How many times (again)...

[thomascanty]

Curos' thread got me wondering about another question I get all the time. When I'm out shooting with the 10D, I constantly get people handing me their cameras asking "Will you take a picture of us/me?" When I stopped at the scenic overlook above Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe last week, I had three people do that in the short few minutes I was there... I've had the pleasure of checking out many different cameras this way, both digital and film...

[Moppie]

Sounds like a good way to make some money on e-bay :lol:

I don't look proffesional enough for it to have ever happened to me (theres something distintly amarute about my photography) but my g/f just walked up to a couple of tourists the other day taking pics of each other, and offered to take a pic of them together.
They said yes of course.
Personaly I would be a bit weary of handing my camera to a stranger.

[JCK]

I am a waiter in hawaii, and the restaurant where I work is right by the shore on the west side of the Island, as you can probably imagine we get awesome sunsets on average, and of course the requests to take the patrons pictures with their cameras, some cheap, some expensive, are a constant in my job. There's just one thing that kills me though, whenever they hand me their cameras to photograph their smiley faces while the background is filled by that big ball of fire and light, I will ask them if they have set the flash to on, as opposed to auto, and most always the response is: "Oh don't worry, it will come ON if it NEEDS to" - I will sheepishly procede to press the shutter, and obtain a beautiful silhouette against a breathtaking sunset. So you may ask now, why won't you change the settings in the camera, or at least let them know about the fill in flash "intricacies?" Well, it's not that easy, you see, after working with thousands of personalities, I have found out that I am not supposed to be the "smart" one, and my tips highly reflect this. In other words, they sometimes take offense for me telling them how to use their camera, even if done in the subtlest of ways. So most of the time I'll just give their camera back, as they preview in the LCD window the image that was just taken, and wonder for a few minutes, and I suppose some even more, what on earth had just gone wrong!
Of course there are many guests that are more aproachable, and I will suggest changing the setting.

[tommykjensen]

That happened to me a couple of times. Strange how people ask those with "big" cameras for assistance when there are "hundreds" of other people around :lol: :lol:

[JZaun]

Worse still, I went to a local Private Zoo. They didn't want me taking picutres because I had a big white (100-400mm) lens on my cam. Thought I was a professional there to take and sell pic's ??????????


Changed lens to a 50mm and got in :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Then put the 100-400 back on :D

JZ

[Jon]

Not always . . .
I was up in Victoria with D60, big Domke stuffed, etc. photographing the Orcas around town. The two girls asked my (cameraless) friend . . . Still, if I hadn't been so obviously "at work" at the time? Yeah, usually they do, and then have to tell me where the shutter relaese is, and turn the camera on again because I unerringly found its power switch (Why do they put them right next to each other????).

[Curos]

Aye, my friends always give me that. I carry a nicer camera than the disposables they use, so they ask me to take their snapshots for them :?

[thomascanty]

Sounds like a good way to make some money on e-bay :lol:

I never even thought about trying to make money at it. Maybe I should start replying with, "Well, my fee is..." and see if anyone goes for it. :D

That happened to me a couple of times. Strange how people ask those with "big" cameras for assistance when there are "hundreds" of other people around :lol: :lol:

It's definitely the camera. I don't get nearly as many people asking me to do it when I'm holding the smaller Olympus C-8080WZ.

What's real funny is when they're talking to each other like they don't think I can hear them, and say something like "Let's ask the professional over there to take our picture". Hahahahahahaha :lol:

[Andy_T]

I guess that's normal.

I have taken other people's picture sometimes, and I also have asked others to take a picture of myself and my wife.

The lesson I learned was that when handing the camera to somebody else, it's best to put it on 'p' mode and prepare everything so he/she just has to press the shutter. The less options to be changed, the better. However, I normally pre-set the fill flash :lol:

When I think who could take my photo, I look for fellow tourists most of the time, young people, and photographers especially, assuming that these know how to handle a camera and to take a picture in the right orientation with decent composition and my head not cut off. Makes sense?

