We've all been there. Out in public, got that look or question while we were taking a picture. What's your best, possibly humiliating moment, when you were out in public taking a picture? How did you handle it?
I was walking along a trail and stopped to take a picture of the rings on a tree stump. A guy stopped, asked me what I found so interesting that I was taking a photo of? I turned around, a little speechless at the question. Um, well, the pattern of the rings and how bits of them are crumbling. We ended up chatting about other things before he continued on his way.
Till a long time, someone of my familly always had a DSLR camera on him, when we were travelling by plane. And everytime there was no problem with that.
The first time I had that camera in bag the airport, they asked me to take it out. The men was examinating the camera and then askëd me, if I could take a shot of anything. Like if I was a terrorist or what ;)
I was taking a picture of some dead headed grasses by the canal last month, crouched down really low looking upwards and at the same time perched precariously on the edge of the waterbank. I was aware that this man and his wife who were taking a walk had stopped and were trying to work out what i was photographing. Luckily he had done lots of photography himself a long while back so we had a good conversation about other composition options. I felt goofy to start with, but when you tell people you are doing a project they kind of go "aah" as if that's completely acceptable!!
an ice machine. yep. my husband was in a convience store. I was bored in the truck and took a pic of the coca cola sign on top of the roof. then took a couple of the ice machine. My husband just started working for that ice company so I was just fooling around and a man that lives down the st from MIL slaps the window, I was unaware he was there. His DIL is into photography he was telling me, but yes he asked why in the world I was taking pics of an ice chest, lol...then I told him about the new job so that sort of changed the subject.
Ha ha. I haven't done much work in public other than portrait sessions, but find myself going out front in my yard and running inside when cars pass by just b/c I know I look weird crunched down by the bushes with my camera. Once I get used to taking pictures of non-people, I will probably get over this.
I live in a small town, so it is only a matter of time before people start to give me odd looks. I am also an affiliated agent of secret agent L, and I do random acts of kindness, so people look at me odd when I leave stuff on cars, porches, benches, etc. I hope some of the odd looks get people interested enough to check out the goodies I leave behind for random strangers.
The secret agent L project is so amazing! I take photos when I do my missions, so I get to do 2 things I love at once. But people often look at me like I am planting bombs or something ha ha ha.
Look of curiosity? Happens each time I go downtown,with my camera.I`m allways the only guy with a camera,I haven`t seen anyone else taking photos with a DSLR,in my town.Maybe there are a few,but I never seen them,so I allways feel out of place.
But I had a couple of uncomfortable "experiences".One was when I took a shot of a big fancy uggly gipsy house,and the owner was outsied,he tried to stop me and charge me for taking a photo of his "palace".As I wasn`t "cooperating",he wanted to take away my camera.Luckily he didn`t have any of his "gang" around,or I could have been even stabbed or something.
My other experience..well,I was downtown in a crowded area,I stopped to take some shots of an apparently boring building.As I finished and to move on,this gang of...take a guess... gipsyes (!) wouldn`t let me through (the freakin` sidewalk),unless I take a photo of them.So I had to do it.
I`m planning to go to the "bad" side of town soon,I wonder if I`ll make it out alive.People get killed for less then a digital camera,here,each day (here=romania)
When i lived in an apartment complex, I was walking my dog and started taking a photo of someone's camper trailer (one of those awesome Airstream ones) that was parked across the street, when the owner came out of her apartment and asked what I was doing. She was very...plucky, and I quickly tried to explain (but, ended up babbling) that I was doing a project where I take a photo a day, and I was just walking by, and I'm so sorry, "Do you want to see the photo?", and so on. She could tell how embarrassed I was, and my face was all hot and red, and she softened a little. She said she thought I was someone from the complex that was taking photos for a complaint, or something. Truly embarrassing, and I felt so wrong!
My daughter and I stopped to take pictures of an old abandoned house a couple of years ago. We remained well out in the yard and never even got close to the house. The neighbor came out onto his porch with a shotgun and asked what we were doing. He then said the gun was for shooting at a bird that was pecking at his window. Yeah, right! We didn't stay long!
