Have you ever been interrupted when taking photographs?

[GoodOldNorm]

Woke up early this morning feeling fine, had my slice of Marmite on toast and a cup of tea. Took myself for a short walk with my camera, it was a very misty quite morning , very still no wind. Started taking photographs of a beautiful yellow leafed maple when a voice behind me shouted, "what are you doing, have you seen something?" I ignored the nosey busy- body but she carried on "what are you doing, is there something in there?" With dismay I replied "I'm taking a photograph of a tree". The middle aged woman replied, Oh! I thought you were up to somthing, it will be rubbish that photo, what do you want to take a photo of a tree for? I grabbed for my tripod just as her Yorkshire Terrier cocked its leg up and squirted a steam of hot yellow piss all over my tripod leg. Too late the hot steaming liquid trickled down the black paint and onto the fallen leaves. I put my camera in its bag and shouldered my tripod and silently walked wearily back home. I thought of a thousand things I could have said or should have said to the woman but at the forefront of my mind the words F**K OFF would not go away. Have you ever had your thoughts, peace or solitude interupted and what did you do about it?😡:bang:

 

[p.giannakis]

In the summer of 1996 i spent my vacations on a city that a year ago had suffered a big earthquake. I was taking picture in one park, using a small beanbag as a tripod and bent on the ground level when an old lady interupted me to ask if i am doing any measurments for a future earthquake.
In retrospect, the pictures came out crappy but it was a funny moment.....

 

[Nick De Marco]

It is very annoying isn't it.
I usually find turning the camera to them and asking 'shall I take one of you?' shuts them up

 

[Pickett Wilson]

You are too easily discouraged. You've clearly never been in a scrum before and had to get the shot! lol

Seriously. She would have eventually gone away.

 

[Nick De Marco]

I don't mean to start a row, but I have found American's to be worst at this sort of interference. No idea why. Even when in Europe. Had a bad experience with a very load one who obviously thought he was a photographer and wanted everyone to know in the Dali museum in Spain. He kept arranging his model, and shouting generally. When he saw me patiently waiting for him to get out the way, and I took a photo of the little statuette on the cadillac car there, he stood right over my shoulder and said, "are you a car geek?". I said, "no, I am a photographer, what about you?

Then in Venice I was working hard with a tripod in the square and an American walked right into frame and said, "Hey buddy can you take our photo?" handing me a crappy camera. I said, "sorry I am working" and he looked as if I had just said "long live Bin Laden"

 

[John Lawrence]

It's happened to me on the odd occasion.

What always stupefies me though is the way that I can be shooting the most obscure thing from the strangest of all angles and I'll look round and see a group of people with cameras copying me! Bizarrely, the stranger the subject and angle, the more people I get imitating me.

John

 

[Spyro]

LOL if I had a dollar for every time some stranger in the street asked me "did you just take my photo?"
Most times I cant be bothered having that discussion again, but sometimes I just don't feel alive unless I have it. So I'll stick my camera in someone's face and wait until they look up to press the shutter, then wait for the question. With that out of the way I can then really start taking photos 🙂

You get used to it.

 

[Mcary]

So far I've been pretty lucky so far as anytime someone has came by it was during a break, changing film or something like that, so I haven't head deal with any ackward moments so far, but I'm sure my luck will run out sooner or later.

 

[emraphoto]

i make it a personal challenge to win people like that over. the ruder, the better.

she was interested in what you were doing. she just didn't know how to say it.

 

[Pirate]

Yes!! While walking through my town one night for some night shooting with the Hasselblad, I was set up with my tripod for the shot below. There was a small one-way street in front of this building and I was right across this little street. All set up and just about to take the shot, when this little SUV type vehicle pulls right in front of me and stops. The lady driving rolled down the window and asked me what I was doing. I explained it was "Night Photography" but she kept asking why, stating she didn't 'get it' and 'why was I taking pictures at night'..... etc. Her husband in the passenger seat just sat there with a kind of apologetic look on his face as she hounded me for a good three minutes on how it just didn't make sense.
Finally, she left, and I was able to get the shot. I really think she was an American because she spoke out to me right away in English, but I couldn't really tell her accent. Annoying at the least. This was about 1a.m. on maybe a Saturday or Friday night a couple months ago.

