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This morning was a beautiful autumn morning here in northern Wisconsin USA. This time of year I love to take my camera out shooting the beautiful fall colors.
Last year while shooting the autumn colors on a rural road from my car, a local farmer drove up to my car and got in my face about why I was taking photos of his farmstead.
Well on my morning stroll around the neighborhood this morning, while on a public sidewalk I was angrily confronted by a 30ish year old male home owner about taking photos of the colorful maple tree in his front yard.
In my area there are fewer and fewer places where photography with a large DSLR-style camera (especially with a large lens and a tripod) are accepted/allowed. While ubiquitous cell phone photographers are welcomed, those using "BIG" cameras/lenses/tripods are viewed with suspicion. For example, at the local farmers market, iphoneographers are ignored, but when I shoot the very same photo with my big camera I often get dirty looks.
In my area, places where I can photographic with my DSLRs in peace are becoming fewer and fewer. Mostly I'm left with shooting at governmental parks and botanical gardens (sometimes having to pay extra for being a proper "photographer", while of course the iphone photographer is not so charged).
I'm finding that for a truly stress free photographic experience I'm more and more turning inward and shooting on my own property, in my own gardens, or inside in my little studio.
These increasingly unpleasant encounters have me seriously considering dumping my DSLR gear and getting the new iPhone 12 (larger sensor & RAW files).
Are you too finding the "photographic oases" where you are allowed to photograph in your area are disappearing? Are you too turning inward with your photography and shooting more at home? Or maybe are you feeling the pull to switch to the more acceptable iphone camera to be less conspicuous?
Last edited by Fenwoodian; 10-16-2020 at 11:19 AM.