embarrassing or wot!!!!
 

Hi guys me again, i cant get enough of asking questions now...i'm sooo addicted!!! I'd like to know how many of you feel embarrassed when taking photo's out in public. Some people can give you really funny looks and that just ends up making me put my camera away and missing some really good shots.:mad: The only place i don't feel awkward is when i'm visiting the Wetlands Centre in Barnes coz everybody has their cameras with them. How many of you feel the same?:confused:

It depends what my subject is. Views, plants etc - no problem. Some people get curious when I set up the tripod or lie in the mud with a camera, but generally I find them interested rather than objecting. People shots are a different matter though. I was asked recently to provide some publicity shots for a local charity event - this meant getting photo release forms signed by people in the shots, and doing a bit of guidance/posing the subjects. Much harder than it looks!:o I think I'll stick to nature.

I dont do people i'm afraid unless they are candid shots of my family so no problems there and i have to admit to never using my tripod unless i'm shooting plants. Maybe i should toughen up abit and stop being so divvy!!!

I know exactly what you mean! I always feel really self-conscious, although to be fair when I have been approached it's because people are interested.

I've never been approached by anyone because the funny looks are enough for me. I scarper before anyone has a chance to say anything. I'm too gutless! Lol
Glad i'm not the only one!!!

Yeah, I used to be just the same. I must be getting thicker skinned!

1.Feeling funny and wondering what they think when I pass by for the hundredth time trying to catch a certain pose. 2.I wonder when the cops will show up and wonder if I'm checking out places to rob. Just a few of the thoughts running thru my head as I look for shots I really want.
And no I don't feel funny with the tripod because I never use it in public.

I was at Victoria Coach Station in London the other day. Waiting for my coach I could see all these fantastic candid shots, loads of potential, interesting faces everywhere. Never in a million years would I be brave enough though - semi-rural Cambridgeshire is one thing, Victoria Coach Station is quite another!

I just wonder if you might be better off wearing a hi-viz vest with "press" on the back and your`e dslr hanging off your shoulder.

But I know what you mean,once you start clicking everyone around you starts looking round.

I am at a loss as to why anyone would feel embarrassed or shy to do what they love doing once it is leagle, not hurting or bothering anyone. what is there to be embarrassed about??? It is not as if you have been cought having a pee in the bush or worse; all you are doing is taking pictures. I think anyone having a problem with me taking a photograph will have a bigger problem if they say anything as it would be them that is messed up. All you are doing is taking a photograph........ and some people walk thair dogs.

Well this sort of strikes a chord but I am thinking of Stevie here. Back in the early 90's she was using a medium format Bronica ETRS and was the object of lots of attention from men. In those days it seems that photography was a male preserve. At one event where she was asked if she was from 'the press', and with a push from me took full advantage. At another she had the guy stood next to her craning foreward to look at the front of the camera, right up the lens, just as she was about to take the pic ( never worked that one out ) :confused: . So for lady photographers in those days, they did have to put up with a bit.

I gave her a bit of a boost at one event by taking an old folding camera. At the height of the action I turned and said loudly ' What do I set this to '. Surrounded by loads of guys with cameras, this was a killer :D :D , and we still laugh about it today.

Nowadays I would not have though there would be any need for anyone to feel embarrassed as it seems everyone has a camera.

Don

Not only do i feel embarrassed taking photo's in public but i also get quite worried too.I only go out with my camera when i have time to myself which means i'm on my own(not that my boyfriend finds it very interesting anyway!) I find myself continuously looking over my shoulder and wondering if someone might mug me for my gear.Carrying £2000 around in a handy little camera bag must be an opportunity too good to miss for a crim!

Hi Polo,

I can understand being worried about theft, it's the embarrassed part I don't.

Go out and get that image and be careful.

Best regards

Jonathan Farmer

I had a funny incident today - was walking through the Sand Dunes and it was blowing a gale, I could feel sand blowing everywhere so decided to protect my gear (brand new 30D with the 400mm lens attached) by slipping it all under my jacket . All you could see was one heck of a bulge and a big white thing hanging out the bottom. I bumped into a lady walking a dog and I could see she was making funny glances - I told her not worry it was only my camera. She saw the funny side and laughed.

Trying to capture people on the escalator in the local shoping centre got quite a lot of attention. I had the tripod set up as a I wanted a slow shutter speed to get a bit of movment blur. I was OK for about 10 mins before the complex security staff closed in and demanded to know what I was doing. I explained but for some reason they clearly weren't happy and moved me on refusing any real reason and muttering about police if I didn't. :rolleyes:

Hi Nigel,

With all the problems big cities have had with terrorism, security has been bumped up as we all know. I live in Barbados where a picture is probably taken every second by tourists and locals; seeing someone taking a photograph is no big deal, the only thing you have to be aware about is the fact that the locals don't like their picture taken without permission; if you ask for permission, the answer is usually "NO".