 

[Pirate]

Dan, I had just sipped some cola when I read your "stutter" comment and nearly spit it all over my monitor. Good one!

 

[mwooten]

I've had it happen a few times. The most memorable was several years ago to the day. It was Halloween afternoon, and I was traveling through the small South Carolina city of Chester. I decided to try a street parallel to the main road through town. I spotted an old house in a sad state of repair, and stopped to photograph it.

I was on the sidewalk, just snapping away when a woman drove up in a white Oldsmobile. She got out of her car and demanded, "What are you doing?" Like the OP I was of two minds. The smartarsed side of my brain was coming up with all sorts of witty and clever things. I didn't listen to this imp of the perverse, and gave what I normally do in this sort of situation (the simplest of answers) and said, "I'm taking pictures of this house." Well, this answer didn't satisfy her, and she next wanted to know "why are you taking pictures of this house?" To which I replied that it seemed interesting given that this was Halloween day.

Next, Oldsmobile lady told me that the house was her son's. She went on, and on, about this being her son's house, and by the way she sounded I really began to wonder if her son was still amongst the living. I wondered if I was going to find evidence of the paranormal in the images. I assured the woman that I simply found the house visually interesting, and further resisted the imp. She then left.

No less than five minutes later another car pulls up. I man emerges and asks "why are you taking photos of my house?" I answer him, "Oh, hello, I just met your mom" while ignoring the strong desire to say "hey man, glad see that you're alive." House owner asked me next if I was from the city. I told him, "no, I don't live in your town." The fellow repeated the question three more times as we talked.

It turned out that the guy was afraid that his city was going to declare his house a public danger and have it torn down. House owner told me he was going to restore the old structure to its former glory. Not being an expert in such matters it seemed that restoration might cost more than the place was worth, and the impish side of my brain kept running the chorus of "Tobacco Road" through my ears -- 'bring dynamite and a crane, tear it down and start again'. However, the fellow was still wound a bit tight so I just wished him good luck on the restoration and said, "Dude, you do know it's Halloween and you might want to get some plywood for the porch. You don't want any kids disappearing though those holes."

 

[JohnnyT]

Hmm

Hmm

Same thing here...

I was taking picture of leaves during the night and a door opened next to me.

A woman asked
CAN I HELP YOU??!!

I replied
I don't think so.

So, I continued my work. 🙂

 

[ebino]

I'm usually not interpreted because i work mainly on busy streets but once a homeless guy came to me as i was framing a shot and asked what time it is, i just showed him my watch trying not to lose my concentration. He stood there waiting for me to tell him, so he asked again what time it is, still looking at my watch, i got annoyed and said can't talk, he still stood there, finally i told him the wrong time.

But in this instance it was my mistake. I should have told him what time it is in the first place.

But I do get very annoyed if someone comes and tries to talk to me when I'm shooting, especially if they start by asking a question. It throws off my concentration and irritates me.

 

[JayGannon]

I generally try and let them know what I am doing and why, why I think this particular shot is interesting or why I am working on the street. When your nice generally people smile and walk away. If they seem very very irate I do the sorry I dont speak english/french/german Im just a tourist thing and they generally go away.

 

[FPjohn]

Go Digital

Go Digital

I once was approached, while setting up for a photograph of the Falls, by a gentleman who asked me if my view camera was digital. Informed that I was using film, he proceeded to tell me, in detail over 30minutes, of his purchase of more than $5000 in Nikon digital gear and then suggested i move with the times. As he left, I jammed the Compur shutter forgetting it was in open press position! 😱

http://not.contaxg.com/folder.php?id=536

yours
FPJ

 

[petronius]

Most people look first at my camera, the in the direction the lens points, then back to me, no comment, walk on. Some people ask what I shoot or why I take a picture. I normally stop shooting, turn my attention to the asker and explain my search for form and light.
I can´t say if they understand or not, the reaction has never been negative.
The interested receive a card with the adress of my blog.
Most people here in Germany are very careful not to walk into a frame, even when I need them for the composition; I have to tell them not to worry and to go on.

