- Joined
- Feb 15, 2015
- Messages
- 66
- Format
- Multi Format
Dear all,
what have been the negative out comes you have had while wearing a camera? Today i had quite the frightening experience, which is something i would had never anticipated in a million years. I'll be succinct. I was in the grocery store, and as always i was carrying one of my little 35mm german cameras from the 30's (brand not important, but style noted), and as i always strangely do i take photos of the products; meat, vegetables, canned things, etc. Boring photographs, but my friends from foreign countries get a real kick out of them. Anyway. i was checking out, and out of the corner of my eye noticed some umm. Disheveled looking hefty young women, and a rough man. I thought nothing of it, besides the thought that "mm dealing narcotics". 10 years ago, i wouldn't have had such a thought, but the little town i live in has become a nightmare of such things. drug addicts, and dealers alike have migrated here as we are known as having a limited and weak police force. But besides my own stereotypes of the way they were dressed, and talking (having an american city accent), they were passing money and small items, all visible from a corner glance. I didn't stare, unlike the others in line, as frankly, it wasn't my business. I payed, and spoke with the friendly cashier, and left. After loading my car of groceries i was putting this cart thing back in it's place, when a female cashier (whom i hadn't seen) came walking towards me very quickly, and thought "oh my, did i forget a bag of groceries again?", i stopped when she said "sir, sir!", and noticed the rough looking man from before talking to some men on the street, nervously asking them " who's that??" pointing at me. I responded to the woman, saying " yes ma'am? I forgot something again?" and she just ignored me and began questioning me "why did you take their picture? why'd you do it?". I respectfully responded "i didn't take anyone's photograph, i'm not sure who you mean". I'll list the rest of the conversation like an interview for ease of reading.
The female cashier: well why are they saying you did?
me: i'm not sure, but i most certainly didn't photograph anyone, i took a couple pictures of produce, but nothing else.
Note- she became very irritated at this point and almost yelling, and i began to be surrounded by these "disheveled"
individuals, in an aggressive manner, as they blocked anyone from exiting the store.
the female cashier: They said you took my picture too, i didn't give you permission to take my picture. you can't be doing this.
Me: ma'am, i assure you, i didn't take anyone's photo.
the female cashier: <nonsensical rambling and threats>
Me: I didn't do it. (walked away and towards my car)
once in my car these women approached, and i kept driving and the man was gesturing me with his hands.
The point of me writing this is, I wasn't doing the "street photography" i haven't such interests, i was simply wearing a camera. an old chrome one at that, which appears almost as a toy. I was targeted and singled out simply because i wore the camera, and not for any action i did. Their paranoia was the only crime, but the simple presence of my camera was enough for me to be convicted.
I'm curious as to your all's feelings of this. I mean not just in such domestic situations, but the over all threat to the freedom of photography. I think back to soviet times in russia (east berlin), and to what's happening in the Britain. Being in america, i never thought about it, even learning that i could buy a gun after only living here for a short time.. but wearing a camera was more than enough to incite trouble. I usually don't shop during the day, due to my schedule. My human-human interactions are almost always planned, so people expect the camera. I'm almost never around large groups in public with my camera, so maybe this isn't common. Or maybe it is..? I just really want to hear some experiences from you all, and your thoughts on what such situations mean for photography in these changing times.
what have been the negative out comes you have had while wearing a camera? Today i had quite the frightening experience, which is something i would had never anticipated in a million years. I'll be succinct. I was in the grocery store, and as always i was carrying one of my little 35mm german cameras from the 30's (brand not important, but style noted), and as i always strangely do i take photos of the products; meat, vegetables, canned things, etc. Boring photographs, but my friends from foreign countries get a real kick out of them. Anyway. i was checking out, and out of the corner of my eye noticed some umm. Disheveled looking hefty young women, and a rough man. I thought nothing of it, besides the thought that "mm dealing narcotics". 10 years ago, i wouldn't have had such a thought, but the little town i live in has become a nightmare of such things. drug addicts, and dealers alike have migrated here as we are known as having a limited and weak police force. But besides my own stereotypes of the way they were dressed, and talking (having an american city accent), they were passing money and small items, all visible from a corner glance. I didn't stare, unlike the others in line, as frankly, it wasn't my business. I payed, and spoke with the friendly cashier, and left. After loading my car of groceries i was putting this cart thing back in it's place, when a female cashier (whom i hadn't seen) came walking towards me very quickly, and thought "oh my, did i forget a bag of groceries again?", i stopped when she said "sir, sir!", and noticed the rough looking man from before talking to some men on the street, nervously asking them " who's that??" pointing at me. I responded to the woman, saying " yes ma'am? I forgot something again?" and she just ignored me and began questioning me "why did you take their picture? why'd you do it?". I respectfully responded "i didn't take anyone's photograph, i'm not sure who you mean". I'll list the rest of the conversation like an interview for ease of reading.
The female cashier: well why are they saying you did?
me: i'm not sure, but i most certainly didn't photograph anyone, i took a couple pictures of produce, but nothing else.
Note- she became very irritated at this point and almost yelling, and i began to be surrounded by these "disheveled"
individuals, in an aggressive manner, as they blocked anyone from exiting the store.
the female cashier: They said you took my picture too, i didn't give you permission to take my picture. you can't be doing this.
Me: ma'am, i assure you, i didn't take anyone's photo.
the female cashier: <nonsensical rambling and threats>
Me: I didn't do it. (walked away and towards my car)
once in my car these women approached, and i kept driving and the man was gesturing me with his hands.
The point of me writing this is, I wasn't doing the "street photography" i haven't such interests, i was simply wearing a camera. an old chrome one at that, which appears almost as a toy. I was targeted and singled out simply because i wore the camera, and not for any action i did. Their paranoia was the only crime, but the simple presence of my camera was enough for me to be convicted.
I'm curious as to your all's feelings of this. I mean not just in such domestic situations, but the over all threat to the freedom of photography. I think back to soviet times in russia (east berlin), and to what's happening in the Britain. Being in america, i never thought about it, even learning that i could buy a gun after only living here for a short time.. but wearing a camera was more than enough to incite trouble. I usually don't shop during the day, due to my schedule. My human-human interactions are almost always planned, so people expect the camera. I'm almost never around large groups in public with my camera, so maybe this isn't common. Or maybe it is..? I just really want to hear some experiences from you all, and your thoughts on what such situations mean for photography in these changing times.
. 
