Story of a Moon and a red laser
On Friday night I left my computer training session across town and headed home. I got off the exit and turned onto one of the roads before getting to our road, on the way I saw the moon. It was amazing and very large. I drove up to our place, rushed upstairs, grabbed the camera bag and tripod.
I drove back down to an empty parking lot, but I wasn’t getting the same vantage point. So I drove back to the end of the road by the exit, did a u-turn and decided to stop at the best place for safety and getting the right vantage point.
I found my spot. A medical building with a well lit empty parking lot. I pulled in and pulled back down the driveway to the end by the road. I put my lights in park mode, got out, grabbed my camera and sized up the shot. Across the street is a residential house, I noticed the living room had some lights on. No big deal.
I took some preliminary shots by hand. Then grabbed my tripod and set up the camera. While setting up and getting the shot, I noticed on my hand with a red light. I thought, “huh, is there a sensor on the camera that emits red”. I step backed away from the view finder to notice that there was a red laser light all over my hand, my chest, my arms, the camera. It was jumping all over the place. I looked to the house and out of the window was the laser.
At this point two thoughts went through my head.
1) Stupid kids with a pen laser, or paranoid old person
or
2) Gun with a scope, it is wacky city who knows!
This was a bit disturbing. Was I potentially going to get shot for taking a picture of the beautiful moon? or should I walk across the street and confront this person. A part of me really wanted to haul it across the street and pound on their door.
I opted to hope for option 1, and continue to shoot my photos. I took 2 more shots all the while with the laser bouncing all over me. The minute I stopped shooting photos, the laser stopped. I packed up my equipment. I stared straight at their house while collapsing the tripod. Got in the car, put the headlights on and then the high beams which shown right into they’re living room. I couldn’t see anyone the house was dark at that point.
Has anyone else had experiences like this?
Only in the cinema, unfortunately.
Beautiful shot, by the way.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for the compliments.
I really wanted to go drag the person out and say, “good lord person look at the freakin moon it’s amazing, stop pointing the f-ing laser at me”.
That IS kind of disturbing. I haven’t had a laser pointed at me before, but one time I ran outside my house to take a picture of a beautiful rainbow that was arching over our house (I saw it when I drove home and ran in to get the camera). As I stood in the middle of our court snapping a few photos, our neighbor (who we hadn’t met yet) came out and aggressively asked, “WHAT are you taking pictures of?!?!?!?!” I said, “Uh…. the rainbow?” She said, taken aback, “Oh,” and wandered back inside, but still casting some suspicious looks over her shoulder.
Hi Corrie,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing 🙂 That’s just as crazy, I do not understand why people are so paranoid of photos and photographers.
I believe what that person was doing is illegal and you should have called the police/911. If they aimed at your lens while you were looking through it it could have damaged your retinas. I am pretty sure it’s illegal to aim a laser like that at someone.