Photographers — Don’t Be an Easy Mark

Photography is not a contact sport. Yet these days, a camera bag in public feels like an invitation to conflict. We’re seeing photographers robbed in parks and confronted on downtown sidewalks. Their backpacks are being ripped from vehicles during smash and grab robberies, sometimes while the owners are still in the car.

None of these victims “were asking for it.” They were going about their craft with cameras, lenses, and accessories they believed were helpful to produce the images they desired. But do they really need all that gear with them? I submit they do not. A swinging camera bag on main street today can be a risky proposition. I think it’s time to leave it behind.

Let your padded friend stay home and serve as a storage compartment for equipment you’re not using at the moment. Don’t display it in the back of your SUV, leave it unattended on a park bench, or have it tossed casually over your shoulder on a crowded street. Thanks to the advances of technology, there are powerful alternatives.

Everyone has smartphones, yourself included. And from a distance it’s hard to distinguish a top of the line iPhone 12 Pro from any number of more affordable models. To prying eyes, it’s just another mobile device.

But for an enthusiast photographer, the right smartphone can feature multiple prime lenses…