A terrifying ordeal is recalled as one photographer is followed back to his home and held at gunpoint for his camera equipment. An important reminder to be safe and alert when out shooting.
Photography is an expensive craft, particularly for professionals. It’s easy to forget that the equipment you take with you can wrack up to extremely high total values — amounts that if it were anything else, you might be hesitant to take the places you take your camera. There have been times, usually whilst I review or preview equipment, where I have had a house deposit worth of gear in my bags at one time. When I was in Japan to preview the Fujifilm GFX 100 for instance, I was wandering around Tokyo, at night, with over $30,000 worth of cameras and lenses alone.
I do take a lot of steps to ensure that should I find myself in a situation where I have had my gear stolen, I am well prepared and I would urge any photographer to do the same. Firstly, I have insurance to cover the equipment I own (you can’t insure review equipment, at least in the UK, so I make sure the lender has it covered). Secondly, I have a secure document with every serial number and receipt for all the gear that I own. Thirdly, I generally avoid carrying too much equipment at one time. However, there are lots more measures you can take. For example, there are tracking stickers and apps that can help locate your stolen or lost items.
The most important takeaway from these sorts of stories is that you should be as safe as possible. Furthermore, if you are held up with a weapon, just hand everything over; no piece of equipment is worth losing your life over.