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I went down to Bay Area Park yesterday evening to see if I could find anything to photograph. The light was great and I felt compelled to take advantage of it. There were a couple of young boys’ teams there playing football (are they called pee wee league?) and I immediately knew that I had found my subject. I parked my car, found a great vantage point and took two photos before a lady walked up to me and said “Why are you taking photos? Who are you with? Who arranged for you to be here?” Her attitude was very confrontational and accusatory and well…I was very taken aback. I think my answer was something incoherent like “I’m nobody. Well…I’m with Bay Area Photo Club. I’m just here taking photos.” To which she replied “Well we don’t want you taking pictures of our children!”
I understand where she was coming from, I do! I have kids of my own! But to be there in that situation and to be unjustly and unfairly accused was a demoralizing experience. My accuser turned and walked away. I pretty much just stood there with a thousand thoughts running though my head. Thoughts about things I might have said, things I should have said. I contemplated my rights. This is a free country and I can take all the photographs I want in a public place can’t I. Meanwhile my accuser wasn’t through with me. She had apparently told her husband to go get the police officer that patrols the park and tell him what I was “up to”. Holy Smoke people! I’m just taking photographs here!
The police officer came over to me and said he had told the husband that a park was a public place and I could take all the pictures I wanted to. Then he told me to stand there and take all the photos I wanted. Problem is, by then it wouldn’t have been the same would it? I just stood there until the game was over and the field was empty and didn’t take any more photos.
Today’s photo is a crop from one of the two photos I took.
3 comments:
Barry,
Something similar happened to me a few weeks ago. I was shooting macro stuff at a public garden and then went over to watch some children play in a fountain. My camera was setting on the bench and I was just watching the kids when this woman approached me and told me that I could not take any photo, I had to leave and she wanted my compact disc. I politely said I had not taken any photographs of the children and she was not going to get my compact flash. She immediately called a policeman to come. He told her the same thing. She then informed me that if she ever sees any photographs of her children or their friends on the internet, then she will sue me for everything that I own. Not sure what you say to that.
Some people seem to be looking for confrontation.
Patrick
Larry,
Your story is even worse than mine! I wonder if it was the same lady? :-)
Cheers!
Barry
I just joined a photo club. We were on the streets tonight taking pix. No stories like yours but I can imagine the feelings you must have felt. Ayn Rand may have said this, "Never accept an unearned guilt." Keep up the photo work, I love the legs !!!
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