Skinny McGee said:
"I do not want my picture taken, you have to delete that."
I also received that kind of response not long ago, also at an outdoor public event. I was wandering the streets, looking for interesting things, people, and situations, and was pounced upon by a woman (an artist, no less) who informed me that she did not "allow" her picture to be taken, and that I would have to delete it.
You took a more hassle-free route, and I would not disagree with your methods, as it obviously worked.
However, I don't like to leave anyone with the concept in their punkin haids that they have any kind of right to demand that their photograph not be taken, or that they have the right to tell YOU what to do with your camera & photographs.
It is my observation that there is an increasing sense in this country (USA) that we are entitled to privacy when and as we demand it - no matter where we may be, no matter what we may be doing. And while I respect privacy rights (and I am a stickler about my own), appearing in public is not protected, and if you go out, you are liable to be photographed.
Now, I wonder what the lady would have said if you had pointed out the overhead video cameras dangling from the nearby traffic signals and light poles. Or the ATM machine cameras that photograph everything that passes by, every three seconds (not just when the machine is being used). Could she march up to them and demand that they delete all record of her passage?
Perhaps it is a subconscious response to the fact that we ARE the most surveilled nation in history - we are constantly being photographed everywhere we go, by private businesses as well as government agencies. Usually not for nefarious purposes, but still, constantly and in all ways, "Big Brother" is in fact watching - even if he's not paying attention at any given time. Maybe it is a knee-jerk reaction - we know we can't turn off the government and business cameras, so we demand that fellow humans give us at least the illusion of privacy.
In my case, I told the lady that under no circumstances was I going to delete her photograph, and I pointed out that she was in public and had no right to privacy, whether she 'allowed it' or not. It ended with me walking away and continuing my photography.
People photographed in public in the USA in general do own the rights to their images, but they do not have a right to privacy that follows them around like a bubble and protects them from observation when they don't wish it.
One must be careful of the circumstances - private property is generally a no-no when it comes to public photography if the property owner or manager forbids it. But outdoor events that are open to the public can hardly be considered anything but 'public' in nature, and hence, there is no right to privacy.
I consider it a mission to not let anyone who accosts me get away with the notion that they have any kind of 'right' to stop me taking their photo or demanding to know what use I will put it to, or what I'm doing thereabouts. If I am polite, I am also very firm in my refusal to comply or to give them any information.
I mean no disrespect, but I suspect that now the lady you dealt with is satisfied that she defended her 'right' not to be photographed - she'll do it again, and with the solid belief that she is in the right.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
