Taking photos in rough neighborhoods

[Socrates]

Yep it was kicking his *** so he knows better for next time
instead of protecting the criminal and giving him MONEY!!!

You're advocating criminal activity (battery).

 

[LaFoto]

Wow, this discussion has gone far into some specific detail! Could it not be returned to "Taking photos in a rough neighbourhood", like had been the OP's intention? I think that'd be fitting this thread.

When I took this photo here
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/2349728458_a5c3c608b1.jpg
I guess we were in a rough neighbourhood, though I cannot really know, but I still believe that the scene I captured is on the "rough side", I believe there was a drug deal going on in broadest daylight, but I was quite confident, maybe also too naive to know, that nothing would happen to me for my taking the photo. And nothing did, either.

In the 2 years that have passed since, I often wonder if I ought to have been that much on the brink of panic as my husband was when I took the photo (and also displayed my entire photo equipment, since I meant to also take some photos with the Leica, but at that point DH nearly snapped and hissed and hissed for me to wrap it all up fast and pack it away). At the time, though, I never felt any danger.

 

[abraxas]

Wow, ...
I never felt any danger.

Nice shot Corinna.

Sounds like you went in escorted, did what you wanted to do, and then got out.

 

[JIP]

I think the gun is a very good idea. I have spoken to many
police officers and almost all of them are 100% for the
2nd amendment. I see some posts saying it will get you into
trouble but I don't see how. Carrying the gun and showing it
if something occurs is way enough to scare anybody off.

Even though I'm too young, In NYC nobody can have a gun
unless your a cop or you hire a $1,000,000 lawyer. I am also
too young to carry pepper spray so I am left with nothing really.
I keep my camera in a camera bag inside my backpack (school type).


When my cousins come to Brooklyn from Florida they are always
scared and I don't know why. If you walk around like a tourist or
like your scared obviously someone will take advantage of it.
Just walk around like it's your neighborhood too and that's it.

And now one of my favorite quotes I've heard from cops:
"I would rather be judged by 12 then carried by 6"

I really wish this thread would die since it is ages old but I feel this needs to be addressed. You claim you have advice from a policeman that "showing it if something occors is way enough to scare someone off" and I think if you ttruly had gotten advice from any law enforcement officer he/she would have told you something very different. If you carry a gun and draw that gun on someone when you do you should have the intent of killing that person and nothing else. I know this is a very harsh thing to say and this is exactly the reason I don't have/carry a gun but flashing a weapon around without the force behind it is a great way to get yourself killed.

 

[compur]

I suggest using a "low tech" appearing camera.

Examples: Canonet GIII, Rollei 35, any vintage folding camera or TLR or
even a Holga/Diana.

Or, you can go "stealth." One trick I have done is to put a Yashica TLR
inside a paper bag with a hole in the bag for the taking lens. I use a
400 ISO film outdoors and "point & shoot" camera settings (preset hyperfocal
focus and small aperture so that everything from a few feet away to infinity
is in focus. I can shoot by pressing shutter release from outside the bag
and wind by reaching inside, etc.

Oh, and some pepper spray wouldn't hurt too.

 

[MX962]

try wearing an FBI hat or DEA . just kidding ! Part of my list of gear is a hand gun but I dont recomend it to every one ,you know a full size cam with big glass held by the strap and slung at some one, just mite hurt a bit

 

[table1349]

I really wish this thread would die since it is ages old but I feel this needs to be addressed. You claim you have advice from a policeman that "showing it if something occors is way enough to scare someone off" and I think if you ttruly had gotten advice from any law enforcement officer he/she would have told you something very different. If you carry a gun and draw that gun on someone when you do you should have the intent of killing that person and nothing else. I know this is a very harsh thing to say and this is exactly the reason I don't have/carry a gun but flashing a weapon around without the force behind it is a great way to get yourself killed.

Sorry JIP but I just had to jump in on this one and add to it. Like you, I too wish this thread would die.

I've been a law enforcement officer for 26 years and I can tell you that no self respecting knowledgeable LEO would ever tell anyone to carry a gun and flash it around. While most officers support the 2nd amendment we also support knowledge, training, experience and conviction for any citizen that can and does legally carry a firearm.