With respect to Polo and others on this topic feeling embarrassed has got me lost and I don't see any reason why this should be. WHAT IS EMBARRASSING ABOUT TAKING A PICTURE????? If someone makes you uncomfortable taking photographs, something should be done about it; in this kind of situation, the photographer is made a victim by someone who should be delt with by the police. If it has reached the point where the police are bothering you, then it is realy sad; let the police and others look for criminals, the ones that will mug Polo and take her equipment.

I suppose i could probably put up with people giving me the funny looks but if someone mugged me of my camera gear i think i would be absolutely devastated.I don't own many nice things.....only my camera gear and my c class 2.8 Merc!

Maybe embarrassed isn't quite the right word. I'm a naturally shy and retiring type who can manage to feel self-conscious in the presence of a cheese plant if left alone long enough :D ! I guess I just don't like drawing attention to myself, and waving a swadding great camera around always provokes interest. I am, however, becoming thicker skinned so there's hope for me yet.

Public places belong to public. You and them included.

A mid tele lens does a good reach there. Something not long enough to bring too much attention, but powerful and sharp enough to get you where you wanna be. A 75-300mm is my suggestion. Sigma makes very good ones that are cheap too. I like the concept of mirror 500mm with a converter but the problem is very narrow F stop and then low picture sharpness.

Never give an eye to eye contact to anyone. Just a lens to eye from your side will do fine.:)

Hope it helped.

I think the reason it might be embarrassing is that you know most people don't like having their photo taken and there you are doing it without their permission. The pages of Amateur Photographer are full of stories of people getting in trouble taking pictures which might have children in them however innocent. Schools ban taking photos of you taking pictures of sports days or concerts in case anyone there is a paedophile. That and store security staff stopping you taking pictures in shopping precincts (they are private property) in case you are a terrorist and the whole atmosphere of taking people pictures has been soured. All very sad.

I think a lot of people may need a check up from the neck up!!!!! hee hee hee

If I want to take a photograph of a beach, do I have to ask everyone within close enough range for permission? I don't think so as I am in a public area. If someone comes up to me and says not to take a picture of them, thats fine with me, I will simply tell them " Ok, if you don't want to be a part of this photograph, you are free to move out of view, this way you will get what you want and I will get the photograph". You don't have to be thick skined to do this. If they don't move, and insist that you do not take the picture, then they are violating your right to take the photograph.

Never had a problem.I am usually far too engrossed in my subject and am totally oblivious to people around me.
When I am on the beach,and I see children playing ,I always ask if I can take their pic,and do say that if the parents want a copy I will be happy to oblige.
When the "locals" see me hanging over the river wall pointing a cam,they discreetly look from a distance to see what has caught my attention,but do not come up to me and start chatting.I have them well trained!!!!

I used to worry a bit about being thought a nut when our taking pictures but I've out grown that phase although yesterday I was pulled over on the shoulder of a bridge, with traffic whizzing by, taking picutes of a Snowy Owl and was expecting the police to check me out. i felt a bit embarassed for a minute.
The real embarassing thing is to do something like that in public and then to have someone ask to see the shots but they turned out as crap.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/austral...7594411826588/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/central...7594575960373/

I sympathise with the original poster. I also feel very uncomfortable carrying round a camera in public which might explain why I usually take pictures in woods and other remote areas. Maybe forcing oneself to do it is the way to get over the psychological barrier.

But I think part of the problem is that we seem to have lost our innocence. Friends with children do not let them walk home from school, whereas when I was about 8 or 9 I walked the 3 miles to and from school. We neurotically worry about 'kiddy fiddlers' and think any stranger is a potential weirdo or peeping tom up to no good. Legally I believe that we can photograph anyone in a public place as long as we do not use the image to defame them. But in practice I would be concerned about getting 'nutted'.

On a related note I find I really do not like it when someone comes up to me and starts talking to me about cameras. Some while back I was taking pictures in a local bluebell wood, and someone came up to me and asked me about my camera. He was perfectly polite, and pleasant enough, but it sort of bothers me. On another occasion, many years ago, someone in a bird hide starting asking me what 'gear' I had, and then proceeded to tell me what I should have bought. On the other hand I have on many occasions got chatting to someone about local wildlife, and I have met some very interesting people. One bloke got the first record in his county of a particularly rare fungus (that might bore you, but to me it is interesting). Another perso was the local organiser of the Butterfly Conservation charity. Anyway, I digress ...

This thread has opened my eyes to better understand the psychology of some persons. I have on many occations approached people with cameras and tried to strike up a conversation with them as we both obviously have something in common. I now realise that we may have very little in common apart from enjoying photography. Last year I saw a tourist taking photographs of wind surfers, I approached him with my gear and started talking to him about the best places to get shots of water sports, landscapes and so on. By that evening we were introducing our wives and children to one another and we have been in contact ever since. I thought that the people I approached that would willfully carry on conversation were friendly and the ones that seemed stand offish unfriendly, however these people may be just shy or embarrassed and likewise, they may think I am bold, but realy I am just a friendly person.

Im always getting funny looks from people as i carry a camera around with me but i dont let it get to me. I think the strangest looks i have had was when it was raining and i had my camera under my coat.

