Very Disturbing... :)

In a few of the stories here, photographers responded to shockingly boorish behavior by doing absolutely nothing. I'm getting the idea that some who posted are just too nice. Would even saying "Shhh!" violate your personal standards?

I guess some of us photographers are just too nice. haha
which I have never been accused of before.

but seriously I just dont bother as we know it will fall on deaf ears.

Day before yesterday, I was at Lake Tawakoni in East Texas to shoot some eagles, and whatever else I could find, The "whatever else" I found for this story was Crested Caracaras. I was shooting two of them feeding in grassy field at the base of the dam's levee, and one flew off, the other stayed, so I continued shooting it, then it flew off to the West in a tree. I was about to turn around to get in my vehicle when a new Cadillac stopped abruptly on the road in the grass, it kind of startled me, to be honest, I didn't expect that. This guy about 35 years old got out, and ran across the road where I was, and asked, "What kind of bird is that that has a white head?". I told him, and he continued to ask more questions, and I answered them the best I could. I could tell he was fairly excited about it, but most of my attention was on the Caracaras that about 1/4 mile away and landed in a dead tree, as I saw in my binoculars. I kept checking on the birds as we talked, and he didn't seem to notice that I 'needed to go', he just didn't know, it wasn't his fault that he didn't. I mentioned it once that they were down there at that tree, but he was full of questions, and wanted to take his wife and daughter 'out' and look for birds, have a picnic, etc. So, I had a chance to either stay and talk, or say, "I'm sorry, but I really need to go down there and get that shot!". To be honest, I didn't mind so much, I did after all get some pretty good shots of them on the ground, but I still wanted a good tree shot of them.
Also, this guy was needing information that may help him start to be a birder or a photographer, OR... be a good father and husband. You never know, plus, he had ALL of the best intentions, even though he didn't realize where my 'focus' was at times. So, I stayed and talked with him about the stuff he wanted to talk about, it was my decision, and I also realized that even though I missed that opportunity to get the tree shot, there might be another in my future. I need to mention I had already seen a Caracara before I saw these, and got shots of it on the levee's top.

Sometimes, even when people interrupt, they may not have a clue how we operate when shooting, and they may be really interested too, so these types of conversations I don't mind. Would I have liked to shoot the Caracaras in the tree? I sure would've, but I also felt good helping answer the guy's questions, and that he was going to share what he learned with his wife and daughter, which is a GOOD thing.

As it turned out, I later got shots of two more Caracaras a few miles from there, (on the ground though) AND, an immature eagle, (among other birds) so I had a really good day. It's not often a Texan gets to see that stuff in our own area, without traveling to another state.

Randy

Photographing at a local nature area one morning, and I spot a deer in the trees peering out. I set up the shot, and am thinking "I've got a lot of deer shots, but usually in fields and such, so this is great!".
I managed to snap maybe two shots when a dog comes tearing up the forest path, charges past me into the trees and after the deer which of course took off in a panic, right across a roadway which ran behind the trees... If anyone had been driving by, they never would have had a chance to stop.
I looked around, and along dawdles the dogs owner, yakkin away on her cell phone. "Sorry..." she mutters, not even really looking my way.
I was, literally, speechless!

Mike

I've been a member of this forum for a while but I do believe this is my first post. Since retiring last August and having more time for photography, I've observed many of the things noted by various posters in this thread and can only remind myself that the age of certain "manners and behaviours" have gone by the wayside. I too have had subjects scared away by both idiots and by well meaning passersby by various methods, ie: letting their children run wild, letting their dogs off leash despite numerous signs and advisories warning not to do so, deliberately scaring wildlife (both birds and mammals) just to see then run or fly away in a panic, asking questions, and so on.
I already know that I'm possibly not the most sociable person around (my wife reminds me of that aspect on a regular basis) but I do try to maintain some type of decent and courteous demenor/behaviour when I see someone trying to photograph and / or enjoy wildlife or outdoor scenes, waiting until there is an obvious break in the action to speak with them.
I also agree that there are some well meaning people that simply have no clue when it comes to asking questions at inopportune times but as another poster said, I try to be friendly, answer the questions I can, and eventually and politely try to infer that I am on a mission of my own and need to get back that activity. Most will take the hint in a friendly manner and move on...
Of particular disgust to me are heathen children who are allowed to run wild at every opportunity by their parents, most of which are fully in sight of such behaviour. I visit our small in town park several mornings a week and feed the resident waterfowl just for my own personal pleasure as well as providing a reason for me to get my butt up and out of the house on days when the weather isn't exactly the best. The little park has many visitors each day, some of which just come to read their book or newspaper, use the walking track, or perhaps feed bread to the ducks. Typically, I have no issues at all with the parents who bring small children to throw out bread bits and watch the critters but it seems that once they hit the 10 year old and up age, it becomes more a matter of throw the kids out of the vehicle, give them some duck food, and then sit down on a bench with a cellphone in their face while the kids go berserk, chasing every breathing animal in range, throwing sticks/rocks at the birds and squirrels, and so on. The parents are completely oblivious to this behaviour which leads me to believe that 1) they do the same thing at home, and 2) the family has no respect for anything other than themselves.
At one point in my younger life, I would have said something (perhaps a warning or admonition) but these days, say those same things to a person or group and you might just get shot for it... so now? I just try to stay quiet and move on or mind my own business.
Is there an answer to the problem? That's very unlikely in my opinion. Some people are taught at a young age to be respectful of others while others are going to be obnoxious no matter what you try to do. Being on your own property is one thing but once you hit public spaces such as parks, certain wildlife areas, etc., I believe that you're going to be at the mercy of those around you and to some extent, have to either accept at least some amount of the poor behaviour or move on yourself.
Thanks for letting me speak my mind on the subject since it touched a raw nerve after following the thread for a few days. The rock throwing may commence if you've a mind to do so regarding my statements above...
Steve W

You run into the same type of people whether you are photographing birds or other subjects. Last year at Yosemite I had picked out what I thought was a perfect position to shoot one of the lakes and a mountain. I had my tripod set up about 50 yards from the road. A car stopped, and the driver got out. He walked over to where I was, never said a word, went about five feet in FRONT of me, took out his cell phone and clicked the picture. He walked away without a word,... even after I said, "You're welcome". I must be getting old. It seems like there used to be more civility.

What really ticks me of are the hunters at Turner Road who think they have to go about 90 mph down that dirt road to get to the deer camp that's about 7 miles from the turnoff from Tamiami Trail. They throw up so much dust and dirt and spook every bird that's anywhere near the area. I get a dirty lens, a picture of tail feathers, and a face full of dust every time! For this reason, I never go to that site on the weekends. It's ridiculous.

If you enjoy mindless parents and screaming kids racing up and down the trails, try the Trinity Audubon place on the weekends.