Colin M.
@syncoltan16 Aug
Confrontation. What do you do when it happens?
I look people in the eye and smile and try to defuse the situation. Happily showing them my images on the back of the camera. I’ve very rarely had anyone get arsey with me - an I suspect that’s largely because I don’t ever hide what I’m doing - I’m always open and upfront and happy to make eye contact or chat to people I’m photographing before I actually get most of my shots. It’s tricky when you’re standing very close to big crowds of people but I find it’s really all about being open and honest and smiley with lots of eye contact and the right body language.
Im with Mike, the more open and friendly you are the easier it is to not get into confrontations. Also being super obvious what your doing and not hiding it is a big thing. In the cases people get upset always be friendly and apologize, the worst thing that will happen is they will ask for the photo to be deleted. Defend it if it’s a keeper and ask them if you can keep it. If they don’t you just have to have a hard skin and either move on or explain public privacy laws 🤣
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Smile and wave, or do nothing and just keep walking. Besides a weird look here and there, most people don't usually actually say anything. Also just being more intentional helps you be aware of scenarios that could be problematic so you can avoid them from the jump.
Yep, smile, maybe say hi, and walk on. Demeanor is everything and if you come across as shifty, a creep or aggressive, they'll take it that way.
I try and act like a tourist most of the time.
Yeah im lucky I live in a major city SF so I just look like a tourist lol
That awkward moment when all the street chatter falls silent, all you hear is a loud click of your SLR mirror & shutter; and you see these angry guys storming towards you. Istanbul, 1988. Made me very nervous 😬.
Something I've learned is not to photograph in spaces where you have no means of escape. I was confronted once by an angry person. It was difficult, as I was in a no easy means of exit circumstances (confined by walls on all sides). I did eventually manage to leave by going past the angry person. This was a tricky encounter so please everyone pre-assess a means of leaving a space when taking street shots.
I had a similar scenario in a south London park which oddly was empty. So I told the gentleman that although I didn't take a photo of him I would be happy to show him some of the frames but I have to get a train so I ll do it at the train station and carried on walking. I didn't want to give him time to react. He seemed ok to walk along with me. Annoyingly there was no police at the station but at least there were many cameras (none mine) to keep an eye on things. The gentleman was a drug user.
Sometimes you fall on this guy who is so upset that the camera is pointing towards him and shouting 'did you take my picture?!!' The best thing is to say 'of course not' and walk!
It depends…. I once took a photo of a woman coming out of a pub door in Chelsea, after which her boyfriend became really, really aggressive, to a point where the only way to make him back off and not “throw my camera down the street, followed by me” was to appear even more aggressive than him. This extreme is really the only time I had to defuse a situation. Btw, here’s the photo.
Took this in China 10 years back, changed card and popped this one into pocket. Local police came trotting up the road wearing combat fatigues and carrying weapons like pitch forks. One lad branched off and came up to me and told me to delete card….. didn’t even argue 😆
It hasn't happened very much, maybe twice in a few years of shooting.
Main tactic is to be obvious when shooting, look at the person and smile.
As soon as anyone looks unhappy I've taken the photo and certainly if someone says something that suggests they're upset, I delete the photo. More for my own taste, as I don't really want a photo of anyone who wasn't happy to have been in it.
If it's just someone spotting you then mostly it's not a big deal, most people don't mind. Actual confrontation, I once had a woman get a bit antsy but she calmed down after a chat. Otherwise it's very rare.
Deleting images, I'm uncomfortable with that; I won't have someone else censoring me and I think it sets a dangerous precedent. By removing images you're supporting someone else's belief that you're doing something wrong. If what you're doing makes someone feel uncomfortable then I'm sorry, but sometimes life is like that, get over it.
Don't be ashamed of what you're doing, own it.
And sometimes it makes the shot. Like this one where the kids spotted me and I got well and truly owned.
Which brings me to "asking for permission", which I'm also not a fan of. Ask if they wouldn't mind posing for you, by all means but you don't need their permission and asking for it reinforces the idea in the minds of others that you do.
I don’t necessarily see confrontation in the photo, did the guy actually confront you?
Hi Anton.
The cops I know would say, the guy in your assignment for 'Colours' tends to be more of a threat than the guy in your assignment for 'The Colour Blue' in your dailies. I would agree with that based on my experiences over the years.
Every situation of confrontation will require it's own path towards diffusion. Sensing real danger is when its just best to walk away. Never use the law as a wall against you and the aggressor (ie. "It's legal to take photos here")...this never goes over well.
With that said, my programmed approach is to put my hands together in an almost pray motion and say, "I'm so sorry", sincerely. Gauge their reaction. More often than not they'll keep walking, or say, "It's OK, but why did you take my picture?". For which you state you thought they looked great, or that you're a photographer taking pictures of the city and candid moments, etc. If pestered further, tell them you will delete the photo. I've never had something escalate farther than this. But if it did, I would exit the situation while giving words of reassurance that I am not a threat.
Usually my confrontations have led to conversations with the person and they get interested in my work. Or, they just walk away after you say sorry.