No, I'm not making this up ... There are times when I'd take a more aggressive approach, but I really didn't want to argue, have my camera confiscated, or any of that bullshit. It was a lovely, warm, sunny day - the first in more than a week that I could get out and walk around - and I had no intention of turning it into a pissing match with a cop who was only doing the job his community wanted him to do. He was polite - almost to the point of being apologetic - and a gentleman, and we shook hands when the encounter was over.
Plus, I intend to photograph in that neighborhood again. Since I was stopped and my name and info was taken, I'd much rather have the cops on my side, perhaps remembering that I'm one of the good guys. No, I didn't like it - I felt that being stopped was an intrusion and an invasion of my privacy, and I was tempted not to offer to let him see the pix - but he was going to ask anyway. Why not make the unpleasant and annoying situation as good as it could be. When it was over I continued on my walk - it was just as enjoyable as it had been before the encounter, and I got a sense, to some degree, what the cops have to deal with. Shel > [Original Message] > From: Tom C > I might have got arrested... I probably would not have offered to show him > the pictures, and I would have probably refused if asked. > > You probably did the right thing... but it's sort of sick to think that's > it's come to this. > > You're not making it up are you? > > Tom C. > > > > > >From: "Shel Belinkoff" > >Earlier today I was walking from a friend's house to my bank, about a mile > >away. It's a straight walk down one main street. It was a perfect day to > >practice exposures with the isrDS. I photographed mostly junk - just > >subjects that had interesting or tricky lighting - a car half in half out > >of shadow, signs, flowers, and so on. My back has been bothering me, and > >this was the first long walk I've taken in a while. Every couple of blocks > >I'd sit on a fire hydrant to relax the muscles. > > > >About 3/4 the way into the walk a police cruiser pulled up along side me, > >and out steps a sergeant. He politely asked what I was doing and I said - > >not mentioning anything about photographing - that I was out for a stroll. > >He asked about the camera and I told him it was my new digi, and I was just > >making a few random shots to get used to it. I asked if he wanted to see > >the pics, and I also asked why he was interested in my camera. He said > >that someone had called in a complaint about me - seems I was walking past > >a school (a high school) and decided that was a good place to sit and rest. > >He was concerned that I might have been taking pictures of children. As it > >happened, I only had two pix of kids on the card - one of a few guys > >sitting in the shadow of a wall and another of a few girls running towards > >me. These were all high school aged kids .... > > > >He didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with those, thanked me for > >being cooperative and friendly (after running my info through their > >system), and suggested I be careful when using a camera near children. We > >talked a little - he really didn't want to hang around too long - and he > >told me that the world has changed radically since I started photographing > >back in 1967. > > > >I guess it has ... <sigh>
