People have gone insane...

[removed account4]

not sure why america has gone nuts and it is a police state.
i think people ddon't like being photographed by strangers

 

[bvy]

Trees and rocks, no kids but my own... Sheesh. Why do photography at all? Photographers being harassed is nothing new, and incidents like this one (while very real and very unfortunate) get a disproportionate amount of attention. The OP was photographing a sidewalk. And as he describes the incident, I think the maniac in question would have approached him if he as much as looked in the wrong direction for too long a time.

I approach strangers all the time for pictures. Most say yes, some politely say no. I'm totally upfront about what I'm doing, and I always carry cards with me. My point is that none of this should make anyone afraid to photograph in public. Just leaving the house these days comes with risks. Know your rights, do what you do with confidence, and don't let the assholes get you down.

 

[Wallendo]

Most likely the belligerent guy was with his girlfriend ... and was afraid his wife would see the pictures.

 

[Doc W]

...Police show up and I was interrogated! I have no criminal record whatsoever, and am a parent. I felt completely violated. I showed the police the image that upset him and they terminated the "investigation" immediately while rolling their eyes.

America has gone nuts. Goddam Police State.

The police have an obligation to follow up on complaints, so they were just responding. The fact that that the investigation ended with them seeing the photos and rolling their eyes tells you that, at least this time, the cops got it.

 

[Nicolae]

I pray for the day someone tries to go psycho on me for taking street photos. Especially since I only shoot film, I can tell them to "Fuck Off! Find me in a week once they're developed" haha

 

[piffey]

Sounds to me like you missed out on a great opportunity to get a close up face shot of an angry, garbage subhuman. Kidding aside though, this has happened to me quite a bit (I've been told I have a punchable face -- go me?). Had my Zeiss lens' hood ($100!!!) bent in recently and had to send my M6 TTL in for repair afterward (may or may not be related, either way problem started after the incident). Best to just walk away as tempting as it is to use their face on the concrete to make an impressionist piece. Keep shooting, chasing that good light and exploring your city and life through the lens!

 

[Punker]

Maybe it wasn't his girlfriend.

That's what I'm thinking. Most likely a mistress.

 

[bvy]

(I've been told I have a punchable face -- go me?).

Quote of the day.

Keep shooting, chasing that good light and exploring your city and life through the lens!

Runner up.

 

[Cholentpot]

I don't shoot in urban areas at night.

Too easy to accidentally capture a drug deal, and end up with a gun shoved in your face.

- Leigh

I live where CCW has become increasingly popular over the last 10-15 years. I've also noticed people have gotten quite a bit politer when interacting with one another. A slight hitch of the pants goes a long way to calm road rage.

 

[Slixtiesix]

I like the girlfriend theory! Apart from that, I think it´s all because of the web these days. Back in the days people just did not care since the pictures ended up in some drawer. Today they fear that their pictures end up somewhere on the web for everyone to see. Pretty weird since most of them load up very unflattering stuff to the social networks anyway...

 

[Jacob Weiss]

reminds me of some of this

Dead Link Removed

 

[removed account4]

while i feel badly that the OP was approached and intimidated as he was
there are more obnoxious jerks with cameras than there are people
whose photographs were taken and are irate.
unfortunately we live in a society that likes to ridicule people
harass and troll and meme people.

Trees and rocks, no kids but my own... Sheesh. Why do photography at all?

sure i'll photograph strangers, i have ( regularly since 1981 ) for work and pleasure
but unless its for an assignment i have been hired to do,
i have better things to photograph than people who i don't know
and who don't want to be photographed and who potentially can do me harm.
why do photography at all ?
i can't really think of another way to do what i am doing ... if there was, i'd probably abandon photography and do that.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You are under no obligation to show the photographs, yet another reason to use film. Showing photographs requires a court order.

 

[bvy]

sure i'll photograph strangers, i have ( regularly since 1981 ) for work and pleasure
but unless its for an assignment i have been hired to do,
i have better things to photograph than people who i don't know
and who don't want to be photographed and who potentially can do me harm.

Well I have better things to photograph than trees and rocks. And frankly, I've been harmed by more trees and rocks than people. My experience is that people are very good about expressing when they don't want to be photographed.