First, if you are not carrying it legally you are now a criminal yourself. Plus, if you have no legal right to carry the weapon, if you are confronted by an officer, you very well could get hurt or killed. Anytime an incident happens with deadly force, officers are trained to take out the most lethal force first. If you are the one with the gun, you are the most lethal force. We had an incident in my area a few years ago where a young man decided to play good guy after his sisters parked vehicle had been struck by a hit and run driver. Grabbed a shotgun and took off after the vehicle. Citizens called in the reckless driving and the mother called in the incident. The officers located the young man and stopped him. They ordered him from the vehicle as the shotgun was sitting in plain view in the car next to the young man. For what ever reason he decided to grab hold of the shotgun. He was shot by the offices for his actions. He did happen to live.

In my state we have a carry concealed law that allows those that are trained and pass some tests to carry a handgun concealed with a permit. I have no problem with that. To date, we have not had an incident because of it. We will at some point I am sure. There are a couple of things to remember if you happen to be a citizen that can legally carry a concealed weapon.

First, if you choose to carry that weapon you choose to be responsible for all of you actions involving that weapon. You must know the law and when deadly force is legal. Deadly force is legal to protect your life or the life of another. It is not legal to use deadly force to protect personal property. If you do, you are subject to being charged with the appropriate charge for the result of your use of deadly force. That could be some form of aggravated assault charge all the way up to some form of homicide charge.

Secondly, if you choose to carry a handgun you better damn well be prepared to use that weapon if necessary, without hesitation. You hesitate and you are dead. If you think that "flashing" that gun around will do any good you are just begging to get yourself killed. I've worked more than one killing where someone thought that showing a gun would solve the problem. Most of those dead citizens were killed with their own gun that were taken away from them.

If you have never dealt with the kinds of people that can commit crimes of violence you have no clue to the way they think or will act. You look at the world from your rosy little perspective right up to the point they kill you grave yard dead. I have enough to do with out people going out with their rose colored glasses on volunteering to get hurt or killed because they don't know any better or just plain lack common sense.

Finally, if you choose to legally carry a handgun, if you get into a situation and LEO's show up, you do everything the LEO tells you, exactly the way they tell you, exactly when they tell you unless you want to become just another accident. When we show up at a scene nobody gives us a program that lists the players. You are all bad guys until we get things under control and can sort things out. Then things change. It's not that we don't know that there are good guys and bad guys, it's just that we have to sort it out for ourselves and not take someone else's word for it.

If you happen to be that law abiding citizen that is legally carrying that handgun and you happen to have to use it in some fashion, when we arrive, put the gun down and step away from the weapon. If you in your excitement happen to move the muzzle of that weapon in my direction or the direction of one of my fellow officers, you have now placed me or one of them at risk and I will pull the trigger without hesitation. I know, trust me on that one.

And for the record, we are not taught to shoot to kill, we are taught to shoot to stop. The best place to stop someone that has a weapon is to shoot for center mass. Harder to miss them that way. Center mass is the center of the chest area. Unfortunately that is the same area that holds a lot of vital organs.

If you don't think that in the heat of a gun fight that your aim is a little less accurate than when you are shooting at a paper target, well come on out to our range. I will gladly take you down to our simulator room and give you a weapon with blanks. While you are shooting at the threats that pop up at you I will be adding that nervous factor of a real gun fight, cause I will be shooting you with a paint ball gun and I will be aiming right at your crotch. One shot with a paint ball there and you will have a healthy respect for that non-lethal weapon folks like to shoot at each other in their make believe battles. Believe me, after that the pucker factor really sets in fast and your hands will shake like you never thought they would.

 

[JIP]

You pretty much covered what I was trying to say....

 

[abraxas]

try wearing an FBI hat or DEA . ...

Or just a trench coat and rubber sandals. Look perverted.

 

[Easy_Target]

Use a Holga.

If you are not prepared/willing to fight to defend your life, don't go.

If you are not willing to risk losing your equipment, don't bring it.

Don't go by yourself. Have 2-3 friends with you.

Don't get wrapped up in what you're shooting, make sure you're always aware of what's going on around you.

 

[Arch]

two requests for wishing this thread would die is enough for me, and i totally agree, nothing more can really be added.