Safety Thing -- Ostrich

[andrea milano]

I second Kevin's entry, I grew increasingly sad by reading the two threads concerning safety, by the way I shot in less than "safe" place with a rolleiflex Edition GX 2,8! Guess what, nobody thinks that it is a camera worth stealing......., I don't photograph much in dangerous places ,in general I don't find them too inspiring, so cannot comment on those who shoot(Photographs!!!!!) there, but if you choose your equipment carefully,meaning don't get things which are too flashy, you don't need to get shot for the shot(Photo).

[paul owen]

HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!! As I opened this can of worms, I would like the opportunity to add a few comments on the threads I have read. It is obvious that everyone has their own views on violence, I for one cannot tolerate it, but I also understand the "right to protect my property" (but I don't want to "blow them away"!!). My original post was an attempt at gauging the feelings of regulars to these postings,as a few weeks ago in Amateur Photographer here in the UK, the question of safety was raised by a reader. The one incident i referred to involved a photographer who lost, if my memory serves me, 2 Mamiya 645 bodies with AE finders, a handful of zoom lenses together with a Nikon outfit. The whole kit amounted to over #10.000. Maybe this is too much to take out? But if you add up the cost of a LF camera, a few lenses and the basic paraphenalia, then it soon adds up. As for the "serves you right for taking expensive gear out" school of thought, maybe we should all resort to cheap 35mm cameras!! Or all drive the same cars, live in the same houses, wear the same clothes!! On the subject of insurance....I've got it, and it costs me!! But the thought of simply handing over equipment which I have gathered over years and grown quite fond of fills me with dread! And has anyone stopped to consider this scenario, you hand your gear over (after the fool insists you pack it aaway for him) without complaint...does the guy/guys just walk away, or do they start to wonder what else they can take from such a push-over?? Where will they stop?? If they do realise its not saleable gear, I BET THEY DO IT AFTER THEY'VE TAKEN IT FROM YOU!!!! I'm lucky in that I dont do urban jungle photography - I tend to stick to out of the way places,I see very few people when I'm out,but I do wonder what I'd do if, after surfacing from the cloth, someone was stood there waiting...fists clenching and twitching. I guess we just need to use common sense at the end of the day, as most of you suggest, but I hope I find it easy to give up my gear if the worse should happen. Regards to you all, love and peace, and all that!!! Paul

[Dean Lastoria]

OK, I doubt someone will thump me for the camera, but some bozo might grab the spot-meter, or start hucking rocks for a lark. I'm 6'4" so I'm more worried about nuisances. Has anyone tried a dome mirror or anything like that? The most common thing that happens to me is I come out from the cloth to find 5 tourists squeezed together behind me looking. Short stretch to 3 good-old-boys from Prince George. I'm also afraid of the dark so I get freaked out tray processing. Dean