Male and SLR = Predator?

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rkm

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I'm a bit bummed out. I just took my boy to his swimming lesson. There's mostly mums there, I was the only dad. It's a weekly thing and the mums are often snapping away taking iPhone pics. I took a few photos of my boy last week with my Nikon FE with 50/1.4 without complaint, but as soon as I got it out this week, the centre manager approached me and asked me to not take any more photos. It's not that photography isn't allowed. Her gripe was that she thought my photography was excessive. Too many photos. It probably looked that way (it takes me a while to line up a shot and manually focus on my son because he's a moving target). I probably took 6-8 photos. I think her real problem was a fear of something else.

I understand why people are sensitive, and rules are there to protect my boy just as they are there to protect others. I just find it a bit disappointing.
I've taken a lot of iPhone photos in the past but have moved to film because I want to create a better photographic history for my boy to look back on (among other creative and aesthetic reasons).

I guess this is the first time this is happened, and my newfound enthusiasm for photography is now tinged with the realization that this attitude is something I'm going to continue to face... being looked on as a predator, presumably because of my gender and camera choice (I may be wrong). The irony is that if I were a predator I could easily take as many iPhone photos of anything that I wanted without being detected.

I'm not writing this to bolster a defense. It's really just venting. Sorry if it's in the wrong section.
 
Before putting words like "predator" into the managing director's mouth I'd ask what, exactly, she believes is "excessive". I'm assuming that you are paying for hte swimming lessons and a calm chat may give her reason to come to her senses when she realizes that you are (a) not a predator and (b) one of her customers.
 
p.s. I am male and have been in many environments photographing kids -- both mine and the kids my kids play with. Never have I been accused of being a predator, nor has it ever been implied. Maybe I'm lucky.
 
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I've had exactly the same experience taking photos of my daughter's soccer game. I don't care what the staff SAYS, its very clear to me that if I was a 30-year old mom instead of a 60-yr. old dad, no one would have said a thing to me.

The bigger issue to me is to ask ourselves what difference does it make if someone takes a picture of our kid out in public. What do these people think I could possibly do with that picture of their fully-clothed kid??
 
Gumby said:
Before putting words like "predator" into the managing director's mouth I'd ask what, exactly, she believes is "excessive". I'm assuming that you are paying for hte swimming lessons and a calm chat may give her reason to come to her senses when she realizes that you are (a) not a predator and (b) one of her customers.
Click to expand...

I did my best to reassure her that I was only taking photos of my boy, and asked how much is too much, to which she had no answer... only that I was being excessive. I read between the lines and asked no further questions. Who would think a clean cut 5'5" guy with a little Nikon FE would be so threatening? Thursday's are my day off work with my boy, and I treasure them. I will be looking for another place to spend them with him.
 
I had a similar experience when taking photos of my girlfriend horse riding. I would often spend time taking photos and video for her to asses herself and we are very good friendship with the owner of the riding school.
A mother of someone else riding in the arena confronted me and ask why i was taking photos of her son to which i explained i wasn't (man with camera and children around). I showed her photos and she was still agrresive towards me at which point i asked if she had a problem with another mother standing less then 5m away taking photos.
It really got to me and i mentined it to the owner who basically told the mother if she has a problem with me taking photos there she was welcome to take her buisness elsewhere.

I still can't help feeling disspointed by the confromtation though to the point i no longer feel comfortable taking photos in that kind of environment. Im guessing you have a simmilar feeling. Its an awkward moment that you don't want really. I think its great you want photos of your son and can't wait to do the same myself one day.

The funny thing is after all that i have been asked by a few parents at the place if i could take photos for them.
 
North American paranoia perhaps?

...and I'm not saying that in jest. It just seems that the places I've been to in Europe and Asia are much more open to having childrens' photos taken.
 
