Ok, so I was out the other early evening walking around town with my new Leica (it's digital, but that doesn't matter) and I was taking a few images to test etc, and I had taken a wide snap shot of a basically empty street sidewalk that was backlit. About 5min later, a guy rolls up on me, jumps out of his car and gets in my face and says "Let me see your camera....were you taking pictures of me"? Utterly surprised, I said I don't think so, I'm just snapping a few shots testing my new camera". I was standing on a sidewalk talking with a family and their kids were petting my dog. He kept demanding to see my images, of which there were a total of three. I said fine, and there was an image with two heavily backlit people that were tiny and way off and unrecognizable in the photo.
It was apparently he and his girlfriend and he went nuts saying I was invading his privacy and then he began accusing me of taking photos of kids (which I wasn't...the family were simply saying hi to my dog), then he proceeds to call the police...taking photos of me and my plate. I said "fine, lets go to the police station together, I'm not breaking any laws here". He drove off, and then when I was driving home, he had been following me. Police show up and I was interrogated! I have no criminal record whatsoever, and am a parent. I felt completely violated. I showed the police the image that upset him and they terminated the "investigation" immediately while rolling their eyes.
America has gone nuts. Goddam Police State.
#1. I should have told him to go pound sand and not show him anything.
#2. If I'd had my film Leica, I could have just said to go F$%k himself.
It was apparently he and his girlfriend and he went nuts saying I was invading his privacy and then he began accusing me of taking photos of kids (which I wasn't...the family were simply saying hi to my dog), then he proceeds to call the police...taking photos of me and my plate. I said "fine, lets go to the police station together, I'm not breaking any laws here". He drove off, and then when I was driving home, he had been following me. Police show up and I was interrogated! I have no criminal record whatsoever, and am a parent. I felt completely violated. I showed the police the image that upset him and they terminated the "investigation" immediately while rolling their eyes.
America has gone nuts. Goddam Police State.
#1. I should have told him to go pound sand and not show him anything.
#2. If I'd had my film Leica, I could have just said to go F$%k himself.