My (planned) modus operandi for confrontations.

[Major Tom]

After some reading and thinking I've made the following plan/philosophy. Hopefully I don't have to deal with it and I'm sure experience might change some of this, but I think it's important to have a plan of sorts or things might go sour. This might look over complicated, but I think of it as the natural consequences of a more general attitude and it's more for the sake of discussion than a rule book. Let me know what you think.

I premise my approach on:

People are more important than my "photography".

Talking about your rights or asking to see someone's supervisor is usually unnecessary and counterproductive.

Whether or not I am an "artist" is up to other people to decide, and should have no bearing on how I treat others, let alone how I photograph.

Essentially, The Golden Rule.

Generally:

Be polite, calm and apologetic unless physically threatened.

In public/on the street:

1. Explicitly say you are a photographer.

2. Apologize if they are offended.

3. Offer a card with first name and a Flickr/sugmug/etc (but no personal info).

4. If they ask you to "delete" -

Film: explain you are using film, but promise to destroy their image after you develop.

Digital: Delete the photo on camera in their presence IF they are calm. Promise to delete if they are aggressive, but keep your camera to yourself.

5. If they threaten to call police say they are free to do so and offer to wait.


In secluded areas such as train yards, industrial parks, etc:

1. Previous 1-3 also apply.

2. Ensure you obey all notices on signs. Do not go past fences and so on.

3. If confronted, establish they are an employee.

4. Explain how you enjoy whatever it is you are photographing; trains, airplanes, factories etc.

5. Offer to leave, even if you are not technically trespassing.

 

[tunalegs]

A common sense approach eh?

 

[doolittle]

Apologetic seems to imply fault on your behalf, right away putting you on the defensive.
I am not saying that giving an apology is necessary a bad strategy, but I wouldn't resort to it right away.

I would include 'smile'. Convey that you are a decent person, and not seeking to harm. Reasonable would be the word I would have in mind.

Failing that point behind them and say 'oh look, is that a giant jelly fish' and run very fast in the opposite direction.

 

[Major Tom]

Apologetic seems to imply fault on your behalf, right away putting you on the defensive.
I am not saying that giving an apology is necessary a bad strategy, but I wouldn't resort to it right away.

I would include 'smile'. Convey that you are a decent person, and not seeking to harm. Reasonable would be the word I would have in mind.

Failing that point behind them and say 'oh look, is that a giant jelly fish' and run very fast in the opposite direction.

Not necessarily an explicit apology, but body language and tone of voice can go a long way.

To me, the key is to initially do whatever you can to defuse and in the process gauge how aggressive they are.

 

[Major Tom]

A common sense approach eh?

Looks more like a flowchart approach, doesn't it?

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I'd add a few steps to your, already good, list. First, if possible why not simply ask? Just a few days ago I was in a pharmacy in a remote area of a tropical country and they had a really beautiful collection of old glass container they use for raw material which looked like a chemistry lab from the 19th century, I told them I liked that and asked whether I could take a few pictures, I promised them to send them some small file and told that I could give them one print if they wanted, I also told them that I didn't have any plan to use the images for anything commercial but that if occasion would arise of course I would ask them their permission. I toke many pictures, and while I was taking them another guy, probably a tourist, toke out his camera but the reaction of the owner of the pharmacy was to tell him not to take pictures and explained that he was letting me do that because I asked, explained who I was and could trust me. The second is about getting caught in a closed area, I think that if you are in some private property and a ward get you in many countries they have the right to confiscate film or memory card (I am thinking of places such as those visited by "urban explorers" such as abandoned building, factories, destroyed constructions), in this case I would consider a quick change before they get close enough to notice and handling to them an unexposed film/empty card.

GLF

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I would not give any personal info (Offer a card with first name and a Flickr/sugmug/etc (but no personal info).

I have figured out who someone is on much less information. Google is very powerful.

The rest is just good common sense if the person is armed.

It is very hard to become a photographer and not giving any personal information.

GLF

 

[Brian Legge]

Many people have no idea why they were just photographed and start imaging all sorts of terrible reasons. They did something embarrassing, its to put on line and mock them, etc.

Simply giving them a reason you took the photo (ideally honest, but if you are an impulsive shooter and aren't sure why yourself, something flattering and impersonal like 'awesome hat/shirt/etc' along with a smile puts people at ease as it gives them an answer.

