HELP WANTED: Why do people hate having their photo taken

[al_kaplan1]

The other thing I've learned, Randy, is that when you get rushed into the emergency room of a top rated teaching hospital, one that has some of the best physicians in their fields on staff, you're more than likely to be examined and treated by somebody doing their residency there, whether white, black or green. That guy or gal probably missed dinner, has been up for twenty hours straight, and hasn't had a full night's sleep in months. Ah, the joys of modern medicine!

[randy_skopar]

<<I daresay the culture of individualism and the rise of the "me generation" mentality has something to do with it.>>

 

Also, I think people are afraid that the photographer may use their pictures to make money--and they, the subject, won't get a cut. I once photographed a dog, a darn ugly one, and the owner came over and demanded, "Is this for commercial purposes?"

 

What would have been the perfect comeback to that?

[randy_skopar]

Al, a friend of mine went through one of those grueling residencies. One night, he gave a transfusion to a patient, then, not remembering, went back and did it again.

[nesrani]

Some of my best friends are Jamaicans.

[cabophoto]

Randy,

 

when I visited Jamaica last year I didn?t have a problem at all. I photographed on the streets, in schools (see picture) and was invited into a church where I took some people pictures.

 

Photographing people on the street here in Germany is IMHO much harder than it is in Jamaica.

 

Carsten

 

http://www.cabophoto.com/<div></div>

[rodolfo_negrete]

Carsten I check out your website and it brought melancolyc memories of Mexico. you definitly have an eye for culture. I just wonder what you look like since yu seem to blend in so well.Peopple semmed not paying attention to you like if you were part of the enviroment.

[stephen_martin2]

I've been reading this thread and the things that Randy and Al are saying remind of the time that I was a racist. I was tought that the white man invited pretty much every thing and we where Gods people. when my father past away I was no longer influced by him and I would read and listen to other culturs. and you know what I learned is the white man had been lying for centries. this is a way to hold onto power. I found out the white man stole idea from people and proclaimed them as thier own inventions.

 

Randy and Al, I was feed that same crap about afermitvie action. and let me tell you from a real live FORMER racist who has seen plans to divide this nation and seen the tons of 223 ammo, AR-15s, grenade launchers and training camps, learn to read and listen to people outside of the racist community you associates yourselfs with. leave the church that teaches you these things and if you do this you will find a hole new world waiting to embrase you.

 

and to the folks of this thread please forgive me for going of topic. this is a subject that is deaply close to my heart. because I have seen the damage that myself and my father had done to my fellow human beings. and affermivtive action is one of many ways to help repair that damage.

[stephen_martin2]

in my last post insted of Al I meant to say Olivier Reichenbach

 

I'm verry sorry Al for the typo.

[al_kaplan1]

No problem, Stephen. Thanks.

[frank uhlig]

Dear Cebes,

 

I have thought about this and I have found an answer unlisted here before:

 

When a dog comes up to a person, the dog immediately feels what the person is thinking, feeling. When i come up to a person, camera in hand, I think the same kind of instinctive gut reaction occurs: if the person is upset, he/she wants to be left alone and would react negatively to having his/her pic taken. When the person is happy, relaxed, and i am too, then a picturee can most often be taken in cooperation, etc. With a few words exchanged, ... Pleasanteries, jokes,

 

It is your attitude towards the person that allows/disallows the pic., stupid! As simple as "it's the economy, stupid!"

 

And your diatribe runs heavy in attitude. You seem to demand everyone to share/bare their private life, face for your spit-ups. You come across as a mean spirited son of a ... that I would not want to be confronted with. An ass of sorts. Sorry. i am just relating to my dog experiences here. You, your mindset, rudeness, ... would give me hackles instantly! Good for mankind that this seems to be shared by many others. Sorry, to be the first to have to tell you, really sorry, Cebes.

 

And I am glad people refuse to have their pics and private sides scrutinized by someone so unfeelingly, offensively thinking about them. No offence intended, please , but some things are so clear now ...

