I got called a weirdo for carrying a camera...

Cybershot Rob

Cybershot Rob

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Has anyone else had this kind of thing happen to them, or abuse from the general public?

;( CR
 
it happens...there are lots of threads on here about it
 
What were the circumstances? I mean were you hanging outside the school gates or at a professional sports event? lol

Can't say I have had it myself, though I have had some funny looks when just out and about doing landscape stuff ....

Rob :)
 
I got called a perv by a yoof in a park a couple of weeks ago. Then his more sensible mate pointed out that 1. I wasn't pointing the camera at them and 2. I was taking pictures of the stunning sunset. His mate turned round looked at the sky and said "Oh yeh, bl**dy nice that innit"

Andy
 
I was at abbey gardens in Bury St Edmunds, and there is a park beside the ruins. I was photographing the ruins, and then went to walk over a bridge beside the park to photograph the ducks. I turned around and noticed a woman looking at me - she immediately grabbed her kid and went.
 
You could be a wierdo with or without a camera. It's the wierdos with cameras the give us all the bad press. :thinking:
 
rjmartin said:
What were the circumstances? I mean were you hanging outside the school gates or at a professional sports event? lol

Can't say I have had it myself, though I have had some funny looks when just out and about doing landscape stuff ....

Rob :)
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I was in my local bar last night, someone from a group asked me why I was
carrying a camera, "cause I like taking pictures"
I kindly said I would email them the image, then they kept asking me
what I was going to do with it?? "Errr..nothing!!"

Then the ****** hit the fan

CR
 
Cybershot Rob said:
I was in my local bar last night, someone from a group asked me why I was
carrying a camera, "cause I like taking pictures"
I kindly said I would email them the image, then they kept asking me
what I was going to do with it?? "Errr..nothing!!"

Then the ****** hit the fan

CR
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Wew you taking a picture of them??
 
The government's fear and paranoia propaganda is succeeding beyond it's wildest dreams. How long will it be before they announce that the public is deeply concerned by this threat to their safety and security (there are paedophiles and terrorists lurking around every corner), and is "demanding" action. Reluctantly, and as a temporary measure of course, cameras will have to be licensed and the owner will require a permit to carry/use them in public. Absurd? I don't know, but I'm afraid it may not be. After all, why would anyone object, unless they're got something to hide?
 
Andysnap said:
I got called a perv by a yoof in a park a couple of weeks ago. Then his more sensible mate pointed out that 1. I wasn't pointing the camera at them and 2. I was taking pictures of the stunning sunset. His mate turned round looked at the sky and said "Oh yeh, bl**dy nice that innit"

Andy
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Ha ha, awesome!
 
I'm sick of it. If I'm not being accused of being a P****, it's some idiot asking me to photograph their wedding. It's getting harder and harder to be a terrorist these days....
 
I was in Guildford High street taking pic, of the Guildhall, when this women started to shout at me, for taking pictures of her kids, right mental she was, when I told her that I had not, and would happly show her the Pics on my memory card, she would have none of it, of course people gather, to hear her ranting on, luckly two women police officers come on the scene, having explained the problem, and checked my memory card, they tried to reasure the lady.. but she was having none of it.. stormed off calling me a bent pervert.. much to the amusement to all alround

What is happening in this country.
 
Dudie said:
I'm sick of it. If I'm not being accused of being a P****, it's some idiot asking me to photograph their wedding. It's getting harder and harder to be a terrorist these days....
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:lol:
 
Dudie said:
I'm sick of it. If I'm not being accused of being a P****, it's some idiot asking me to photograph their wedding. It's getting harder and harder to be a terrorist these days....
Click to expand...

Classic !!
 
i was called a paedophile a few years back.

i had been taking some pic aby the River Ouse as it had flooded impressively. I was walking back up towards my old school when i saw some ids (about 17-18 ish) on the school's tennis courts. I knew just about all the kids of that age at the school, so zoomed in to see wtf was going on.

some yound kids (10 years old, if that) came round a corner about 30 metres infront of me, and started shouting paedopile at me?!

i just told them to be quiet and wasnt taking photos of them. their mum followed, the kids carried on shouting, so i ordered her to control her children LOL. and said come and look at the photos, theyre not of your children, now sort them out!

thats the only hassle ive had actually!
 
Now for anyone that was there on saturday night i am woundering what would have happened had we been apporched? just a thought
 
gumbo-67 said:
Now for anyone that was there on saturday night i am woundering what would have happened had we been apporched? just a thought
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I am sure we would have managed :lol:

22 wierdos all in one place
 
Yep ... I was called a numpty by a butch teenagers when walking in woods I have been walking for at least 30year before they wer born.
When I didn't react they started throwing stones.
If I had reacted I would have been the one nicked.
I don't go there anymore.

I am sick of it ... decent people pursuing an innocent and creative hobby ... and we have to put up with abuse and suspicion for no reason.

Better stop or I will boil over.
 
