A photographer filming a video in the U.K. turned his back on his camera bag for mere seconds, and when he came back to it, found it had been stolen.

David, who operates the YouTube channel My Photo Journey, was in the English city of Lincoln setting up for a video when he had his “worst camera experience ever.”

“Normally my camera’s never more than arm’s length away, but for some strange reason I placed my camera down and walked over about 10 feet and started setting my tripod up,” David explains. “Then I came back to get my camera because I’d realized I’d left it there; it had gone.”

David says he didn’t see anybody, didn’t notice the theft at all. Only his camera bag was missing. David surmises that someone must have quickly walked past and grabbed it.

He lost an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, and three lenses: a 17mm, a 25mm, and a 45mm, as well as the bag itself, filters, and battery packs.

‘It’s All My Fault’

David takes full responsibility, calling himself a “massive fool” for not keeping his camera kit close to him at all times.

“I know how crazy it is to not have my camera right beside me,” he says. “Normally I place my camera bag at the bottom of the tripod when I’m recording videos. I can’t explain why I left my camera there. It’s crazy.”

David says he jumped on his bicycle and tried to search the local area in the vain hope he might spot someone with it. Ultimately, David was forced to call the police, who told him there’s “not a lot they could do” because there’s no evidence.

“There are council [CCTV] cameras about and I called the council and asked if I could have a look at their footage and they said I couldn’t; it’s not for the public,” says David. “I’m thinking, ‘Well, if it’s not for the public, it’s not for crime, what’s it there for?'”

David says he felt awful after the theft and can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing.

“The lesson I’ve learned is to respect my equipment and to never leave it out of my sight because you cannot trust anyone,” he adds.

Fortunately, David’s insurance has paid out on his claim and he’s now in the process of choosing a new camera. He tells PetaPixel that he will go with the OM System OM-1 III if it’s released in September; otherwise he will go with the OM-1 II .

David’s also considering AirTags; one photographer managed to retrieve $25,000 worth of camera gear that was stolen from him thanks to a well-placed AirTag.

Image credits Header photo licensed via Depositphotos .