The Power of having a big, shiney camera

Ducati
I am discovering that having a DSLR camera can get you some opportunities that you might not have had before. The above shot of the Ducati motorcycle was one such opportunity. It was located near some Lotus' which were on display and was the only motorcycle that I saw at the auto show. Anyway, I was interested in the cycle's bright yellow color and was taking some close-ups of it while leaning over the rope that was up to keep people away from it. I had taken one or two shots when a gentleman with an auto-show ID badge came over and offered to un-rope the bike so I could get some unobstructed shots of it. Of course, I said yes. The above is the best that I got. Just wish that I hadn't cut off the front wheel. I think the gentleman thought that I was with the press or something because I didn't notice him offering the same to people with point and shoot cameras.

Also, I got asked questions about various cars by people that saw me photographing them. Again, they apparently assumed I was with the automotive press and knew what I was doing. Little do they know I can't tell the difference from a carbeurator to an injector. ;-) Other times, I have had people ask me about features on their new DSLR cameras when they spot me with my D80. Last year when we were at the SC State Museum a woman asked me about the thing that I had on the front of my lens, i.e. the lens hood. She had just gotten a Nikon D40 and didn't know why the hood was included. I explained what it was and why I was using even indoors. It was nice because I saw the lights turn on in her eyes when she realized that it would help to protect against the inevitable bumps the lens would get with her three or four children around. :-) There have been other times like that too. Rather than people having issues when I have my DSLR with me, I have found they assume I am more than I am and defer to me. People have actually gotten out of my way as I waited behind them to get my chance at a shot. Many times when I'm out with my camera I will get at least one person asking which newspaper I'm working for or I get into a conversation with another photographer or someone thinking about buying their first DSLR. Heck, I even had a security guard in a high-rise building that I was photographing offer to let me up on to the roof anytime I wanted to photograph the skyline. Certainly not the typical kinds of stories that you hear about paranoid parents and guards these days. Maybe it just has to do with the area that I live in though.

Keep shooting.