robert blu
quiet photographer
yes, this is the way now. But in 10 or 20 years people looking our photographs will ask where have all the children gone...
robert
Photographing children
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yes, this is the way now. But in 10 or 20 years people looking our photographs will ask where have all the children gone...
robert
BuzzyOne
Established
Right, because there are so many evil photographers out there snatching up children and taking photos before shooting up schools. Good grief.
Your kids are more likely to come to harm by a family member or close friend. Frankly, your kids are more likely to be harmed by YOU rather than me. Maybe you should stay away from them.
EDIT: Rhetorical you.
Your kids are more likely to come to harm by a family member or close friend. Frankly, your kids are more likely to be harmed by YOU rather than me. Maybe you should stay away from them.
EDIT: Rhetorical you.
Pioneer
Veteran
I photograph children all the time. I am not a weirdo or a pedophile, I just find them to be wonderfully photogenic. A lot of other photographers throughout the years have found that to be true as well.
There is some risk in it. I have had the police called on me, I have been confronted by school officials and parents, or sometimes just nosey "concerned" citizens.
I could stop, but if I did I would miss out on many of the best photographs I have taken. So I accept the risk and continue.
Every time a confrontation occurs I shake my head and wonder at the stupidity of people who run scared from a simple camera yet let their kids stay out until midnight, spend hours unsupervised at the mall or other public places and they don't even blink an eye.
And don't even get me started on "stranger danger." For every child who is abducted by the next Jeffrey Dahmer, literally thousands of children are horribly abused every single day by their parents, relatives, or close friends of their parent. But it is much easier to point the finger at the photographer then themselves.
There is some risk in it. I have had the police called on me, I have been confronted by school officials and parents, or sometimes just nosey "concerned" citizens.
I could stop, but if I did I would miss out on many of the best photographs I have taken. So I accept the risk and continue.
Every time a confrontation occurs I shake my head and wonder at the stupidity of people who run scared from a simple camera yet let their kids stay out until midnight, spend hours unsupervised at the mall or other public places and they don't even blink an eye.
And don't even get me started on "stranger danger." For every child who is abducted by the next Jeffrey Dahmer, literally thousands of children are horribly abused every single day by their parents, relatives, or close friends of their parent. But it is much easier to point the finger at the photographer then themselves.
sreed2006
Well-known
One thing I have found to be true is that paranoid people cannot tell the difference between a 24mm wide angle lens and a 200mm telephoto lens.
One time, about 3 years ago, I photographed some boys playing tag football in a park, with a 24mm lens. The boys' parents were sitting on the side-lines, and there was a coach or referee on the playing field. I was not hiding at all. Two days later, I got a call from the police, asking what I had been doing. One of the parents had watched me until I got in my car, and got my license plate number, I guess. The person who called the police also said they had seen me somewhere else that I had not been, again taking pictures of children.
The police were decent, and nothing came of it (other than them asking my neighbor about me and me having to take time off of work to meet with them).
Since I only photograph as a hobby, and since talking to the police is not all that pleasurable, and upsetting paranoid people is not something I want to do, I consider it off limits to photograph children anymore. I am not really happy about that, but that is the world I live in. It is just the way it is.
One time, about 3 years ago, I photographed some boys playing tag football in a park, with a 24mm lens. The boys' parents were sitting on the side-lines, and there was a coach or referee on the playing field. I was not hiding at all. Two days later, I got a call from the police, asking what I had been doing. One of the parents had watched me until I got in my car, and got my license plate number, I guess. The person who called the police also said they had seen me somewhere else that I had not been, again taking pictures of children.
The police were decent, and nothing came of it (other than them asking my neighbor about me and me having to take time off of work to meet with them).
Since I only photograph as a hobby, and since talking to the police is not all that pleasurable, and upsetting paranoid people is not something I want to do, I consider it off limits to photograph children anymore. I am not really happy about that, but that is the world I live in. It is just the way it is.
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Ranchu
Veteran
Taking pictures of children implies an aesthetic interest in them, which may or may not be innocent. They have identified a possible threat to the safety of the children and communicated it to the children's parents. Objecting to that is pretty naive. People don't want any strangers photographing their children without their permission. That's the way it is, it's up to the rest of us to deal with that, not the other way around.
Also, it's important for children to be able to identify when they might be in danger, how to tell if someone with a camera is a threat to them or not? I'm curious if people photographing other peoples children tell their own children that strangers taking their picture, when they aren't there, is nothing to worry about necessarily?
Also, it's important for children to be able to identify when they might be in danger, how to tell if someone with a camera is a threat to them or not? I'm curious if people photographing other peoples children tell their own children that strangers taking their picture, when they aren't there, is nothing to worry about necessarily?
skopar steve
Well-known
This topic comes up from time to time on photography forums. It always falls into the two camps. Either "I take photo's of whatever I find interesting in public places" or "I'll take photo's of whatever I find interesting in public places, so long as it won't possibly cause confrontation or anyone to think ill of me.
I take images of children I don't know all the time, and have never been confronted by anyone that objects. But then I've never taken images of children without their parents or other adults around. Perhaps it has something to do with where and how I take images of people.
I take images of children I don't know all the time, and have never been confronted by anyone that objects. But then I've never taken images of children without their parents or other adults around. Perhaps it has something to do with where and how I take images of people.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Michael Markey
Veteran
It continues to be a difficult subject in the UK.
Some time ago my daughter asked me to photograph a scientific event which she`d organised at a city museum .
It was staged for the benefit of children and as such pro photographers were reluctant to cover it ... hence yours truly stepped in.
The museum allocated me two "minders" whose job it was to obtain written consent every time that I took a shot.
