I saw a post on another site discussing the new danger in photography. There was an attached video showing a wedding photographer in a popular San Francisco location being attacked by 2 guys in hoodies in the middle of the day with lots of people around! Yes, they were trying to steal his camera and bag! The bride and groom just watched as did many others (that is a whole other topic). Obviously others choose to video it as opposed to help the guy! Without help from those watching the photographer was successful in fighting off the two guys. The two guys were then filmed in the parking lot with a bag they did manage to steal.

Anyway, I am quite often out by myself and I guess I now have to worry about the humans as well as the animals! The good news is my area as well as many of the wildlife areas are much safer than big cities. I’m sure the National Parks like Yellowstone will eventually not be as safe as they are now. Most of us in Yellowstone or RMNP look out for each other and I like to think most tourists there are not looking to steal your stuff.

Isn’t it sad if you have nice photo gear it makes you a target. I would rather worry about the grizzly…..

Valuable to you. But, to who else? In December 2022, jewelry would be easier to turn into cash than large, heavy -- and useless to the general public -- camera gear. I'm not denying a theft, but rather, the likelihood that any individual photographer needs to translate this event into serious personal fear.

Aren't car jackings and phone theft the much more popular events, warranting more concern and fear? More relevant than a sensational theft on the local news / utube?

Moreover, as the fearful among us translate this nonsense into more frights, that 'pro' shooting wedding pics at the Palace of Fine Arts should have had insurance covering all the equipment. Maybe they'll be out a deductible that cost half of one camera, but the loss shouldn't be a total loss. There's lessons in this story, but being afraid is not one of them.

Crime is nothing new, it is just that the criminals are always out there inventing new methods of victimizing folks and of course, reverting to some of the more traditional crimes like mugging, robbing people at gunpoint, knifepoint, or under threat to violence. Even if you are a recluse who never leaves home you will get attempts to defraud you on the telephone and online.

If you never take your photography equipment out of your home or studio, it is still subject to the possibility of theft, break-ins, and arson. Smash-and-grab occurrences in cars are popular among thieves and you are not lucky they will steal the car as well- while they are at it!

Seems crime is a regular industry! So, rather than suffer fear, paranoia, and anxiety, do whatever you can PREVENT being victimized.

I can understand it being risky if you travel to an unfamiliar foreign country where criminal activity is a commonly known fact, so my best recommendation is DON'T GO THERE! The problem is, this thread is about a mugging that transpires in a supposedly civilized city at a popular wedding photography venue while the photograher was covering a wedding. Those offenders must be some badass crazy people! If you feel that things like this might occur in your community- think about security. Do not work alone, even at a wedding or event when you are concentrating on doing the work, and can be taken by surprise. Even if you are just shooting the scenery, birds, or bees, stay out of isolated areas and travel in groups. If you are a street photograher, do not carry excessive or overly conspicuous gear. My camera bags look like they went through Word War III- that's because they are army surplus signal satchels and ammunition cases. And...I look like I have been through WW III as well! I am big- ugly, and have a serious case of perma-frown!

If you can help it, never leave anything valuable in your car. The vehicle I use to go out on location and industrial jobs is an older model SUV- very unimpressive, with no advertising signage, dark tinted windows, and an alamm system that will wake the dead! When it is washed and shiny it looks le the mortuary van from the medical examiner's office.

Funny story. My industrial jobs sometimes take me to what you might call"bad neighborhoods"- ongoing urban renewal projects, old factory buildings, some abandoned houses, buildings, drugs, etc. I sometimes work late into the evening and was never bothered by bad guys, etc. The crime wave that actually targeted and victimized photographers, musicians, and DJs happened in posh hotels. It turned out an organized bunch of thieves were stealing musical instruments, sound gear, DJ equipment, and yes, PHOTOGRAHY EQUIPMENT! At one of the most prestigious hotels in the city, there was a policy that all this gear could not be brought in through the main lobby and had to be offloaded at the service entrance or loading dock. Then the vehicle had to be parked in the underground lot. By the time the folks came to get their gear and bring it onto function rooms- it was gone!

I did not find out about this on the TV news or by reading the local newspapers. There was one weekend when I had no event to cover and deced to just stay home and relax. I suddenly go an urgent telephone call from a friendly competitor photographer who told me that his gear, spares and all,l had disappeared and could I bring him a workg outfit so he could cover his wedding assignment. I thought he was gonna suffer a heart attack or a stroke! I quickly assembled a kit and brought it to the hotel. The police and the security fokls were there and mentioned that this was an ongoing problem. After that, no more loading dock for me. I brought my stuff right in through the main entrance and told the concierge that I was a guest- after all was wearing a black tux or business suit but being big, ugly, and frowning helps as well! Well at weddings, I do work with at least one assistant who can guard the gear but that is a young lady who is not big and ugly and has a lovely smile!

Also- May the universe forbid that any of this ever happens to you but remember, even at weddings, never leave your gear unattended, and make sure you have adequate insurance that includes a floater for coverage of the equipment when in transit or in use away for your home or studio and makes sure there's no disclaimer for "mysterious disappearance" whew there's no evidence of a break in but the equipment is gone.

Sneak thieves are a problem but outright assault and robbery are quite another. It depends on where you live and the laws. You may need to add to your checklist of equipment like cameras. lenses. flash hear, tripod, triggers, brackets, cords, pepper spray, taser, expandable baton, switchblade, 9mm Glock, or my preference is an old S&W .38 snub-nose detective special- very compact- hardly bigger than a good sized Speedlight! Too bad concealed or open carry is strictly prohibited here in Canada! There was a time when the cops of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary were not allowed to carry guns- just a large truncheon was permitted!

My idea! Attach a tripod head to the end of a Lousiville Slugger and pass it off as a monopod. If you are accosted by muggers just treat their heads and a high/outside pitch and knock them out of the park!

It’s a great time to be a thief in many parts of the US. For many reasons, it is a crime rarely prosecuted. My wife and I had $2,600 stolen from us last year. We knew who took it and had enough evidence for the police to issue a warrant for his arrest. However, the police told us that he would not be arrested because they were too short handed and didn’t have the time to arrest in these cases, even though it was grand larceny. The police said that the only way he would be arrested would be if he got pulled over for a traffic stop or got in trouble for some other reason with the police present and they noticed he had an outstanding warrant. That was very frustrating to hear. Fortunately, the cop doing the investigation did not share this information with the thief and was able to scare him enough through phone conversations so that the thief agreed to return our money. It still took a month to get our money back. But it was quite an eye opener as to what a thief could get away with even if caught red handed.