Children in pictures- your views

ladysue

ladysue

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Sue
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I would be really interested to find out how people feel about putting children's photos on the internet, including TP.

Up til now I have not put any children's pictures on the internet in case their parents were unhappy about me sharing them.I got some beautiful pictures of my grandchildren and other kids at my son's wedding this week but havent put them on until I get their parents permission.

When I spoke to my daughter in law about it she wasnt keen on me putting the grandchildrens photos on the web at all, even TP ( I could understand if it was Facebook). I totally repect her right to choose or I wouldnt have asked her but feel it is a shame that I wouldnt be able to share some of my best pics on here.

Are there other photographers on here who dont share their childrens photos online? Do professional togs put childrens photos on here or on their own websites without parents permission? I would be interested to hear peoples opinions.
 
When I take photos at various family functions, I set so flickr that only family members can view them because I don't want the general public to see the photos of the kids.
I have asked a couple of relatives if I could post photos of their kids here for critique and both said no.
Too be honest, I can understand their reasons and I won't argue with them.

We have a lot of members here and I am sure everyone is a decent person but you can never know for sure.
 
I think it's a real shame how many people now see the internet as a place where pedos lurk to search out children's images. The reality is that it is no different to the children standing on any common ground where anyone can see them. It amaizes me to be honest. Ok, naked pictures are different, but pictures of children... should I feel like a wierdo for thinking that a nice shot of a child is a joy to see? No, I'm a normal father of three. As you say it's the parent's right, but really, it's all gone too far.
 
V8burble said:
I think it's a real shame how many people now see the internet as a place where pedos lurk to search out children's images. The reality is that it is no different to the children standing on any common ground where anyone can see them. It amaizes me to be honest. Ok, naked pictures are different, but pictures of children... should I feel like a wierdo for thinking that a nice shot of a child is a joy to see? No, I'm a normal father of three. As you say it's the parent's right, but really, it's all gone too far.
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I totally agree with you and I believe there is too much paranioa.
I have some lovely shots I would love critique on but I can't go against the parents wishes and I do find it somewhat frustrating.
 
As do I.. agree with V8Burble that is!
 
I don't have a problem with pictures of my daughter on the internet - infact I have some on my personal website so my family can easily look at them.

However, I can put pictures of my daughter where I want but I would always respect the views of other parents with regards to their children's pictures
 
Unfortunately people believe the exaggerated reports in the press which are only used to sell more papers.
 
Me too.....there is an obsession in this country with p***'s. I don't think there are any more p***'s around now than there were 50 years ago. I have visited countries all around the world on nowhere is more obsessed about this than people in the UK. Its pathetic.
 
I feel the same as the majority of you guys. Although I am still relatively quite young and have no children of my own there is just something about them that makes great photos. They are so expressionate; showing their feelings/moods significantly more than adults do. 'Tis a shame many parents are against such photos being shared but guess it's a sign of the times at present.

Ian
 
Its also very sad that many of the activities our children participate in we can no longer feel comfortable taking pictures of. Sports days, a football match in the park, the list seems to get longer.
 
children get abused - fact
children get abducted - fact
Peadophiles exist - fact

no matter how small or large the problem if i post images of my children on the internet then its not too hard to trace my address. Theres probably more chance of winning the lottery, but theres a chance and for that reason i will not post any pictures of my (or anyones) children on the internet.
 
sbowler579 said:
Its also very sad that many of the activities our children participate in we can no longer feel comfortable taking pictures of. Sports days, a football match in the park, the list seems to get longer.
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Yes I took photos at sports day and nativity plays because most of the parents were but I havent taken any at my grandson's cricket training. Its a shame but I do understand people's reluctance to have their children photographed by a stranger, even though I am obviously a grandma. It is sad.
 
seventythree said:
children get abused - fact
children get abducted - fact
Peadophiles exist - fact

no matter how small or large the problem if i post images of my children on the internet then its not too hard to trace my address. Theres probably more chance of winning the lottery, but theres a chance and for that reason i will not post any pictures of my (or anyones) children on the internet.
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I really do think this reaction is way, way over the top and demonstrates how mad we've become in the UK. By making our children scared of everything is probably harming them and its certainly putting unnecessary stress on parents.

Sadly, it seems we've all lost the plot and lost any reasonable perspective on the matter.

Besides, as I understand it, most children that are abused, are abused by their parents or family and it seems that very often the mother is implicated in the abuse. I'd bet that far more children are harmed by their mothers than by strange blokes on the internet!