I had pulled into a driveway to take a picture of the neighboring house, I finished with my photographing and got back into my car. As I started to back out I realized the school bus had stopped in the road behind me. I then looked out my window to see a little boy about 8 staring up at me with really wide eyes. I smiled and waved and he smiled back then went on his way.
Not really embarrassing, but it definitely lands in my best moment list. I was waiting for the train and noticed that I could see the sun through the glass station cover. Pointing my camera upward I started snapping away. That's when a guy walks past me, double takes, and while walking backwards he says "Hey Photographer!" and poses as if wanting his picture taken.
A few days ago an old lady gave me an earful for taking pic of her shophouse around the old part of Bangkok. She thought I worked for "..." and didn't believe I just take photo simply for photography!
the project has had me in places I never thought I would...
Australia Day, I wanted a photo of the Australian flag... sounded easy but I ended up lying on the grass in the middle of town for 45 minutes with people looking at me really weird and then they would look up to see what I was shooting.
Another day I was sitting in the gutter taking a low angle street shot when a car pulled up to check that I was okay...
I just smile and I have found that people around me start to see things differently
My weirdest look has to be when I was taking this photo:
Because I am taking photos of a rubber duck, I get some incredibly weird looks. I drive a (really, REALLY dirty) ford fiesta and I am always just parking it at the side of the road (like I've abandoned it) and then running to wherever I want to take my photo, carrying my phone (I use the camera from it), my keys and a rubber duck. It looks crazy.
Anyway, this photo.. It took me forever to get right, because the lights on the zebra crossing kept flashing and they were never on when I wanted them to be.. and I couldn't get the poles vertical in the shot.. etc. Anyway, people kept driving past and staring at me, because I was obviously taking photos if the road, and I am not sure they could see the duck. I think one guy nearly stopped to shout at me and ask why I was invading his privacy :/ oops!
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The first time I had that camera in bag the airport, they asked me to take it out. The men was examinating the camera and then askëd me, if I could take a shot of anything. Like if I was a terrorist or what ;)
The secret agent L project is so amazing! I take photos when I do my missions, so I get to do 2 things I love at once. But people often look at me like I am planting bombs or something ha ha ha.
But I had a couple of uncomfortable "experiences".One was when I took a shot of a big fancy uggly gipsy house,and the owner was outsied,he tried to stop me and charge me for taking a photo of his "palace".As I wasn`t "cooperating",he wanted to take away my camera.Luckily he didn`t have any of his "gang" around,or I could have been even stabbed or something.
My other experience..well,I was downtown in a crowded area,I stopped to take some shots of an apparently boring building.As I finished and to move on,this gang of...take a guess... gipsyes (!) wouldn`t let me through (the freakin` sidewalk),unless I take a photo of them.So I had to do it.
I`m planning to go to the "bad" side of town soon,I wonder if I`ll make it out alive.People get killed for less then a digital camera,here,each day (here=romania)
Australia Day, I wanted a photo of the Australian flag... sounded easy but I ended up lying on the grass in the middle of town for 45 minutes with people looking at me really weird and then they would look up to see what I was shooting.
Another day I was sitting in the gutter taking a low angle street shot when a car pulled up to check that I was okay...
I just smile and I have found that people around me start to see things differently
Because I am taking photos of a rubber duck, I get some incredibly weird looks. I drive a (really, REALLY dirty) ford fiesta and I am always just parking it at the side of the road (like I've abandoned it) and then running to wherever I want to take my photo, carrying my phone (I use the camera from it), my keys and a rubber duck. It looks crazy.
Anyway, this photo.. It took me forever to get right, because the lights on the zebra crossing kept flashing and they were never on when I wanted them to be.. and I couldn't get the poles vertical in the shot.. etc. Anyway, people kept driving past and staring at me, because I was obviously taking photos if the road, and I am not sure they could see the duck. I think one guy nearly stopped to shout at me and ask why I was invading his privacy :/ oops!