Re talking to other photographers.
I find it relatively easy to strike up a conversation with someone with a camera as we share a relatively similer interest. Oky we proberably dont photograph the same subbjects but we are both photographers. Recantly i have started a course and there are 2 other photographers on the course, one does portraits and the other is an outdoors photographer and we regulay bounce ideas off each other. Weve all passed on ideas and infomation to each other and its alwways nice to see examples of other peoples work. Just recantly i have been advising the portrait photographer on some basic edditing skills and the outdoors photographer some pointers to maybe sell some photos.

Also if im at an event i will often start talking to others there as you never know where it may lead. It may not lead to anything yet but in the future it may come to something. In fact early last year i got talking to someone at Old Warden and he contacted me towards the end of last year about one of my photos and ive just had my first photo printed in a book all thanks just to chatting to one person at an event.

On subject of contact to other people rather that taking their picture, I have a very close approach to Jonathan and Ollie. Though my friendship has never grown to that extend, I never hesitate to open the discussion when I see a common ground and most of time I have enjoyed the end result. For most cases, the co photographer will receive a paper with few web sites such as WPF's url address from me and I have come to know interesting things in return.

The only situation that makes me to be hesitating is when someone get interested to know about my gears etc when I am just ready to take that expiry time approaching shoot that may never happen again, so on those rare occasion, I may use one of the old tricks of book such as "no comprende" and if the guy continue in fluent Spanish, then leaves me with no more choice to repeat myself with emphasis on NOOOOooooo.

On a side note there has been few occasions when things happened that may not be forgotten easily. One to share here was to see a guy behind one of those cannon Canon nice white L 600mmIS taking competition surfers picture in Waikiki Hawaii in a spot that is far to the east of Waikiki beach, close to Diamond head, where quite far from shore (Unlike most other parts of this beach) big waves are formed and usually big boys and big girls are only found here with no newbes. This is on end of a nice park with good tree shades etc where for a good reach you might be in need of 600mm plus a 2x extender to say the least. Well not knowing the place well, with my surfer son somewhere far to the other end in the water I though of taking some pictures in this location where I was lucky to find a free parking spot. I could not stop myself not to initiate talk to the young photographer behind the shinny gear that had a very professional look. The guy did not even turn head or let me thing I exist.:o Well I thought he might be deaf-mute or just out of a not so happy discussion with his wife. So didn't mind at all. But in no time the surrounding draw my attention with several sexy gentlemen, many wearing thong!!!!! others hand in hand and few even in more intimate conditions. Well no doubt this poor photographer has had many probably not so decent proposal according to his taste in past, making him prefer not to talk at all....:o

That is one thing i love about the internet, i can come here and talk cameras and photography and meet people with similler interests or maybe not so similler interests and we can have a civil discusssion.
So often in life i mention that im a photographer to my so called 'freinds' and i just get strange looks or the typical comment of 'Oh thats nice'.
I feel i have built up a godd freindship and commaradery with several members of this board and i have met Stephan and thats great. I do hope to meet more in the future. For me the internet breaks down bounderys between people, i am quiet young (20 to be precise) and often in life i would not talk to people much older than me but here age is no matter. We all share a similler interest and the commaradery here for me is great.
We maybe worlds apart in experiance, age, knowledge, subjects etc but we all seem to enjoy the banter that goes on here. Im constantly fascinated by threads like 'Photographing the moon' and 'Flash photography - Daunting or fun'. The never ending stream of amasing photos, techniques and ideas has me hooked. I just wish i had the time to have a go at these things. It always makes me smile when i read the welcome threads and someones posted something along the lines of 'welcome to the most freindly photography forum on the net'. To me ive come across so many forums this is the most freindly by a good way.

I'm not embarrased about taking photographs in public, but I am aware that I could be arrested, or be aproached by a security 'jobsworth'.

The UK seems pretty keen that we dont photograph too much, I've taken photographs in Russia during the 'Cold War' far easier than the current situation in the UK.

If you're taking photographs in public, be bold about it and nobody will take a blind bit of notice. If somebody thinks you are taking photographs covertly (even if you're not) then this can lead to problems.

Nigel.

I was under the impression It is an "Asian problem".But It seems that It is all over there. Recently I have been to Mumbai(Previously it was known as Bombay).I tag the camera on my shoulder,My younger sister shouted at me " I won't come with you"(So much of metro mentality) We went to Crowfrad Market to buy some food stuff.So I was just taking the picture of vegetable using "camera phone" while my sister busy with bargaining. Vendor noticing me taking photograph, he quitely pushed some "bright red tomato" among green produce neatly displayed for me.I looked at him to say Thank, He just winked at me and gave a huge smile.
Frankly speaking, I am very scared to take snaps at my hometown.B'coz they feel it is a weird and give me a strange look . But if I go out , I just don't mind carrying my camera bag with me. But the problem is most of the places are prohibated for photography.What a shame?? Even "Shopping mall" do not allow it's customer.
I want to try my hand in "portrait".But I get the feeling they are getting me wrong.So I am down to take picture of inanimate objects or watch other people work and wish if I could do something like that