Leto

So, I was at the mall at lunch time. Pretty crowded. Lots of high school kids there too.

Saw an old guy, my age, (okay, twice as old as the high schoolers I'd say) using his blackberry to snap pictures of the girls asses. I think this is perverted. There's no way to tell if the kids are under age - quite possibly they are, but on the whole, they may be 17 to 25.

What is the opinion in TFP? Is this a non-issue? Are we all in a public domain, and therefore fair game for snapshots? What would you do in such a case?

(me? I went up to the guy and told him that it was a stupid thing to do, and he would get himself into trouble. he turned beat red, and disappeared quickly into the crowded food court).



(30 in 30 #2)

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The_Jazz

Good for you, Leto! When it's obvious what's going on, someone needs to step forward. I'm glad you did.

A couple of years ago, we changed the rules of the Titty Board to eliminate naked pictures where the subject didn't know she was being filmed/photographed. That's been pretty successful. It's a huge violation of privacy, and it's something that I felt good about doing.

Unfortunately, your questions aren't so simple. We are all public domain (unless the law says otherwise). If he was taking wide angle shots of the crowd for some reason, there should be no problem. But if he's focusing on someone's specific anatomy without their permission, that's different. I wouldn't want a picture of my belly-button while I'm wearing my jorts and cut-off t-shirt out there, and I think I have a right to object to that. If you're going to take a picture of me rockin' my mullet, you have to capture the whole package, not just the tasty part.

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StanT

I'm kinda fond of a well shaped female posterior. Snapping pictures of them is a bit wierd; but I don't know if I'd go with perverted.

Clothed in a public environment? Odd; but no big deal. I might recommend a beach to him, just to be a smartass.

Leto

so, maybe I think it was perverted because of the age differential. I'm kinda like both of you. I love the female posterior as well, and preserving such for posterity would be nice. BUT. (no pun intended) these were young girls which is what got my back up. Maybe if it was another kid doing it... meh. Or if the guy was getting shots of more mature women, less of an issue. But it still is kind of slimy.

__________________
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr

http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I

amonkie

Let me turn the tables hypothetically - would it appear creepy if it was a woman taking a picture of a guy's ass?

If so.. would it be strictly because of possible age differential - ie cougar taking picture of a HS aged boy, or would it be across the board?


If its discreet and I don't notice someone is doing it, pretty hard to make a fuss. If it's obvious, I have commented before.

I was on the bus once and a guy was taking a pic of the lady's ass as she walked past. Even I can agree it was a nice ass but I told the guy he should be ashamed of himself and watched him delete the picture. Best part was there was nowhere else for him to move so he got sit next to me for 10 more minutes.

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snowy

Ugh, this thread reminds me of something creepy that once happened to me. I was in line to catch the Greyhound back to college, and a young man approached me in line with a nice SLR around his neck. He said he was taking pictures for his photography class back at Oregon State, and wondered if he could take my picture, as they were practicing taking pictures of people. I said sure, and so he positioned his camera to take the picture. I couldn't help but notice the way the camera was pointed--directly at my chest. I felt totally violated. A couple months later, some friends and I were talking over dinner in the dining hall, and it turned out that one of my female friends had had the exact same dude do the exact same thing to her in front of the library. Eww.

I would speak up, personally. I wouldn't want anyone to feel the way I did.

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cj2112

This is creepy....in a serial rapist kinda way.

Ourcrazymodern?

non-issue. thinking it is is perverted.

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mixedmedia

I don't see any great harm in it.
But I don't see any harm in confronting them and possibly humiliating them in public, either.
I mean, if one is going to be a conspicuous sleazeball in the mall, one must be prepared for a mall full of people to know about it. Seems only fair.

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SecretMethod70

My thoughts exactly. The OP seems to indicate that this person was taking photos of publicly visible parts (as opposed to, say, upskirt photos), and I do think there is a distinction there. He is also doing it in public, though, and as such his activities are fair game for public criticism.

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GreyWolf

My 14-yo daughter plays volleyball. The team (and many others) don't warm up in their uniforms... they wear a warm-up top. Before the game, they strip down to their sports bras & put on their uniform top. On the sideline, in plain view. My basketball team was going to do the same thing. I put a stop to it, explaining that it's called underwear because it's meant to be under something. Beach wear is meant for the beach, & is just or more revealing, but I have no objections to that. They think I'm a prude.

But, getting back to the OP, I DO NOT want pictures of my daughter or her friends and teammates in their underwear being taken by some pervert, whether a cell phone or telephoto lens (there are lots of those at sporting events, and it can be hard to tell what they are focused on). It just creeps me out. I know underwear is now a fashion statement, but having someone taking surreptitious photos of my kid like that is just unacceptable.

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ASU2003

I wouldn't care. There are a lot better photos on-line anyways.

Then again, I've taken some photos in public of random unknown girls.

SecretMethod70

Agreed GreyWolf, but it seems you also recognize there is a certain amount of prudence required here, such as not stripping down to your underwear on the sidelines in plain view before a sporting event. As much as I might agree it's creepy for someone to take pictures of that, I do think we head down a dangerous path when we prohibit people from taking pictures of that which is in plain sight.

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Charlatan

So I guess this means I shouldn't be using my shoe camera?

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MSD

If you're in public, you grant everyone else out there the right to take a picture of you.

Among camera phone pictures I've take surreptitiously, almost all of them have been with the intent of ridiculing someone later. If I have my camera out, you're completely oblivious if you don't know I'm taking your picture and I wouldn't take it if your body language suggested that you object to it, but street photography is about capturing life, not being a creep anyway.

StanT

There's two pieces to this. If you are out in public, someone may take your picture. You might find it creepy; but other than a snide comment, there isn't much you can do.

For the old fart / young woman part ...
I'm 54, the "nice ass" synapses in my brain work way faster than the "Holy shit, she's young" ones. I'd never do anything about it; but I'm also not likely to stop looking.

SirLance

I get the impression from the OP that his issue was the girls were very young and possibly underage, and the guy was in his 30's or 40's. Sounds like a sicko in action. I think your intervention was proper and his actions improper. You trusted your instinct, and it was probably right.

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mcgeedo

Regarding the "if you're in public, you're fair game" point, if the picture is for commercial use (even if money doesn't change hands) the model must sign a release or a contract, one of the two. Or the picture may not be used. "Photo journalism" is an exception, which paparazzi take advantage of. This event sounds like neither. There are specific laws about pictures taken for sexual content, especially if the model is underage, whether there is a commercial purpose or not. .

smilton

This is just strange. Not sure it is illegal. Falls under the category of "I wouldn't tell my mother about it." = creepy