harassed for taking photos in a residential area

[shaner123]

Today as i was taking some street photography i was harassed and stalked by a man from the neighborhood. I definably felt as if i was being treated like some sort of criminal.
Working on a photo study dealing with 'back alleys' I've been wandering the neighborhoods around Windsor Ontario, photographing alleys in residential and commercial spaces.

Walking down a residential sidewalk i passed a man and what i assumed was his daughter walking out of their house and into their car. I passed the people and a few houses down and continued taking photos of the alley across the street. I continued down the street taking photos of the alleys. After awhile i noticed the gold car the man had gotten into was behind me. Not thinking too much about it i proceeded down the ally taking photos. The gold car followed, than passed me in the alley and stopped at the end of the alley. This is where i got wondering why this guy was following me, still not thinking much of it i proceeded. As i got closer to the end of the alley the car seemed to drive away but when i got to the end i noticed the car parked on the street, then the man shouted at me "i'm calling the police" I wasn't sure what this guys problem was so i turned the other way and kept shooting the alleys down the street. For the next 10 or so minutes the car continued to follow me. After awhile i noticed the car was gone, so i started feeling better and kept shooting. When i got really nervous is when the car returned but this time the only the man was in the car. This is when i got concerned because i thought he may start some trouble. The man shouted out his window "I called the police, get out of here, your invading peoples privacy" At this point i had forgot where i had parked my car, so i kept ignoring the man and kept shooting until i found my car. I left the area so not to get into any conflict.

Today i felt very threatened and i really don't like the feeling of being stalked and harassed. It wasn't a huge deal but i've been thinking of reporting the incident to the police, i don't enjoy the feeling of not being able to go back to the area in fear that i will be harassed again or worse. What do you guys think??

[Photon Phil]

Keep on keeping on.

[seisky]

were you really trespassing? if they're just alleys, it seems like no big deal. I don't really know why anyone would have a problem with that.

[shaner123]

i never stepped foot on anyone's property. And not that it even matters but i wasnt even shooting any people or houses, just down the allys

[sandpiper]

Today i felt very threatened and i really don't like the feeling of being stalked and harassed. It wasn't a huge deal but i've been thinking of reporting the incident to the police, i don't enjoy the feeling of not being able to go back to the area in fear that i will be harassed again or worse. What do you guys think??

I can't see the police being particularly interested, if all he did was follow you and threaten to call the police. He clearly wasn't engaged in any illegal activity, rather he saw someone wandering around the back alleys where he lives and taking photographs for a purpose he was unaware of.

As a photographer, I can understand your motives. To Joe Public your actions would look very suspicious and with quite possible criminal intent. With that in mind, you can hardly blame him for watching what you were getting up to.

You have a right to shoot in public places, he has a right to keep an eye on someone he believes may be involved in dodgy activity around where he lives. Yes, he made you feel uncomfortable, but have you considered how uncomfortable you made HIM feel?? Even as a photographer, I would be unsure of the motives of anyone I saw pointing a camera at my house and watch what they were doing, wouldn't you?

Just because we have a legal right to shoot what we want in public places, doesn't mean that others won't feel threatened by it, and react accordingly.

[thebishopp]

I would of taken a picture of him. In any case you were there for quite some time, based on what you said, and it seems the police didn't think that it was a big deal if they never showed up LOL. Then again the guy was probably bluffing.

[shaner123]

I can't see the police being particularly interested, if all he did was follow you and threaten to call the police. He clearly wasn't engaged in any illegal activity, rather he saw someone wandering around the back alleys where he lives and taking photographs for a purpose he was unaware of.

As a photographer, I can understand your motives. To Joe Public your actions would look very suspicious and with quite possible criminal intent. With that in mind, you can hardly blame him for watching what you were getting up to.

You have a right to shoot in public places, he has a right to keep an eye on someone he believes may be involved in dodgy activity around where he lives. Yes, he made you feel uncomfortable, but have you considered how uncomfortable you made HIM feel?? Even as a photographer, I would be unsure of the motives of anyone I saw pointing a camera at my house and watch what they were doing, wouldn't you?

Just because we have a legal right to shoot what we want in public places, doesn't mean that others won't feel threatened by it, and react accordingly.

i definably understand that he just looking out for the neighborhood but i don't think he has the right to follow me around for that long, if i follow someone around for 20 min taking photos could i not be charged for harassment?

[sandpiper]

i definably understand that he just looking out for the neighborhood but i don't think he has the right to follow me around for that long, if i follow someone around for 20 min taking photos could i not be charged for harassment?

