Explaining yourself

You & Gb are both teasin...;)

Its FUN being a Woman...wouldn't Trade it for The World
How You Poor men Suffer...:p
 
I'm 6ft 4ins, weigh 14 stone, with the lived-in face of a former rugby player and amateur boxer.

I've also got a nice smile (so I'm told...).

I find these attributes useful when I'm out street shooting.

I've had some interesting conversations, but never any hassle or threats.

Perhaps size matters, after all... (!)
 
One guy unloading window frames was worried I was from the council when I came around the corner with the X100. I told him I'm just an amateur and I take a camera with me every lunchtime on my walk. I guess a DSLR would have been less worrying to him, and an old film camera with a film advance lever would have been innocuous, but some dinky thing would be just what the council officer would have. I reassured him and when I came out of the restaurant he was still there and he let me take a photo of him.

A few weeks later a Chinese lady came out of her building in the industrial area nearby. I was photographing a beautiful red electrical signal box between two red painted pipes. I was right near her car. She asked me what I was doing. Schooled by the previous incident, I reassured her that I was not from the council and that I just photograph things of interest on my lunchtime walk. I showed her a few of the pictures on the LCD. She looked a little less than reasssured and a little less than still worried. "Art?" she, asked clearly indicating her doubt about that. Still she didn't get into her car and we talked a bit longer. I realize now she probably has a child with a camera doing weird stuff like me and she just wanted to savour the experience of seeing some 50 year old with expensive shoes and a job who nevertheless indulges in this sort of lunacy.

Otherwise I have never had to explain, the carrying of chrome cameras being self explanatory.
 
Works most of the time: "I'm an artist, practicing my art"
- works most of the time, but then again I tend to do a bit of architectural photography and can answer most questions that might follow it.
 
TXForester said:
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

I live in a rural area and carry cameras while out walking for exercise. Shot a photo of an old horse-drawn wagon put in a yard for decoration. An hour later, the home owner caught up with me on another county road. I explained what I was doing and he explained that he thought maybe I was "casing the joint." It ended nicely, but I thought his logic was poor (didn't say that to him). I'd have to be a pretty dumb criminal to walk around with a slr and telephoto zoom lens and call attention to myself.

If I were a thief, I'd use my eyes and record things I'd like to take with my brain. Nobody would know I'm any different than somebody out for a walk.
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in the times of smart-phones i wonder about their logic too...
 
now i have a good explanation...

take a TLR with you, and when somebody asks you, say you are a surveying technician. the government is planing a new atomic plant here. that will give them something to think about...
 
my hate on bored, ignorant, paranoid, idiots who watch too much tv.

Easy Peter, there are quite a few of us on here , and we have to put up with the same stuff.
 
I think Frank's question relates more to a philosophical point of view than retaliation to a direct challenge.
 
Tom hicks said:
my hate on bored, ignorant, paranoid, idiots who watch too much tv.

Easy Peter, there are quite a few of us on here , and we have to put up with the same stuff.
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so maybe you are hopefully not bored, paranoid and ignorant ;)

sorry, the former post wasn't meant as an offense to a political group. was just annoyed by the specific incident, which happened to me.
 
Peter_wrote: said:
so maybe you are right-wing, but hopefully not bored, paranoid and ignorant ;)

sorry, the former post wasn't meant as an offense to a political group. was just annoyed by the specific incident, which happened to me.
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Good of You Peter to put it in Context...:D
 
How do I explain myself? The only people who ask are usually either friendly and curious, or suspicious and hostile. I usually have a nice chat with the friendly and curious. With the suspicious and hostile, it's all about trying to find out what their concerns are and addressing them so they don't perceive you as a threat. Most often that works. Sometimes they aren't interested in listening and are only interested in bullying - particularly if they are playing to an audience.
 
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