[OT] Cameras make you a dangerous person

Mark Edwards wrote:
Cameras make you a dangerous person. But I think I already knew
this...

So there I am, in blue jeans that are maybe better described as
dungarees, black t-shirt with the cryptic Mensa logo on, a black
baseball-style cap from the international brotherhood of perl hackers
(Perl Mongers), with a picture of a camel on it, a pair of moccasins
with no socks, and a bushy black (okay, salt and pepper) beard.

I pull up into the parking lot of the defunct "oriental" restaurant,
camera bag over my shoulder, and start to extend the legs on my
tripod.

There is a small Latino bar called "La Perla" here, and it has a
really cool but simple neon sign. I have driven past it every day for
more than a dozen years. I have told myself that *one day* I will stop
and take a picture of that sign, after dusk.

So tonight I have to make a run to the store to pick up some bird seed
and another feeder - either someone has played pinata with the old
feeder, or it just sort of wore out over the years. But I disgress -
making the run is the perfect excuse to get that picture.

It's a full moon out, the General Motors plant is receiving a delivery
by rail that blocks all but the only northbound road to my
destination, and other drivers seem to be actively trying to kill me.
I keep going anyway...

There is a security guard - might be a city cop; I couldn't really
tell; and he approaches me as I start adjusting the tripod.

Cop: "Excuse me sir! Is there a reason you are setting up a camera?"

[Well, duh! Yeah, I want to take a picture.]

Me: "Yes, I wanted to take a picture of the sign overthe door. It's
really cool, and I've been meaning to get a picture of it for a long
time."

Cop: "Well, we can't have people just coming up and taking pictures of
stuff. It could mean that this building is being targeted for
terrorism."

Me: "Ooookay. I just like the sign."

Cop: "Do you have permission?"

[Okay, this is at least slightly reasonable... ]

Me: "Do you think that would be a problem?"

Cop: "They might not want to be targeted, or something."

[Aaaarrgggh!]

Me: "Well, if you think there'll be a problem, I can just put my gear
up."

Cop: "Great. That'll be good."

I stuff my tripod in the trunk, close up my camera bag, and decide -
hey, why don't I just go ask permission? They can only say no. Why
would a Latino bar in a rough part of town object to a white boy
coming in?

So I walk towards the door. The cop looks very surprised.

Me: "I decided I could always ask permission" (big grin on my face)

Cop: "Well if you speak Spanish," he says in such a way that he thinks
it unlikely, "you can always ask."

Cop: "Can he take a photograph of your sign?"

Barkeep: shakes her head no

Me: to barkeep "Gracias."

Me: to cop "Thank you sir."

Oh well, they leave the sign on overnight. I leave for work while it's
still dark o'clock in the morning, so I can just take my camera with
me Monday, without making anyone nervous about terrorists.

Unless the city guard, or Vimes hisself happens to be walking past...

At least I wasn't walking around with a GASP! almanack!

Good job they didn't catch me taking pictures (in broad daylight!) of
the abandoned railroad trestle or the billboard off the freeway, the
"Fonz's Barbershop" sign
(http://home.comcast.net/~Mark-Edward...ology/Fonz.jpg), or
the delapidated sign of the hazardous waste processing plant (closed
these five years) where I used to work.


Hugs and Purrs,
Mark

I once got scolded badly for trying to take some pictures inside a
McDonald's in Spain. I am a Spanish teacher and I thought that my
students might find it cool to see the McD's menu in Spanish as well as
the signs that said stuff like "McPollo", etc. Oh well, I got a menu
pic snapped before I got scolded, so at least I got something out of the
deal.

http://public.fotki.com/kitkatluna/v...s/signs09.html

Pam