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

to be honest... ask me if I really care...

I will help you out, the answer is no. I really couldnt give a monkeys what people think of me, I am out there enjoying myself and if people are too narrow minded / paranoid to understand that, that's their problem not mine.

I upset no-one, infringe on no privacy or break any laws so therefore I can do what I like.

But, I at all times conduct myself in a personable and respectful manner, and to me thats enough.
 
jamesoliverstone said:
to be honest... ask me if I really care...

I will help you out, the answer is no. I really couldnt give a monkeys what people think of me, I am out there enjoying myself and if people are too narrow minded / paranoid to understand that, that's their problem not mine.

I upset no-one, infringe on no privacy or break any laws so therefore I can do what I like.

But, I at all times conduct myself in a personable and respectful manner, and to me thats enough.
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:clap: ...and to a man (or woman) I will wager that all TP members will act precisely in that manner... ;)


Paranoia, as far as members contributing to this thread, does not enter into it as this was a discussion about how WE sometimes and actually, rather than theoretically, get treated by others, who may or may not be suffering paranoia, when simply enjoying our hobby/passion/business... :shrug:






:p
 
it doesnt make sense if i was a P**** then i would get a camera phone or a small P&S to be discrete about the photos, so if anything then the public are peadophiles and terrorists and not the (real) photographers, (real meaning us)
 
the funniest thing in this thread:

ding76uk said:
Probably not going to find popularity by posting this, but hat seems a stupid thing to do.

Have you ever thought that she just didn't like having her picture taken and the attitude you gave her is going to make her tell everyone that "some perv taking pics of me talking about sex or sumfing". I am sorry but the sexual light thing disgusts me a little bit and is uncalled for, that makes you sound a bit weird to me.

Easily avoided by being polite and offering to take her photo if she allows you, and leaving her attitude to her rather than goading her on further. If someone said to me that I would have been p***ed and probably would have given them a mouthful myself, probably a little more.

We have freedom to do it, but if someone is clearly uncomfortable (no matter how they phrase it) with you taking pictures leave them to it, don't live up to the stereotype of hassling people. It just makes it worse for us all. I have shot street portraits with willing models and have been told to eff off by a few, but you don't argue and find a more willing subject.
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dude id get to the docs ASAP, your humour gland is on its way out.. :eek:

:p
 
Venomator said:
Paranoia, as far as members contributing to this thread, does not enter into it as this was a discussion about how WE sometimes and actually, rather than theoretically, get treated by others, who may or may not be suffering paranoia, when simply enjoying our hobby/passion/business...
Click to expand...

Look back to where I quoted all the bits of thread. Facts about how people have been treated? Or tabloid moaning about the state of the nation and reinforcing negative images?
 
Yes you may be legally allowed to take photos in some of these situations but you also have to respect peoples privacy and show consideration.
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This is a quote from the government that I carry with me when I am out taking pictures;


There is no law in the United Kingdom preventing a photographer - whether 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,buildings, people etc,without breaking any law and with perfect freedom to do so.


Jaqui Smith,the Home Secretary went on record THIS YEAR, and clarified the situation thus..

First of all, may I take this opportunity to state the government greatly values the importance of the freedom of the press, and as such there is no legal restriction on photography in public places, 'Smith writes.' Also, as you will be aware, there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in public place.'


John :)
 
The BFP card i mentioned earlier in this thred is a useful backup to have. But as of yet i have never had to use it. For the simple reason i show consideration when i am doing a photo, if i do wist to take a photo of a person for some reason or another it could be that they have a distictive look, then i always ask if they mind if i do take it and explain that i think they would make a interesting photo in that moment. I also if they say yes let them have a look at the photo on the camera. As of yet i havn't had anyone have a problem with me taking it. One person even asked if he could buy a copy of the photo off me, so i had no problem with him in fact he was the first person i ever sold a photo too.

So i guess what i am saying is yes we can legaly take the photo without asking, but just as a comon courtesy it makes life easier if we ask. They seem to have a little more respect for you if you do.
 
ding76uk said:
No, I didn't, lol. Thats rush posting between jobs at work for you.
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:lol: sorry mate, i have to laugh, but thanks for the rant, it was good reading :D
 
careful outside schools and public places where there are children
they can tattle tale you into court
 
bbb said:
So they were right to call you a terrorist :eek:
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That's not exactly what I meant!! They were right that I had to get permission to photograph at that location! :police:
 
Some crazy stories on here!
I'm fortunate and live in a nice part of Wales and no one bothers me :)

I took alot of photos on people in Rome without any problems, and most other places I've been. People shots are some of the most interesting!

May print that card for good measure.
 
I do get occassionally irritated by the nosey / bordering on inquisitorial.

I was testing a new lens today and someone came up and asked me if there was any reason I was taking photos. I said 'No!'.