Not had anything yet, but, I don't look like the sort that would put up with it and rarely get any trouble anymore.
 
I don't get too much trouble, I am a big chap, so people seem to think before saying anything. But do often get them "looks" you know what they are thinking.

Seems a DSLR and a half decent lens means you must be someone dodgy.

Strange world.
 
If you were to listen to most of the people who know me, I was wierd a long time before I got my camera !
 
Pull out your phone press a button and say "No I can't remember where I put the body"!

It's just funny.
 
I've not had any abuse yet actually, but I suppose it's all about how you look. For example, I'm a 20 year-old male student, so if some moron sees me with a camera, they'll probably think I'm a geek and leave me in peace.

As soon as I hit my 30s, 40s etc then at best we'll be perceived as weirdos, at worst terrorists or paedophiles!

Just wondering, how many ladies/women/girls (chose whichever term you find less insulting :D ) get accused of being paedos/wierdos?
 
wcavanagh said:
I don't get too much trouble, I am a big chap, so people seem to think before saying anything. But do often get them "looks" you know what they are thinking.

Seems a DSLR and a half decent lens means you must be someone dodgy.

Strange world.
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Nope. Strange Country.

I went to Florida in the summer and walking around the waterparks with a D300 was no problem at all. There were even Disney Togs photographing people going down waterslides. If you were to even have a camera with a lenscap on NEAR people in swimsuits you'd most likley be smacked!
 
Ticktockmy said:
I was in Guildford High street taking pic, of the Guildhall, when this women started to shout at me, for taking pictures of her kids, right mental she was, when I told her that I had not, and would happly show her the Pics on my memory card, she would have none of it, of course people gather, to hear her ranting on, luckly two women police officers come on the scene, having explained the problem, and checked my memory card, they tried to reasure the lady.. but she was having none of it.. stormed off calling me a bent pervert.. much to the amusement to all alround

What is happening in this country.
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AFAIK, you can take photographs of other people's kids in public places if you want to. Why didn't the two policewomen arrest her for breach of the peace?
 
Huss1100 said:
If you were to listen to most of the people who know me, I was wierd a long time before I got my camera !
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lol

I know the Bureau of freelance photographers in 2008 had a campaign for photographers rites and printed a card for them to carry about with them when out. This is what it said if you wan't to print out your own version.

PHOTOGRAPHY IN PUBLIC PLACES

There is no law in the United Kingdom preventing a photographer - wether amateur or professional - from taking photographs in a public place. Nor do individuals have a legal right to stop a photographer from photographing them. Thus a photographer is perfectly free to shoot street scenes, landscapes, building, people, ect without breaking any law and with perfect freedom to do so.

This card has been issued by the Bureau of Freelance Photographers to clarify the situation following a number of incidents in which photographers have been wrongfully stopped - by police officers, security guards and other officials - from taking photographs. In one particular case, Suffolk Police were obliged to apologise to a photographer after one of it's officers wrongfully stopped a photographer from taking pictures in a public place.

Photographers should at all times co-operate with the police and should take particular care to avoid obstructing the police or emergency services.
 
just got back home from an unsucceful day after been told off because of my tripod. why can't people mind their business and let us be. as if they thought their warning is going to stop me. i will go back later on this week.
 
I guess I've been very lucky so far. No mouthy twerps, ill informed coppers or pcso's - or tabloid comic readers who believe what they read as gospel truth.
Personally, I feel that what we're experiencing is just a subset of a general malaise.

1. Increasing surveillance, suspicion, paranoia and fear.
2. The increasingly apparent division between rights and responsibilities.
3. The erosion of the ethos of personal responsibilty & rise of blame culture.

Regretfully, I fear things will get worse before they get better.
Much though I wish it were otherwise...
 
Took the children to the park about a year ago. The kids were playing and I was snapping away.

I guy walked up to me and said...
"you can't do that here?" I said, "I can't do what?" He replied, "take photos of children in the public park." I replied, "they are my children."
He replied, "you are not allowed to take photos of children in the park." I replied, "so you are saying, I'm not allowed to take photos of MY own children in a public place?"

Not sure why, but I think my reply had something to do with him walking off with no further comments.

The thing is, it was the summer and the park is always packed with families and I generally take my camera (large dSLR). I've been going there for four years, and only once someone has made a comment like that.
My conclusion is that the world has not gone mad at all, but there will always be a small minority of people that have views that are not inline with the general public.

I don't like the idea of feeding into the idea that it's the majority of the general public that feel this way about cameras and public places, as it in my mind it legitimises the views of the minority. i.e. if people make a big deal about it, it will probably self fulfil.
 
On reading through it sounds quite daunting, i think i'll stick to landscapes, i don't like the way the person in the street causes a scene 'just for the sake of it' we really are becoming a paranoid society (or they are) :cuckoo:
It puts me off going to the coast because the last time i was carrying my tripod and made me feel edgy :runaway:
 
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