I'm happy now that I'm shooting photos again. I take may camera with me everyday and shoot a few shots along my route to and from work. I shot today in Long Beach, CA.
Every photo comes with a story. Most are boring. This photo cost me 10 minutes out of my day this morning. A police officer pulled me over after I shot it. He wanted to know what I was doing. When I told him I was taking a picture, he demanded to see what I was shooting. I said no. We discussed the legality of my actions. Since I was stopped at a traffic light, I had not endangered anyone. My actions were legal, but to him they were suspicious. He kept me for ten minutes while he ran my info, then let me go.
I suppose I could have been scouting out a location for an atheist terrorist cell. Let’s see…. a Burger King on one corner, a gas station on another, a bike shop to my right, and a car lot to my left. Yep, a perfect spot to plot my attack.
The police officer exceeded his authority and made unreasonable demands on me. I have every right to take photos wherever I please on public property as long as I’m not posing a danger to others. This marks the seventh time I’ve been pulled over for shooting photos from my truck. I’ve given up complaining. Frankly, they don’t care what I think.
I liked my picture though.
