Sat, May 29th, 2004 by Emily (Beautiful Life)
Has anyone had any bad experiences trying to photograph a stranger? I mean, to take a full-on portrait of them, not a covert sort of photo which you take from lens which zooms all the way to space.
I've seen many people on the street I'd like to take a close-up of, but I've never quite been able to ask because it just felt sort of strange, and it doesn't help that people stare at you wherever you go with your big SLR (big comparable to point-and-shoots i mean). But I tried it yesterday, and it wasn't too bad, but then again, it wasn't I who approached him in the first place. But after this experience (which wasn't at all unpleasant), I think I'll be a wee bit more adventurous - there are some people who are nice about you taking their photo, and others who think you are crazy, so what the heck.
And thinking of this subject, immediately I am reminded one of btezra's old entries - a private moment between two young people, and he'd told them after that he'd taken their picture dancing. But they were nice about it, luckily. Btezra's bold in that way, and I guess it's one of the reasons why he takes such good pictures.
What about everyone else?
Has it been good or bad for you?
Any tips for photographing close-ups of strangers?
p/s: how do you balance the right of photographers to take pictures of whatever they want?
do private individuals have a right not to be photographed?
New server!
May 29th, 2004 at 7:44 pm
As much street photography as I've done, I haven't yet asked anyone before I took their picture. What I have done, though, is framed the shot and found a stranger staring at me -- probably wondering about the Nikon 4500 twist-body camera. The result can be pretty arresting:
http://lin.kz/?mjhdsand
http://lin.kz/?un590
http://lin.kz/?n28ca
May 29th, 2004 at 7:58 pm
I finally plucked up the courage two weeks ago to ask someone if I could take their photo.
http://www.ur-ban.com/photoblog/000092.html
It's not a brilliant result but its a start none the less. I'm hoping with the arrival of a new flash that I'll come across as more of a "professional" then some weirdo/pervert
May 29th, 2004 at 8:06 pm
This is one of the hardest things for me to do, especially when there is a language barrier. I like to use the sneaky technique where I slap a 20 mm lens on my camera and never left the camera to my eye when photographing. Here are some results of this type of shooting:
http://www.folkphotography.com/log/entries/00000071.html
Occasionally I will ask a stranger if I can photograph them but usually something is lost as the person becomes much more self concious.
May 30th, 2004 at 12:57 am
I have a hard time taking pictures of strangers, but I'm trying to overcome that fear. I prefer to do it surreptitiously, because candids are usually what I'm looking for. I got up the nerve to ask only one person. He didn't mind.
http://www.wickens.ca/sm/archives/000673.html
I don't think anyone venturing out in public has a "right" to not be photographed, but if someone asked me not to, in most cases I'd comply.
May 30th, 2004 at 1:13 am
I was quite surprised when this guy asked me to take his photo.
http://www.brandonstone.com/photo/security_guard_with_clipboard/
From my experience security guards usually aren't friendly around cameras. I guess it goes to show you that everyone is different.
More and more I'm realizing that just being out there and taking photos will open the door to new experiences.
I like being surprised.
May 30th, 2004 at 3:04 am
When I tried to take photograph of a person for the first time, he stand up and compained about it even before I could take the shot. Not a good start.
http://www.sas-foto.de/index.php?/fotoblog/officer_on_the_road/
I took my first shots out of the croud during events. Its much easier because for other people I am only tourist, doing photographs of everything.
May 30th, 2004 at 3:30 am
Turning the camera the other way: last year Theme Thursday had “Picture Yourself” as a theme: “Holding your camera at arm's length, take a picture of yourself”. It was very interesting to see how many photobloggers chose to hide behind lenses, reflections… while others took photos of their shadows and silhouette.
http://themethursday.com/archives/2003_10.php#2112
Not all photobloggers are comfortable about uploading their own image for the world to see. The same may apply to the stranger on the street. So I believe showing the stranger the result and asking how the person feels about having their picture taken and uploaded is always a good idea. Well done Btezra. I remember Sensiti did something very similar last year, please search his website to see the results (I couldn’t find it):
http://sensitivelight.com/blog
I see photography as a bit of an intrusion and can only take photos of strangers if they are performing or somehow drawing attention to themselves:
http://my-expressions.com/expressions/page.cgi?id=414_1454550626&type=entry&tid=12061
May 30th, 2004 at 4:12 am
"So I believe showing the stranger the result and asking how the person feels about having their picture taken and uploaded is always a good idea."
