Photos of Children

[raid]

I go through such a mental exercise once a year when I think of my daughters' photos being online
Avoid nudity and post everyday images.
This is what I have been doing.

 

[dave lackey]

Raid, good thinking.

Just always do the right thing and that is all one can do. We have no control of anything beyond that.

Imagine 20 years from now.😕 I can't.

 

[Sparrow]

I've enjoyed watching your children grow Raid, it's reminded me of my own kids. I'm glad everyone isn't paralysed by this cult of unreasoned paranoia

 

[Michael Markey]

I've enjoyed watching your children grow Raid, it's reminded me of my own kids.

That goes for me too , Raid .
Best of times.
My daughter is 26 now...it goes too fast ,too fast.

 

[alistair.o]

Thing is, are there more paedophiles on the street today than there were 30 years ago? My parents are always advising me against things like hitchhiking "the days when you could do that are long gone". The question is, if I went out hitchhiking today, would I stand more of a chance of being picked up by a lunatic than 30 years ago? I don't think so.

I can only speak for the UK when I say that the vast majority of the population have given up the streets and parks and fields and opted for sitting on their fat backsides.

Yes, the government tells us there are more people 'rambling' - please do me a favour! If we relinquish these places, then what else are we to expect but the low life thriving there. We end up all powerful in our castles and all fearful of anything and everything outside of them.

 

[Sparrow]

I still do parks ...

 

[jky]

That goes for me too , Raid .
Best of times.
My daughter is 26 now...it goes too fast ,too fast.

Oh my! Mine's only 3.... I can't even imagine suddenly waking up & she's 26!

Btw, one of my favourite threads here in RFF is "W/NW Daughters"... many photos are very endearing.

 

[Lilserenity]

I'm not one for cowering in my castle (otherwise known as the 1st floor 1 bedroom flat...), I think it's such a shame that paranoia gets to such a level that pictures like this:



Might not be taken. It's not ground breaking, some may even find it dull, but it speaks volumes to a child's experience of this amazing some few feet up in the sky making balloon animals and being totally enraptured by it, whilst the adults look up and see some goof on stilts and are thoroughly disengaged by the "un-novelty" of it all.

I don't think I'd ever take a picture of someone's child whilst not fully clothed, it serves little purpose to me to do so, but I've never been told not to take a picture of children.

I just ** always ** make sure I linger around, get people used to me being there with a camera, and then take the picture, linger some more, and then look around at those people who might be thinking "So huh, what's she taking a picture of", so they see my goofy mug, and then I make a point of walking past someone who is a bit more unsure of my presence, so that they know I've got nothing to hide, and I amble off slowly.

Maybe one day I clock a shiner but it's not done me any harm so far.

Vicky

 

[raid]

Life is too short to worry too much about too many things.
Still, we have to somehow take into account where we live.
Maybe we are going through a crazy time period.

 

[Field]

There is more sexual tension these days but I am not convinced what-so-ever that it comes out in pedophilia anymore today than ever at any point in time.

It might sound cold but the less you talk to the children the better. Also try your best not to look like a creep, be upfront about it and do not hide. Make it OBVIOUS you are just taking photos. Perhaps if you feel uncomfortable take some shots of other things, or make it look like you are.

 

[Stuart John]

I tend to post just everyday pictures of my own kids online. I tend not post photos of other peoples children or my childrens friends.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Still, we have to somehow take into account where we live.

True. I would have not been able to take these shots in the U.S. (far far less in the U.K.) where man + camera + child = call 911



Lumix GF1 + 20mm f/1.7




Lumix GF1 + 20mm f/1.7




And, this one...well, let me tell you that nowhere outside of Western Europe (of course, that doesn't include the U.K., for they're not "continental" 😉 ) would have let me take a photo like this -- actually, this family seemed very keen and at ease.



Canon 5D + 70-200 L f/4


It is all cultural. You know what they say, "When in Rome..."

 

[Chris101]

Sorry Chris my misunderstanding . It was this last statement of yours that I was empathising with.
As to the taking pictures of your own children .... that has often fallen casualty to the over riding concern in the UK I`m afraid.