Hard to say, it depends on a lot of factors. You didn't ask him to leave you alone (you say you just ignored him) so it would be hard to say he was harassing you. Any charge of harassment would depend on motivation and the reaction of the 'victim'.

Following someone you suspect may be about to commit a criminal act, particularly when they don't seem to be concerned with you doing it, is unlikely to get you charged with harassment. Similarly, following someone and taking their photo is equally unlikely to be a problem - IF THEY AREN'T OBJECTING. On the other hand, to continue to do so if they were screaming at you to leave them alone, may be cause for a charge of harassment or breach of the peace.

I am not saying you did anything wrong here, you were within the law to do as you did. I am just saying that I don't think, under the circumstances, the other guy was doing anything wrong either. Humans are highly territorial around their homes and will react to anybody acting (from their point of view) in a highly suspicious manner.

This is just one of those things that you have to get used to working in an urban environment. Non-photographers will not understand why you are taking shots in what, to them, isn't something that would make a good photograph.

[CreedThoughts]

The man was just trying to watch out for his community. Burglars typically scope out areas/houses before they rob them, by lurking around long enough to get a feel of people's schedule and when people will be not home. If I wasn't sure you were taking photos for art work I'd be suspicious of you too.

It would be interesting if some burglars actually disguised themselves as photographers in order to stick around without seeming suspicious.

[shaner123]

i know his intentions were good, all he had to do was come and ask me what was going on. i would have explained to him my project

but ya, i realize his intentions were good
he sure did manage to make me feel uncomfortable

[thebishopp]

i know his intentions were good, all he had to do was come and ask me what was going on. i would have explained to him my project

but ya, i realize his intentions were good
he sure did manage to make me feel uncomfortable

Hard to say what his "rights" were in your neck of the world. He probably had just as much right to follow you around as you had to walk around the neighborhood. I think he might of crossed into harassment once he began repeatedly shouting at you.

And he shouldn't of made you feel uncomfortable unless you are saying he gave you the impression he would physically assault you.

In any case the next time you may just go ahead and call the police yourself and say, "hey, I'm taking pictures of alleys for a photo project and there is this guy following me around in his car yelling at me".

[shaner123]

Non-photographers will not understand why you are taking shots in what, to them, isn't something that would make a good photograph.

this is a good point, a few years ago i was taking photos of a tree on a back road.. from the road and some farmer told me to stop taking pictures of his land, but this guy just shouted at me and then left me alone, but ya i think he was wondering why anyone would take a photo of a tree..

the guy today probably had no idea why anyone would take a photo of an alley!

[dlr328]

post some pics of the alley ways...

[shaner123]

ts a study of time, looking down these alleys one feels as if they could go on forever. ive decided to make it a series. im not sure how im going to display them.

i have a problem though, ive gone at different times of the day but the nature of these alleys is that they seem to always have strong shadows. i might try to lighten them up in photoshop but i do want to keep a high contrast.

please c&c

[shaner123]

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[FlyingPhotog]

I'd just take the incident in stride.

Kudos to you for a unique project. Kudos to the gentleman for caring about his neighborhood. No Harm .. No Foul

[shaner123]

I'd just take the incident in stride.

Kudos to you for a unique project. Kudos to the gentleman for caring about his neighborhood. No Harm .. No Foul

ya i think i will!

[Synovia]

The man was just trying to watch out for his community. Burglars typically scope out areas/houses before they rob them, by lurking around long enough to get a feel of people's schedule and when people will be not home. If I wasn't sure you were taking photos for art work I'd be suspicious of you too.

It would be interesting if some burglars actually disguised themselves as photographers in order to stick around without seeming suspicious.


People look a whole lot less suspicious with cell phone cameras than big DSLRs.



I've actually been taking alley photos lately, and its amazing how much Chicago's alleys look like Windsor's alleys. Nice shots.

[Paranoidandroid]

Why are people so paranoid about cameras, anyway? If someone were shooting AT me, it's understandable to confront the person, but what harm does shooting around the neighborhood do?

[shaner123]

I've actually been taking alley photos lately, and its amazing how much Chicago's alleys look like Windsor's alleys. Nice shots.


Please post your Chicago alley shots!! You got me curious now!

[LONDON808]

just want to give my point of view


From looking at your photos these are the back of peoples house - allys - put of view from main roads ect . now if i was driveing home from work and seen asome one taking photos of what could be the back of a friends house or my own then i would get a bit worried.