Oh my!!
I can't even imagine that, frankly.
Then again, I myself don't believe that I am intruding at all when I photograph someone in public. I suppose it's how you feel, personally, about your motivations.
I never ask anyone if I can photograph them.
But I have been approached by people and had them ask me to take their photo, as these two gentlemen did:
http://www.shutterbabe.org/b/003112.html
http://www.shutterbabe.org/b/003111.html
May 30th, 2004 at 9:08 am
i don't have a problem asking people to take their picture if i feel i "need" a photo of them and can't get close enough in "secret." i think that's because i started photographing as part of working for my college newspaper - it explained away any picture.
i've carried that attitude with me even now and find that if i get inquisitive/annoyed looks as i point my camera at people, i will ask if they mind, and sometimes add that "i'm just an amateur trying to get better!" and smile.
enthusiasm seems to go a long way - a goofy camera nerd asking to take a photo because "you just look really neat with that shirt and the cool hair and.." is less freaky than a scary person staring at you with a camera and walking off, i guess.
i can think of a few pictures (that i have online) where i specifically asked permission:
http://www.pushing-daisies.org/portraits/10.html
http://www.pushing-daisies.org/portraits/14.html
http://www.pushing-daisies.org/sunflower/7.html
http://www.pushing-daisies.org/sunflower/2.html
obviously, if somebody objects to being photograph ed, i'll refrain. (btw - hi, em!)
May 30th, 2004 at 9:49 am
Sometimes I ask, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I get flat out busted
My best advice is to just keep smiling and clicking away, and don't be afraid to ask when you need to, or when you want a more posed looking shot (which is often the best kind of shot). When you ask, you get to meet people, and it's cool. People have different reactions, but they rarely get hostile if you ask. That's never happened to me. The only times I've had to deal with hostility are when I'm sneaking around with a long lens and someone sees me from 40ft away and walks over to give me a piece of their mind, or when I'm caught sneaking a shot from behind a newspaper and a cough or something.
Anyway the more you do it the more you get used to it, and the shyness melts away somewhat. What Jennie said above about being friendly and goofy and gee whiz about it is good advice.
I find that I get in the groove after walking around for a while, and then the camera starts to feel completely like part of me, like I'm as entitled to take photos as I am to look at people.
It helps to have the gift of the gab also (chat chat chat *click* chat chat chat *click* repeat). The more comfortable you are with your camera, the more comfortable everyone else is with it also. Why do you take pictures? Because they are there, and you are the photographer.
May 30th, 2004 at 3:10 pm
While I'm not real big on people street photography, there are times that I do it. Good advice: enthusiasm - I couldn't agree with Jennie more. Smile, and have fun!
As a coutesy of the people who I photograph, I usually alert them of what I was doing, either before of after I take the photo. If it's before, then I just ask if I can take his/her picture. If it's after, then I tell them that I think I got some real good candid shots of them, give them my contact info, and give him/her the option of asking for the print from me for free for being my subject. That usually disarms any hostility.
"do private individuals have a right not to be photographed?"
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a private individual. If you're in pubic, EVERYTHING is public. Tresspassing is illegal, and I don't advocate the idea of breaking the law to get the perfect shot.
May 30th, 2004 at 3:41 pm
I have a trick that is deceptive but works very well. It is to put the subject between you and something that ppl would photograph. A statue, a stage, a parade, fountain etc. It appears that you are shooting what's beyond them. Then you simply focus on them instead.
May 30th, 2004 at 4:48 pm
I posted this same question on my photoblog not to long ago. Ive never asked anyone..yet.
I don't know what Im afraid of.
http://www.eggsquizit.com/oui/archives/000776.php
So far my photos consist of people unable to protest such as children.. namely my granddaughter, dogs or other animals and inanimate objects..
May 30th, 2004 at 5:14 pm
Jeesh. I ran away like a coward when I got caught taking this photo of someone's *house.* http://www.electricboogaloo.net/photos/2004_0528.htm
So, no, I'm not quite up for the challenge of photographic strangers. I've done it twice but both times we'd already had a conversation so it didn't seem so random.
This is why having a baby is helpful. Kids have to submit to your photo obsession, or you can threaten not to feed them.