Why worry about a picture of your child on the internet?

So, just imagine that there is a picture of my daughter on the internet. A pedophile sees the picture and......... what happens now?
 
seventythree said:
children get abused - fact
children get abducted - fact
Peadophiles exist - fact
Click to expand...

Yes they do, usually by members of their own family or someone very close to it who they trust, so I'm told.

Yes they do, but usually so rare that when it does happen it's national news for a very long time.

Yes they do and always have done, a man who received either OBE or MBE (can't remember which) for the work his youth movement did has recently been prosecuted for abusing those in his care in the 70's.

Having said all that I respect your right to exercise your own discretion in these matters, it is after all a personal choice as to what we do and don't put on the internet.
 
seventythree said:
children get abused - fact
children get abducted - fact
Peadophiles exist - fact

no matter how small or large the problem if i post images of my children on the internet then its not too hard to trace my address. Theres probably more chance of winning the lottery, but theres a chance and for that reason i will not post any pictures of my (or anyones) children on the internet.
Click to expand...

So they can't just follow your children home from school to see where they live??? Surely that's just slightly easier than tracing them from an image on the web :shrug:

Of course pedos are out there.... that's just it, they are out there looking at real living breathing prey, not a normal posted picture that we are talking about here.

Fuel>>>Fire>>>Fuel>>>Fire
 
spot on V8burble
 
It's interesting that this thread is very quiet. A year ago this would have been a blazing row over about 200 posts. I think it just shows that we've all had enough of the subject and don't really care anymore. Which is probably a good thing. :-)
 
I don't think people do not care just that they are aware this thread will go nowhere.

Some will agree and some will disagree.
 
I put pics of my kids on the internet, and have posted them on here for crit etc... but they are headshots. So what! its no different to someone spotting my kids out in the park. Seriously people need to chill out, I cant see any harm whatsoever in pictures of kids as long as they dont cross the barrier, and lets face it, any normal human bieng with moral standards knows where the line is.
 
I have posted and will post more pics of my kids, as others have said abuse is normally by a family member or family friend. Even if a p*** does see a picture of one of my kids on the net what do they do next, OK they have the town I live in but that is all, they will have a god almighty job to see them let alone find out where I live.
 
Does pornography drive people to rape?

Serious question. But let's say you saw a picture in a paper of a woman, would that incite rape?

If you are sexually excited by children, there are parts of the internet who will cater for your every need (no doubt!). I don't really hold with the 'every picture of a child is going to send a paedophile crazy' point of view.

And as been said, you can view the real thing without too much trouble.

It's rather like a pic of a woman washing up (not wanting to be a sexist example but something mundane). Not a great turn-on in anybody's book. And I'm sure the same of children doing regular children's things.

Graham
 
Badger UK said:
It's interesting that this thread is very quiet. A year ago this would have been a blazing row over about 200 posts. I think it just shows that we've all had enough of the subject and don't really care anymore. Which is probably a good thing. :-)
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jolsterj said:
I don't think people do not care just that they are aware this thread will go nowhere.

Some will agree and some will disagree.
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Sorry. Didnt realise this topic had been done to death before.I was expecting that people would have different views but wasnt expecting any blazing rows. I think it is an important topic and I respect the views which are different from my own.
 
I've not seen this subject discussed on here before and often wondered what the take was.
I am a parent of 2 beautiful girls, they are the subject of 90% of my photography. I enjoy sharing photos of them with my friends and family and TP members.
If I spent everyday worrying about who was looking at them what sort I life would it be?

I have known of some incidents with some characters that have put off some people from posting photos and also requesting the schools do not take photos too etc.

I'm just wondering though, if the school did something nice and the local paper wanted to do a feature, how would that child feel being asked to step to one side as they are not allowed in the photo with their friends to celebrate their schools achievement?

There are lots of pros and lots of cons, and it boils down to personal pref I think.

Agree with V8Burble, & Badger UK.
 
blue max said:
Serious question. But let's say you saw a picture in a paper of a woman, would that incite rape?
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Very good analogy Graham and I would entirely agree with the logic.

I think the reason why 'p*** fever' has such an effect in both the UK and the USA, is that the media continuously impose that we should take the 'better to be safer than sorry' stance which when analysed a little more critically is the 'better to be excessively paranoid than rational'.
 
I agree with the majority of the posts on here. If I had children of my own I'd love to share their photos on here and I don't feel that there is any more risk in that than letting them play in a park etc etc.
In fact, I almost feel that the risk is lower. Surely it would be harder to track a child down based on a photo than it would be to find the address of a local child in a local park ??????

