street photography + harassment...

[xxloverxx]

I once walked past a woman holding my camera so it was facing sideways (nothing unusual there). She confronted me. I tried to ignore her and keep walking, but she stood in front of me and asked if I'd just made a photo of her. Looked her in the eye and said "no". She then tried to stare me down but I think I won that round —*realising she was looking a bit silly (we were in Jade Market in Shum Shui Po on a Sunday afternoon), she walked away.

I hadn't taken 2 steps when she yelled to me (and I quote) "Because if you take a photo of me, I will kill you!"

If I'd cared enough, I would've forcefully dragged her to the police station 5 minutes' walk away, but I find such people are rarely worth the bother. I admit I was a bit shaken, but I carried on with my walk.

Stuff happens, and you've just got to laugh it off. Obviously I don't mean laugh off a death threat, but confrontations…they happen.

 

[jimithing616]

If it was really a candid, the subject shouldn't have noticed that his/her photo has been taken. If he/she somehow knows, then that means you are flashing your camera in front of the person and it's not a candid anymore.

I think you need to re-examine the meaning of "candid". the commonly held definition makes no determination as to whether the subject of the "candid" photo can or can not notice you AFTER the shot was taken, it can just not be known by said subject that a photo is about to be taken. If he/she realizes afterwords, that in no way disqualifies it from being a candid photograph. Just sayin...

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

While fishing trouts in a river, mountain-biking, surfing, playing soccer or walking quietly in the mountains, there are plenty of things that can go wrong and cost you an injury or even your life. But what's the probability of the worst case scenarios really occurring? What kind of life would we get if we had to refrain from doing everything that involves a possible risk for our safety? No life, IMO.

When it comes to stumbling upon the wrong guy in the streets, I know people who've been punched down for no other reason than meeting the offender's eyes for a split second. They carried no cameras.

 

[ABrosig]

Not to be mean but whenever I hear stories about confrontations like this, I think the photographer is the one responsible for the situation. I don't think one can assume that the subject would definitely say no when you ask politely. It's not an excuse for taking a shot of someone without permission. The most ideal situation is when you take a candid of someone and that person doesn't notice. But if he does and feels enraged by what you just did, then the fault is on you.

Yeah, to a certain extent. But, if you ask first, is it still pure street photography? Every day, I have to tell subjects not to pose (I'm a working photojournalist) simply because it doesn't look natural. Everybody gets self-conscious when being photographed. In most situations, it just looks unnatural. When shooting street, it's all about the environment and the people in it. If people start posing, it's a different critter.

 

[shootar401]

I've only ran into one woman who freaked out when she walked into a shot I was taking of an old building. Honestly I didn't see her cross my path until just before I pressed the shutter. She heard the shutter sound (shooting a F4s) and started yelling at me telling me it's illegal for me to take photos of people without their permission, and how I was a pervert, and asking me if it's worth going to jail over stalking. I responded with "Is it worth having me jam this camera down your throat till you choke to death?" She gave me a stunned look and was speechless and walked off.

About 5 years ago I had to use the Same F4 to beat some guy in the head since we was becoming aggressive towards me and my wife. I was so upset that I damaged my camera. Bu nope! Nikon makes a durable system!

 

[JChrome]

I had a homeless guy punch me one time and chase after me. I don't usually photo the homeless but am not opposed to it if there is a really amazing shot to take. That's the worst thus far. Most people just go about their business.

I don't like getting in people's faces like Bruce Gildon though. Maybe one of these day's I'll go that route..

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

I once walked past a woman holding my camera so it was facing sideways (nothing unusual there). She confronted me. I tried to ignore her and keep walking, but she stood in front of me and asked if I'd just made a photo of her. Looked her in the eye and said "no". She then tried to stare me down but I think I won that round —*realising she was looking a bit silly (we were in Jade Market in Shum Shui Po on a Sunday afternoon), she walked away.

I hadn't taken 2 steps when she yelled to me (and I quote) "Because if you take a photo of me, I will kill you!"

If I'd cared enough, I would've forcefully dragged her to the police station 5 minutes' walk away, but I find such people are rarely worth the bother. I admit I was a bit shaken, but I carried on with my walk.

Stuff happens, and you've just got to laugh it off. Obviously I don't mean laugh off a death threat, but confrontations…they happen.

really?> i'm quite shocked since i always take pics at Sham Shui Po.....i never had a confrontation before. at best there was a guy who jokingly said "oh ****, i just got my picture taken, now i'm going to be on facebook or something", and we all laughed (him and I) together about it.

maybe it has to do with my tattoos....

 

[Doug]

Sometimes matters of ethnicity/race have an effect, particularly if you resemble their (former) colonial power. That may have related to an incident a few weeks ago... I'm pretty harmless looking, friendly, and never before had such a negative reaction.

It was at a Saturday craft market in Hawaii, and these two local guys were neither vendors nor customers, just hanging out. I snapped a picture, then the one guy on the left (with the green shirt) reacted by waggling his middle finger in my face. The other guy was just grinning, so I figured it wasn't too serious. I offered to snap a photo of the guy's finger but he just got more agitated, unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and motioned as if to spray me with it and yelled "get out of my face, white man!"

Ok, he's serious so I wandered away. As I was at a vendor's table, the craft fair manager came up and apologized to me, explaining they weren't vendors and such behavior was not good for business. Which is probably what she said to these guys as she told them to shove off.

In looking at the photo, I'm not sure what ethnicity the agitated guy might claim...

 

[rivercityrocker]

http://petapixel.com/2013/06/19/wom...-los-angeles-after-photographing-panhandlers/

I don't know if anyone really looked into this story, but the girl wasn't a street photographer. She was snapping photos with a cellphone and she provoked them further after they indicated they were agitated by telling them to "F off".

The woman also had a pretty lengthy criminal history.

I'm not saying that she deserved to be attacked and killed. Nobody does. But this woman was not a street photographer and she was definitely not using her best judgment in dealing with what were very obviously dangerous people.

 

[c.poulton]

I had a homeless guy punch me one time and chase after me. I don't usually photo the homeless but am not opposed to it if there is a really amazing shot to take. That's the worst thus far. Most people just go about their business.

I don't like getting in people's faces like Bruce Gildon though. Maybe one of these day's I'll go that route..

Same thing happend to me last summer, however the rub was that I wasn't even taking his photograph! I had just lifted my Olympus Trip up to about low chest height to check the focussing scale underneath the lens barrel when this homeless guy came charging over and punched me in the face yelling various obscenities about him being photographed.

He was clearly off his head on either drink or drugs, or both, so I thought that the best course of action was for me to beat a hasty retreat.

This all happened in central London, down a quiet side alley, a stone's throw from Piccadilly Circus!

 

[pdh]

I responded with "Is it worth having me jam this camera down your throat till you choke to death?" She gave me a stunned look and was speechless and walked off.

You threatened to kill a woman who was unarmed, not physically threatening you, because she had been mildly rude to you?

I'm not surprised she looked stunned. If I had been her I'd have reported you to the police.

 

[tunalegs]

You threatened to kill a woman who was unarmed, not physically threatening you, because she had been mildly rude to you?

I'm not surprised she looked stunned. If I had been her I'd have reported you to the police.

Threatened to kill in an obviously improbable way. Not that that makes it right, but one may as well threatened to fart on her until she suffocated.

I would have probably just said I was taking a photo of the building and she's the one that walked into the picture. But maybe that's just me, not everybody can keep things classy.

 

[xxloverxx]

So the other day I was on Rue St Denis (Paris) (purely by accident actually —*my mind was on photos, not directions, and I took a wrong turn). Just walking and making photos of the street. Then a woman wearing a fluorescent vest (they direct traffic around the time school ends, it seems) came up to me and said it was illegal to make photos of prostitutes.

I asked her when that law'd been passed, because I'd never heard anything about it. She said the 80s. Then 2 prostitutes came up and started having a go at me, saying they could get me into a lot of trouble. When I said "tell me how to identify a prostitute and I'll believe you", no one seemed to have anything to say (obviously. Wearing a fur coat and standing on the street looking around is not an indicator of a prostitute.)

Back and forth for about 10 minutes, then I left (in reflection, I can't believe I wasted 10 minutes with those people). A few days later, I asked someone in the gendarmerie if it was illegal to make a photo of the road with people in them and he said no, and that he'd never heard of any law that's specifically about prostitutes.

(French law does require subjects to consent to being photographed, but I don't think it's as rigid as that —*obviously, if you're getting a photo of a general scene, people are going to be in it and it'd be impossible to clear an entire road for a photo. It mainly applies to more portrait-type photos. Stupid law, IMO, although France is full of that.)

