Why are so many afraid of people taking pictures?

[nerwin]

You see so many people getting in trouble for taking pictures of a building in public because someone thinks that person is a terrorist or if you take a picture of someone on the street, its a invasion of their privacy, or if you take a picture of a woman on the street, your a pervert. You take a picture of kids playing, your a pedophile. You took a picture of a cop doing their duties, you get arrested. You carry a tripod, someone thinks its a minigun.

Why is photography becoming like this? It seems that its getting worse and worse...could it mean that photography will become a crime someday? I mean its almost beginning to be dangerous to be a photographer. Its scary to think about.

I can say that I haven't really got in trouble for taking pictures (yet) and I'm sure many of you haven't either, but I read about it quite often or so it seems anyways.

I know, I'm just a 90s kid..what do I know. But for those who were around in the 60s, 70s or 80s..do you remember anyone getting in trouble for simply being a photographer? Or has this become more of a recent thing?

 

[Designer]

Trouble, no.

Beat up with his own camera, yes.

 

[nerwin]

Trouble, no.

Beat up with his own camera, yes.

You got beat up with your own camera? How'd that happen? haha

 

[jcdeboever]

It's always been a touchy subject.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Wizard1500]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

 

[nerwin]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

I've took pictures of federal buildings from public property to see if anything would happen, nothing happened.

I can't think you can get arrested legally for taking pictures of a nuclear power plant when you are on public property...I think anyways.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Standing outside a military installation will always get you bumped.
I promised my son that for his 9th birthday, (1987) we would fly to LA and stand outside Miramar. He loved 'Top Gun'...
So with packed lunches, 3 rolls of film, my Honeywell Pentax in our rented car, we went and sat near runway approach.
We had a blast. Even when we were asked to move by MP's 'for our our protection'....

 

[KmH]

Thank the news media.

The average person has no idea what their rights actually are.
So they just make up their own.
Like an assistant professor recently did in a recent video trying to deny a reporter the same right the ass. professor was exercising.
Anyone out on the street in public has no right to an expectation of privacy.

It's really sad that so few photographers actually know what their rights are relative to doing photography.
And then, even if they have the right, back down and kowtow to someone that challenges them.
Photographers - What To Do If You Are Stopped Or Detained For Taking Photographs

The comment in post #5 has no basis in fact if the photographer is legally present on public property.
Of course today, we can look at nuclear power plants on Google Maps\Google Earth.
Here is the biggest nuclear power plant in the USA - Palo Verde - a few miles west of Phoenix.
Google Maps

 

[480sparky]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

I didn't realize Florida had relocated to another country.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Because when some of us were younger there was no internet, no photos going viral... of course now people may be particularly wary or concerned about themselves/their kids being photographed - why would a stranger want a picture of some kid they don't know? where is that picture going to end up?

Someone who's not a photographer may not 'get' what a photographer is doing. I've had that happen - people look at me, then up and around and probably don't have a clue what I'm photographing, and they just go on...

I don't think for the most part people bothered much to take photos of industrial nuclear governmental whatever buildings. Sure there are photographers like me that sometimes like to photograph interesting buildings, but now you have people with cameras that go do it just to post it on youtube and get followers and get money from ads (so I don't know, they can go make pests of themselves instead of working for a living?? lol).

I think there should be a purpose for what you're doing. If someone is uncomfortable with you and your camera then find another subject. Even if you feel you're in the right, why continue to bother them? are you going to get any usable pictures of them at that point? And if you want to use the photos you'll probably need to ask them to sign a release, so if they don't want to do that probably you'll need to find another subject. If need be wait til they move on or go back another time/day ('ve sometimes done that anyway because there were too many people around cluttering up my backgrounds! lol).

That's part of being a photographer, you need to learn/know how to interact with people.

 

[Solarflare]

The irony is that apparently nowadays you can photography anyone anytime with a smartphone and nobody will care.

("Apparently" because thats what other people say - I myself dont have a smartphone)

 

[The_Traveler]

That fear of taking pictures has invaded this forum.
Count how many of the people who talk at great length never post pictures.

 

[Wizard1500]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

I didn't realize Florida had relocated to another country.

Poke fun at me if you like....makes no difference to me......

 

[Wizard1500]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

I've took pictures of federal buildings from public property to see if anything would happen, nothing happened.

I can't think you can get arrested legally for taking pictures of a nuclear power plant when you are on public property...I think anyways.

Do you have any idea of the clearance you have to go through to even work at these areas? I'm not talking about a federal courthouse, I'm talking about a place where they make electricity using uranium.......

 

[480sparky]

I'm 64, and for as long as I can remember, if you stand outside a nuclear power plant and start taking pics, you are at the beginning of jail time....

I didn't realize Florida had relocated to another country.

Poke fun at me if you like....makes no difference to me......

Sorry, but if you take photos of a nuclear power plant..... in Florida... from public property..... and you end up in jail.......


I'd fire your counsel and get a real lawyer. One that has heard of the First Amendment.