Camera obscurer
I took Rocky for his usual walk in Pearson Park at approximately 9am. And I noticed a man about my age with a camera in his hands and the strap around his neck. He appeared to be looking for a shot. I thought he was a day or two too late to capture interesting images of the devastation to the branches and trees caused by the knock on effect of the Typhoon more severely felt at the other side of the world. The Park Rangers had quickly cleared the debris.
As I neared the pond area, I saw the new but old looking Park Ranger coming towards me. I said to Rocky, "look who it is", and he started wagging his tail and stretching forward on the lead to greet him. He appeared to be in a mildly agitated state. "Have you seen a strange looking man with a camera?", he asked. "I've seen a man with a camera, down the bottom there", I pointed to the other end of the park, "but I wouldn't say he was strange looking". The Park Ranger said, "We've had a couple of reports about a strange looking man with a camera taking photographs".
Now that is strange, having a camera and taking photographs with it! 'Even stranger would be taking photographs with out one', I thought. Still, I looked about us and could not see any children. "I cannot see what all the fuss is about, it is legal to take photographs, you know", I said. The Park Ranger appeared to be considering whether it was all worthwhile his walking to the other end of the park for nothing, and decided against it and walked back to the hut behind the Victorian Conservatory.
Rocky and I continued our morning walk, around the pond and past Penna's ice cream hut, and Queen Victoria's statue, it was the last leg of our journey. Then the thought struck me, 'This is probably how the man with the "dangerous dog" story started and got out of control'.
As we neared the other end of the park, I looked across the park and there he was, the phantom photographer, snapping away at a woman sat on a park bench with her two dogs beside her. It must have been a digital camera, because every so often he paused and she got up and they both examined the images on the screen. I have to say, it did not look strange to me at all. It looked perfectly normal and innocent behaviour.
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A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
2 comments:
This taking of photographs in public places mania needs to be sorted out once and for all.
On PM tonight a "Bus spotter" gave testimony as to how he has been challenged as a terrorist and pedophile in recent times. The guy was quite simply taking snaps of buses and of course the odd child or muslim would wander into his shots.
The man was obviously one of they "Dogophiles". (blokes who take photos of dogs for illicit purposes.) (or porpoises)
These scum of the earth post the images they take on their "dogging" websites.
Bastards!
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