Paranoia really. The sad thing is that most don't really know when a true predator is around, so they go for the easy targets (men with cameras). Do true predators go around with their relatives making photos of their every day activities? Asinine.
 
rohankent said:
I did my best to reassure her that I was only taking photos of my boy, and asked how much is too much, to which she had no answer... only that I was being excessive. I read between the lines and asked no further questions. Who would think a clean cut 5'5" guy with a little Nikon FE would be so threatening? Thursday's are my day off work with my boy, and I treasure them. I will be looking for another place to spend them with him.
Click to expand...

What a shame. BTW, she should be informed that a pervert would never use such a camera as a FE... a real pervert would use digital. Tell her I said so!
 
jky said:
North American paranoia perhaps?

...and I'm not saying that in jest. It just seems that the places I've been to in Europe and Asia are much more open to having childrens' photos taken.
Click to expand...

in Europe and Asia a lot of old people (grandparents) take special attention to kids and give them candy..
 
jky said:
North American paranoia perhaps?

...and I'm not saying that in jest. It just seems that the places I've been to in Europe and Asia are much more open to having childrens' photos taken.
Click to expand...

I've never experienced that kind of paranoia in Los Angeles.
 
Jamie Pillers said:
What do these people think I could possibly do with that picture of their fully-clothed kid??
Click to expand...
I find it strange that people see a guy with a camera and think pervert, but I bet they don't think twice when viewing pictures of kids in magazines and movies, on tv and billboards etc. Does that make those picture valid and pure to them?
 
rohankent said:
I'm a bit bummed out. I just took my boy to his swimming lesson. There's mostly mums there, I was the only dad. It's a weekly thing and the mums are often snapping away taking iPhone pics. I took a few photos of my boy last week with my Nikon FE with 50/1.4 without complaint, but as soon as I got it out this week, the centre manager approached me and asked me to not take any more photos. It's not that photography isn't allowed. Her gripe was that she thought my photography was excessive. Too many photos. It probably looked that way (it takes me a while to line up a shot and manually focus on my son because he's a moving target). I probably took 6-8 photos. I think her real problem was a fear of something else.

I understand why people are sensitive, and rules are there to protect my boy just as they are there to protect others. I just find it a bit disappointing.
I've taken a lot of iPhone photos in the past but have moved to film because I want to create a better photographic history for my boy to look back on (among other creative and aesthetic reasons).

I guess this is the first time this is happened, and my newfound enthusiasm for photography is now tinged with the realization that this attitude is something I'm going to continue to face... being looked on as a predator, presumably because of my gender and camera choice (I may be wrong). The irony is that if I were a predator I could easily take as many iPhone photos of anything that I wanted without being detected.

I'm not writing this to bolster a defense. It's really just venting. Sorry if it's in the wrong section.
Click to expand...

I don't think you should grow cold to your newfound hobby of photography...

If it was me in the situation I would with respect laugh at her and clearly explain you are taking pictures of your boy who you are very proud of and if at that moment she still looks like she has problems I would go to the head of management and explain this situation..
 
I am 6' and have a long beard. I take pictures of children in private venues (birthday's, etc) and in public at the beach. I shoot with Leica's, Nikon's and have never been bothered. I am sorry for your experience. I think part of it is you as in your attitude and part of it is the PC paranoia that has permeated our society. To most people, taking pictures with an iPhone seems innocent and trivial and to many people a camera is a camera. Sounds stupid and it is. Sounds like you need to find a more tolerant venue, I would. In your defense, I have to say, I am really sick of this PC BS!!!
 
Jamie Pillers said:
I've had exactly the same experience taking photos of my daughter's soccer game. I don't care what the staff SAYS, its very clear to me that if I was a 30-year old mom instead of a 60-yr. old dad, no one would have said a thing to me.

The bigger issue to me is to ask ourselves what difference does it make if someone takes a picture of our kid out in public. What do these people think I could possibly do with that picture of their fully-clothed kid??
Click to expand...

Exactly. I've had that kind of stuff happen to me too, I can barely think about it now without getting worked up.
 
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