When you wander into isolate areas by yourself with a camera and tripod in hand you're bound to have a few scary stories from your adventures. Sometimes the situation is actually a bit precarious, while other times you're mostly just jittery because you think you are fairly isolated and then a random runner trots out of the woods and you jump out of your skin in surprise. Rarely do I consider myself the potentially frightening figure, but the other day while taking pictures near my house I accidentally startled a couple of girls sledding in the snow. They were coming around the corner and while I could hear their approach because they were chatting to each other and slushing through the snow, I was unintentionally stealthy as I quietly set up my camera and tested my remote. Making them jump when they saw me was bad enough, but when I realized my remote needed new batteries and I headed to the store to pick some up, the girls were there too. They were lingering near the shelves were the batteries were, so I hung back a bit to stay out of their way and overheard them saying to each other that I looked like I was "stalking" them. I took my time in the store after they left, trying to not run into them again but as soon as I walked out they were on the street ahead of me walking in the same direction as me. I felt if they looked over their shoulders and spotted me a third time all of their concerns that I was stalking them would be confirmed. So like a rather creepy stalker I tried to hide at bit on my walk home so they wouldn't see me, which in hindsight is far weirder than just walking home at a normal pace...Still I got the batteries I needed, headed back out into the snow and managed to take my pictures without scarring anyone else!
CONVERSATION