 

Cannot sugarcoat what you are up against, sorry. And good luck thinking this over. Might be the best critique you will ever get, or so i hope.

[cebes_johnson]

I truly appreciate all who have responded. There is a great deal of experience here and it was a very important question to me and perhaps one in general although I realize that like all things, with time brings wisdom and understanding to this phenomena that I do not yet possess.

 

Comment: "Do people really feel they are so important that I truly care about them!"

 

Replies: "A little bit of respect, compassion and genuine interest goes a long way towards breaking down the barriers between strangers" ..........and other replies to this affect.

 

Oh I understand this. Please excuse my poor wording as I was writing in frustration.

 

I am not obvious, sneeky, unkind, or rude. Not in the least. If someone "catches" me shooting them, I smile afterwards, or wave a thank you. The moments, which are more common, where people cover, block themselves, or say something I usually walked away shaking my head at them until recently trying to better understand and LEARN this phenomena and what exactly people are thinking to help me learn.

 

case in point:

 

Olivier et al. are not far off. I was in the park the other day merely sitting and practicing using the rangefinder. I must be faster! and truly want to master zone focusing. Anyway, This woman in the distance continued to say "no foto" constantly. Then her children began to mimic her. I was focusing in that direction apparently and didnt realize.

 

She was becoming more and more aggravated it seemed. Some lonely gossipy housewife type with her other lonely housewife friends (sorry inner anger again).

 

I said in her language, dont worry I dont want your foto..it is a free country...anger beginning to surface...

 

Then I moved away inwardly thinking what the hell?!

 

So when I decided to leave I chose to walk over to them. Again I am not a confrontational type so it was a stretch for me this new tactic. LOL

 

I said (killing any anger with kindness), "excuse me I am studying photography, and I am merely practicing focusing, I didnt take your picture, however, I am curious as I am a painter and dont understand why people hate having their photo taken. Should I set up my easel beside you, you would have no provlem at all my painting you, your children, etc. Yet when taking a photograph people are so offended. Why?"

 

She said, because of child pornography and posting images on the internet (I thought how silly, dont they have to be naked and in sex acts?!) How ridiculous. What ignorance. simple minded people who act without thinking.

 

It is not too far away from what most of you have stated perhaps(MANY THANKS!) Eric, Olivier, Nathan, Liam, Gerald, Frank ET AL. I cannot remember everyone's name...sorry.

 

 

It seems to be a combination of ignorance and fear/privacy issues related specifically to our current world. Particularly bad photographers and media (paparrazi types) who have caused a problem for the entire medium perhaps.

 

Of course if I were interested in a portrait or something to this effect I certainly would perhaps make the effort in "winning them over" to some extent if the situation seemed to call for it.

 

The photography I am referring to of course is street photography, and about a MOMENT where of course this does not apply.

 

It seems to be an automatic reaction for people ...Why are they so afraid?!

 

Ill tell you something.....

 

I was in Romania for a time, and people LOVED having their photo taken. They went inside and got dressed up in their traditional clothes and came out just for a photograph.

 

A genuine gypsy called his ENTIRE family over only for a photo. etc. etc...Same applied in Poland and Slovakia Rep.

 

Any more technologically advanced societies, Czech Rep, Italy, USA seem to have problems...cultures such as French, England do not seem to have as much a problem in my experience due to their history and breeding ground of great photogs perhaps...I dont know...the Spanish are always cool anyway!

 

Those who do cause a problem now, I confront them not meeting their anger, but politely asking them in my best Socratic philosophical question/answer manner having them prove themselves silly for stopping me.

 

What I initially said "I do not care about you....." refers to why these people would become so offended as if I was intruding on their personal lives. it is only a photo?! PEople seem tho feel I am so interested in THEM as if I KNOW them..I am interested in whatever they make me feel at the time...or perhaps only their lifeless mass for compositional purposes only where the face is not even visible.

 

It is so ridiculous.

 

Perhaps I am the one who is naive, but I havent a problem in the world with someone taking my photo...why should I?! Does everyone have something to hide?