On the other hand I fully respect the opinions and rights of parents. I would never post any photos of my nephews / nieces on here if their parents were uncomfortable with it.
 
You have to think about it logically.

What's the difference between putting a picture up on here and taking them to the shops.

Nothing. Everyone sees exactly the same thing, so what's the difference? Nothing IMO.

What is the worst that can happen? Seriously :)
 
The internet is a public place. If you don't wan't you'r kids seen on the net then don't let them out the house and be seen in public either. No difference in my opinion.
 
MrsG said:
I've not seen this subject discussed on here before and often wondered what the take was.
I am a parent of 2 beautiful girls, they are the subject of 90% of my photography. I enjoy sharing photos of them with my friends and family and TP members.
If I spent everyday worrying about who was looking at them what sort I life would it be?

I have known of some incidents with some characters that have put off some people from posting photos and also requesting the schools do not take photos too etc.

I'm just wondering though, if the school did something nice and the local paper wanted to do a feature, how would that child feel being asked to step to one side as they are not allowed in the photo with their friends to celebrate their schools achievement?

There are lots of pros and lots of cons, and it boils down to personal pref I think.

Agree with V8Burble, & Badger UK.
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I agree with your reasoning and am glad you are happy to share your girls pictures with us. I'm in a different position as in my case they are my grandchildren and I dont want to upset my son and daughter in law. I have told them this evening that I wont share the wedding photos with the kids in. It is a bit silly though as they were both happy when the children had their picture in the local paper. I think that the internet has got a bad name because of a few pervs and a lot of press coverage.
 
I don't think I've ever posted in any of the similar threads about pics of kids so thought I may as well chuck in my tuppenceworth here.

I am honestly very saddened to see the general state of suspicion and paranoia about this subject and the very fact that people are wary of posting pics of kids simply being kids speaks volumes to the extent that the media nonsense over this has reached.

It's a picture of a kid.. a clothed kid.. a simple snapshot .. a single still frame.

What's the next step from here. Surely people seeing, not even looking at a kid on a street (god forbid!) must be more of a danger to our kids than the photographer or viewer with the single frame.. what if the person on the street has a very good memory, they will be able to remember the kid walking down the street, are we going to get to the stage where kids are not allowed out in public in case someone looks at them, or will it simply be against the law in times to come?

That last paragraph was initially tongue in cheek when I was writing it but reading it back it's not such a stretch from the current paranoia..

Just my opinion.
Tommy.
 
Marcel said:
You have to think about it logically.

What's the difference between putting a picture up on here and taking them to the shops.

Nothing. Everyone sees exactly the same thing, so what's the difference? Nothing IMO.

What is the worst that can happen? Seriously :)
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:clap:

And don't get me started on sports day!

I'm sure it's a subject that will be discussed again and again, and probably should be, even if it is just to re-inject some normality into what has become a ridiculous situation
 
As alot of people have said it's personal preference. I have 2 children and take alot of photo's of them. And again I have shared some on these forums. At the end of the day what is the worst that is going to happen from people seeing them? nothing worse than when people see them playing at the park, swimming, walking to or from school or out shopping with me. We have become a paranoid nation propagated by a few sickening incidences and press exploitation.
 
Five years ago no one gave a thought about people seeing their childrens photographs.

Next thing you know they will covering them head to toe in black cloth when ever they go out in case some one sees them.

Even if a paedophile saw their picture on the web, so what?
It is not like they will lose their soul or anything.
 
i have nothing against people posting photo's of children and i don't think they are being careless in doing so, in fact i have gained a fair few tips on whats good and whats not. to those posters and crits i thank you. Does that make me a hipocrit?

I dont think the internet is awash with perverts and p***'s,and i totally agree that its pretty far fetched to think someone would track down a child via the internet (as i allready stated in my original post), but for me i see no point at all for myself to post any image of my children on the www.

i simply choose to err on the side of caution.

Al
 
seventythree said:
children get abused - fact
children get abducted - fact
Peadophiles exist - fact

no matter how small or large the problem if i post images of my children on the internet then its not too hard to trace my address. Theres probably more chance of winning the lottery, but theres a chance and for that reason i will not post any pictures of my (or anyones) children on the internet.
Click to expand...