May 30th, 2004 at 7:04 pm
I have had three bad experiences whilst photographing strangers there is a blog entry for each event.
http://www.sensitivelight.com/blog/archives/000056.html#000056
Trouble; when someone outright objected after I had posted the shots on the site. I took them down.
http://www.sensitivelight.com/blog/archives/000376.html#000376
Dangerous streets; where the police questioned me to ascertain if I was photographing children.
http://www.sensitivelight.com/blog/archives/000425.html#000425
Data Protection Act; where I was told by security guards that I was not allowed to take photographs.
This has to bee seen in the context of taking a lot of stranger photographs. Hundreds, maybe even thousands in the last 12 months.
My particular preference in this genre is for stranger portraits, often just head shots. I use a 70-200 mm zoom lens, that’s up to a 4 times zoom for a compact. If you were choosing the optimum focal length for a head shot in a controlled studio environment you would probably select to shoot with the focal length somewhere between 90 and 130mm. So out in the street I don’t find 200mm to be too long a lens.
The idea of peeping round the corner with a long lens is quite counter productive. Firstly you can’t see what’s going on around you. More important it is propounding the idea that street photography is somehow wrong. It isn’t inherently wrong; although one could make it wrong by being insensitive. By standing bold in clear view of the people you hope to photograph you are giving them the opportunity to come and talk to you. You are being open, and your subjects will appreciate that.
I have found shooting from the hip with a wide angle lens does not give me the sort of shots I prefer. It also contributes to a sense of sneakiness that generally isn’t necessary.
The best way to start taking stranger shots is to go to somewhere where there already a lot of cameras, somewhere where the strangers might expect to get photographed. I have found carnivals and parades to be the best place for this. Once there you will be able to forget your self-consciousness, and start having fun.
By the way, the best place to start photographing carnivals and parades is in the area where they all congregate before the parade sets off. Try to be there at least an hour before the start. You will have plenty of time to chat to the revellers who are hyping themselves up ready for the main event. In my experience they are delighted to be photographed. If you are lucky you will build up enough adrenalin to keep you running pack and forth along the parade to get even more pictures.
http://www.sensitivelight.com/blog/archives/000252.html#000252
On the topic of strangers I posted last year a tongue in cheek account of the types of reactions you might expect from various groups.
May 30th, 2004 at 9:43 pm
I only took 2 pictures without asking so far.
http://www.stillmemory.ca/archives/000581.html
The other ones where I asked for the permission always turned bad because of "technical difficulties". I don't know what is the best thing to do, but I guess it all depends what you are looking for. It is hard, in my opinion, to get a "natural" face when the subject knows he/she is being photographed.
May 30th, 2004 at 10:17 pm
Here are a few where I asked:
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000060.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000105.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000088.html
And a bunch where I didn't:
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000096.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000041.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000106.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000045.html
http://www.thenarrative.net/archive/000051.html
I take a lot of pictures of strangers
May 31st, 2004 at 12:17 am
I asked a dozen people for me to take their photos at the beach. All said, yes. I had a fear of asking people and now that is all I take photos of.
Just ask all they can say is no.
May 31st, 2004 at 12:49 am
Those of you who've had people actually ask you to take their pic...why do you think they did?
I was asked by a professional photogrpaher to shoot me once in a shopping mall where a musician was appearing. I was taken aback at first and grittingly teethed agreed, but then all the other photographers saw and jumped in to take one.
It freaked me out cause at that one moment, I had about 6 photographers surrounding me and well yeah, I hated every minute!
I feel very self conscious taking pics of strangers still. I always feel Im being overly obvious lol
May 31st, 2004 at 1:13 am
I'm pretty sure Dave was drunk and Earl's just goofy.
They saw me with my camera, in the park, and both just came up and said, "Take my picture." I think Earl heard Dave, because he approached me so soon afterward (you can even see Dave walking away in the photo of Earl).
May 31st, 2004 at 5:20 am
Sometimes I ask if I can take a photo but more often than not I just take a photo because I like to capture the subject in their environment without a fixed pose.
This is a photo that had to be taken without asking. http://www.andrewor.com/2004/05/resting.html
However, this photo was taken with the subject's knowledge but I didn't ask. She just smiled and she knew she was being photographed. http://www.andrewor.com/2004/05/evening-standard-newspaper-seller.html
There are benefits each way for asking or not. I believe it depends on the type of photo you want to capture.
