What/where you shouldn't photograph

[jmkelly]

For me photography is a hobby - not a craft on which I plan to build a reputation, nor would I pursue it as some sort of political statement, or to make a political statement. It is enough of a worry that I have to think about who might object to developing shots of my kids naked bodies. Cats? Yes, because they are around and don't object. Beach? No, but mostly because I don't want to expose my old cameras to salt air. Nudes? Yes, but just of my wife because she would object to me soliciting for nude models, and just for me as she would perfer I don't share them on the internet. Arrangements of manufactured products? Yes, because for a GASbag like me a good pic of gear, with or without a cup of coffee, is just fine thank you.

 

[emraphoto]

i shoot homeless people. nice folk most of 'em.

 

[emraphoto]

kids sometimes too.

but NEVER beaches, that's just no good.

 

[Chris101]

I used to go surfing in Carlsbad, S. Calif., where they have a nuclear power plant on the beach. A great subject for industrial photography btw. Would I photograph it? Not unless I wanted to be detained, answer a boat load of questions, have my name handed over to the FBI, and have my Leica confiscated.

common sense, common sense..

Ya mean this plant?

The Carlsbad powerplant is gas fired. The nuclear plant at San Onofre, is about 35 miles north of Carlsbad, and can be seen and photographed from the I5.

Another view of the Carlsbad plant (which is pretty cool!) taken last summer:

I don't think it's operating either. Most of Southern California's power comes from PVNGS in western Arizona.

Oh look, a beach. 🙁

 

[Sparrow]

Sunsets ... we have enough sunsets already, and cats ... perhaps; and autumn colour ... that pisses me off every year in AP, the rest is fair game

 

[Wahoo]

Sunsets ... we have enough sunsets already, and cats ... perhaps; and autumn colour ... that pisses me off every year in AP, the rest is fair game

Well what about a pleasant looking friendly chappie ?

 

[Sparrow]

Well what about a pleasant looking friendly chappie ?

how did you discover it was a chap?.. we need to know

 

[Nescio]

I would definitely favour including the Eiffel Tower as a potential military object.

 

[robklurfield]

Rules. Break 'em or not???

I compromised on the concert shots. I brought my M8 w/ a Canon 50/1.4. The house announced that photography "of any kind" was forbidden. So, I estimated the distance from my seat by the bar at The Jazz Standard (great club, btw, on E 27th St in NYC; recommended) to the stage. I did NOT bring the viewfinder to my eye (given that I was sitting where I was easily scrutinized by club management (and, being with my wife, in no mood to be put out to the street). I shot from my chest. With the crowd between me and the stage this was destined to be a mediocre shooting night, but one certainly redeemed by an astonishing set of great music.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3978263895/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3979025534/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3978264331/

These are shots I am not proud to show on a photography site, but their content has merit that makes them worthwhile for sharing.

To make a long story short, the set was great. Bobby Bradford, who played with Ornette Coleman early in his their careers and who made a great body of work with his late friend, clarinetist John Carter, is an old friend (a professor from my college days). The band included Bobby Bradford – trumpet, Marty Ehrlich – saxophones, clarinet Mark Dresser – bass, Andrew Cyrille – drums, David Murray - saxophone My shots all shot with estimated -- not even scale-focused distances -- all came out pretty piss poor.

See Bradford and see David Murray if ever the opportunity presents itself. The entire band was superb. Andrew Cyrille is a giant in the history of so-called new music/avant-garde drumming.

 

[robklurfield]

Oh, and here is my other broken rule for tonight, a shoeless homeless person. No beach shots, no cats.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3978266123/

 

[lawrence]

"Photography is not cute cats, nor nudes, motherhood or arrangements of manufactured products. Under no circumstances it is anything ever anywhere near a beach."

You all really think Evans believed that?

I don't think he meant it to be taken literally. It was his humourous way of saying "Don't think that real photography consists clichés or commercial work -- there's more to it than that". To judge from his own work, I agree.

 

[mfunnell]

"Photography is not cute cats, nor nudes, motherhood or arrangements of manufactured products. Under no circumstances it is anything ever anywhere near a beach." Walker Evans

Does anyone agree with this?

Of course I agree:




(This seal, Henrietta, is completely nude. And on a beach.)







I wouldn't dream of shooting any such subjects.

...Mike

 

[Steve Karr]

I live in a world where "Don't" doesn't exist. Only good intentions guide me.

Americans are too hung -up. We like to hide what is true. That's why we don't like our ...(our wife, kids, dog, car, poverty, our fat bellies ... ) photographed. It reminds us we are hiding something from ourselves.

Just keep it real ... who can have a problem with truth.

 

[kansas_parker]

Fences around US Military installations are strictly off limits. Security has a very good time detaining photographers who do.

Except here in Japan when planes are flying. The photogs are out by the hundreds with stepladders and the latest in zoom/telephoto lenses. People have called the base cops about them before but nobody seems to know what to do. They're Japanese nationals in Japan...or spies😀.

 

[f16sunshine]

Am I allowed to take pictures of my doggy?

Holy cute dog!
Post more. I love the sly glance very, human like.

 

[cblkdog]

I shoot whoever and whatever I want. Haven't had any complaints in 40 some years.

 

[clicker]

Rule # 1

Rule # 1

No self portraits, especially next to your RF profile.

 

[TWoK]

Cat's and homeless people are about all I shoot. You can never get enough kitty porn:


Honestly I try to follow my understanding of Eggleston's philosophy of democratic photography: Everything interesting deserves one shot and only one shot.

 

[Carlsen Highway]

If you shoot the world as it is, you will always be original. Someone said that once. I think it was me actually.
Thats a way of saying it incudes cats, children at the park and the beach. on the other hand, I have littel interest in cats as aphotgrpahic subject, the children would have to be expressive, and I hate the beach. And pack shots.

I have noticed that people seem to be more sensitive to being photogrpahed in this decade.
They are much quicker to make their 'rights' known. In other words more and more I find people - usually young people assumming they have the right to not be photographed in public.
There is definately a trend towards younger people assumming they have every right to anything, in fact whatever their whim of the moment might be.

 

[pakeha]

`There is definately a trend towards younger people assumming they have every right to anything, in fact whatever their whim of the moment might be. '
the kind of sweeping generalization we get far too much of from a certain generation in this country😎