Intent on taking expensive equipment from wedding photographers, thieves have taken aim at both professionals as well as the couples being photographed.
One incident saw gun-wielding assailants capture on film whipping the wedding photographer repeatedly. He was seen clutching his bag as if he wanted to preserve the memories that he had captured for bride and groom.
Hours before, identical men were seen allegedly robbing another photographer on different video footage.
The attacks happened at San Francisco’s iconic Palace of Fine Arts, which often serves as a background for wedding photographers. The incidents are being investigated by police.
“It’s a violation,” Chloe Jackman is a photographer who told Inside Edition that her equipment was stolen three times. “It’s heartbreaking; you want to scream. You want to blame somebody.”
In those incidents, Jackman’s camera gear was stolen from her car, but now she worries she may be physically assaulted as well.
“I have started to worry about my personal safety while I am out shooting,” She says.
Jackman made extra safety precautions during a photoshoot at Palace of Fine Arts. To keep an eye on Jackman, she brought her husband and kept her camera equipment safe.
Annie Zou, husband and wife photographer and David Zhang take additional precautions to ensure their safety. The couple even hired guards with guns to keep them safe while they work.
“I do feel like every day, whenever we go out for a photoshoot, our lives are somehow in danger,” Zou says. “And I feel like sooner or later, we will be the target.”