Mike's Good Used (and rude) Appliances

by Patrick Schmidt

Uploaded 9 May 2008 — 2 favorites

© Patrick Schmidt

I'm taking a few photos of this shop and a woman, likely Mike's wife, starts to question me, very belligerently, about who I was and what exactly I was doing taking photos of Mike's sign.

Well, I stated my case. The case being that I liked the way the sign looked. Well, she was having none of it. She says to me, "If Mike was here I GUARANTEE you he'd be questioning you about your behaviour." I offer her my name and number if Mike would like to call me, while gently reminding her that the store is in public view and I'm violating no privacy laws by photographing the shop.

So she gets me to come into the shop where I'm expecting to leave my name and number. Instead, she's on the CB radio to Mike (wherever he is, I guess he's always by his CB) telling him about this guy photographing his sign. "There's this fella, here, taking photos of your sign, Mike, and he wants to tell you why..." and she hands me the CB radio.

So I take the radio and say to Mike "Hi Mike, my name is Patrick Schmidt, and I'm taking photos of your sign because I like the way it looks." "Are ya some kind of artist or somethin?" he asks. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. Amateur, I guess."

Mike was ok with it and the woman saw me out. I expect I'll drop off a copy of this for them sometime soon.

3 responses

  • Marcus Hammerschmitt

    Marcus Hammerschmitt said (9 May 2008):

    I've had these encounters often enough over here in Germany to feel worn down by them. What's wrong with these people? While they are ok with the most outrageous privacy violations by various state agencies, big corporations etc., they fear the lenses of photo amateurs who do this strictly for fun. Maybe the amateurs are an easier target for the anger which is a result of the true privacy violations perpetrated by the others?

  • Cindy Coubrough

    Cindy Coubrough   gave props (12 May 2008):

    Holy, paranoid much? Wow. I love the colours in the picture, so I see why you took it. =)

  • John Linton

    John Linton gave props (25 Jun 2009):

    Killer capture.

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