Pixiport:The Voice Behind The Lens Michael Dubiner

Pixiport:The Voice Behind The Lens Michael Dubiner: " Last month, my family traveled to New York for a family celebration. I knew that I would make a few hours for photography as there is nothing like travel to kindle that image making spirit. I checked the weather and it was going to be rainy. What a perfect excuse to buy that waterproof case for my camera.
And rain it did. The party was on Saturday night and my time for photography was that rainy Saturday afternoon. I asked my Wife to drive me around so that I could photograph people in the rain. The best place to shoot was at the Scarsdale train station, where people were scurrying around with their umbrellas. I directed my wife to drive, stop, drive around the block, make a U-Turn etc. As you can see, the images are less than inspiring.
About 10 days later, Detective Davis of the Metropolitan Transit Authority called my Wife wanting to know if she had rented a car in New York. It turn out that a tipster had called in our tag, the Detective checked with the rental agency and determined that the car was rented in my Wife's name. He was polite, respectful and that was the end of it.
What does all this say about how America has changed and what is the message to Street Photographers here? Something that I have been noticing since the World Trade Center attacks is that people are more concerned about the unusual actions of people around them. The government is promoting this concern and is actively promoting the reporting of suspicious behavior. I heard on a National Public Radio report that the New York City Police Department has a 500 person intelligence gathering unit independent of any federal agencies. They act, in part, on tips from the public. The Metropolitan Transit Authority web site highlights their 'If You See Something, Say Something' campaign. Our government feels that they need to know more"