Ever get mistaken for...

I've been mistaken for a professional only when shooting at the local race track (Mosport, now called Canadian Tire Motorsport Park), and only just recently. The difference between this time and previous occasions was I had two DSLRs with me, one on a Black Rapid and one on a Spider belt clip. I guess it made me look serious or something. I did have my Agfa Silette LK with me as well, but didn't have it out at the time. :)

The first person who asked me was a boy of maybe 10 years of age. The second was a trackside worker who started unlocking the gate to access the restricted trackside area, then realized I didn't actually have a media credential. FWIW I never asked him to do that and didn't try to sneak in anywhere I wasn't supposed to be going.

This weekend I will be shooting the Toronto IndyCar race with full media credentials for the fourth time. Doubtless some people will think I'm a professional... which I'm not! ;)
 
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Graham Line said:
Was rarely mistaken for a professional, even when I was one.
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Likewise. After all, there are rarely many advantages in being recognized as a photographer, rather than as "just another guy with a camera". To most people, after all, a Leica just looks like an upmarket, old-fashioned point-and-shoot. To those who say, "It is just an upmarket, old-fashioned point-and-shoot", I say, "Fine, go and take some pictures."

A handful of times, though, I've been recognized as myself, largely thanks to my portrait in Amateur Photographer magazine: "Are you Roger Hicks?" I can live with this. Put it this way: I'm not going to shave off my beard or stop wearing a monocle. Then again, I don't know how often other bearded monocle wearers have been mistaken for me.

Cheers,

R.
 
ARE you Roger Hicks?

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Roger Hicks said:
Likewise. After all, there are rarely many advantages in being recognized as a photographer, rather than as "just another guy with a camera". To most people, after all, a Leica just looks like an upmarket, old-fashioned point-and-shoot. To those who say, "It is just an upmarket, old-fashioned point-and-shoot", I say, "Fine, go and take some pictures."

A handful of times, though, I've been recognized as myself, largely thanks to my portrait in Amateur Photographer magazine: "Are you Roger Hicks?" I can live with this. Put it this way: I'm not going to shave off my beard or stop wearing a monocle. Then again, I don't know how often other bearded monocle wearers have been mistaken for me.

Cheers,

R.
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Never mind that I AM a pro, 6'5, 190 lbs and have a shoulder length ponytail and short beard, carried a DSLR with a zoom, belt battery pack and large flash, and am not shy nor retiring about arranging the shots I want... I delight in not being seen. After a wedding I shot some years ago, the client shared with me that as she was showing her album to another friend, the friend remarked "your photographer did a lovely job, but she was really obnoxious, pretentious, and in everyone's face. My client said "she?" Her friend said, yes... the woman who was taking photos with the big camera. My clent said, "my photographer was that really tall man." The woman was just a friend of the family. Her friend was shocked and said... a man? A tall man? I never even saw him!

I laugh about that regularly. It's great to have an unpaid shill work the crowd for you.
 
Was mistaken for Jerry Garcia a couple of times-- once just after he died, when a drunk man at a gas station in western Massachusetts said "Jerry? Are you back, man? Is that really you?" As a lifelong publishing poet, I was happy to be compared my real greatgreatgrandfather in spirit, Walt Whitman, by a kind and literate person in Provincetown.

But although people have offered me money on the street to portray them even when they see I have something as archaic as an Autocord, the moniker does not come up. And the only time I really care when it does is when I see or am seen by another hapless creature at the mercy of his light-machine, and then we exchange the Masonic handshake and sometimes our URLs.
 
hepcat said:
A tall man? I never even saw him!

I laugh about that regularly. It's great to have an unpaid shill work the crowd for you.
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Did any of your listeners ever point out the "Invisible Gorilla test" to you. It's an example of being oblivious to something when your attention is directed to something else.
 
nikkor-watching said:
Did any of your listeners ever point out the "Invisible Gorilla test" to you. It's an example of being oblivious to something when your attention is directed to something else.
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I'm familiar with the "invisible gorilla." I've used that video in training when teaching "watching" vs. "seeing." And that's EXACTLY what was in operation there. That, and I work very hard at being unobtrusive when I work.
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

Interesting comments about lens hoods some posts back.

I've often mentioned that I like putting together outfits from the cameras period and it's blindingly obvious that lens hoods were not seen as important. Well, not important enough to fit into a (say) Leitz fitted case (ETTRE?). If you look at them there's space for extra lenses, extra cassettes, an arsenal of filters, even the right handed view finder but nowhere to fit a lens hood.

And look at the adverts for Leica from the 20's and 30's and, again, you'll find the lens hoods get left out of the package the shops are trying to push. Mostly the package is the camera, a cassette and a pack of 3 films with the ERC. Go for something more and they'll suggest a couple of extra cassettes.

Ditto in the 50's when the cameras were shown without lens hoods. I wonder if it's to draw attention to the lens and the name on the lens ring...

Anyway, I don't blame the users for not thinking about lens hoods.

BTW, when I wander around with the pre-war Leicas I get lots of smiles from people and one or two chat. And people sometimes offer me their old film cameras.

Regards, David
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In my 1950s edition of the Amateur Photographer's Handbook, the author says something to the effect that a hood will undeniably improve your photos. :D

Interestingly the accessory lenses for the Argus C3 came with hoods and the lens cases for them have the space to accommodate them.
 
A professional, not really, but a hipster, yes.

I shoot mostly with Rolleiflex and some people have asked me if my camera works....
 
msbarnes said:
A professional, not really, but a hipster, yes.

I shoot mostly with Rolleiflex and some people have asked me if my camera works....
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I get that about my Rolleis as well. Once, in a fit of pique after hearing it for the third or fourth time that day, I said, "No, I'm actually Flavor Flav's illegitimate cousin, and this is my bling".
 
Full time here to. Commercial/advertising.

When I'm shoot for just me, my personal work its just this and I get very little attention.
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Nope, not even when I had my DSLR rigged out though DLSRs are ten a penny during tourist season in Cambridge. I've had a few people approach me when I've been out with my hasselblad though, that was recongized by a few. The Xpro1 has gotten a few glances, specially with old lenses mounted but no conversations from it as of yet.
 
First time about a month ago, shooting a marina with Rolleicord on tripod. Three young men spent about half hour checking out what else I had in the car trunk. I use digital and film cameras, one digital is a old Samsung P&S 4 megs and takes great photos. I never met a camera I didn't like, can not say the same about all photographers that I have met.
I speak to anyone carrying any kind of camera and have had some wonderful conversations. Others may know more.

David
 
one90guy said:
I speak to anyone carrying any kind of camera and have had some wonderful conversations. Others may know more.
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So true, David. Almost everything I know about photography I've learned from other photographers. Just spoke with a friend who started shooting a roll of Portra I gave her this week. I don't care what kind of camera she has, just that she uses it!
 
Ever get mistaken for ... a Speed Trap ?

Ever get mistaken for ... a Speed Trap ?

I once had my 4x5 view camera and tripod set up just off the road in a rural area. The traffic was quite light and almost all go down this road quite quickly, but it seemed that they all slowed down when they saw me and my camera. I was puzzled until one motorist stopped and told me he thought I had set up a speed trap!
...Terry
 
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