Apparently stealing other people's pictures just isn't enough. Now they are coaching each other on how to take 'their own' photographs of other people's children in public. The thread was started by TheMorb; he just doesn't have a clue. Here's his question:
Have anyone of you guys ever tried to take candid shots and if you did, how did you manage to sneak away with a few nice pics?
I tried for the first time today and suddenly got nervous at some point. More explained in a post with attachments (if I manage to see how I can do so) in the Picture Gallery.
Not to fear! There's plenty of seasoned
Childdriver advises:
Try not to be obvious about it. Take pics and leave.
Jnoyunko goes one better:
If you're using a digital camera, use it to record video, and pan the area where you're focal point is and linger there for a while, before moving on and recording other stuff. Less suspicious than framing, then taking individual photos.
Keepitreal thinks they're all amateurs and writes a thesis on the topic. Here are some of the highlights:
Just snap away and act real professional.
Do not apologize though, makes you look guilty.
But if you have kids of your own that should make things a lot easier. When you see a little cutie and you can get a good shot of her but you don't want to seem to obvious about it. You can do stuff like tell your kids to pose for a pic and then totally snap a bunch of pics of the lg you want to see :)
Also I found that parks are awful and feel very suspicious. Mainly because most of the parents are just sitting around with nothing to do but look out for perverts snapping pics of their little girls :P
The best place by far, is an amusement park. Because there are like 10 million little cuties running around and the parents are usually super stressed out and not really paying attention to some random guy with a camera.
He illustrates his point with this:
I swear if you act casual some parents really don't notice what you are doing. I was at a waterslide thing and I stood in plain sight like 10 ft away from this girl and took like 20 pics of her while she played on a pole and the mom didn't even pay me any mind.
From here they swap tips from using a mobile phone to asking the child's permission to asking the parent's permission. Most of them swear that the parents will not mind at all as long as you *ask nicely* first.
What you need to know:
At the risk of stating the excruciatingly obvious, do not fall for this crap.
Professional photographers do not show up and take pictures of random children.
Sincere photography students will not typically do this either.
Please be vigilant and mindful when you are in public places - it may be someone else's child that you save from exploitation. (I have done this, it works!)
Do not allow anyone to take your child's picture without a legitimate reason - they could be the next centerfold at Visions of Alice.
