A summer evening. I’m on my bicycle, heading downtown, when I notice a gnarled tree across the street. The slanting sunlight rakes across its trunk, a striking image.
I slow down, turn around, and park my bike. I take out my compact digital camera and shoot a few images of the tree. It’s a tricky exposure so I switch between center-weighed and spot-metering modes. I walk across the street to get some closer shots while also double checking the exposure reading. Mission accomplished, I get on my bike and continue on my way.
When I arrive downtown, I get off my bike. A big pickup truck turns and illegally parks on the corner. I’m about to take my bike across the crosswalk when the truck driver, a blond crewcut Aryan, gets out and confronts me.
He looks at me and says, “Why were you taking pictures of my house?”
I do a double take. Then I realize what he means. Looking at him straight in the eye, I simply explain I was photographing the tree near the curb.
Mr. Crewcut continues: “My neighbor told me that you were taking pictures of my house.”
For a second time I state that I was photographing the gnarled tree, not his house. Satisfied, he gets in his truck and drives back to his sacrosanct dwelling.
But questions remain on my part. Why is Mr. Crewcut’s neighbor keeping an eye on his house? Is the concerned neighbor assuring the safety of Mrs. Crewcut, acting as a stalwart sentinel with binoculars in hand?
Why is Mr. Crewcut so concerned about my little widget camera imaging his house? Why did he have to jump into his pickup and follow me downtown to confront me? Does he have something to hide? I have nothing to conceal as a photographer. That’s why I took my time, out in plain view, taking a few shots of the tree that happened to be near his house. If I was being furtive, then there’s a reason to inquire about my activity.
If Mr. Crewcut is so upset about his house being imaged, why doesn’t he go after the operators of various high altitude spy satellites that have recorded his house without his permission? If he wants to get angry, why doesn’t he check out the sky shot of his private abode on Google Earth?
And if he’s sensitive about surveillance, why doesn’t he inquire about the mysterious camera system on the pole at the corner of Broad and Prospect streets?
4 comments:
If you were on the street, public property, I would have told him to go take a flying **** at the moon.
If you had your cell phone and he became threatening you could call 911. I would not have given him the time of day.
Tom:
I've had problems with the city police, even though I was on public property, not intefering with their work or disturbing the peace. With such incidents I try to avoid getting into an argument. I just state my case, biting back more choice words. Then I go home and describe the idiocy I've encountered on my blog or Website.
Mr. Crewcut wouldn't have been a subject of this blog he didn't act in such a confrontational way. Also, I probably wouldn't have posted that tree picture with his house in the background. There are other images I would rather share, but he made the image the subject of a story. Now his "inviolable" house is out here for all the world to see.
Don't get mad; just get even.
Have you been in similar situations? Do you find telling someone to take a flying **** works? I do agree that sometimes offense is the best defense. Maybe some day I'll have to handle a situation that way, especially if someone tries to violate my rights.
Luke
Actually a "leave me alone" works.
I say it very icily and actually it works.
Tom:
And there's also the Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry stare...
Luke
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