[Parallax]

Well, then, this is no time to be worried about the size of your kit. 'No bigger than it needs to be' has always been the real ideal.

Though I agree with the sentiment, I think it's perfectly normal for people to be worried about the size of their kit. I always have been.

[Wheatfield]

Though I agree with the sentiment, I think it's perfectly normal for people to be worried about the size of their kit. I always have been.

I recently discovered the magic of Viagra. I no longer worry about anything to do with my kit.

[Alizarine]

I do actually know how you feel & I'm not sure of a way to get over it yet.

The problem lies with how suspicious people are today (perhaps with good cause, perhaps whipped up by the media). If you're a photographer with a DSLR you are probably:

1 - Terrorist
2 - If you accidentally photography a child you're automatically a (potential) child molester

It is worse in the UK, cops there feel they have the right to bully anyone with a camera, especially those with DSLRs.

If you pull out a little point and shoot, nobody really cares, put your DSLR on a tripod, then suddenly that's a big issue. Shoot with your cellphone and nobody even notices.

I think DSLR spells 'Pro', especially with a tripod, therefore you're going to make money from these photos, therefore, the subjects should have a share of what you're going to make.

I don't know what the solution is. I wish the governments would get it into their minds that terrorists ALREADY have plans & photos of what they need.

I too admire those street photographers that manage to get those great people photographs. I think that's why I do more landscape, animal & machines (railroads). They don't object to what you're doing.

Thoughts from anyone else?

Nice one there. Yeah, even public parks' security in my country ask for permits when I shoot with my K-x (does it spell anything like "pro" for a toy-looking red camera with a virtually unheard-of brand named "Pentax" on its face?). As for the terrorist angle, I do think those folks would use more inconspicuous things than a very visible DSLR

Taking pictures of stuff in places like shopping malls are indeed tricky. I try as much not to look odd or strange such as "slowly, carefully pulling out the camera while looking around". Also, when a security guard makes his presence felt I usually acknowledge it and shoot just 1 or 2 shots before leaving with a smile and saying thanks (no looking back though, they might become more suspicious if you do)

[Zafar Iqbal]

This popped to mind:


Yes, I do think that too

[Tom Woj]

This popped to mind:


Yes, I do think that too

Hehe, felt so much like that today walking round town. Bit unshaven ... scruffy jean's on ... fingerless glove's and a scrappy old back-pack on ...

"Oh don't mind me I'm just browsing."

Of course I had my laptop and k-r in my bag. Technologically minded hobo huh.

[ggeorge11]

I do a lot of photos for wineries and vineyards, and there are times I still feel "intrusive". I have only been shooting for a couple of years, but I just do my best to work around it. I am sure it will go away as time passes.

[slip]

Hi Laurie

you being a female goes a long way in how people will perceive you as a photographer.... that is, most people don't worry if females are child molester like they do a male. there have been so many opportunities for me to take some really great shots of kids, but how others see me as a male photographer stops me. I love kids as I have my own, and I think I have a unique insite at the appreciation of children as I lost a child of my own when he was 4.Every time I see a cute kid my heart smiles.
I remember a while back my step daughter was warming up for volleyball so I decided I wanted some warm up shots of other playing... it takes some practice to get used to the fast pace of the action. Not to long after I started a mom came over and asked me why I was shooting her teams kids. I told her that I was just practicing and that I deleted the photos right away, but she still had that "your a pervert" look. I showed her that the pics I was taking where serving shots where most of the time you can't see the full face anyway. She did leave but I also stopped shooting.
Boy I would have given anything to be like my wife, she can shoot anything and no one blinks an eye.
Keep a big smile, and if you feel awkward ask if it is alright to take a photo.

thanks

[loco]

Hi Laurie

you being a female goes a long way in how people will perceive you as a photographer.... that is, most people don't worry if females are child molester like they do a male. there have been so many opportunities for me to take some really great shots of kids, but how others see me as a male photographer stops me. I love kids as I have my own, and I think I have a unique insite at the appreciation of children as I lost a child of my own when he was 4.Every time I see a cute kid my heart smiles.
I remember a while back my step daughter was warming up for volleyball so I decided I wanted some warm up shots of other playing... it takes some practice to get used to the fast pace of the action. Not to long after I started a mom came over and asked me why I was shooting her teams kids. I told her that I was just practicing and that I deleted the photos right away, but she still had that "your a pervert" look. I showed her that the pics I was taking where serving shots where most of the time you can't see the full face anyway. She did leave but I also stopped shooting.
Boy I would have given anything to be like my wife, she can shoot anything and no one blinks an eye.
Keep a big smile, and if you feel awkward ask if it is alright to take a photo.

thanks

Thanks so much for sharing this, slip. It must be a bit weird to feel as if people think you are doing something inappropriate just because you are taking some photos. It's one thing to feel self-conscious and nervous, quite another to be made to feel as if you are a pervert. I do feel for the guys because you probably have to deal with that much more than women. However, I have definitely found myself putting the camera away on a number of occasions when children are around. I just don't want to take any chances of offending. Kind of sad we live in that kind of world.

[cbeeching]

I'm very new to photography (just got my first DSLR, a K-R last week..!), and I decided on my day off to venture into town, as I figured shooting objects in my low light flat armed with energy saving bulbs was just not pushing the camera to it's limits.. (or perhaps it was with these focusing issues i've been reading about - but then that's another argument, haha!)

I got to the town centre, which is always a busy spot, and looked around for interesting things. There's a nice clock in the middle of the market square here, and I thought 'yeah! I'll have a go at that!', but as I walked up I have to admit I felt a bit silly - which is silly I know! I decided to persist and ignore my feelings of foolishness and just snap away. I'm pretty sure there were people looking at me while I did it, but then once you're staring through your viewfinder you can almost block out the other people. I have had some practice with ignoring the public to be fair, as I've done a good bit of outside audio recording and am fairly accustomed to performing musically as well.