Wow - this is a huge debate and to be honest not one that ive really thought about until now - i have posted several photos of my son on here, nice ordinary pics and had positive feedback on them and also seen other members children etc and never thought anything but how the photo had been taken etc, but saying that my son is also a model and does TV work and ive never had any bad reaction from having his photos on public display - but then maybe ive just been lucky

Does this make me a bad Mum for not thinking about this - i certainly hope not and my son would be horrified if I tried to stop him doing what he loves!
 
I think that this thread is slightly quiet, probably due to the last time some people were upset. Please bear in mind that some people have more experience in this subject, on both professional and non-proffesional levels.
Thank god I am not one of these.

I think that it is a pity that we cannot take pictures in public of what we want.
As an example, whilst I was on holiday, I was sitting by the pool, and saw some cheeky (feathered) birds getting close. I would have liked to have taken some photographs of these. They were so much closer than I could get to them at home (perhaps too close for my lens' minimum focal length). However, as it was a pool at the hotel, I did not feel comfortable in taking my camera out. I would have willingly shown anyone any of the photos, and if they had had good cause to ask, I would have deleted any particular ones they asked for. However, I feel that it is best not to be put in that situation of being asked/confronted. It did not feel comfortable.
I think 5 years ago, I would not have felt this way (although I am now 5 years more mature).

Unfortunately, I now am the perfect suspect. White Male thirtyish.

Last weekend, I was in a shop. A girl standing in a pushchair, I believe dropped her hair clip, and it slid across the floor. I picked it up and held it out to her, palm up. Corrrectly she didn't accept this 'gift' from a stranger, but as soon as her mother saw, there was a look of abject terror in her face. Luckily, I think, she recognised the clip and took it from me (no thank you though).

I think that if clothed pictures of children in non-sexual poses are posted there should be no issue.
Ok, sometimes I will see a picture of a /woman/, and think that she looks beautiful (or if in a more outrageous pose, sexy), but that does not then make me go out and take any action. However, I could be called a ballanced individual. It may be possible to class those in the position that find children sexually attractive, to be imbalanced. Remembering back to my history classes, a hundred years ago, a male taking a bride of 14 was not that unheard of. Now we consider that the female has rights, and a mind of their own, and try to protect them until such time that they are mature enough to recognise those rights.
(skipping the last sentance) It is possible that an imballanced person, might be aroused to a state that they will need to take further action, even by a picture which is clothed/non-sexual. That is unfortunate (and I say it that way, as it might not be a conscious choice).

For those that might be concerned that a picture being posted of their child might put that particular child in more danger, I do not believe that this is the case.
It is relatively difficult to trace such information as whereabouts etc. from a single picture. I used to work for an ISP, and have had to perform similar tasks, it generally requires co-operation between several factors, which isn't easily gained. Pressing a button a-la CSI does not provide as accurate results as they would want people to believe.
That said, this is not a criticism, I think I understand why you may not wish to take the chance (I think, I do not have dependants of my own).

Personally I think that should a child be 'taken', it is more likely that they would have had prior interaction with the suspect via chat, or, be taken from plain view in a park.
If a child is abused on a long term scale, it is usually by someone who has been introduced as not being a threat. I suppose that there is a chance that by sharing a photo on TP that someone tries to befriend you to get to your child, but I would hope (in both ways) that this would not be the case.
 
I love pictures of children enjoying themselves and candid shots of exploritory moments, i think children are easy to capture and make great pics, however i am a normal balanced person and when you say these things now you feel as if your saying something obscene!

i take alot of pictures of my godson, his sister and their cousins for practise and they are some of my best pictures, again parents can be concerned so ive found that if i put a watermarks directly over the centre of the capture then the parents have ok'ed this!

to be honest i think the whole world has been scared by pedos so much that you begin to worry about everything, even your own children playing in their own garden how obserd!! anyway im going to get off of my soap box now :)

perhaps suggesting putting watermarks over the picture would make them feel better about you putting them on TP for critique? worth an ask? :)
 
dltracy said:
Wow - this is a huge debate and to be honest not one that ive really thought about until now - i have posted several photos of my son on here, nice ordinary pics and had positive feedback on them and also seen other members children etc and never thought anything but how the photo had been taken etc, but saying that my son is also a model and does TV work and ive never had any bad reaction from having his photos on public display - but then maybe ive just been lucky

Does this make me a bad Mum for not thinking about this - i certainly hope not and my son would be horrified if I tried to stop him doing what he loves!
Click to expand...

it doesn't make you a bad mum, quite the contrary, you are helping your childen do some thing they love to do!

i on the other hand can find no reason to post my childrens pictures on a public forum.

Al
 
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