scary street experience

Whatever you feel in Michigan is irrelevant to Toronto. The only relevant and real part of the deal is if you are ready to deal with knife or gun pointed at you or deal with multiple people instead of what it seems to be just one at beginning.

Guys/Girls, I know, who are really ready to deal with it, and not just on keyboard, are usually under the oath not to do it.
 
Bottom line is..photographic rights or no..how much trouble do you need..and how long do you want to live..
I decided a few years ago to alter my storefront retail profession for good..and make it by appointment only..after a gun incident..and this year..business is mostly by internet only..and things are better this way..in these times..
Why make yourself a target..
This has been coming for years now in the states..
Used to be able to walk the streets at night ..but no longer..and even during the day..risk of problems..
I still would shoot in artsy friendly areas or places like NYC..but in certain areas..its just to problematical..for me at least..
 
Emile de Leon said:
Bottom line is..photographic rights or no..how much trouble do you need..and how long do you want to live..
I decided a few years ago to alter my storefront retail profession for good..and make it by appointment only..after a gun incident..and this year..business is mostly by internet only..and things are better this way..in these times..
Why make yourself a target..
This has been coming for years now in the states..
Used to be able to walk the streets at night ..but no longer..and even during the day..risk of problems..
I still would shoot in artsy friendly areas or places like NYC..but in certain areas..its just to problematical..for me at least..
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Agree with you Emile. If you do photography for either business or hobby, I don't think it worth the risk to face an unnecessary danger.

Be sensible and don't take chances.

Regards

Marcelo
 
Keep a length of heavy chain in your camera bag in case you need it to wack these idiots on the head with, it might open up some sense in them.
 
Photographing in public carries some level of risk. Face it, as legal as it is for you to photograph others in public, it is just as legal for them to harass you for doing it. Some people are more aggressive in harassing you, just like some photographers are more aggressive in taking photos. You accept the trade off if you are working the street or you quit doing it. Neither response is the wrong one.

Violence however is the wrong response, no matter which side you are on. In my area, once violence becomes part of the equation both sides get hauled in by the police and the courts will sort it out. To me that really is not a great ending to a nice afternoon photographing people on the street.

If you read up a bit on your photographic history, this was a big, big issue back when Kodak came out with the Brownie. People were running around taking pictures of anyone and everything. Most people didn't like it and there were serious attempts to pass laws that prevented public photography in the United States.

It seems that what goes around comes around and there really is nothing new under the sun.
 
I've had a similar experience happen to me recently on a trip to LA, I was out shooting some street photos after dinner and happen upon a skateboarder passing by, i thought it would have been an interesting shot with movement (af not fast enough in low light).

He saw that I was taking a photo and suddenly stopped and doubled back to accost me.

First he was saying things like "Hey man, its illegal to take someones photo like that" and even tried to show me on his phone a google search about the law (which turned up nothing in his favor), then claimed that he was upset and that he was a model and kept hounding me.

I eventually got his gist that he wanted to be "compensated" and cough up a few bucks to get him to leave me alone. I was pretty shaken up due to his aggressive behavior and kinda killed my day after shooting other skaters at venice beach earlier in the day.

Just another learning experience and bad luck i guess.
 
Tsai said:
I've had a similar experience happen to me recently on a trip to LA, I was out shooting some street photos after dinner and happen upon a skateboarder passing by, i thought it would have been an interesting shot with movement (af not fast enough in low light).

He saw that I was taking a photo and suddenly stopped and doubled back to accost me.

First he was saying things like "Hey man, its illegal to take someones photo like that" and even tried to show me on his phone a google search about the law (which turned up nothing in his favor), then claimed that he was upset and that he was a model and kept hounding me.

I eventually got his gist that he wanted to be "compensated" and cough up a few bucks to get him to leave me alone. I was pretty shaken up due to his aggressive behavior and kinda killed my day after shooting other skaters at venice beach earlier in the day.