But that being said the guy should of just asked you what your taking photos of im sure you would of explined to him

some people are just plain paronoid

the closest i have came to an incident liek this was here in hawaii where i was taking photos of people surfing - old young just random people when a police office came up to me with a woman who had called them and reported me as taking pornographic photos of children. so i talked to the cop and explained what i was doing and showed him my photos and that was that . never had any other trouble apart from the odd security guard thinking that you cant take photos out side there buildings (if it can be seen from a public place it is public domain - whitin reason)

[Karl Johnston]

I'd just ignore him, sounds like a lunatic. What kind of fruit drives a gold colored car? :lol: Keep on keeping on, as was already said, just ignore people around you who call you a weirdo. That means you're doing a good job ;) getting the shots nobody else has thought of, yet, and from your shots I honestly see nothing "privacy violating."

Sometimes I think all this public privacy fear crap is a marketing scam and people have lost their wits about.

[Andrushka]

um... i bet he was guilty of something and that girl was the guy's mistress - he assumed you were a private eye of some kind... thats my theory :-)

[TheHoff]

I like the shots. I find it interesting how the 'death of the back alley' in city design has led to the ugliness of the ubiquitous 2-car garage on the front of every home.

The guy was paranoid, and an ass to follow you. Go where you want, and shoot what you want if you're on public property. This is the same type of person that sits in his living room and notes down everything that everyone else is doing. The right thing to do in this situation is STOP exactly where you are and invite him to call the police. Wait for them to show up and show him that HE is in the wrong and not you. Do not review your pictures with him and do not delete anything until you have an officer present (and don't delete anything after that, anyway).

[polarbare]

I too would have called the cops in a "hey, just so you know in case i turn up dead" fashion.

[Andrushka]

I like the shots. I find it interesting how the 'death of the back alley' in city design has led to the ugliness of the ubiquitous 2-car garage on the front of every home.

The guy was paranoid, and an ass to follow you. Go where you want, and shoot what you want if you're on public property. This is the same type of person that sits in his living room and notes down everything that everyone else is doing. The right thing to do in this situation is STOP exactly where you are and invite him to call the police. Wait for them to show up and show him that HE is in the wrong and not you. Do not review your pictures with him and do not delete anything until you have an officer present (and don't delete anything after that, anyway).

good stuff there - you can always call those kind of peoples' bluffs!

cool alley shots by the way - definitely something you dont see in the pre-zoned suburban madness!

[NickSimcheck]

Kudos to you for a unique project. Kudos to the gentleman for caring about his neighborhood. No Harm .. No Foul


Good way of looking at it, I'll try to keep that logic in my mind when I am in such a situation.

I do think that you could have replied to the man and possilby explained what is was that you were doing, by ignoring him you made yourself appear more "shady" in his mind. But then again it could have went sour... Hard to say unless you were there kinda thing.

[justAL]

i know his intentions were good, all he had to do was come and ask me what was going on. i would have explained to him my project

but ya, i realize his intentions were good
he sure did manage to make me feel uncomfortable

I really think a lot of the responses here are biased toward a photographers legal standpoint. They don't take into account that this guy already had his back up and was nervous and was well justified in trying to look out for HIS community's best interests.

Break the ice. From a pretty gal, to an imposing guy, to a facility manager just say "hello". In the space of 5 minutes they'll be off your back and you'll be on your way at the very least, at the very most they could become more understanding of your project and lead you to a subject you would not have discovered by yourself.

On the odd occasion you may get some fella beat the crap out of you or a woman start yelling at you but these two examples are exceptions to the rule.

"Hello", it's a powerful tool.

[TheHoff]

"Hello", it's a powerful tool.

Assuming that someone who gets in their car to follow you and starts their conversation with "I'm calling the police" is going to be reasonable is an unreasonable expectation. I agree with what you said in principle but somehow I doubt it would've worked with this person.

I think by leaving the situation, as they asked, the OP has given the harasser positive reinforcement for his overreaction. The next time he sees someone taking photos in his neighbourhood, he is now more likely to take the same action -- harassing the photographer and calling the police without cause. Some elements of society have become too paranoid if taking photos on a residential street is considered a crime.

Next time, stand your ground and politely ask that they wait for the police to show up so that you can discuss the situation rationally.

[FlyingPhotog]

Maybe the OP should have replied: "Here, let me call them for you..." ;)

[TheHoff]

Exactly!

[justAL]

Assuming that someone who gets in their car to follow you and starts their conversation with "I'm calling the police" is going to be reasonable is an unreasonable expectation. I agree with what you said in principal but somehow I doubt it would've worked with this person.