May 31st, 2004 at 11:16 am
I so badly want to hit the streets and take pictures of people. I love people pictures, not so much portraits but just people living their lives.
I am, however, terrified of doing this though after a recent experience at my son's swimming lesson. He was swimming and I was up above in the bleachers and was photographing him swimming, just him mind you.
All of sudden the lifeguard started yelling at me and asking who I was. I told him. He then asked my son "Is that your mom?" to which my son replied "yes, of course".
Everyone was staring at me and the lifeguard barked out that I could take photos of my son but make sure I only zoomed in on him and didn't get anyone else. I gulped and said "of course" since that was all I was doing anyway.
I was really embarrassed and humiliated and I wasn't even photographing strangers, just my son.
I don't know what the rules are or if there are any rules. I've been trying to find out via the internet but so far have not really found any clarification with regards to Canadian laws and street photography.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as now that summer is approaching I would like to hit the streets and take some pictures and I would like to perhaps post some of those but I don't know if I need permission for that or how that works with privacy laws, etc.
May 31st, 2004 at 3:03 pm
Daisies, try not to let it get to you and keep in mind that the lifeguard was keeping an eye out for your son -- lots of weirdos out there, as I'm sure you know...
I don't know about Canada, but info for the U.S. is at
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm
I'm too shy to do strangers much...the only experience I've had where the subject was concerned at all was this guy:
http://dougspants.org/photos/index_stacks.php?album=040421_j_e_djs&img=37
He asked me why I was taking pictures, I told him about my photoblog, and he said he didn't mind then a bit later said, "wait, wait, I want to make sure I look good before everyone can see it!" so I gave him my email but he never contacted me...
June 1st, 2004 at 2:13 am
Hey Daisies.. i had the exact same thing happen to me as I was photographing through a fence at a kids pool. I was actually just taking pics of feet as the kids ran by but the guard freaked out on me. I guess that is just the way it is with all the loonies out there. ONe thing I have found works great to photograph strangers is to have a nice promo piece you can hand out. I have big 4 x 6 cards printed out with one of my dog photos on the front. I usually chat with the person for a bit and then ask them if they want a card. Then I ask if they mind if I take a couple of pictures of them. People are usually much more receptive if they can see a promo or even a portfolio because then they know its legitimate and all their questions of why I want a picture disappear. Here is an example of a pic where I actually asked the subject if I could snap :
http://www.folkphotography.com/log/entries/00000075.html
It is very liberating when the subject agrees and gives you time to think about your shot. As I said earlier though something is also lost from this.
June 1st, 2004 at 6:22 am
Zac, what does your 4 x 6 promo piece look like? Is it just a photo? Or does it kind of look like a huge business card? I'd be curious to know exactly what you're talking about.
I've been thinking of making some business cards (or something a little more creative) to hand out to people who wonder what I'm doing with my camera.
June 1st, 2004 at 11:39 am
What a fabulous idea and it makes so much sense. I'm going to try and design a promo piece to pack around with my camera and perhaps I'll stay away from pools. Thanks for the feedback!
Interestingly enough, while walking home from work yesterday I stopped to take some photos under one of the bridges where the pigeons hang out. There was a photographer there also taking shots and he ended up walking into one of my shots, anyway, he was perfectly fine with me taking his picture while he photographed and I felt quite liberated about the whole thing and a bit braver about being out there in the world with my camera.
June 1st, 2004 at 12:26 pm
I think it makes sense to distinguish between the camera being "intrusive" and "obtrusive." My problem is with the latter: awareness of a camera's presence changes the way the people behave, which changes the picture. (That's why I don't generally photo strangers. Buildings and subways are unmoved.)
June 1st, 2004 at 1:38 pm
This entry made me take a picture of a stranger...
Unfortunately it didn't turn out all that nice.. But i did it !!! Believe me .. This is a really big step for me
http://photo.hipoxia.com/2004_06_01.php
June 1st, 2004 at 1:52 pm
I was wondering about the ethics of this... I too take some photographs of strangers:
http://www.sense-datum.org/photoblog/archives/cat_bus_portraits.html
Is it only ethical if the stranger knows you are taking the photo? Is it ethical to publish photos of strangers?
June 1st, 2004 at 2:06 pm
Brandon,
Here is a link to what my card looks like:
http://www.folkphotography.com/promo_card_04.htm
I have made many many different types of business cards but I decided to make a functional (mailable) postcard for people (then maybe two will see it instead of just one)
June 1st, 2004 at 10:48 pm
"Is it ethical to publish photos of strangers?"