Just another learning experience and bad luck i guess.
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Of course it came up in your favor no question... You did nothing wrong, I would never given this dude any money..I understand why you did, I would have offered him a print... You tell him your an artist not a journalist and not making money with your photos..
 
Protecting yourself is relevant anywhere you are, Toronto or Detroit, geography has no relevance.

Be safe guys! A can of pepper spray can be found for 10$ at any big box store.
 
What a shame we have to meet people like that and feel that way sometimes... I've had "problems" maybe 4 or 5 times (in 20 years, in Europe always, by the way), and what's absurd is most of those times they were people who believed, by mistake, I was photographing them... Well, I remembered the exact feeling when I read your words... It's not during the moment, it's after everything passed and you're alone and you discovered you're not OK... It affects a lot... I was shaking too... Once I even got hit in the face by a prostitute in Las Ramblas (Barcelona) and near police officers took her away immediately in a patrol and explained me she was a problematic and well known junky in the zone... I think I talked about it here on RFF back then some years ago... I seriously think it's hard to avoid if you shoot all the time, because as someone just said before, it's up to them... I'm glad you´ll keep photographing bravely.
 
Emile de Leon said:
This is the exact same reason I stopped taking the cam out on the street and gave up the Leica stuff..
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You think the street is bad? Try the ocean. The tuna get mad. It's why I now use a green Nikonos instead of the orange one. More discreet.

For land use, I recommend this Zenit. No-one bothers you when you use it.
Apart from maybe a SWAT team.

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Zenit_Photosniper
 
Thank you guys for all the comments and posts. I know its selfish but its kind of comforting knowing other people have been in situations and hearing how they handled or would have handled it. I wish none of us had to deal with stuff like this. Didnt think there would be so many responses to my post.

It was my beat up Chrome M3 DS btw I had just come from a dealer where I had just purchased a used 50 lux.
 
I had a similar experience here in Montreal, but it sort of turned me off from street shooting - I don't do it much anymore. The rules for publishing a photo here in Qc are different from the rest of Canada though, I guess that would extend to posting on the internet too (but I haven't checked into that really).

Cheers
Steven
 
fenixv8 said:
...
It was my beat up Chrome M3 DS btw I had just come from a dealer where I had just purchased a used 50 lux.
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See, now you could say what Lux was tested in tough conditions!

It is also nice to know what I'm not the only one who used M3 for Toronto street photography. :D
Wait for colder and darker days, M3 and Lux will shine under low light. :)
 
I've been shooting on Manhattan street for a few months now. I don't usually put people in my frame. I actually tried to avoid them. I am shy and I don't want a confrontation, or even a look back toward me will make me uncomfortable.

However, even so I've been challenged several times. For example, a store owner running out to stop me after I took a picture of his bodega's front (I quickly walked away); a construction worker, who happened to walk into my frame and noticed my camera, throwing his shovel in front of me and swearing at me (I didn't look at him and just walked away quickly).

Sometimes I talked to people when they confronted me. I explained I'm just a curious amateur photographer. Eventually I realized that some of them were suspicious of being ticketed or reported to city officials for whatever reason (like immigrants running news stands, store owners, construction workers who left some material lying on the ground not looking so tidy). A few times they let me take a photo of them after my explanation.

Still, when the first time I was challenged I was a little bit shaken.
 
Huss said:
You think the street is bad? Try the ocean. The tuna get mad. It's why I now use a green Nikonos instead of the orange one. More discreet.

For land use, I recommend this Zenit. No-one bothers you when you use it.
Apart from maybe a SWAT team.

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Zenit_Photosniper
Click to expand...

Hahaha... That was great.
That's what happens when someone thinks in the design team the right person isn't Tom A. but Bruce Gilden. :)
 
I get asked a lot if I'm working for the county.

But I found that hanging a metal monopod from one of my wrists like a baton can deter some folks from even thinking about harassing me.

PF
 
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