Mountain Biking?, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

I visited the San Francisco International Airport this morning to pick up a relative coming for a visit. Those who've been around for awhile perhaps recall my last visit to the airport when I posted a photo called Terror Alert! That day I had a run-in with a San Francisco police officer that was not very pleasant. He apparently didn't like the fact I was standing by a chainlink fence with a camera in my hand.

Today the airplane was late and I have over an hour with nothing to do. I'd brought my camera on the off-chance I'd have the opportunity to take a few photos, so I was not all that displeased to have this extra time. This was one of the photos I took inside the terminal.

This police officer came down an escalator as I stood with camera in hand. As he walked toward me I jokingly said I was sorry I'd missed that shot. He was interested in many camera, eventually telling me that he had a Canon 20D in the case behind the seat of his bicycle. I told him about TE and he was interested enough to write the info down on his pad, together with my name. I hope he shows up!

I told him a bit about the incident last year and he assured me that I'm free to take photos of anything except the computer screen being used by security personnel. Seems fair to me! After our brief chat he headed for the up escalator and I immediately followed. He posed for this shot by turning so I could see his face in profile.

It still strikes me as strange that policemen are riding mountain bikes through the airport terminal, riding up and down the escalators, but who am I to question police tactics? But here you have it, a policeman with his mountain bicycle, Canon camera in his bag, riding up the escalator. Enjoy...

I've posted a workshop showing the officer at the top of the escalator, this one in color.

Rinie_Hoff, pamastro, Suh, lebjohnson, L2K has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

fabio_ts (13696) 2005-07-21 3:07

Hi Curtis, great shot.. full of humor and life, I like very much B/W specialy in urban scenary and everyday people's portrait, I like your style, I love United States and I can feel the folk's spirit in your pictures.

In the neext days I put in, my USA trip pics.. take a look!

Sorry for my english.

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2005-07-21 4:21

Ahh, now I know, you have a crush on escalators in airports! How many have you collected by now? 4? 5? You might link your 'terror alert' just to take away the attention of your real crush, but I don't buy it.
He's a very friendly policeman, just rather strange to have a 20D in the case, maybe he's a model? Are you sure he was a real police officer, and not one like these??

In Brazil I have seen employees in supermarkets on rollerskates, so why not policemen on mountainbikes? But maybe he lost his way....
B&W was a good choice, I guess.

pamastro (7296) 2005-07-23 0:49

Well that's a much better encounter than the one last time. It all depends on who you run into, I think. Some people let the authority get to their head and others overcome that. For example, just this afternoon I had the first friendly customs officer at the American border in a very long time. And also the first rude Canadian customs officer in a long time.

If San Francisco's airport terminal is as large as Detroit's I can understand the use of bikes. I think it would make policing the mile long main terminal here much easier. I like the sort of cramped, awkward look as he turns to show his profile. Getting a bike up an escalator probably isn't the easiest thing and it shows in this. The black and white is nice but I think I would like color, seeing the other photo. That other one also shows him as a very friendly individual.

Suh (10) 2005-07-27 10:57 [Comment]

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