I try to live by the golden rule I guess, and I personally wouldn't care if someone took a picture of me picking my nose on a park bench and published it. As long as it was taken in public and wasn't used in a defammatory way, I wouldn't care.
I suppose if money came into it I might care, but probably not. Unless my mug became associated with a famous brand or something, and I got nothing! hahah.
June 2nd, 2004 at 9:42 am
Heheheh. I don't think it would be a very good idea for me to do that since I live in Washington DC. I've heard some pretty ugly stories about people getting their pictures taken by strangers who then forced them to give up their film. It's because so many spies and secret agents work here.
God, I live in a weird city.
June 2nd, 2004 at 10:06 am
Untrue to my usual form, I did get a human bean up on a pic today. This guy had a lot on his mind, and never noticed my camera. To me, that's the point: if they notice the camera, the picture is gone. On Sunday I passed a couple grandparents helping their toddler walk; it was so sweet to watch, and I'd have loved an initial shot, but we all noticed each other too quickly for me to do anything but smile and not spoil their moment.
June 2nd, 2004 at 1:43 pm
I like to keep stranger pictures strange.
http://www.apocketwatchplum.com/gallery/archives/000382.html
give the impression of life or gesture. I like the humanless photos too that suggest the presence of someone.
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/E/eggleston/eggleston_new_orleans_full.html
In my experience people are becoming increasing suspicious about people with cameras, most are aware of web publishing and many are concerned about being seen that way.
We are still free to make pictures of strangers in public. Remember, people are naturally uncomforatable about being photographed by a stranger.
June 3rd, 2004 at 1:28 am
hi. i just got a great email from joe (guy who runs this site) about my photos, and was glad to find his site and the exposure he's given me here. i just read this comment thread, about shooting strangers in public. it's all i do and all i have been doing for the past two years, on an almost daily basis in toronto.
everyone is nervous when photographing a stranger in the streets, i still get nervous and i hesitate, but i do it less and less. it's good to have the nervousness, it comes from a genuine respect for people in general. it's a jarring thing to turn around and see some stranger pointing a camera at you. "they're just as afraid of you as you are of them" holds true. just do it confidently, walk up casually, smile and say thanks or give a nod or something if they see you doing it. deal with the consequences if they bark at you. i practice speeches in my head and when i'm confronted, or asked nicely, i know beforehand what it is i want to tell them, so that i don't get flustered. if i speak confidently about why i love public photos and documentation, and also include why i believe it's important that we have the right to photograph anything in public space, it's usually enough to get the person to see it in a more legitimate way. confrontations don't happen very often - there are certainly some situations where i'm too afraid to lift the camera, and i'm probably better off for it.
if you want to get started shooting strangers without permission (and i dont' think you should ever feel you have to ask permission), just start shooting backs of heads from far away for a day or two, then get closer, just get used to that. don't do it too long because backs of heads photos suck. once you're cool with that, start moving around the people, shoot profiles, three quarter shots, and so on. the head on shots are tough at first, but just tell yourself that you're going to do it once, the next photo no matter what you're going to stop and photograph the person head on. do it confidently, smile and nod if they see you, and move on. if they say something, talk to them, tell them why you did it, you're taking a photo class, whatever works to make you feel like you should be shooting that photo.
pairing up with a photo buddy , or just having a person walk along with you, can be a big help. i never feel that i need to do it, but i know it would make me feel a lot more comfortable in certain parts of town.
about asking permission: don't feel that you have to. sometimes it works best to get the photo, but don't ever feel or let someone tell you you're obligated to get their permission in a public place (if you live in canada or the states - other countries i don't know). nobody can confiscate your film, *especially* not rentacop security types, nobody can have you delete photos from your digital.
if you live in the states, check out this URL and download and print the PDF, it might make you feel more comfortable to carry it with you when you're out shooting. it's written by bert krages, an attorney who deals a lot with photography.
