I was on the crowded bus that would take me to my next photo shoot location in the dense nature of Indonesia. But what seemed like a normal day quickly turned into a nightmare.

When we were stopped by a group of masked men with guns, I knew something was wrong. I was taken off the bus and held at gunpoint while the men barked orders at me in Indonesian. I didn’t understand what they wanted, but the panic in their eyes told me I was in danger.

They thought I was carrying a weapon, and I knew I had to do something quickly before they lost their nerve and shot. So with trembling hands, I took my silver analog camera out of my bag and showed it to the masked men.

Fortunately, it all turned out to be a misunderstanding and they quickly let me go. The cloths fell off their faces and turned out to be very nice, cheerful guys. I took a few pictures of them to show that I was a photographer and explained that I was here to document the beautiful nature and culture of Indonesia.

Although I was relieved that everything had ended well, the excitement of the incident stayed with me. It had shown me how quickly things can change, even in the quiet surroundings of dense nature. But I was also grateful for the valuable lesson I had learned: always be prepared for the unexpected and never leave your camera behind, because you never know when you will need it to save your life.