On friday evening I saw the opportunity to work in the golden hour, so after I finished my dinner, I took the camera bag and went out. Not far from my house is an abandoned railway track that I often use for my toy-photos. So with the camera bag in one hand and my toys in the other I went up to the tracks.
The light was perfect and I tried my first idea for a photo, it did’t work so I had to move and try once again, well aware of that fact that the light and time was working against me. Finally I got the toys in a position I wanted, and I laid down on the ground to adjust the camera. It was about then that I spotted the police car that seemed to slow down, and then I realized that it was going to stop on the road not far from me.
The first thought that came into my head was: I can outrun them.
And for a second or two I saw myself running dow the railway tracks with the police in my foot-steps. I realized that I would never make it and all I would look like was a fool. So I stayed and gave the shot a try.
The first police officer got out of the car and went up to me. ”Is everything ok?” I looked up and replied: “Yes, everything is ok.” He went on: “What are you doing lying on the tracks?” I hesitated and replied: “Just give me a minute and I’ll tell you. The sun will be gone in a minute or two, so let my try to make the shot, and then I’ll tell you. Is that ok?”
He looked a bit puzzled by my answer but waited. I gave the shot a try and once the sun had left I lifted my head and looked up at him and told him. I am shooting some toy-photographs and this is a perfect spot, especially for backlit shots and I showed him my toys standing on the track. He just replied: “Why?”
And I said: “Why not?” and then I told him the story about why I take photos of toys, and that I share them online. His colleague also got out of the car and walked up to us and when he saw the toys, his face cracked up in a smile.
Suddenly, as I was standing on an abandoned railway-track with two police officers, I realized no one will believe me. So I asked if I could take their picture to show my friends. And tell you the story about how my first embarrassing thought was: I can outrun the police!
What’s your reaction when someone stops and asks what you are doing? Is you reaction to be proud and say it out loud: “I take pictures of Lego” like Shelly, or are you reaction like mine, can I make a run for it…
If you are like me, take my advise and do as I did when the police car stopped. Take a deep breath and remember that it’s only through meetings, we can get others to understand, why we do what we do.
My shot… became this one, with the police standing by my side :)
I’m sure you have some high-end equipment. You should just say you’re a photographer (or photography student) taking photos for a competition. Every time I’ve done this, people have wished me luck and gone on their way. And all I have is my iPhone.
Next time, I will :) thanks for the tip!
Glad to help! My fiction writing skills far exceed my photography skills.
I love the picture of the police officers !
I am sure they would have even stopped the train for you :)
Haha… I can dream about it. But there is no trains on those tracks as I explained to the police :)
I have a natural aversion to the police so I would have thought about making a run for it myself. I’m glad you stayed and got your shot …because it is another lovely image! I do love the light through those wings. :D
Nice post Kristina!
Shelly
Thank you Shelly, in my mind I was already caught :)
Awesome shot and what a great story! Thanks for sharing, I probably would have looked to run too, LOL!
Glad to here that, I told my husband when I came home and he couldn’t stop laughing :)
So good! And obviously so worth the light and the trooper shot! That whole thing instantly reminds me of the Tom Petty song “Stories we could tell”, another great answer to the question ‘Why?’. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks I will remember that for the next time the police stops by :)
I LOVE this story and the fact that you made the cops WAIT while you took advantage of the golden hour!!! Talk about being a true artist! Hilarious that you photographed them too!
:) I had to finish the work I had started :)
Haha great story, a couple of weeks ago i was lying on the railway tracks taking a photo and a nice guy came running , he thought i had an accident! ^_^ wish i had taken his photo!
Thanks, for sharing, there is something about the tracks that makes people worry. I have had cars stop before and asking if I all right but never the police …
I would probably also have the same first thought as you had. I tend to feel very uncomfortable when taking photos of toys in public. I generally try to shoot in places where there is not a lot of people for this reason. However I work on trying to get rid of this lack of confidence in public. There were a few occasions where I wanted to take pictures of minifigs in front of famous landmarks and I miserably failed because the place where too crowded and I wasn’t focused enough to get a good composition.
I agree, it’s hard to lie down on the ground in public to take a picture. But everything we practice have a tendentious to become easier :) So we can always practice, you and me …