 

Is everyone so vain?! Everyone IS so vain! (it seems)

 

 

What has truly concerned me and has been wearing on me/demotivating me as much as I truly love the entire Leica experience I have had and studies into optics, light, color, history, etc..just brilliant.

 

It drains me sometimes.

 

A better question would be, totally outside the bounds of some forum AS MY FINGERS ARE TIRED NOW,,,,,,,,

 

 

...........what do YOU DO? Technique or manner.

 

 

Must I become a thief to capture a moment all the time?! This is not me. I mean, I am not that kind of person. To hunt is one thing, to feel as if i must steal, is another.

 

 

I would find this immensely helpful as well...

 

thanks again. Although most of what has been suggested I already knew more or less, BUT it DOES emphasize many things and made me reflect from a third persons perspective on my technique/style. Anyway, will carry all of these opinions and suggestions with this (serious) budding amateur photog. in the future.

 

 

 

Cebes

 

 

[rodolfo_negrete]

man I just to think I was complicated. I think that you are worse than I am.hehe(feels good)

[rodolfo_negrete]

*used to

[randy_skopar]

Cebes, don't take the criticism seriously. It's just your turn in the barrel.

[nesrani]

Cebes - I think you will feel more motivated and less like a thief if you have a purpose to your photography. If you have an ongoing project that gives a meaning to individual pictures as you are taking them and also enables you explain what you are doing to people who question you about it. This need not be documentary, it can be purely aesthetic or formal, but in my opinion, this is what distinguishes the best photography from the rest: the fact that the photographer has a well-defined set of interests he/she is pursuing. At that point he is no longer a thief or hunter, but merely someone pursuing an aim.

 

Good luck.

[bart_w._van_lith]

If I got to Ferrari meetings, I usually pay the owner a compliment with a smile.....or stick up my thumb when he's too far away.

 

If you shoot someone in a store, pay a compliment about the store ("wow what a beautiful store !" or "your store is so unique, I just had to take a picture").

 

You know what ? Most people are incredibly vain about themselves and the stuff they own, so they are INCREDIBLY sensitive to compliments.

Even when they look very grumpy at first, they usually aren't when you say something to them.

 

A few weeks ago I did some charity work for some national kidney foundation thing, and we came at the door during dinner. I noticed that 99% of the people open the door with a grumpy face, say something short or say nothing at all, but 99% does give money and most people are incredibly kind and friendly when you just keep smiling. :)

Perhaps it's just a natural first reaction, cause most people arent people's people either....it's more like they're scared, being a bit surprised about the unexpected thing of being shot.

 

And just by talking to people, those people often come up with new ideas like "have you ever been to...." or "would you like to see my car from the inside.....".

 

You'll be amazed!

 

PS I once heard two people talk about street photography and one guy said "It's so weird, when I try to shoot people they are never friendly"....and I noticed a few people near them look kind of bewildered :)

[jtdnyc]

Cebes, to go back to the original question -- why do (some) people (sometimes) hate to have their photo taken -- I'd like to suggest a reason:

 

Photography makes a transient moment permanent. It's only natural for a person to want to be in control of the selection of moments from his own life that are to be memorialized, as opposed to those that should be allowed simply to pass by. Remember the old actress in the movie Sunset Boulevard who said, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. de Mille."? I think there's a bit of her in all of us.

 

What might seem like an innocent couple enjoying their lunch hour in the park might be a lovers' tryst. The man lost in thought on the park bench might, at that moment, be thinking thoughts that he'd prefer never cross his mind again. These people don't want you or anyone else freezing the moment.

 

Of course, if they are in public, you have that right to shoot them. That's not in dispute. But what you asked about is why they might object.

 

Apply this test to yourself: Would you mind being photographed while celebrating your birthday? How about while mourning a dead relative? Might you want to be the one to decide when you are "ready for your close-up"?

 

To paraphrase that most photogenic of presidents: "You can photograph some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't photograph all of the people all of the time -- and expect them to like it."