I've also been asked many times if I'm taking a photo class. Perhaps the right answer is 'yeah, how'd you guess?' 🙂

 

[squareshooter]

How about, say, immediately shouting that you are a terrible person and only a disgusting individual would allow himself to take photographs in a public place. Perhaps an offer to commit ritual suicide? I used to collect stamps. I never got any backtalk from one of my stamps. But of course you are kidding, right? A little lame humor to pass the time? Why not tell the person you presume you have offended what a great bokay the out-of-focus storm troopers in the background (ready to round you up and put you in the slammer) make. That will put them to sleep in a hurry and allow you to escape. I once had a photo class student ask me if he could make money taking photos of images off the television set. Perhaps you should stay home and photograph the evening news?

 

[rpsawin]

You can always try "crazy" and with your most wide- eyed, amazed look say "Wow, you can really see me"..,

 

[davidbivins]

Your numbered tips are sensible to someone who is afraid of confrontation. Squareshooter's response is pretty much in line with my attitude.
You are a photographer. You should abide by the laws of wherever you are photographing or expect to suffer consequences. E.g. in NYC anyone in a public place can be photographed legally. Even children in a playground.

If you wish to capture candid scenarios with strangers, you have to be able to take photographs one way or another. One way is to read about/view videos of Bruce Gilden and channel his attitude. That is one extreme. The middle ground is to watch/read about Garry Winogrand. He took AMAZING street photographs, and the entire time he was smiling and chatting with his subjects. Look it up. The other extreme is to ask permission every time and apologize every time someone gives you attitude. That will take a lot of your time but maybe it will make you feel better. You will not take as many good photographs probably.

Given the tone of your post, I'm guessing you've not been in many, if any, confrontational situations, nor have you been in the position to be in such situations. I say this because I used to be fearful. I was afraid of getting punched or yelled at or arrested unlawfully. And I found that the more I just took the photographs that I wanted to take, perfectly within the law (and human decency, which is another thing altogether), the more I realized that no one was getting in my face. I have had a handful of situations that were less than comfortable, and here a few:
1) The security guard outside the HSBC headquarters told me I can't take photos outside their building (at 5th Ave and 40th in NYC). I told him he was totally wrong, but I would respect his bull**** if he let me take his picture. He consented and I did. And I have never stopped taking photos on that corner.
2) A security guard at Port Authority (big bus station in Manhattan) told me I couldn't take photos inside (of my nephew interacting with a sculpture there) because of "the London bombing." He was actually wrong (I spoke with a supervisor separately) but I nodded and took more photos later.
3) I saw Daido Moriyama in my work block and had my Yashica T4 with me. I politely asked his permission to take his photograph, and he stopped and posed and I put my finger across the lens and took the ****tiest photograph ever. If I had been myself and just taken his photo it might have turned out differently.

So do what you think is right to take the best photograph you can take. If your goal is to offend the fewest people, try something different than street photography. I'm not trying to be a jerk about this, I'm just trying to be realistic. Candid photography is candid, not posed.

 

[Brian Legge]

David, I think feeling prepared to deal with a hard situation - should one arise - can be a useful exercise for someone concerned about it. It lets people get down to the photography, knowing they have a plan for dealing with the unforeseen should it arise.

I've only been to NY a twice but each time I go, I find myself wishing Seattle was as laid back about photographers. People there don't seem to react at all most of the time. Here I point a camera at someone and there is a 30% chance they immediately try to jump out of the frame. A few hundred shots in NY and I didn't have it happen once there.

 

[Boris Stupak]

I was once on an assignment to photograph a foreign politician in a foreign country. I was shooting for a Japanese magazine in a Pacific country.

The politician was shot, murdered by the military on the tarmac of the airport, and I captured the whole thing on film. (nobody had imagined that this was going to happen) I was about 10 feet away.

A young soldier saw me photographing, and pointed his rifle at me and was going to shoot me. I shook my head "no", opened the camera, pulled out the film, exposed it all to light, and threw it on the ground. Then I also dropped the camera on the ground and raised my hands, palms outward.

A military officer saw me do that. He looked at me a long time (it seemed a long time), looked at the young soldier aiming at me, looked at me again. Finally, he gestured to the soldier to lower his rifle, and said to me "go".

