Den McCarthy
@keeponnikon6022 Jul
Is it a humorous image or taking the
Over time I have taken a few images in a fraction of a second that made me smile or I thought were down right humorous but when showing the image to others some agree with my original thought and others think its just a bit short of cruel. I then start to doubt myself. I never shoot with the intention of taking the p.... Anyone feel the same? Of course its all opinion
For me, there are a couple of questions I always ask myself
Would the person I photographed be unhappy if they saw the image? And are we laughing at them, or with them?
I love a humorous photograph, and it’s something that features heavily in my own work, especially because I’m drawn to juxtapositions and those splitsecond moments that life throws up, But I think there’s an important difference between finding humour in a situation and making someone the butt of the joke
Of course, where that line is will always be a matter of opinion
That's a great way to put it. I have to say on the image I'm thinking of in particular it was a shapes matching thing that struck me in an instant and wasn't aimed at the individual personally but that is a good rule of thumb you highlight.
Difficult one !!! I also take photos with humour in mind. As time passes (could be years!) Some images I now interpret with a different meaning, e.g. First it was humour and now it's a reflection of social habits - and I leave it to the viewer to draw their own conclusions . A way round this is giving a photo a 'title' which then gives a clearer meaning to the the subject matter.
I've thought about this often as well. I've come to the conclusion that a sense of humor is very much a personal thing. Some will resonate with it and other's might think it cruel. I took this photo recently when I was out walking with a friend. I asked her to wait a moment while I framed it up. I thought it was funny, she thought it creepy. As long as you know your intent wasn't harmful, I say take the shot.
Love this shot I can definitely see why you took it. I often find its the people who don't take photographs who are more likely to feel its not funny
Hi Den. Can we see the image you are referring to? Some people wouldn't like any picture you took of them, even if it was flattering. It's easy to paralyse yourself by over-thinking this stuff. If you are acting ethically when shooting in public I think pretty much anything is fair game. If someone is acting unethically in public, like being cruel to kids or an animal, I'm going to go out of my way to photograph them and make them famous. Don't mean to keep posting my article, but if you haven't read it yet it covers these kinds of issues in detail..... https://streetphotographymagazine.com/article/the-ethics-of-street-and-documentary-photography-why-youre-not-a-bad-person-for-documenting-reality/
edited
Hi Bob and @keeponnikon60
There are pictures I regret taking and pictures I regret not taking. However, the pictures I didn't take haunt me more than those I did, UPB or APB? (good article).
I will now always take the pictures and decide what to do with them later, we aren't to know what will unfold when we are shooting as, Stanley Forman, can attest to after taking the pictures that won him two Pulitzers.
I have taken more pictures of dogs than children because the former interests me more than the latter. Our interests can determine what we notice and pursue more than anything else.
Cheers.
Hi C. Glad you liked the article. I have also taken way more dog than kid pics. A dog is the reason I got a camera to begin with.
...have a good one, Bob.
Thanks for all the feedback very interesting to hear other views. This was purely a split second shape thing nothing personal intended or implied but I guess its all opinion.
Photography is art, art is subject to interpretation. Cartoonist and caricature artists distort reality to create a message. Just don’t take any photos of people pretending to be “the prophet” and you’ll be fine. That’s my cheek response XD