I usually find with any kind of public footage capture I start out feeling strange about it, but once I get going I'm all over it and I don't want to stop! My session ended up with me crouching on the pavement next to a puddle so I could get some real low perspective shots of the road trailing into the distance - I bet I looked like a right wierdo!!

I think it sort've comes down to your morals and personality combined. Deep down you'll know if you're crossing the line with what you're capturing, and that should be the decider on whether you switch on the camera or not - anything else is fair game! :-)

[RioRico]

@cbeeching,
Welcome to the forums! Here's a trick: Go somewhere you're not known. Now you can be whomever you want! Neat thing about any kind of travel is the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. So, assume a new identity: master of macros, or ditzy tourist, tripod carrier, clown with a camera, spy, art student -- well, I'm a little old for the last, I'll just have to pretend I'm someone famous or at least adequate. But it's easy to adopt a persona to fit the situation.

[cbeeching]

Thanks for the welcome! Clown with a camera hehe - I don't think that's the stealthiest of options if you were feeling self concious ! But yeah, I hear what you're saying! I've just been out to the local bird reserve this morning actually, decided to get up really early - like before 7am (which is impressive for me!). I read that outside lighting can be nice before it gets too bright so though 'hey, i'll give a whirl!' There was lots of walkers about, even had a guy come up to me and ask what I was looking at and I explained that I had found a nice mushroom but had no idea what it was. He sort've tutted, and then proceeded to explain what species it was - turns out it's a 'polyspore', and on googling it, it seems he was right.

I ended up staying out for just about 4 hours and hadn't even realise the time or most the people that had passed me by. I only stopped because my battery died

Anyway.. should have at least some good shots I hope.. I'll post some up once I've got them uploaded!

[RioRico]

Thanks for the welcome! Clown with a camera hehe - I don't think that's the stealthiest of options if you were feeling self concious

There's an old make-up trick I've read of: Give your face a great scar or huge ugly nose or some other noisome feature. People will look at, or studiously avoid looking at, that feature, without ever 'seeing' your face! Dress goofy or 'official' (or not at all), and people won't see your camera. Et cetera.

[Zafar Iqbal]

It's been about a year since I first replied here. Just had carnival and Copenhagen Distortion events again same as last year. I recall how it (I) was back then and the difference this time around was pretty uplifting.

I suppose my body language is more confident and relaxed now since I had many people come up to me, asking me to have pics taken. I also had lots and lots of eye contacts which beforehand would be my que to move on, whereas now, I used them a lot more to figure out weather the person I was in contact with would mind being photographed. I often even kept the cam aimed at any particular person in hopes for him/her to notice me. Would never have done that a year ago or even 6 months ago

All in all I'm very pleased I stuck with it and tried to overcome the self-conscious issue. I've kept shooting a lot which helps build confidence regarding operating the camera. This should be the easiest obstacle to overcome (but apparently it isn't for some - I'm talking about basics - not quick and uber skilled operation). I've also done lots of portraits, especially over the past 6 months, which also helped to get accustomed to having a person wait for me to get the settings right, take pictures and direct and whatnot. I felt very obligated to get it right in the first few attempts, in the beginning, or perhaps it was the desire to end the torture but now I'm more like "if you want a good photograph then expect to spend some time with me"

I discovered shooting portraits of friends could become a false-security trap, so I quickly moved on to friends of friends - because I *wanted* those uncomfortable scenarios. You can make a bummer in front of a friend and laugh about it but it's not entirely fun when you do it in front of someone you do not know - but since its a friend of a friend, it was still easier to grasp the mistakes.

This was my approach though and not two persons are the same, so some other approach might also work.

Two of the most challenging type of shots - wouldn't have had guts to take these before, or perhaps just take one and then run away and hide:


I didn't just take one, which would have been much much easier, but a series of shots - I didn't really like the first ones and waited to see if something interesting happened. She had a sip of her beer and that was it - she seemed to be cool with me photographing her as well, so that naturally helped too.

I'm on a stage in this one - it was a small stage but still. Just went up there by myself like the saying goes "take pics first, ask later" I got kicked off when the band changed. I think I spent at least 30 mins up there.

There are many more examples, but I don't want to drown you with links.

I'm very happy with how things have turned out - if you are in doubt then all I can say is to stick with it and take one step at a time, but make sure you challenge yourself to break *your* barriers. These, I think, are the biggest obstacles.

[magkelly]

People can be a little crazy sometimes about it. The other day I was in my own park walking down my own street taking pics of the birds. Stopped to actually take a pic, from the sidewalk, of a bush with some flowers and my neighbor comes out and gives me heck for doing it. Like my photographing her tropical whatever it was is a major freakin crime. Her yard, I'm apparently not allowed to photograph so much as a bloom from the sidewalk apparently. Last year, same thing at Christmas. Different neighbor, same crap. I took a pic of a yard light display on my way home from doing laundry and caught heck for that. I wasn't even on the sidewalk for that one. I was in my CAR which she probably sees come and go a million times a week, hello neighbor, and she can't stand the idea that I'm taking a photo of her little lighted snowman. The funny thing is most of these people, including the neighbors that gave me heck think nothing of coming up and peering in our windows from time to time. I can't tell you how many times one of them has snuck up the walk to do just that, to talk to a cat, peek in, or whatever, actually come into our yard sans our permission. But I'm not allowed to take a photo of a flower, or a lighted snowman....'P