Approached by some very friendly ladies

I was asked (kind of) by my wife to take phot's for her friend's child who was dancing in a competition.

After long persuasive talk by my wife I agreed to do this freebie, only because I had never tried one before and always look to educate myself when given an opportunity.

So I arrive at the competition early and grab a front row seat off to the left. I am checking adjustments by snapping a few photo's and the lady sitting next to me asked how old my daughter was. I informed her I was doing this for a friend and she then made a demand of me that I delete all pictures of others in the competition except those I came to take.

They were freindly and needless to say I kind of back down and move to the rear of the competition to get away from them.

After telling another photographer in the rear about this lady it turns out she approached him also and stated that he not take any photo's of her high school aged kids.

This was a company doing a world tour from which competitors pay to get in and compete. All contestants are groups of dancers bewteen the ages of 6 and 19.

Is this a trend of how we as photographers are being viewed? I know she was not thinking I was a pervert or anything because she stayed and talked for some time. But She honestly felt it was not my right to photograph anyone other than those I came there for.

I think there will always be one person like that. I would just nod and ignore them. If they really don't want their kid photographed then they shouldn't be involved in something like that, and I don't know how that parent thinks they speak for all of the kids that aren't the one you are there to photograph. Unless all of the rest of the kids are hers...

Stocky wrote in post #5463380
I think there will always be one person like that. I would just nod and ignore them. If they really don't want their kid photographed then they shouldn't be involved in something like that, and I don't know how that parent thinks they speak for all of the kids that aren't the one you are there to photograph. Unless all of the rest of the kids are hers...

To be quite honest, the lady was very friendly and if she had not said that I would have most likely struck up a conversation on which kid was hers and made sure I did catch them and even sent her a shot just for the possible PR involved.

I asked, and got permission, to go and shoot one of my daughter's high school dance performance dress rehearsals. But the lady in charge told me I could not shoot anyone but my daughter. She said in a way that let me know that's what she was supposed to tell me, but really didn't care what I shot. So I shot anyone and everyone.

Then at the actual show I left the camera at home but a lot of parents brought cameras. This same lady got on the mic before the show and gave instructions that there was to be no flash photography but otherwise photography was fine... with no instruction to the audience at all to only photograph their own kids. So why the different rules?

I gave a copy of all the images to the dance lady in charge and the yearbook staff about a week later. This was at the begining of the school year. Now it is the end of the school year and they are begging me to get them another copy because they lost the ones I gave them.

If you wanna go by law (US) anything and everyone that is in a public situation can be photographed unless there is notification posted that no photographs are to be taken. Some people just feel that we (photogs) are intruding on their privacy which is a notable reason however it isn't unlawful if we decide to photograph against their will.
What I find odd is that these same people that don't want us photographing would most probably want a copy of the photos once they see them in the recital book to show off to their friends.
I believe in personal privacy, however when I'm in public it's no longer private. Some people take that same belief and stretch it as far as they can because they think they can get away with it.

RandyMN wrote in post #5463229
Is this a trend of how we as photographers are being viewed? I know she was not thinking I was a pervert or anything because she stayed and talked for some time. But She honestly felt it was not my right to photograph anyone other than those I came there for.

Are you sure? Too often I think that's exactly what people like her are thinking.

Anyway, I'm not an openly confrontational type of person, but I am stubbornly passive-aggressive, so I would have probably nodded then proceeded to ignore her request.

RandyMN wrote in post #5463229
I was asked (kind of) by my wife to take phot's for her friend's child who was dancing in a competition.

After long persuasive talk by my wife I agreed to do this freebie, only because I had never tried one before and always look to educate myself when given an opportunity.

So I arrive at the competition early and grab a front row seat off to the left. I am checking adjustments by snapping a few photo's and the lady sitting next to me asked how old my daughter was. I informed her I was doing this for a friend and she then made a demand of me that I delete all pictures of others in the competition except those I came to take.

They were freindly and needless to say I kind of back down and move to the rear of the competition to get away from them.

After telling another photographer in the rear about this lady it turns out she approached him also and stated that he not take any photo's of her high school aged kids.

This was a company doing a world tour from which competitors pay to get in and compete. All contestants are groups of dancers bewteen the ages of 6 and 19.

