Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Sun, 19 Sep 1999 18:52:09 -0700, Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net> wrote: >Paul Chefurka wrote: >> I think it behooves us all to be polite to the public - after all, >> they're our source of images. If you piss someone off and later I try >> to take his picture and he breaks my nose, I will factor you into my >> negative feelings... >> >> Paul Chefurka > >Legally and morally we have the right to go out and be photographers and capture >reality without having to get into incredibly insulting discussions as to our >moral motivations. I think serial killers get more respect than the average >photographer. We are not shrinking heads we are taking pictures. Hyperbole aside, I agree with you. However, in life you have to play the hand you're dealt. Telling an irate John Q Public "F off, I've got a perfect right to shoot pics of your little girl and I sure don't need your permission cause I'm one of the good guys" is not only hard on your karma it can stress out your HMO. I'm perfectly willing to exercise my rights and shoot candid street pictures. I'm also perfectly willing to stop if someone asks me to - there are lots of other subjects out there. It occurs to me that one of the greatest services we can render to other photographers is to take the time to talk to people who are anxious about what we're doing. Telling them that there are other reasons to shoot pictures of strangers besides blackmail and porn can only help our cause. In fact, I did just that earlier this summer when I was accosted by a father. He ended up understanding what I was doing, and in the process I may have made him a bit less fearful of other photographers. Altogether win-win. I'm not saying we should ask permission before every (or any) shot. I do believe that if someone objects to my activities I have a moral responsibility to deal with their concerns. Railing about how HCB's art would have been compromised by such objections gets us nowhere. We have to live in the present, and if the present includes people who are fearful of our motivations, then so be it. After all, we're the ones who want to take their pictures (or their kids' pictures). We should all do what we can to reclaim the moral high ground in the public's mind. The porn artists and paparazzi have left us with a bit of a hill to climb. Paul Chefurka