No flash, you work for the police????

["BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>]

Ted's story of the vet comparing available light shooting to police 
surveillance reminds me of what happened to me while I was in Cuba.

I was taking photos without flash during a church service.  There 
wasn't any electricity that night, so they were using "Coleman" type 
gas lanterns.  Afterwards I had a group of people asking me about how I 
was using infrared film like the police to take pictures.  I didn't 
catch on to all of the inferences until later, but apparently there 
were several informants in attendance at the service including one of 
whom was asking me lots of questions about how I was taking the shots.

I was using 400 ASA at 1/8th or 1/15th  at f/1.4 and 2 (as I remember) 
using my Leica table tripod pressed firmly against the wall with a 
cable release.  And my 135 f/2 looks like a surveillance lens to Cubans 
at least.

I kind of joke about my trip to Cuba as my suitcase was the last to 
come out due to the suspected bomb inside.  (A Marantz pro cassette 
recorder for interviews, two flashes, a bunch of batteries and a 
battery charger.)   I've also learned it is a good idea not to pack the 
Leica table tripod with the large ball head together as it looks a lot 
like some sort of gun to x-ray machine operators.  

Towards the end of the trip I borrowed a bicycle and with a camera 
headed off into the hills.  I got a flat tire and decided to walk back 
another way and managed to walk directly into a military training 
camp/base.  I was carrying a F-1n with a 80-200L lens and trying to 
keep it behind my back as I walked through.  I was a bit nervous as:  
1) I was a gringo walking through a military base in the middle of 
nowhere,  2) I had no papers on me and 3) I was carrying a camera with 
a large lens by their standards.  

They stopped me of course and after talking for a few minutes they let 
me go on through.  I'm glad I've got an honest face and God helped me 
through I'm sure.  I occasionally joke now saying I probably should 
have asked if I could take some pictures of them doing training 
exercises just to see my wife's face turn to horror.  In reality, I was 
just glad to have made it out the other side.  I also learned later 
that I could have easily been robbed and killed for my camera as a lot 
of that happens..  

After it was all done with I brought back another not so lovely 
souvenir from that excursion.  Dengue fever, which knocked me out for 
nearly three weeks.  

It was worth it though, and I hope to return again sometime in the next 
couple of years.

Duane Birkey
HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador