What/where you shouldn't photograph

[Carlsen Highway]

I rarely like to make sweeping generalisations, except about young pakeha's.

 

[pakeha]

ah but i`m not young anymore

 

[craygc]

Glad so much of the western societal paranoia doesn't exist in Asia

Nude, kids, (excuse for a) beach...

 

[Chris101]

The kid at right seems a little paranoid ...

 

[excellent]

There is a huge trend as well in middle aged people believing laws are made for your safety and well being. A trend of giving into to the fear of media and believing television is reality. Lastly a trend of being superior. A young mind is an instinctive mind. It does what feels natural. An old mind has its own set of rules.

`There is definately a trend towards younger people assumming they have every right to anything, in fact whatever their whim of the moment might be. '
the kind of sweeping generalization we get far too much of from a certain generation in this country

 

[excellent]

I don't photograph homeless people if they are aware that I am photographing them.

Is that supposed to be a good thing?

 

[chris00nj]

I think my photography rule is something like the old (and often broken ) rule of politics “Don't do anything in your private life that you would be embarrased to read on the front page of the Washington Post”.

Cats are great for testing lenses and finishing off the last few frames of a roll.

I feel obliged to break the rules of "no photographs" every once in a while, especially when I don't understand why. Green Day, a somewhat punk band, had no photographs at their concert. Why should I go to a rock concert and follow all the rules?

At the 6th floor museum in Dallas (re: JFK assasination) photographs are forbidden, but sneakily snapping a photo of Oswald's view was too interesting to pass up:

 

[Chris101]

... There is definately a trend towards younger people assumming they have every right to anything, in fact whatever their whim of the moment might be.

There is a huge trend as well in middle aged people believing laws are made for your safety and well being. A trend of giving into to the fear of media and believing television is reality. Lastly a trend of being superior. A young mind is an instinctive mind. It does what feels natural. An old mind has its own set of rules.

I find that anyone that is not exactly my age with exactly my experiences just think exactly the way I do. Not to say that all y'all are wrong...

 

[jpa66]

My son is sixteen months old. He just recently started his first swimming lessons. On the day of his first class, I brought my camera along to photograph him and my wife in the pool. I figured this was a momentous event that I would really like to record. Before I could shoot a single frame, the lifeguard informed me that photography was forbidden in the pool area. I do understand why this rule is in place. But I was deeply saddened by the whole situation.

Funny, I worked at a swimming pool for three years in the mid '80's, and between myself and a couple of friends, we probably took thousands of photos. In fact, my camera was always lying in the same spot when not in use, for any of my trusted co-workers to use at their whim. There are a lot of great memories that those photos bring up...

 

[katcons]

Has anyone here shot people at a funeral? I couldn't bring myself to have a camera around during such woeful occasions. Or should I just grow a pair?

 

[pakeha]

`The kid at right seems a little paranoid '

he just got outa cold water- you know what does

 

[TWoK]

Has anyone here shot people at a funeral? I couldn't bring myself to have a camera around during such woeful occasions. Or should I just grow a pair?

A great Eggleston shot from a funeral:

 

[Bob Michaels]

i shoot homeless people. nice folk most of 'em.

I have photographed a number of "homeless" people. I do some street shooting. But I cannot remember a case of photographing a homeless person until we talked a while and I knew their name. I would say the percentage of really nice interesting folks vs. ordinary ones vs. the *ssholes is the same among the homeless as the overall general population.

Here is one from Memphis, while visiting with Blake Billings a/k/a "Memphis". I saw this woman sitting on the shelter steps while driving by and went around the block to park and go meet her. While walking the half block to the shelter, I met Steven in his wheelchair with his dog Queen. We talked and I photographed them. Then, I asked Steven if he knew the lady on the steps. When he told me that he and Janet were friends, I asked him to introduce us. This photo of Steven, Queen and Janet was my favorite.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Has anyone here shot people at a funeral? I couldn't bring myself to have a camera around during such woeful occasions. Or should I just grow a pair?

Growing a pair will not do it. But if you have real empathy and a sincere interest in the people and their culture, it flows naturally. If not, you will feel like a turd in the punchbowl.

 

[robklurfield]

What would you do when an irate street cart food vendor accosts you for taking pictures not of him exactly, but simply of the area around him on 27th St & Third Ave in NYC?

First, one of this fellow's customers exclaimed to me, "I am god. You can't take my picture. I am the real god." I nodded in agreement and replied that I could see that he was what he said. Then, a little while later, some minutes after I snapped these two shots, the vendor himself began following me down the street, complaining, "this my business. You can no take my picture. This my business. I get cop." Never had that happen before. I tried to defuse the situation, explaining calmly that he wasn't actually the subject of my shots, but he wasn't in the mood to listen. So, I walked away. He gave up his pursuit after half a block.

These are the offending images:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3985290881/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3985290219/

Our vendor friend is the follow whose face is totally blown out in the first image.

Personally, I think the fear campaign that grips a post-9/11 world has every behaving paranoid at times. I suspect this fellow was worried that I would somehow use a photo of his cart to ruin his life and have him sent to Guantanamo. I feel badly for having caused him upset. On the other hand, the images are rather innocuous. One can't even identify this guy.

When I can, I like Bob Michaels' approach. Get to know your subjects. Talk to them. Engage them. Explain yourself and them do the same. However, sometimes, I like the imagery I get from stealthy street shooting.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Hey Bob,

I just wanna say that this is one wonderful picture here, great story behind it and great group portrait! I love it!!

[/quote]

 

[Ted2001]

Anything you shoot with respect is ok. I 've seen rules re photography, but unless it's illegal, I shoot first, if it's in public.

 

[FallisPhoto]

"Photography is not cute cats, nor nudes, motherhood or arrangements of manufactured products. Under no circumstances it is anything ever anywhere near a beach." Walker Evans

Does anyone agree with this? Maybe he forgot to add something...?

Under no circumstances should anyone say anything ever that's anywhere near as stupid as that.

 

[emraphoto]

you know bob, i can usually tell whether or not the photographer knows the subjects name when looking at a photograph. i like photographs where it seems the photographer knew the persons name.

I have photographed a number of "homeless" people. I do some street shooting. But I cannot remember a case of photographing a homeless person until we talked a while and I knew their name. I would say the percentage of really nice interesting folks vs. ordinary ones vs. the *ssholes is the same among the homeless as the overall general population.

Here is one from Memphis, while visiting with Blake Billings a/k/a "Memphis". I saw this woman sitting on the shelter steps while driving by and went around the block to park and go meet her. While walking the half block to the shelter, I met Steven in his wheelchair with his dog Queen. We talked and I photographed them. Then, I asked Steven if he knew the lady on the steps. When he told me that he and Janet were friends, I asked him to introduce us. This photo of Steven, Queen and Janet was my favorite.

 

[Pherdinand]

i think it's stupid to create such "rules".
Walker Evans better stayed with photographing and refrained from philosophy.