 

[bvy]

You are under no obligation to show the photographs, yet another reason to use film. Showing photographs requires a court order.

This is true and it's important to know. But if you have nothing to hide, you could save yourself a lot of grief by just volunteering (case and point, the OP).

 

[Sirius Glass]

This is true and it's important to know. But if you have nothing to hide, you could save yourself a lot of grief by just volunteering (case and point, the OP).

And even that can backfire. Calmly standing your ground and requesting the police arrest the complainer will generally work better.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I don't use my digital Leica cameras to take pictures of the streets and of the street. Even with M8 I'm getting "wow" reaction from strangers. This cheater guy who has not only girlfriend, but not only one unofficial wife was jealous. "Taking just street photos with luxury camera? The guy must be crook".
Just do it like me, film Leica, look and act slightly goofy (smile, make eye contacts, talk even with yourself). Hat with white sweat sots helps. Neon green elastic ring to keep camera case stripe long end secure. Actually two neon green elastic rings. On original Leica old case. The brown boot. Camera bag must be washed with something giving color cast. My worn out camera bag is faded black with pink cast after washing with something. I'm father as well. Yes, some people will still act on you, but they are not going to take you seriously. And some will ask if you work for the paper and pose for you. Usually it is goofy people as well. Great for photography. With digital Leica you are placing yourself in wrong social bracket by taking just pictures with it on the street. You have to be size and height of Bruce Gulden for it. By all means.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

The problem usually in these situations is the photographer is afraid they might have done something wrong, which is only natural when someone starts yelling at you! Blame your parents for that one! Lol.

If anyone ever tells me they are going to call the cops on me, I would just tell them I will call them myself and have them arrested for harassment, disturbing the peace, etc. In the OPs case, it isn't a big stretch to imagine that was his girlfriend as others have stated. I would bring that up too.

As others have stated as well, it is better to call the cops yourself. Then they look at it from your perspective instead of from the other persons. It also helps to understand the law a little.

And yes, our world is going a little mad.

 

[blockend]

Three years ago I took a picture of a new building going up from the car. At the next set of lights a young guy came racing up windows down asking me who the **** I was taking pictures of. I pointed to the billboard around the construction and drove on. He accelerated away like I'd just stolen his soul.
A friend was making a call on his phone at a railway station. The light was dim and being short sighted, he held the phone up to see the contact details. A railway goon rushed over and said he couldn't take pictures of people on railway property.
Welcome to the UK.

 

[ciniframe]

On the other hand, the last people encounter I had while using a camera (4X5 pinhole) was a very pretty young woman. Now I'm a fat old guy, baggy eyed with jowls and crazy hair, so it wasn't my handsome visage that interested her. But, she was very interested in what I was doing, asked intelligent questions, and was a charming young lady. Went home and told the missus, 'Hon, you'll never believe it, but this thing, nodding toward the home made camera, is a 'chick magnet'.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

A railway goon rushed over and said he couldn't take pictures of people on railway property.
Welcome to the UK.

That is old-fashioned nonsense to have some official twerp impose a photograph restriction. I remember my father, who was a hydraulic engineer and at the time of the incident an employee of the US Navy, told me he tried to take a picture of a dam during a site visit in World War II. A guard yelled at him and said no photography. In the visitor center, there were postcards of the exact same scene.

 

[removed account4]

Well I have better things to photograph than trees and rocks.

same here ... different people photograph for different reasons.

 

[GRHazelton]

Here's a concise statement of photographers' rights by an attorney/photographer. I try to keep a copy of it in my various camera bags.

http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

Here's a proper pdf of the above http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf

Note that this info is for the US, the site does furnish links to other countries.

Here's a link to info from the ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-righ...ou-are-stopped-or-detained-taking-photographs

 

[John Wiegerink]

That's what I'm thinking. Most likely a mistress.

I don't think so. If it was his mistress he would not have pursued it farther by going in his car after the OP. Stuff like that goes on report and there is a much, much better chance of the wife finding out.

 

[bvy]

I don't think so. If it was his mistress he would not have pursued it farther by going in his car after the OP. Stuff like that goes on report and there is a much, much better chance of the wife finding out.

This from a rational intelligent person -- the likes of which I don't think we're dealing with here.