Some time ago my daughter asked me to photograph a scientific event which she`d organised at a city museum .
It was staged for the benefit of children and as such pro photographers were reluctant to cover it ... hence yours truly stepped in.
The museum allocated me two "minders" whose job it was to obtain written consent every time that I took a shot.
maggieo
More Deadly
1. And this can't be said enough: PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT A CRIME.
2. 99% of cases where children who are kidnapped or sexually assaulted the perp is a family member, clergyman, teacher or coach.
3. Sadly, but not without reason, women and children fear men whose behavior is even remotely outside of suburban bourgeoisie norms. That means if a man, whom you do not know, takes even the slightest interest in your children, he is perceived as a threat.
4. As a woman, I don't get as much of this interference, but when I do, the vehemence of the mothers is somewhere between Grizzly Bear & T-Rex.
2. 99% of cases where children who are kidnapped or sexually assaulted the perp is a family member, clergyman, teacher or coach.
3. Sadly, but not without reason, women and children fear men whose behavior is even remotely outside of suburban bourgeoisie norms. That means if a man, whom you do not know, takes even the slightest interest in your children, he is perceived as a threat.
4. As a woman, I don't get as much of this interference, but when I do, the vehemence of the mothers is somewhere between Grizzly Bear & T-Rex.
Erik van Straten
Veteran
Contax I, Nikkor 50mm f/2, 400-2TMY.
Erik.
Erik.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
We keep advancing towards a society in which everything not mandated will be forbidden.
This is a strange, sad, topic. We have not always been this fearful of every little thing, from gluten to photographers. Are there really more pedophiles with cameras than there were 50 years ago, or any more pedophiles, period? I doubt it. But, there are more helicopter parents with nothing actually serious to fret about, so we get these paranoid idiocies.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the States, people were, with some cause, worried about getting incinerated that evening or the next. Or, in London during the Blitz, listening to the buzz bombs overhead. When the world is serious, no parent is going to call the cops because someone in broad daylight aimed a camera at a kids baseball game.
There are many things which merit fear and caution in this world, unfortunately for all concerned, people seem to be less and less able to differentiate those very few things from normal harmless behavior, so the default position has become "we're afraid of everything."
As pathetic as that mindless fear is, the defense of it is even worse.
This is a strange, sad, topic. We have not always been this fearful of every little thing, from gluten to photographers. Are there really more pedophiles with cameras than there were 50 years ago, or any more pedophiles, period? I doubt it. But, there are more helicopter parents with nothing actually serious to fret about, so we get these paranoid idiocies.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the States, people were, with some cause, worried about getting incinerated that evening or the next. Or, in London during the Blitz, listening to the buzz bombs overhead. When the world is serious, no parent is going to call the cops because someone in broad daylight aimed a camera at a kids baseball game.
There are many things which merit fear and caution in this world, unfortunately for all concerned, people seem to be less and less able to differentiate those very few things from normal harmless behavior, so the default position has become "we're afraid of everything."
As pathetic as that mindless fear is, the defense of it is even worse.
raid
Dad Photographer
We also witness at the same time that many people expect all others to look like them, pray like them, think like them, ... etc.
MIkhail
Well-known
This is crap. Unconstitutional and illegal too. Being at public property, one has full rights to take pictures of anything and everything. Except special causes like national security, etc.
rscheffler
Well-known
A few years ago, I was in a public park, walking along a trail, minding my own business when a boy around 8 ran up to me, stopped about 5-8 feet away, pointed a toy gun at and 'shot' me. So I shot back with my camera. We each had some fun having a shootout. Then the mom, standing nearby, asked ME what I was doing. She didn't seem to have a problem with her son 'shooting' innocent photographers. 🙂 Let alone other people.
Thinking back to when I was in elementary school about 40ish years ago (gah!!), I can recall a period of great concern in the community about someone apparently driving around in a contractor's style panel van attempting to abduct children... I don't think the physical risks faced by children on the street now are much different from decades ago. That said, every day I see parents walking their kids to school. Back in my day, IIRC, it was the exception. During middle school I walked about a mile each way, on my own. As did many other kids (walk on their own). Mind you, it wasn't uphill both ways nor was the snow several feet deep... 🙂
Thinking back to when I was in elementary school about 40ish years ago (gah!!), I can recall a period of great concern in the community about someone apparently driving around in a contractor's style panel van attempting to abduct children... I don't think the physical risks faced by children on the street now are much different from decades ago. That said, every day I see parents walking their kids to school. Back in my day, IIRC, it was the exception. During middle school I walked about a mile each way, on my own. As did many other kids (walk on their own). Mind you, it wasn't uphill both ways nor was the snow several feet deep... 🙂
Ranchu
Veteran
Because more people are watching for pedophiles these days. Or maybe the same number, but they're better at it.
BuzzyOne
Established
Please note, this statement isn't directed at any one particular individual:
My motivations are my own. No one has a right to know them, nor do I have a duty to disclose.
The fact remains the threat of violence from a stranger is almost nil, whether they are photographers or not. Thinking otherwise, and fearing attack from every photographer (person) on the street, is a bit hysterical.
My motivations are my own. No one has a right to know them, nor do I have a duty to disclose.
The fact remains the threat of violence from a stranger is almost nil, whether they are photographers or not. Thinking otherwise, and fearing attack from every photographer (person) on the street, is a bit hysterical.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
More than a bit. But it's VERY useful to authoritarians, allowing them to appeal to their electoral/fan base, namely, the fearful and hard of thinking.
Cheers,
R.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Ranchu
Veteran
There seems to be some confusion between fear and choosing to disallow a possible outcome. Nobody needs to be afraid of you to keep you away from their children, they can simply choose to effect that.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
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