Photography, Not Pornography

I was driving past the lake -- not Padden -- this afternoon, and saw lots of people having fun in the water and coping with the muggy, hot weather. I stood for a long time trying to get action shots of these youngsters. They weren't very active, but I persisted and eventually got a couple of decent shots.

I was standing on the sidewalk while I was taking photos, and had to use my big zoom. Just as I was about to quit and go home, I heard a big motorcycle stopped behind me. I turned around and saw a friendly-looking Bellingham police officer. He told me that some people on the beach were "freaking out" about my photographic activity. I said "Really?" and he replied "Yes, we get calls like that all the time". I explained the blipfoto concept and asked him if he was telling me to stop shooting. He said "No, I'm on traffic duty, I just wanted to be the first person to tell you what was happening."

I thanked the officer and gave him one of my photo cards with my blip handle and email address. I put my camera away and walked across the street to where the cop had set up a speed trap near my car. I wished him good hunting before driving home.

It's a sorry state of affairs when a person can't take photos of youngsters having fun without being accused of obscene motives. I think it's paranoid -- Cynthia disagrees.