I went. I forced myself to walk slowly and quickly disappeared into the crowd. I trembled uncontrollably after I was out of danger.

 

[philipaloft]

And of course there's the story from the days of just film when a photographer working in Asia was busted by authorities for shooting in a restricted area and they confiscated all of his exposed rolls of film. However he had his film set up in reverse, with his exposed film packaged to look like unopened boxes (leaders out) and his unexposed film loose in a ziplock with the leader withdrawn into the canister ( he'd retrieve it out prior to loading ).
His polite behavior was rewarded by his being allowed to at least keep his unopened boxes for "future use".
Philip B.

 

[Boris Stupak]

I find this implausible for many reasons.

And of course there's the story from the days of just film when a photographer working in Asia was busted by authorities for shooting in a restricted area and they confiscated all of his exposed rolls of film. However he had his film set up in reverse, with his exposed film packaged to look like unopened boxes (leaders out) and his unexposed film loose in a ziplock with the leader withdrawn into the canister ( he'd retrieve it out prior to loading ).
His polite behavior was rewarded by his being allowed to at least keep his unopened boxes for "future use".
Philip B.

 

[koven]

Just go out and shoot

 

[35mmdelux]

In a confrontational situation quickly dis-engaging is the best and strategic way to go. Find out what the problem is and be responsive to the complaint. Most often the person engaging you is not alone which is why they feel emboldened.

Only a fool would read them the Photographer's Bill of Rights.

 

[Major Tom]

How about, say, immediately shouting that you are a terrible person and only a disgusting individual would allow himself to take photographs in a public place. Perhaps an offer to commit ritual suicide? I used to collect stamps. I never got any backtalk from one of my stamps. But of course you are kidding, right? A little lame humor to pass the time? Why not tell the person you presume you have offended what a great bokay the out-of-focus storm troopers in the background (ready to round you up and put you in the slammer) make. That will put them to sleep in a hurry and allow you to escape. I once had a photo class student ask me if he could make money taking photos of images off the television set. Perhaps you should stay home and photograph the evening news?

Yeesh. Tough crowd.

My goal is to defuse, then get away. If someone truly seemed over aggressive or crazy I'd probably stop trying and just walk/run away.

If I acquiesce to some jerk, who cares? I didn't get into a fight, I've kept my equipment and I get to go take more photos.

 

[alan davus]

I was once on an assignment to photograph a foreign politician in a foreign country. I was shooting for a Japanese magazine in a Pacific country.

The politician was shot, murdered by the military on the tarmac of the airport, and I captured the whole thing on film. (nobody had imagined that this was going to happen) I was about 10 feet away.

A young soldier saw me photographing, and pointed his rifle at me and was going to shoot me. I shook my head "no", opened the camera, pulled out the film, exposed it all to light, and threw it on the ground. Then I also dropped the camera on the ground and raised my hands, palms outward.

A military officer saw me do that. He looked at me a long time (it seemed a long time), looked at the young soldier aiming at me, looked at me again. Finally, he gestured to the soldier to lower his rifle, and said to me "go".

I went. I forced myself to walk slowly and quickly disappeared into the crowd. I trembled uncontrollably after I was out of danger.

Bloody Nora!!! I would have changed occupations (and something else) after that..... As to the OP, I concur with a common sense approach. Is a photograph really worth a confrontation?

 

[jonmanjiro]

I was once on an assignment to photograph a foreign politician in a foreign country. I was shooting for a Japanese magazine in a Pacific country.

The politician was shot, murdered by the military on the tarmac of the airport, and I captured the whole thing on film. (nobody had imagined that this was going to happen) I was about 10 feet away.

A young soldier saw me photographing, and pointed his rifle at me and was going to shoot me. I shook my head "no", opened the camera, pulled out the film, exposed it all to light, and threw it on the ground. Then I also dropped the camera on the ground and raised my hands, palms outward.

A military officer saw me do that. He looked at me a long time (it seemed a long time), looked at the young soldier aiming at me, looked at me again. Finally, he gestured to the soldier to lower his rifle, and said to me "go".

I went. I forced myself to walk slowly and quickly disappeared into the crowd. I trembled uncontrollably after I was out of danger.

Wow, that would have been quite an experience... 😱

This by any chance?