks he is to be waving around. So when another couple of shots later, he suddenly walks off quickly, I check my jacket again, and upon finding my wallet is not in its zipped pocket, pursue the fella. Upon catching up with him, I ask if he has my wallet. He says No mate I havent got your wallet. He is telling the truth, as when I accompany him back to my jacket, and on his suggestion I look in the other pockets, I find my wallet. I assumed he had found it, had a burst of conscience and thought better of stealing it, putting it back into the wrong pocket. A couple of seconds later, I realised my camera bag was not where it had been next to the LED sticks etc, behind the row of tripods. Nor was our drunken thief, who had by now run off with my camera bag under his jacket, it having replaced the bag containing a half empty bottle of vodka that hed been carrying when he arrived. The police were intrigued but sympathetic, and hopefully my household insurance will cover most of the loss of camera, bag, lens etc. But Folks, when youre out there waving brightly coloured lights at a camera in the dark, even if you have people with you, and are in a (reasonably) well lit public space, be wary of your kit. And if you can afford to do so, get some proper camera insurance. I have spent years wandering about solo, in the darkness, in abandoned spaces, secluded areas away from streetlighting etc, and despite (or more probably because of...) a few encounters with random dodgy characters, I have never had this happen before. Its not fun. The cheeky waste of experimental tissue was telling the truth though. He hadnt stolen my wallet. I suppose I ought to be happy for small mercies.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:18:12 +0000