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm
photography is how i talk about what's going on in my community. it is an independent media source, it is my form of expression and i am free to express myself, including talking about what i see happening in the streets of my community.
nobody objects to surveillance cameras that record public space for private interest, but a person with camera in the street is treated with more suspicion. i think that's backwards.
at the very worst you're making someone uncomfortable for a brief moment. talking about potential harm, that somehow if the subject doesn't have control of their image, harm may come to them, is a moral nullity.
i mostly do it because i love it and i think the city is a beautiful place, especially in and between the people. the political stuff only comes up if someone disagrees with me, or if i'm writing excessively long comments on blogs.
June 3rd, 2004 at 8:23 am
Well said hool.
I like your pictures a lot. I live in Toronto too and also take a lot of pictures of people on the street. It's really nice to see my city through your spontaneous and talented eye.
Maybe we'll run into eachother someday without knowing it
June 3rd, 2004 at 10:20 am
Very inspirational hool! I really enjoyed your photos!
June 3rd, 2004 at 10:35 am
Thanks, Hool.
June 3rd, 2004 at 4:59 pm
Picture makers
Portrait mode There are often discussions to be found on the ethics of photographing strangers,
June 3rd, 2004 at 6:09 pm
~I try to meet someone new everyday, chit-chat and snap a few frames...I am a social person, enjoy street photography and the results that come from spontaneous moments. 99% I ask before I shoot, but every now & then I play the sneaky card and shoot, only on public property where no consent is needed unless published~
June 4th, 2004 at 6:37 am
Rules in Europe are vague on this topic. I have personally been stopped by police in France but only by private security guards in UK. I have emailed the European Union information office a set of questions about photography in public, but I'm still waiting for answers.
I got a lot of inspiration from Graham/Sensitive Light's photos and headed out to the streets a few months ago:
Some photos I've taken or strangers without asking (before or after):
http://www.extrospection.com/archives/2003/10/a_london_man.html
http://www.extrospection.com/archives/2003/10/recognition.html
my all time favourite:
http://www.extrospection.com/archives/2003/10/where_are_we.html
I once asked a bobbly (London policeman) about the rules, and he told me:
http://www.jacobsen.no/anders/blog/archives/2003/10/16/uk_public_photography.html
June 4th, 2004 at 7:12 am
Photographing strangers
Photographing strangers...
June 14th, 2004 at 6:38 pm
I think you even need a written permission from your model, at least if you plan to publish the photo. And is the internet a public place?
Yesterday I tried to log in at www.istockphoto.com and learned a lot about copyright (in Canada at least). Try to upload pictures there and the sote takes you through a complete workshop about copyright issues. A similiar site, www.sxc.hu from Hungary, has much less restricitons (and even is completley for free).
September 25th, 2004 at 2:02 pm
Picture makers
Portrait mode...
October 7th, 2004 at 6:58 pm
I was taking pics in a certain large Toronto mall and was approached by a security guard on my way out. She asked me why I was taking photos of store fronts and I told her I was doing homework for school, which was true. She didnt try to get my film or anything, but she told me that I had to get a permit to do so in the future. From a legal point of view, is this true? I mean if people can have hidden security cameras in stores to film me, why is it such a problem if I take pics of storefronts? I mean sheesh, are they doing something they shouldnt be and dont want me to photograph it? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
October 14th, 2004 at 5:48 pm
I have taken pictures of strangers many times without asking. I never really thought about it until I saw a man taking a picture of my four year old daughter. He didn't say anything to us and I am sure he didn't think that I saw him. It made me really uncomfortable. Now, I think more about whether the person would want to be photographed or not. When in doubt, ask!
May 25th, 2005 at 9:50 am
English is not my first language. Please help me: when you say "take my picture", do you mean any kind of image (still, film, video)?
Thanks!
October 21st, 2005 at 12:41 am
I had the most unpleasant experience today. A camera was aimed at me unexpectedly and I turned away. I turned back thinking the 'shooter' might have gotten the message only to have the flash go off in my face. I do not allow photos of me, this is a lifelong philosophy. My image is personal to me and I have even refused when I was asked to be in a movie because of the way I look. I refused when an artist wanted to draw me, especially my eyes. I feel so angry because the 'shooter' laughed when I protested. There was no respect for me as a person who did not wish to be photographed. There was no consderation for my feelings. I have to see this person tomorrow and every day for the next two months. I am not sure we can work together. I do not know what I will say, but I will try to remain calm. If one considers Native Americans and the terrible images that have been strewn across newspapers and movies then you will understand that images can be very damaging. I am looking tonight for some words to assist me with the anger I feel toward this person.
Lena
February 16th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
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