 

[pdh]

Quite incredible.

If the woman had said "I'll come over there and cram your camera ..." etc. then no doubt it would be being suggested that she suffered from mental health problems, or was drunk or a drug user or similar, and there would be much shouting about first amendment rights to take photos

But of course, a Photographer and His Art is so sacrosanct that he can behave as aggressively and abusively as he likes.

Jesus, you people need to get a grip on yourselves.

I've had it with RFF and the gung-ho Chuck Norris-alikes here.

 

[jsrockit]

You threatened to kill a woman who was unarmed, not physically threatening you, because she had been mildly rude to you?

I'm not surprised she looked stunned. If I had been her I'd have reported you to the police.

While his reaction may have been extreme, what are you going to say to the police... He yelled at me?

I react negatively to these situations as well. I'm there already photographing (inanimate objects) and you happen to walk into my frame and now I'm some kind of pervert? Don't flatter yourself, you're not that pretty is my usual reply.

 

[emraphoto]

'Just a matter of good common sense'

admittedly in the past i have had very few good things to say about 'street photography'. i find the pastime produces some of the most banal photographs i have had the misfortune of viewing. add to that the numerous individuals i have met who seem to wear the moniker like a badge of courage and the wake of distrust most leave behind and it is easy to arrive at a similar outlook. these days though, it remains far less a concern.

to the quote; it has always appeared odd to me how 'street photographers' claim to be such keen observers of the human race, in it's element, yet fail so profoundly to recognize such clear messages from their prey... sorry, subjects.

 

[JChrome]

There's so many counter examples to such a general negative statement that I won't bother to look for one. And while I do get tired of the Eric Kim clan and the hubbub about street photography, anyone with half a brain could critique them in a similar fashion. It's just an easy target. So go on, keep spending time typing general critiques of others that are meaningless and spend less time creating work that is meaningful.

'Just a matter of good common sense' admittedly in the past i have had very few good things to say about 'street photography'. i find the pastime produces some of the most banal photographs i have had the misfortune of viewing. add to that the numerous individuals i have met who seem to wear the moniker like a badge of courage and the wake of distrust most leave behind and it is easy to arrive at a similar outlook. these days though, it remains far less a concern. to the quote; it has always appeared odd to me how 'street photographers' claim to be such keen observers of the human race, in it's element, yet fail so profoundly to recognize such clear messages from their prey... sorry, subjects.

 

[B-9]

Buddy system anyone?

Why so many negative comments?
If you do not have a positive statement, keep it on your end of the keyboard.

IM SICK OF THESE BADGERS MERKING UP INNOCENT THREADS.
I believe this is in the forum rules of conduct!
keep it appropriate, polite, and stop with the self-righteous crap.

Don't like street shooters? I hear fedmiranda has a forum...

 

[emraphoto]

Buddy system anyone?

Why so many negative comments?
If you do not have a positive statement, keep it on your end of the keyboard.

IM SICK OF THESE BADGERS MERKING UP INNOCENT THREADS.
I believe this is in the forum rules of conduct!
keep it appropriate, polite, and stop with the self-righteous crap.

Don't like street shooters? I hear fedmiranda has a forum...

employing half my brain, sorry i could not resist, i will elaborate as perhaps i have obfuscated the point.

wherever i travel, and i travel a lot, there is a growing resentment towards the pastime we know as 'street photography'. whether this is righteous or the complete opposite, the sentiment remains. the unfortunate part of this realization is that the bulk of 'street photographers' i have encountered seem unable to recognize this message for what it is and/or work to counter the sentiment.

it remains pertinent and bothersome to me as i photograph in public for a living. day in and day out. we must, at some point, recognize the building anti-sentiment and work towards alleviating it or a situation where the very act of photographing in public is forbidden will be on us. in many places this sentiment is already well entrenched.

separately, my feelings towards the bulk of the work i see produced in this genre make the disconnect even more frustrating.

 

[emraphoto]

There's so many counter examples to such a general negative statement that I won't bother to look for one. And while I do get tired of the Eric Kim clan and the hubbub about street photography, anyone with half a brain could critique them in a similar fashion. It's just an easy target. So go on, keep spending time typing general critiques of others that are meaningless and spend less time creating work that is meaningful.

i will pass on a response here as i believe my point is relevant to the discussion. i also assure you i work tirelessly to support and promote peoples work and their ability to do it.