No problem Michael. I sympathize with the problem you see too. It's not limited to the UK either. Every now and then a mother will get in trouble here for sending a bath picture of a baby through a 1-hour photo.

There are crazies everywhere. :bang:

 

[Paul Luscher]

It's a conundrum for me. Children make great subjects, because they're natural hams. But I try to avoid shooting them. These days, the assumption is that if you're photographing children not your own, you're a pervert...at least it seems that way in the Good Ol' U.S.A.

 

[Sparrow]

That's a wonderful picture of your daughter Stewart, and I agree that anyone finding it offensive is not thinking right. As her parent, you are in the ideal position to decide about her public exposure.

There is a picture of my 10 year old, in the "Daughters" thread, although she was six at the time:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1395184&postcount=104

Thanks Chris; and yep, that's one to show the boyfriend in a few years. I'm in that territory now, mine is nineteen and just finished her foundation year at college she'll by off to Uni in September and I can't understand where the years went

 

[Sparrow]

True. I would have not been able to take these shots in the U.S. (far far less in the U.K.) where man + camera + child = call 911

EDIT

And, this one...well, let me tell you that nowhere outside of Western Europe (of course, that doesn't include the U.K., for they're not "continental" 😉 ) would have let me take a photo like this -- actually, this family seemed very keen and at ease.

EDIT

It is all cultural. You know what they say, "When in Rome..."

as I explained earlier "For the sake of clarity there is no law in the UK that ristricts who or what one may photograph in public. The police have no power to restrict photography, review ones photos or seize film and equipment unless they have a court order"

... but I may just have a honest face, oh, and no photographer was injured in the making of those pictures 😀

 

[jky]

It's a conundrum for me. Children make great subjects, because they're natural hams. But I try to avoid shooting them. These days, the assumption is that if you're photographing children not your own, you're a pervert...at least it seems that way in the Good Ol' U.S.A.

Up here as well (Canada). I've been asked to not photograph while passing by a group of daycare kids with a camera in hand (although I didn't have any intention to anyway). A caregiver & I did have a pleasant conversation about the fact that once you're out with the kids in public, their "no photo" policy pretty much goes out the window. She understood it full well, but of course it was the agency's policy.

Had I any intention to photograph these kids in the park, I do exercise my better judgement - try and sense what the overall mood is and go from there. Should a parent approach me and ask me not to, then I'll respect that although this has never happened before. Here in North America, I pretty much keep the camera down unless I'm with my daughter in which case any kid that gets in the frame is "happenstance". Aside from the UK, other places I've been such as Netherlands, Italy, Southern Spain, Asia don't seem to be on such a high guard.

A friend of mine is a local police officer & he's aware of my passion for street snaps. Sometime ago, I had clarified the issue with him (not just pics of kids, but of anyone in public) and he confirmed that there is no law stopping me or any other street shooter from taking any photos out in public. At least not here in Calgary - or anywhere in Canada from his knowledge.

 

[TXForester]

What standards we have in this world. Taking innocent pictures of children is associated with being a pervert, but we have free access, via the internet, of any kind of pornography you want. And, we put it completely on the parent's shoulders to keep kids away from those sites.

The people who host those sites have a "right" to do so, and all they need to protect themselves is a enter button to click that says you are at least 18 years old. :bang:

 

[jky]

Since there are some examples being posted:

Here is "happenstance"

Here is one I thought was neat because "they're all hanging on the fence"... a comment I said out loud because the parent was just outside the frame - she didn't mind at all btw.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

as I explained earlier "For the sake of clarity there is no law in the UK that ristricts who or what one may photograph in public. The police have no power to restrict photography, review ones photos or seize film and equipment unless they have a court order"

That may very well be, but culture is what it is. Good face or not. Well, it depends: it has been my experience that non-Caucasians understand that point far more than Caucasians themselves. It's just a reality (that is sure to ruffle haven't-really-read-everything-and-will-react-at-buzzwords feathers), unfortunately.