Shot Through The Lens

Some time today, I lie down at a park on some newspapers spreaded over the grass reading my book. What a perfect day, it's not hot, not cold, it's cool and refreshing. Occasionally, a plane flies overhead and gets my attention from the way I was holding my book up, in a manner that I was facing the sky and reading.

Then from the corner of my eye, I spot someone approaching my locked and flipped-upsidedown bicycle (there was nothing to lock it too) inching in through the grass. I look over and it's a toddler. He runs. Okay.

I look further back and some middle-school aged girl has an expensive DSLR camera pointed at me. Snap! goes her camera. I blink in confusion. Why on earth is she taking a picture of me? I wanted to ask her that question and tell her it's actually illegal to publish a picture of someone without their consent, but I didn't do anything. She's now staring at her camera screen, zooming in the picture, reviewing and all the stuff photographers do to make sure they have the perfect shot.

"Oh, what the hell," I thought. Doesn't matter anyways. Probably for some project that required a shot of a park environment. She walks off and I fall back down to read. Smart girl though, using that boy as an excuse for a picture in my direction.

I learned that if I'm going to read on the open grass, I should at least hide behind some trees for some privacy. There's billions of people out there, just don't shoot me and go editing my pictures like my bratty friends a decade ago when I was featured on Scholastic Magazine for children.

They drew a mustache, a beard and glasses on my face for goodness sakes!
And they topped it off with some devil horns.

I'm going to get you, Mr. Brandon Vallerie.