Scary Moments at a Photo Shoot

A true story about what can happen if you get overconfident while doing a naked photoshoot.

At the beginning of this century I moved to the south of the Netherlands. As a result, I lived a bit further from my work in the city of Eindhoven, but for my partner it was much closer to her work. And because I could easily work from home, I didn't have to travel every day. In terms of travel time, it made little difference whether I took the car or the train.

If I went by train, I always first drove to a small railway station, about half an hour from Eindhoven. I soon discovered that both that station and the train offered good opportunities to get naked and photograph myself. Coincidentally, all stations on my route have the entrance/exit at the western end of the platform. That means that on the way there most people get in the front and on the way back, most people get in the back. Moreover, the train was an old type, with a separate locomotive and wagons. So no modern train set that didn't really have a front and back. And that offered opportunities, especially on the way back.

When I traveled back from work, I always walked all the way to the end of the platform in Eindhoven. Most days only a few people were waiting there; people who also preferred not to be in an overcrowded carriage. Almost everyone left at the first bigger station. So from there I almost always had the carriage to myself.

Because conductors also like convenience, I was almost certain that they would not come to check after we'd passed that bigger station. They also preferred to stay at the other end of the train, so that they could quickly get their coffee at the end station. And that meant I had fifteen minutes of photo shoot time.

At the last stop before my station, I always checked whether the conductor was indeed at the very back of the train. If that was the case, I installed my camera on the tripod and undressed. As the train moved slowly out of the station, it first passed two crossings, where waiting traffic could see me. It was probably such an unlikely picture that most people didn't even notice it. Sometimes I pressed my naked body against the window to make it a little clearer.

I've done quite a few shoots. First quickly put my pants down, click, pants up again, but when I got used to it I became braver / careless and left my clothes on a bench to walk through the whole car. I did funny poses, I tied myself to the luggage rack, I stiffened myself, I filmed myself walking through the car and through the door to the next car.

One time it turned out that someone was still sitting on the very last bench. I didn't notice until he got up and started to walk to the next car. When I saw him get up I quickly sat down on a bench. He walked past without looking. No idea if he saw me. I did get dressed right away, just in case he alerted the conductor.

My departure station station also offered good opportunities. It was at the end of a road that led exclusively to that station, so there was no through traffic. There was a large parking lot along the platform, but on quiet days everyone parked at the beginning, because that's where the entrance to the station was. There were 4 trains per hour, but the trains in both directions always arrived more or less at the same time. So nothing happened for about half an hour. If the trains had just left, it would take about 20 minutes before passengers showed up for the next train.

At the very end of the parking lot, there was a well-worn, unofficial path leading to the platform. I always parked my car and walked onto the platform there. And every now and then I drove there at a quiet moment to do a nude photo shoot. I took pictures while sitting in the glass sentry box, walking on the platform, looking at the timetable board, leaning against the light poles, or tied to them.

I remember setting up the camera to photograph me in an easy pose on a bench on the platform. Suddenly the bells of the nearby level crossing rang. Strange, because the trains in both directions had just left 5 minutes before. Suddenly I realized that the international train that normally runs via Arnhem had to detour via Venlo due to work in Germany. I decided to stay put and offer the passengers a surprising view.

This is also where I experienced the most terrifying moment of my nude photo shoot career. It was during the World Cup and the Netherlands played the semi-final. No doubt there would be hardly any people on the road or on the train. It was indeed very quiet at the station. I decided to do a more extensive shoot, including a video. I used to put my clothes in the waiting booth, but now I was so sure no one would show up that I took them off in the parking lot and left them in my car. I left the car unlocked and the keys in the ignition. My wallet and phone were in the pockets of my trousers.

I walked across the parking lot, walked all over the platform, snapped photos while lying sideways on the tracks. And then suddenly I saw a car coming. Oops, a traveler right? The car drove across the otherwise empty parking lot and pulled up next to mine. I froze (not everywhere ;-)) with fright. I had hidden behind a bench as best I could. There were 4 boys in the car. Why didn't they watch the game? They were laughing and making jokes.

I lay there thinking about what to do. Just walk to my car, get in and drive off, as if it were the most normal thing in the world? Or wait and hope they would drive off again? Suppose they came to pick someone up, they would certainly stay there until the trains arrived. But suppose they got out, felt the door of my car, found it open and there were clothes in the front seat... Would they go to the station to see if they could find the owner of those clothes? Or would they look further, find my phone and wallet, see the keys in the lock, and decide to take the car and leave me naked at the station?

2 guys got out. They lit a cigarette and walked around my car. They looked inside, but then turned and easily leaned against it as they smoked. When the level crossing bells rang, they quickly got back into their car, which then slowly drove away. As it disappeared from view, the first train pulled into the station. I ran to the small path at the end of the platform and disappeared into the bushes. From where I sat I saw a conductor and some passengers pressed against the windows to see if what they thought they saw was true.

I stayed in my hiding place until the 2nd train came and left again. Fortunately, no people got out. I walked back to my car, got dressed and drove home, knowing that I would never walk that far from my clothes again and certainly never leave the car with the keys in it again.