Germany is an amateur photographer country since the 30s, thanks to Agfa and Porst (and others); I think this is one reason for a postive attitude towards photographers here.

 

[Jodorowsky]

I was in my local park yesterday morning, capturing some Autumn colours. There was a group of women (around 10) doing a 'boot camp'. I took a couple of pictures (from a distance, 21mm lens), and then got to work on a landscape. After a little while, one of the women marched up to me and asked, 'What are you doing?' 'I'm taking photographs, what are you doing?' I went so far as to explain the shot in question. Things degenerated further when she suggested that I take an alternative shot as the women(who werent in the frame) 'would be embarrassed.' I suggested that if the women were embarrassed, they may prefer to exercise in private. She made some insinuation or other, accused me of being a 'Thatcherite'(!) and stormed off after I called her a 'very rude woman'. Note to women everywhere- if a man is taking pictures in a park that you're sharing, it's highly unlikely that they're doing so to satisfy some bizarre sexual fetish.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

My approach is very different. I reply very seriously to all kinds of queries if I get interrupted. People may shake their head or roll up their eyes, but they end up leaving me alone.

Sycamore, IL, while photographing some leaves and their shadow on a wall of a house, a woman opened the window and asked what was it I was taking photographs of.

"The shadow of the leaves and branch on the house. I like it."

She must have thought I was nuts. Took a look at my subject, said "oh" and went back in, closing the window.

In Washington DC, I was photographing people by the Whitney Art Museum and a guy (decked out in black leather, with a noticeable five-o'clock shade, and an accent that could have been Hispanic, Italian or Eastern European) asked very loudly "Did you just take a picture of me? Why?"

I let the smart-alecky side of my brain take over. "'Cuz you look cute" I replied.

You should have seen the look on his face... And he walked away from me as if I had some fatal disease! 🙂

 

[robklurfield]

Damned Yorkies. We have three right now plus my daughter's is boarding with us. We used to have four of our own. They have peed on EVERYTHING except for my camera gear. And, I'm a dog lover. I enjoyed your story, every bit of it except for the Marmite (guess one must be a Brit to truly appreciate Marmite).

Did this nosy old bat think you were planning to do something terrorist-like with a camera, tripod and a tree? What, blow up a tree? The dogs can be excused because, aside from barking, peeing is one of the things Yorkshire terriers do best. The woman's behavior, however, is boorish. Post-9/11 everyone is afraid of cameras. Totally irrational. I guess the next thing, given this week's events, is that we must all now fear printer toner cartridges.

Woke up early this morning feeling fine, had my slice of Marmite on toast and a cup of tea. Took myself for a short walk with my camera, it was a very misty quite morning , very still no wind. Started taking photographs of a beautiful yellow leafed maple when a voice behind me shouted, "what are you doing, have you seen something?" I ignored the nosey busy- body but she carried on "what are you doing, is there something in there?" With dismay I replied "I'm taking a photograph of a tree". The middle aged woman replied, Oh! I thought you were up to somthing, it will be rubbish that photo, what do you want to take a photo of a tree for? I grabbed for my tripod just as her Yorkshire Terrier cocked its leg up and squirted a steam of hot yellow piss all over my tripod leg. Too late the hot steaming liquid trickled down the black paint and onto the fallen leaves. I put my camera in its bag and shouldered my tripod and silently walked wearily back home. I thought of a thousand things I could have said or should have said to the woman but at the forefront of my mind the words F**K OFF would not go away. Have you ever had your thoughts, peace or solitude interupted and what did you do about it?😡:bang: