Categories: miscellaneous
Date: 19 November 2008 20:52:36
...lately whereby whenever I am in a shop, regardless of what I am wearing, I am mistaken for a member of staff. The other day in B&Q I'm perusing the battery rechargers and some bloke starts asking me about amps, voltage, multi-stage something or other, charge times and car battery adapters. I told him I didn't work there when he asked me to hand him a particular charger which was right in front of him.
Last week in Somerfield a male cyclist seemed to assume that I would know where the gents were and looked annoyed when I said "Sorry, I don't know." I almost explained that if his eyesight was so bad as to mistake my black shirt for a mid-blue Somerfield t-shirt then in the interests of his continued wellbeing he should reconsider his current mode of transport.
I've been trying to figure out whether other people are afflicted with this condition. For certain some are, but I'm convinced my hit rate is way above average. Why is this? Well, I have a theory it's something to do with photography. Bear with me. I've been spending a goodly amount of time in different social situations with a camera in my hand lately. Now, when I have a camera in my hand and I'm around people a strange thing happens. Because I'm concentrating on compositions, anticipating interesting moments and have a load of technical things flying round in my head (aperture, shutter speed, film speed, lighting stuff, exposure, lighting, blah de blah, etc) I seem to become invisible to those around me. I'm not kidding. The other week I was at a party. A couple of people got up from a table to go to the bar, so I perched there for a minute. I'd taken 15-20 or so pictures by the time anyone else sat at the table noticed I was there. Which I found rather pleasing.
Anyway, the last step of the theory is that if I become partly invisible with camera, I must somehow overcompensate and become hyper-visible sans camera. Thus, I will be going Christmas shopping with my camera. Trouble is I may get crushed in the stampede if I'm invisible.