I think by leaving the situation, as they asked, the OP has given the harasser positive reinforcement for his overreaction. The next time he sees someone taking photos in his neighbourhood, he is now more likely to take the same action -- harassing the photographer and calling the police without cause. Some elements of society have become too paranoid if taking photos on a residential street is considered a crime.

Next time, stand your ground and politely ask that they wait for the police to show up so that you can discuss the situation rationally.

There were plenty more times to acknowledge this man long before he threatened to call the pollice. I do agree with you regarding some elements of society becoming too paranoid. There are lessons to be learned by both parties and a much earlier interaction by either party may not have seen the situation escalate.

[TheHoff]

There were plenty more times to acknowledge this man long before he threatened to call the pollice. I do agree with you regarding some elements of society becoming too paranoid. There are lessons to be learned by both parties and a much earlier interaction by either party may not have seen the situation escalate.

Good points, but as a street photographer (who aims at people and not alleys) I personally make it a point not to talk to anyone unless spoken to first. If they want to be paranoid and stare at me, more power to them, and if they want to confront me, they should (I smile, and respond politely).

[justAL]

and if they want to confront me, they should (I smile, and respond politely).

Great point too. There's no fuel for their fire.

Ignoring the guy and turning away is a rather arrogant or more so negative method of handling the situation only serving to reinforce his actions. In this case, continued harrasment.

[shaner123]

ya, i really feel that i should have done something differently, i don't want this guy thinking that he can just patrol his neighborhood and kick out those pesky photographers whenever he wants. i was a little intimidated as i was really far from my vehicle and im not really a big guy.. but next time im going to politely stand my ground

[origamione]

"Hello", it's a powerful tool.

Totally man. I've done a lot of street photography in the past, never had much problem, my method is very simple, i smile & people usually responded with a smile too.

There's one time, i took some shot at my client's restaurant, it was at night and the restaurant was dimly light, all my shots were set with long shutter speed, camera mounted on tripod & because of that, customers faces were blurry, only furniture, decoration are sharp. Then, this lady came up to me and start complaining why i took photo of her without her consent, i smiled and told her not to worry and showed her the photos, immediately she felt calmer and offered an apology.

People are just paranoid especially when you're a stranger to them, it's important to make the eye contact or body language to at least break the ice. :D

[TheHoff]

It is hard to get mad at a street photographer when they are grinning like a bumpkin.

^^ my policy

[FlyingPhotog]

It is hard to get mad at a street photographer when they are grinning like a bumpkin.

^^ my policy

bw! quote...

[StellaBean]

way back when, when I was taking photography class in high school (nearly 20 years ago), we were working on a project and needed to photograph houses.

So, I being the dutiful student, hopped in the car and drove around my neighborhood snapping pictures of the houses.

I had one person come out and want to know why I was taking pictures of his house. He was a bit on edge, I was more than a little nervous, but I simply explained everything to him.

After that, no problem and I was on my way. Unfortunately, I don't think that would fly nowadays. I'd wonder too why someone was snapping shots of my neighborhood, especially since we have had a lot of break-ins lately.

Granted this particular guy might be a looney, but I wonder if you could have eased his mind by simply showing him the shots (if it's digi) and telling him your name? Don't know if I'd have the nerve if he acted too skittish, he may well start firing off a gun or something if you attempted to approach him.

[sagara0510]

i work for a small residential building company and we're currently trying to improve our market share and brand awareness. part of this was to improve on the company's website which included photos of current and past projects.

as we are only a small company, cost is an enormous factor and i was asked to drive around to some previously completed houses and take some street elevations.

i fronted up to the first location and started taking photos. i was standing on the opposite side of the street to the houses but as i was snapping away, a man and woman came out of one of the houses. the man was clearly on his way to work and the woman was still in her robes. anyway i didn't pay much attention to them but i did eavesdrop on a bit of their conversation where the lady asked the man 'is he allowed to do that?'

i didn't catch the man's reply but he just got into his car and drove off while the lady went back inside and i just carried on. i had considered approaching them to say hi and explain why i was there but was fearful of a confrontation.

i mean, what if they say i can't take the photos? can they? i am merely taking pictures of what is openly visible from the public domain anyway. i was even dressed in proper work attire (shirt, pants, tie etc)

but back to the OP, its a bit freaky. i'd be freaked out if i was being stalked. but for the guy to open conversation with a 'i'm calling the police!' is a bit drastic. Maybe you need to make a T-shirt with the words 'Official Photographer' or something written on it *winks*

[Cole_Schmitt]

Why not just go over and tell him your situation? Don't approach him like your mad. Just nicely and respectively go over and let him know it's a project and whatnot. If he didn't believe you then, just walk away and think nothing more of it.