He then said - 'Well who are you taking them for?'

I replied 'Me!'

End of chat.....
 
I meet civility with civility and aggression with aggression, so what ever the beef I have a response or reaction to an action.

The only thing I don't suffer is ignorance, I have the upper hand there and will attack as needed :D
 
I went out earlier tonight to get some pictures of my car.

I parked it in the arch of a pedestrian tunnel (not blocking if completely though) and got the tripod out

a guy walked past me and my mate, glanced at the car and just said

"yeah, it does look good doesnt it"

I was more than surprised! so said thankyou :)

and a fairly old couple were walking towards the tunnel, and asked if i had finished taking my shot before they carried on going.

its nice to see there are still some polite people in England. Even in Newcastle!!
 
bbb said:
Two points I'm trying to get accross but not doing a good job.

1. If you go out of your house thinking the country is full of scum who hate photographers then that's exactly what you will find as you will be making assumptions.

2. The propaganda of paranonia. People are complaining about a paranoid society brought about by the media/goverment. This thread is exactly the same, making photographers paranoid and reinforcing the message that everyone out there hates them.
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I don't leave the house thinking that "the country is full of scum who hate photographers" and I doubt if anyone else here does either, but most of us are aware of some sensitivities - real or imagined - and a lot of photographers avoid situations with children etc. It's perfectly legal to take photographs of children in public places, with or without their parents permission, but most of us don't go looking for confrontations. This same applies to street photography, and I've read a lot of posts by people who have said that they won't take photographs of anyone who objects, and will generally offer to delete the images.

Whether this is a good thing or not is debateable. Good manners suggest that it is, but most of us do have a problem with strident, in your face, challenges - sometimes involving wild accusations of "pervert" and "paedophile" - from ignorant people who seem to think we "need permission" for just about any sort of photography involving other people and their property in public places.

This sort of thing didn't invent itself. Photography was just another hobby a few years ago - and still is in most places - and people didn't wake up one morning and decide that photographers were creepy people with sinister motives. Something caused this shift in perceptions, and the most plausible explanation is the fear and paranoia campaign run by the government, with the connivance of the police and media.

I'm not a paranoid photographer, and this really doesn't have anything to do with photography at all. I am, slightly, paranoid about the erosion of freedoms and rights in this country, and the motives that lie behind it. The increasing hostility towards photographers is just a symptom of this.
 
I hear what you're saying and agree with most of it.

MartynK said:
Something caused this shift in perceptions, and the most plausible explanation is the fear and paranoia campaign run by the government, with the connivance of the police and media.
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This is what I'm noticing most though. If you look at the post where I quoted lots of bits of the thread, these are not people stating facts. These are people doing exactly what you're talking about, running a paranoia campaign and probably not even realising they are doing it. If you say something enough times people take it as fact. It's said so often on here that people are out to get photographers that people believe it. Any fear campaign can't work if people ignore it, if they start to propage it themselves then it grows.

Thankfully we have also had some good examples of plesant reactions to photographers which is nice to see :)
 
The only abuse I got was from some loud mouthed toff kid and his mate. I told them I was in a public place and free to take photos of anything that I wished. Then he asked if I'd be using the photos illegally....perhaps he meant that I'd use it on ebay and advertise him or something ROFL silly boy! To try and get their own back they took out a P&S and started taking pics of me, so I did what any self respecting mad wifey would do and posed hehe
 
MagicMynx said:
The only abuse I got was from some loud mouthed toff kid and his mate. I told them I was in a public place and free to take photos of anything that I wished. Then he asked if I'd be using the photos illegally....perhaps he meant that I'd use it on ebay and advertise him or something ROFL silly boy! To try and get their own back they took out a P&S and started taking pics of me, so I did what any self respecting mad wifey would do and posed hehe
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You thought breaking their camera was fair revenge!!!??? :coat:

Just kidding ;) - good reaction!
 
i had a close call in rural wales
i was photographing a sort of green plant growing in an old brick wall at a garden gateway
the owner was coming out of the driveway some yards away in their car and stopped and gave me a real...asking look..
i explained what i was doing and they said...it looks pretty suspicious you lurking next to my gate photographing
i swallowed my obviously useless explanation...apologised and went my way photographing less..private..hedgerows and flora
:)
 
I had my first taste of this the other week. As I was waking back home through the town centre, from taking the sunset down at the beach here, there was a group of teenagers on bikes cycling through town and as they were coming up to me one of them shouted out "oh no! a paedophile trying to take my picture!". Quite embarrasing to have him shout it out in the town centre but I just shook my head at him and carried on.
 
