It is OK, I am a photographer, not a pervert...

[sabbath999]

The other day, I saw a young lady working in the grocery store who had amazing eyes. She had that kind of shining blue eyes that just simply glow in print. Otherwise, she was a fairly normal looking teen (15ish) and apparently I was staring at her eyes...

She caught my look, and for the quickest of moments she glanced around to see if anybody else was nearby. I was actually kind of startled that I might make somebody a bit nervous. I am the most harmless person on the planet, and wouldn't hurt a fly (literally... I am a strict vegetarian).

I wanted to walk over to her and say "It's OK, I am a photographer and not a pervert... you have amazing eyes and I would love to take your picture (with, of course, your mom in the room with us)" but I just kind of walked away.

I am not really sure what my point is on this post, other than I later felt amused that the "photographer, not pervert" line popped into my head at that point in time.

 

[DigitalDiva]

I do the SAME thing with people I find interesting in look. I carry my card with me which has my online gallery and my contact details. That way, they can have a look at my work and decide for themselves. I realize this is easier for a woman than a man.

 

[Mike_E]

Not really, after identifying yourself and giving them your card, you just ask them if they ever want to get a modeling portfolio together to give you a call.

 

[Big Mike]

I guess this is just part of our modern times and the constant feeling of fear that is propagated by the negative media coverage of the few bad apples that spoil everything for the rest of us.

The sad fact is that there are perverts and predators out there...and people (kids/teens/women/anybody) does have to be careful...it's just very unfortunate that being careful comes at the cost of suspecting almost anybody and everybody.

I too have seen some very pretty young ladies and children that I knew would make great models...but how do you approach them? I don't know. The least imposing way that I can think of, would be to have business cards and just say:
"Hi, I'm so and so and I'm a photographer. Here's my card. I think you would make a great model, talk to your parents and have them contact me, if you are interested."
Or something like that.

 

[Lol999]

I see lots of great street shots with kids in and always never bother. Sometimes I get really annoyed and think "I'll buck the trend and take their picture. They're in a public place and perhaps if we all did it we could get back to the more innocent times of Bert Hardy et al". But I never do. I just don't need the hassle, and I'm a big guy with tattoos

 

[xfloggingkylex]

It's sick that this is how we live in our world, where getting caught up in beauty can be turned into 25 years in jail.

I work for the picture people, one of those mall portrait studio's, and as a result I take pictures of kids all the time. As a result, lately I find myself more playful with children in general, and everyone I see becomes a potential customer. I have been thinking lately, that hopefully Im not being seen as a pervert, since I don't exactly wear an advertisement to explain why I am looking at your children. :meh:

Tough times here in the photography world.

 

[gomexz]

There was a bit of a study where the men in the study said they would walk away from an alone crying child at a park for fear of looking like a predator. For the life of me I can not remember where I read that.

 

[Lol999]

I have seen young children in town centres, clearly separated from mum and upset, but dare not approach them. Instead I watch from a distance until Mum appears. What a tragedy we have to live like this.

 

[Big Mike]

Here's a related story. My grandmother was a nice old lady and she used to babysit the neighborhood kids. Next door to her house lives a family with small children. When she passed away, I bought the house from the estate and moved in. I knew the neighbors, but not very well. Anyway, one day the little girl from next door (maybe 5 or 6) comes walking down my hallway. She had let herself into my yard and into my house...looking to play with my dog, which was my grandmother's dog.

I immediately asked if her mom knew where she was...and then lead her out of the house and back to the alley, where her mother was looking for her.

Anyway, the weird part was that I was afraid to hold her hand to lead her out...I had to coax her out. I just didn't feel that it would look appropriate for a grown man to be holding her hand etc. How sad is that?

 

[skieur]

It applies to other careers as well. Teachers are advised to be extremely careful and coaching a team of young boys or girls also has new "dangers". Worse than the fear of course is being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour. I realized how common it was, when a colleague was falsely accused and arrested at the head office of where he worked in a large downtown area of a city. It took him almost three years to clear his name and his original career was ruined.

skieur

 

[BEvaristo]

It applies to other careers as well. Teachers are advised to be extremely careful and coaching a team of young boys or girls also has new "dangers". Worse than the fear of course is being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour. I realized how common it was, when a colleague was falsely accused and arrested at the head office of where he worked in a large downtown area of a city. It took him almost three years to clear his name and his original career was ruined.

skieur

Completely agree. A co-worker of mine moonlights as Santa during the Christmas season and the first thing he was taught was to make sure his hands were visible at all times, especially once the photo was taken with the child on his lap. It's one of those things I had never thought about, but accusations among Santa's had become so common that it's now a standard to point or give a thumbs up to the camera just to avoid any problems.

 

[MACollum]

To be perfectly honest, I'm always watching out for men (in particular) who show too much interest in children in general. Women are the ones most interested in children and men tend to be leery of seeming too interested. I've told my kids if they ever get separated from me to find a woman (preferably with kids) to ask for help. I don't want to seem sexist but you can't be too careful when it comes to the safety of your children.

I find it very sad that men have been forced to avoid children to keep from being accused of being a pervert, but it can't be denied that there are just too many pervs out there. I've come to understand that it's not the guys who look like creeps you have to worry about, it's the ones that seem perfectly normal and a little too nice. If a guy seems uncomfortable, odds are he's OK, just worried about his reputation.

 

[Peanuts]

Hate to mention this but if a man came up to me, even with a card, and asked ot take my picture later I would probably politely say 'thank you' and throw it in the next garbage I went by. How sad that is how society has destroyed its own 'society sociability"

 

[Johnboy2978]

I too hate that our society has come to the point that we have become so cautious. I work professionally as a psychologist and I think it's much more common for children to be assaulted by a neighbor or a family member than abducted by a stranger. The whole "Stranger - Danger" campaign was well intentioned, but it has made the whole world at large paranoid that every guy in the park or mall is just waiting to catch you with your guard down and take your kids into a van and molest or kill them.

I took my daughter to the park this weekend and noticed that there were virtually no fathers or males there at all. I found myself suddenly becoming aware the fact that I was really about the only male there in a crowd of many mothers with their children. My daugher just turned 2, and I actually got a little nervous that she was going to fall and then everyone would see this 30 something year old man running to the car with a crying child and think she was being kidnapped or something.

How sad is that? I was looking forward to the time when she would be at this age so that we could go to the park and I could take pictures more easily of her and other kids as well. Now, unless my wife is with us I get a little paranoid that I look like an abductor if she gets hurt and mom's are seeing me rush her to the car.

 

[Alex_B]

"It's OK, I am a photographer and not a pervert... you have amazing eyes

Staring does not make you a pervert at all. And asking to take images not at all either. You should however say, that the images will not be taken for a porn mag or for any ****ing (EDIT: "w a n k i n g" was the word ) business.

It is sad, that society got so unnatural. And the funny thing is, this does not really protect children or youngsters from the molesters, but mainly affects normal people.