Safety Concern - Be aware!

I just got off the phone with a long time client - a professional photographer. He told me of his most disturbing experience. Before I go into the details (and protecting his privacy) I just want to say "Be Careful Out There Shooting."

He was on a country road with his tripod and camera set-up taking some images. Alone, he was approached by two nicely dresses, articulate young men. They pulled up in a very new pick-up truck, parked, jumped up and started talk about the camera equipment he was using. He was shooting a 400mm telephoto lens. The two men asked if they could look through the camera and seemed genuinely intrigued with what they saw. Then things changed. The two men started to get rough with the equipment, jerking it about, and moving it to another locations. Essentially taking over. The photographer asked if he could get back to work and have his equipment returned to him. One of the men went to his truck and returned with a hammer and beat the equipment into pieces. He then went to the photographers car and extracted more equipment and damaged it too. There's more to the story but I'm going to stop because it is an active investigation. The point here is - Be Careful. Especially those of you who are alone in the most beautiful places on earth, at dawn, at dusk. I know those moments because I have been there. They are so wonderful - spiritual for me. And then some &#$% comes along and assaults you. What! This is crazy. Please be aware and be careful. There is evil and anger in the world. Bad people are out there. Your trusting view of people does not change that fact. I don't know the solution here - that is for you to decide.

All of his equipment is covered under the insurance policy he has with our agency.