Mark.A said:
I had my first taste of this the other week. As I was waking back home through the town centre, from taking the sunset down at the beach here, there was a group of teenagers on bikes cycling through town and as they were coming up to me one of them shouted out "oh no! a paedophile trying to take my picture!". Quite embarrasing to have him shout it out in the town centre but I just shook my head at him and carried on.
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dont laugh...if it was a 9 year old girl in a playground...you would have

your camera and gear confiscated
your laptop/pc etc
your temper frayed
your sense of decency destroyed
your wish to live in britain eliminated

whats next on the pc scoreboard
 
mrcrow said:
dont laugh...if it was a 9 year old girl in a playground...you would have

your camera and gear confiscated
your laptop/pc etc
your temper frayed
your sense of decency destroyed
your wish to live in britain eliminated

whats next on the pc scoreboard
Click to expand...

Quite. You would probably have been surrounded by a lynch mob too, but it's got nothing to do with political correctness. It's about inculcating irrational fear by creating a problem, or capitalising on an existing one, blowing it out of proportion and persuading the, now, thoroughly frightened "people" that the wise and powerful government will deal with it. Of course, you may have to give up a few, minor, rights while it deals with the crisis..............like the right to remain silent when questioned, without prejeudicing your defence, and the right to privacy, for a start.
 
people will have a go at someone with a camera, but Do they complain about the hundreds of times they will be seen on CCTV?
 
Mark.A said:
I had my first taste of this the other week. As I was waking back home through the town centre, from taking the sunset down at the beach here, there was a group of teenagers on bikes cycling through town and as they were coming up to me one of them shouted out "oh no! a paedophile trying to take my picture!". Quite embarrasing to have him shout it out in the town centre but I just shook my head at him and carried on.
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take a picture and say you're interested in taking pics for support of ASBOs :)

kids, can't do anything about them as you'd get into too much trouble...and they're getting cheekier!
 
Ive never been called anything whilst out with my camera - not even a photographer...lol !
 
I was taking a photo of a really cool door once. Some guy confronted me and asked me if I was the paparazzi. I couldn't help but nearly break into tears of laughter, which didn't help the matter. But I let him have a look at some of the photos I had taken that evening (before the whole door thing), think he felt a little embarrassed after that.

I do have a theory I'm want to carry out though. I plan on doing some street photography in 2 ways. First, dressed normally, trying to blend in etc etc. Gonna see what reactions I get. Then I'll do the same the week after, but this time dressed as an absolute pleb, flowery shorts, big hat, stand out as much as possible. I reckon I'll get less attention dressed like a doofus than trying to blend in, but we'll see! :D
 
karmagarda said:
I was taking a photo of a really cool door once. Some guy confronted me and asked me if I was the paparazzi. I couldn't help but nearly break into tears of laughter, which didn't help the matter. But I let him have a look at some of the photos I had taken that evening (before the whole door thing), think he felt a little embarrassed after that.

I do have a theory I'm want to carry out though. I plan on doing some street photography in 2 ways. First, dressed normally, trying to blend in etc etc. Gonna see what reactions I get. Then I'll do the same the week after, but this time dressed as an absolute pleb, flowery shorts, big hat, stand out as much as possible. I reckon I'll get less attention dressed like a doofus than trying to blend in, but we'll see! :D
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do it with a huge trench coat and flat cap as well, see what impact that has :lol:
 
a camera nowadays i think can be a threat to privacy and in a lot of cases not very pol.cor

on a beach with kids its a liability
 
Walsall Arboretu, had some kids decide I was a wierdo with a kiddie habit whilst Photographing trees.... asked em if they wanted some action shots of them playing footie that may end up on the net suddenly they were all the best players in Walsall???????



shame I was actually still Photographing trees to be honest :p

You do get it and in this day and age it is more indicative of the whole p**** thing than your own habit but also that kids can get away with blue murder .. crumbs I'm going all grumpy old men now .... grrrrr

Will stick to landscapes I discovered where I live now asking people who are on hols if they want a shot with everyone in it (using their cameras) usually makes them then ignore whatever I am doing
 
I think its a British thing. I was on holiday in Turkey staying at a hotel with mainly German and Russian holidaymakers, wandering around the hotel grounds photographing butterflies and did not get any hassle they were great really friendly too
As I walked back to our room a British woman starting hassling me as to what I was doing with such a big camera !
I was feeling too laid back to be bothered and just walked off
Pete
 
I've been "challenged" many times in London by "Security". Most are simply doing what they have been told to do and havn't a clue, so I simply ignore them. My record is FIVE different people in one day.

Anyone had more ?
 
How many cameras do you carry? Anyone?

I usually go out with two - a long and a short - and I guess I look like what I am: a photographer - rather than someone with an interest in photography...if you get the distinction...

Also my kit, though recognisable for what it is to other photographers, also looks 'the part' to laymen...
I've never been stopped, hassled, questioned, or even 'looked at in a funny way'...
Maybe they think I work for the local paper/national paper etc etc...

People make assumptions based on appearance - maybe those of you who've been challenged just look like wierdos...
 
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