Post the most ridiculous comments you've received with a big lens on!

thats crazy. nice shots of the silo

The Titan Missle Museum was used as a set for one scene in one of the Star Trek movies. It's kind of hard to recognize in the movie after having been there because of all the stuff they did to it for the movie, but I was able to tell what the place was.

After finally getting a couple of hours of free time I decided to go down to the local Botanical gardens.

So here I am when some idiot comes up with his mate and says "I'll take that" pointing to my camera bag lying on the ground. Both of them couldn't have been older than 15.
So I pick up my tripod get ready to bat and say " Sure, would you like that to go?"

Funny how people change their mind so quickly

Thornfield wrote in post #2363910
After finally getting a couple of hours of free time I decided to go down to the local Botanical gardens.

So here I am when some idiot comes up with his mate and says "I'll take that" pointing to my camera bag lying on the ground. Both of them couldn't have been older than 15.
So I pick up my tripod get ready to bat and say " Sure, would you like that to go?"

Funny how people change their mind so quickly

Geez.... the nerve of those kids!! Always worries me when stuff like this happens. Glad you and your gear are safe.

Thornfield wrote in post #2363910
After finally getting a couple of hours of free time I decided to go down to the local Botanical gardens.

So here I am when some idiot comes up with his mate and says "I'll take that" pointing to my camera bag lying on the ground. Both of them couldn't have been older than 15.
So I pick up my tripod get ready to bat and say " Sure, would you like that to go?"

Funny how people change their mind so quickly

I hope they were just kidding!

I was at an outdoor event with my camera on a tripod near a pond. A couple of ~15 year olds went by and starting laughing about what would happen if they pushed the tripod and camera into the water. I wasn't too worried since the area was very crowded with an otherwise sane and sober bunch but I still wonder about the thought processes and mental state of folks like these. I think a lot of it is to just puff themselves up before their peers.

Lightstream wrote in post #2363971
Geez.... the nerve of those kids!! Always worries me when stuff like this happens. Glad you and your gear are safe.

Well tuned with the safety of his gear he is.

tiktaalik wrote in post #2364058
I was at an outdoor event with my camera on a tripod near a pond. A couple of ~15 year olds went by and starting laughing about what would happen if they pushed the tripod and camera into the water. I wasn't too worried since the area was very crowded with an otherwise sane and sober bunch but I still wonder about the thought processes and mental state of folks like these. I think a lot of it is to just puff themselves up before their peers.

I shoot sports for my university, our biggest rival, Wabash College, is all male. This may not seem like a problem, but the result, particularly when you add alcohol, is bunches of rowdy 18-22 year olds with exactly the mindset you describe. Great fun to shoot with.

i havent had my 80-200mm drainpipe for 24 hrs and a woman asked me which magazine i shoot for...

I think it really depends on how "friendly" you look as far as what comments you will get. If you are super friendly and have a smile on your face all the time you will get a lot of reactions. However, if you strut around like Mr. "d*ck head" photographer then people will be to intimidated to say a snide comment. Also depends on other things like what you look like and how you dress.

Photolistic wrote in post #2365433
I think it really depends on how "friendly" you look as far as what comments you will get. If you are super friendly and have a smile on your face all the time you will get a lot of reactions. However, if you strut around like Mr. "d*ck head" photographer then people will be to intimidated to say a snide comment. Also depends on other things like what you look like and how you dress.

This is a great observation. Dress reasonably, smile, be gracious - I try to do all of the above. I avoid sticking big glass in people's faces and/or blocking their view, and I try to let others through to get a shot whenever I can. Whenever they comment on how wonderful or how impressive it is, I try to play it down and be modest about it or say something complimentary about their gear too. Tell the truth but you can stick to the nice stuff while glossing over the other bits. We're used to the big stuff - but not everybody is!

Of course there are some real jerks out there who want to be mean for the sake of being mean, or they're insecure and are trying to hide it, but yours is a great approach if you want to minimize negative encounters. So far, all of mine have been positive and I hope to keep it that way.

The only possible negative, unrelated to my gear, was a woman who told me to move, and I apologized and said I could not, and she got all huffy on me. See, I was already pinned against a column, in a crowd so packed and unmoving that to take a shot, I had to hold my 5D with arms resting on my chest like a squirrel crouching or holding a nut. If I could actually have gotten out of there, I WOULD.. heck, I want to leave too!

Let me just say, comments are nothing, it's the looks that bug me. Thinking back I don't think I've got one comment while shooting, more like a bunch of weird looks and talking to their friends while walking by about me.

JaGWiRE wrote in post #2365579
Let me just say, comments are nothing, it's the looks that bug me. Thinking back I don't think I've got one comment while shooting, more like a bunch of weird looks and talking to their friends while walking by about me.

I don't see why looks should bug you, most likely they are just envious and comment on the great camera you have.

Anyway, if someone has a problem with me taking a picture or me looking like a geek while doing it I couldn't care less, it's their problem, not mine. I get the pictures, they can have their stares if they want.

I dont usually get looks cause of my camera but because ive worn shorts and a short sleeved shirt to school all week when its been about 40

I think if I had been intimidated I might have lost the camera, but as soon as you stand up to them they usualy back down.