Is this a trend of how we as photographers are being viewed? I know she was not thinking I was a pervert or anything because she stayed and talked for some time. But She honestly felt it was not my right to photograph anyone other than those I came there for.

I don't think you ought to jump to the "pervert" conclusion here. It's quite possible that this lady was protecting her investment (if you will) and attempting to control all media access to her "property."

If this was a "pay to play" competition, then you probably just ran into an "Uber Stagemother..." who was attempting to protect her "cash cow."

BTW, what was required for entry into this event? Were there tickets sold or could anyone just walk in off the street? Any wording anywhere regarding photography? Signs? Announcements?

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #5464246
I don't think you ought to jump to the "pervert" conclusion here. It's quite possible that this lady was protecting her investment (if you will) and attempting to control all media access to her "property."

If this was a "pay to play" competition, then you probably just ran into an "Uber Stagemother..." who was attempting to protect her "cash cow."

Entirely possible. Either way she was still out-of-line. Especially if she was just a mother and in no other way part of the event.

She can tell me... and ask me nicely to "jump off a bridge" for all I care, but that's not going to influence my picture taking to a great extent.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #5464246
I don't think you ought to jump to the "pervert" conclusion here. It's quite possible that this lady was protecting her investment (if you will) and attempting to control all media access to her "property."

If this was a "pay to play" competition, then you probably just ran into an "Uber Stagemother..." who was attempting to protect her "cash cow."

BTW, what was required for entry into this event? Were there tickets sold or could anyone just walk in off the street? Any wording anywhere regarding photography? Signs? Announcements?

This was a pay per entry and any one can walk in as no tickets were sold.

No wording anywhere about photography, but the two ladies did tell me that any dance group that had a flash used during their performance would get points deducted.

I also noticed that most parents congregated towards the center of the floor where the video camnera was set up. I'm not sure if that was an unwritten rule or if they just felt that was their best angle without getting in anyones way.

My own favorite shots actually came from the left of the stage up fron and out of view from spectators. The only problem was when the child I came to photograph performed, she was in the oppisite corner and dwarfed by taller dancers in front of her. I was then forced to move center stage with the others just to increase likelihood of getting deisred angle for the rear corner.

photoguy6405 wrote in post #5464240
Are you sure? Too often I think that's exactly what people like her are thinking.

Anyway, I'm not an openly confrontational type of person, but I am stubbornly passive-aggressive, so I would have probably nodded then proceeded to ignore her request.

If that's what she was thinking then nothing in my actions or results showed anything of the sort.

I can't help what people think and that's the price we all pay for those that have given society reasons to be protective of self and family.

I am probably guilty also at times, but every photographer there looked fine and all seemed to have purpose and respect for both dance and photography.

Stocky wrote in post #5463380
I think there will always be one person like that. I would just nod and ignore them. If they really don't want their kid photographed then they shouldn't be involved in something like that, and I don't know how that parent thinks they speak for all of the kids that aren't the one you are there to photograph. Unless all of the rest of the kids are hers...

I agree. What makes it even more amazing is if there was a press photographer who was going to publish it in a newspaper or magazine would probobally not have the same issue. That person would let them snap away.

It seems to be such a narrow minded society against photographers these days.

RandyMN wrote in post #5469925
No wording anywhere about photography, but the two ladies did tell me that any dance group that had a flash used during their performance would get points deducted.

Flash is very annoying, to be sure, but that seems a bit harsh.

RandyMN wrote in post #5469954
If that's what she was thinking then nothing in my actions or results showed anything of the sort.

I can't help what people think and that's the price we all pay for those that have given society reasons to be protective of self and family.

I am probably guilty also at times, but every photographer there looked fine and all seemed to have purpose and respect for both dance and photography.

Sometimes I feel like I'm getting too cynical as I get older, but I think you hit the nail on the head. If she was thinking that, it wouldn't necessarily have been anything truly about you, but rather a paranoia in general. Sometimes I think the easy access to information and news stories from around the entire world causes us to take our protectiveness a bit too far.

RandyMN wrote in post #5469925
No wording anywhere about photography, but the two ladies did tell me that any dance group that had a flash used during their performance would get points deducted.

So, the parents of the competing groups should take pictures with flash during the competitions performance?! (jk, but I wouldn't put it past some parents)

"That's fine, ma'am. I've got enough images of my kid's group. I'm just here to shoot the competition."