Be careful when shooting on the street. You never know what the subject's mindset or mental health is.
I can't imagine the terror of her last minutes on earth, and all because someone didn't want their photo taken...or at least wanted to be paid for it.
Been sworn at a few times, but I've only been physically attacked once whilst taking pictures - punched to the ground, and camera kicked across the road - back in the 1980's during the UK miners strike
(still have the camera - and apart from a cracked focusing screen works fine)
As you said, you never know the mental state of the person you're photographing. I've been approached a few times by various security apparatus in other countries and had to palm my SD card and pop in a blank, chased once, threatened to beat someone with my camera if they didn't back off, and eventually became good at shooting from the hip (handy when taking pics of people with assault weapons). The really sad part about this story is she was shooting with an iPhone, not a DSLR, nothing she'd be making money off of. Just very sad.
Tragic story. So very sad for everyone involved. It always pays to ask if you are taking photos of folks living on the street. Most often they are not living there by choice and in many cases they are fearful that family members who are not aware they are living that lifestyle may see the images. These individuals are people and they have rights like any other individual. Mental health and addiction issues or not they are people with rights. I spend 8 hours a day working with men and woman who panhandle just to buy a meal let alone to support their addictions or to self medicate to address a mental health issue. I know some of them would probably react in this very same way some days but on other days they may be just fine.
Taking photos of people on street is legal, stabbing someone isn't. I will proudly continue my street photography as it's my right.
Also, posting this link with a suggestion that street photography is somehow dangerous is just wrong. You will more likely die in a traffic accident or at home for some reason.
Wrong to suggest that street photography is somehow dangerous? Legal doesn't mean it's safe. I'd rather be safe than proudly die, exercising my right to take a stranger's photo.
I stand by my opening statement....
"Be careful when shooting on the street. You never know what the subject's mindset or mental health is."
I didn't say don't do it, I said be careful. It's just common sense.
Interesting science fact I picked up the other day.
Mother nature has hard wired us to focus in on the "bad" instances of just about anything and give them more attention than the "good" instances. We don't consider the odds in that hard wiring. We can do something a million times, and the million + 1 time something terrible happens and that is what gets our attention and can 'teach us something' or cause us to change how we do something or to stop doing it at all.
It's a survival tool apparently that has stuck with us through evolution. Seems it has worked for us quite well.
funny.. i read this as actually being a mix of both mental state as well as in that area, there are many people dressing up and busking for money. They all EXPECT to get some money if you take their pic, no matter what you use which is wrong.
That said I generally do give buskers some money if i'm going to take their pic - I just dont expect to get stabbed if I dont
I guess enjoy street photography, and be wary of it when you're on Hollywood boulevard at night shooting buskers I guess. Be sensible is the moral of that story. Feelings for her family.
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Been sworn at a few times, but I've only been physically attacked once whilst taking pictures - punched to the ground, and camera kicked across the road - back in the 1980's during the UK miners strike
(still have the camera - and apart from a cracked focusing screen works fine)
Also, posting this link with a suggestion that street photography is somehow dangerous is just wrong. You will more likely die in a traffic accident or at home for some reason.
Wrong to suggest that street photography is somehow dangerous? Legal doesn't mean it's safe. I'd rather be safe than proudly die, exercising my right to take a stranger's photo.
I stand by my opening statement....
"Be careful when shooting on the street. You never know what the subject's mindset or mental health is."
I didn't say don't do it, I said be careful. It's just common sense.
Mother nature has hard wired us to focus in on the "bad" instances of just about anything and give them more attention than the "good" instances. We don't consider the odds in that hard wiring. We can do something a million times, and the million + 1 time something terrible happens and that is what gets our attention and can 'teach us something' or cause us to change how we do something or to stop doing it at all.
It's a survival tool apparently that has stuck with us through evolution. Seems it has worked for us quite well.
Back to the regularly scheduled program.
That said I generally do give buskers some money if i'm going to take their pic - I just dont expect to get stabbed if I dont