I also don't have a problem with taking pictures for other people and don't find it annoying to help. Sometimes, when I see fellow tourists taking pictures of each other (especially couples), I volunteer to take their picture, because I myself am sometimes hesitant to address somebody because I fear that people will a) not understand my language or b) rather not want to do it because they are not proficient at photography. I look for some sign of reassurance from the potential photographer most of the time.

So sometimes, although I'd rather like to have a photo taken of myself and there are people around, I don't ask because I think it's too much hassle. I assume others feel similar, so I cometimes volunteer if I see someone scanning the crowd for a potential photographer.

And, last but not least, if I see some fellow Canon user, I'd rather take his photo for him than have some N***n freak mess it up :wink:

However, if somebody is clearly 'at work' photographing a project, I do *not* address them. But then, that's because I know that this can be disturbing. Maybe snap-shooters don't know that.

Best regards,
Andy

[thomascanty]

Worse still, I went to a local Private Zoo. They didn't want me taking picutres because I had a big white (100-400mm) lens on my cam. Thought I was a professional there to take and sell pic's ??????????

The nice thing about the zoos around here is they usually encourage that, not try to deny access because you're walking in with a tripod and big bag full of camera gear.

I also don't have a problem with taking pictures for other people and don't find it annoying to help. Sometimes, when I see fellow tourists taking pictures of each other (especially couples), I volunteer to take their picture

I don't mind it either. I have no problem taking pictures of other people for them. I've never volunteered to do it on my own, though.

[Sketcher]

Earlier this summer the Wife, Kids (3 kids three and under) and me were at a park eating ice cream cones. An elderly gentleman noticed that I was taking pictures of my family enjoying the cones and he came over and said "Son, it looks like you know what you're doing but at the rate you're going you'll have a beautiful family album but you won't be in it. If you don't mind, I'll shoot a few frames with you in them".

I took him up on his kind offer and have been mindful of being perceptive to others in similar situations since; whereas before then I just walked by hoping no one would ask me to take their picture.

[Persian-Rice]

Ya this is also a common problem for me, especially during the summer in tourist area's. When you have two big SLR's slung over your shoulder its innevitable.

The best is the stereotypical japanese tourists with the 5-6 little cameras and camcroders hanging from everywhere and they hand you this thing no bigger then a damn cracker. lol

Honestly though, I don't mind at all, atleast they get to have one or two properly composed images. Besides, it onle takes a few seconds of my time, but their memories last forever............

[smudge]

I am a waiter in hawaii, and the restaurant where I work is right by the shore on the west side of the Island, as you can probably imagine we get awesome sunsets on average, and of course the requests to take the patrons pictures with their cameras, some cheap, some expensive, are a constant in my job. There's just one thing that kills me though, whenever they hand me their cameras to photograph their smiley faces while the background is filled by that big ball of fire and light, I will ask them if they have set the flash to on, as opposed to auto, and most always the response is: "Oh don't worry, it will come ON if it NEEDS to" - I will sheepishly procede to press the shutter, and obtain a beautiful silhouette against a breathtaking sunset. So you may ask now, why won't you change the settings in the camera, or at least let them know about the fill in flash "intricacies?" Well, it's not that easy, you see, after working with thousands of personalities, I have found out that I am not supposed to be the "smart" one, and my tips highly reflect this. In other words, they sometimes take offense for me telling them how to use their camera, even if done in the subtlest of ways. So most of the time I'll just give their camera back, as they preview in the LCD window the image that was just taken, and wonder for a few minutes, and I suppose some even more, what on earth had just gone wrong!
Of course there are many guests that are more aproachable, and I will suggest changing the setting.

I hear you brother. Having worked in the service industry on and off, it never ceases to amaze, sometimes anger, me how people automatically think your some sort of sub speices, because you bring them their coffee.

I get really mad in fast food establishments when I hear people say to the guy behnd the counter, without even looking at him,

" cheeseburger and coffee "

I can't resist leaning forward and saying,"... what about them. Oh you mean, may I have a cheeseburger and a coffee please..."

No excuse for bad manners. Now I'm a suit and I always shoot the breeze with those that get abused by customers all day. AAArrrgghhh

Sorry rant over.