What is it about big, heavy, pro cameras that make people automatically assume you’re up to something nefarious? BBC News is running a story today about police stopping and searching hobbyist photographers HERE. I’ve been the victim of this myself. I regularly get stopped in the US and some foreign countries and asked why I’m taking pictures of something. In some cases, while others are standing around with cell phone cameras happily snapping away without so much as a glance.

It’s time for a little common sense lesson. First, if I’m taking pictures of something that I want to blow up, why would I do it with a huge SLR and glowing white Canon 70-200? You stand out like a sore thumb and trust me, toting around two of ‘em and a camera bag full of lenses in the hot sun all day will make you forget whatever cause you were fighting for in a real hurry. Second, why would I bother spending ten grand on all this kit, just to lose it in the ensuing explosion? Third, camera phones and point and shoots have, for the most part, much longer digital zooms than what most pro shooters generally carry around and, they’re smaller, more compact and much more easy to use secretly. Lastly, what the hell do the authorities think a terrorist is going to do with pictures of Buckingham Palace anyway? No one ever gets stopped writing down notes on the street and honestly, if I was going to create some sort of attack plan, I’d rather sit in front of the place and make notes and sketches than snap a pic. Ever look at Google Earth? Way more info there than you’ll ever get from taking pics out front. Besides, head down to your local bookstore and you can probably find the blueprints to Buckingham Palace in the remainder bin for $1.99.

The sad truth is, it’s easy to target people that are doing something differently than everyone else and harass them. The authorities can sleep at night knowing they’re doing at least “something” even if that something is a ridiculous waste of time and resources. Maybe it sends some kind of message to the real bad guys but, I think the message may be “keep doing what you’re doing, we’re busy harassing some grandmother taking pics of here grand kids in front of the Old Bailey”.

Interestingly, on a recent trip to China (a communist country, tightly controlled by the government) no one gave this 200 lb, 6′ tall white guy with $20 grand worth of pro camera gear hanging off of him so much as a second glance. Not the police (snapped ‘em) not the military (they actually posed), not even the demonstrators at a Falun Gong rally (they actually had their friends snap pics of me posing with them).

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