Annoying People with Photography

Scottwdw

Scottwdw

Member
I know I am preaching to the choir here. This article was a fun read. ; I mean how can we be annoying when all of us at Pixelmania one night put our multi-$K cameras flat on the ground in front of the entrance to the China's pavilion Temple of Heaven to get photos of the ceiling? ; I mean, really, who could that annoy?

Annoying People with Your Photography Habit

So, have you ever annoyed anyone? ; Family members don't count. ; ;D
 
Strangely for me, as much as I love photography and probably annoy friends and family with it, I'm really only guilty of bringing a camera with me everywhere I go. ; But I tend to be the ultra-sympathetic, courteous and over-cautious type when it comes to photography - or really any 'gathering'. ; I often care too much about causing any distraction or interference with other people that I'll give up on a shot rather than risk getting in the way. ; I will stand for many minutes waiting for a clearing to take my shot, standing aside and letting everyone else by. ; I'm usually the one tapping my friends' shoulders or arms to notify them that they're in the way when someone is approaching and they've got their tripod blocking part of the path. ; In a group environment like Pixelmania, I'm usually walking around with my head on a swivel, looking for ways we might be causing problems, trying to move us out of the traffic. ; It's to my detriment, or at least that of my photography, because my friends who I've gone wildlife shooting with sometimes get a nicer perspective on a bird than I do because they were willing to lay down on the boardwalk in front of groups of oncoming people, in order to get the low perspective...something I'm not willing to do unless there is noone around at all. ; If I was at the China pavilion with you guys, I'd probably be having mild anxiety over possibly inconveniencing people coming into the exhibit, and standing near the doorway apologizing to each of them!

If you need the kindly, sympathetic, apologetic photographer in your group to liase with the masses while you get in their way, bring me along. ; I do it naturally!
 
Loved the article. ; It made me laugh. :D ; I've been lying in the mud alot lately and photographing nearly every dinnertime meal. ; My neighbor nonchalantly told me she didn't mind if I photograph her flowers and said I could do so any time I pleased. ; I don't think she expected me to be slinking by her windows on my belly though. ; Startled the poor woman a few times!

Justin..you are such a sweetie. :) ; Just sayin'.
 
So what's wrong with crawling on the ground?!?!? Don't people know the kind of shots you can get from down there??? sheesh :confused:
 
For the ground shots, I cheat. ; I switch to quick AF live view, flip my LCD up 90 degrees, and hold the camera down at my feet, composing on the LCD. ; Boy, there are times I absolutely LOVE having live view...because when it comes to laying down on the ground to get a shot, to quote Sgt. Hulka, "I'm getting too old for that &#!^"
 
I think I might have annoyed some of the people at our table on the Disney Cruise. ; I would take pictures of everything me and my wife ate. ; I think I even got a couple of shots of other people's food too.... my wife made me do that though. ; ;)
 
1. Lying on the ground in public to take a picture
Nope, not for enjoyment. I have too much tonnage to get back up again without a crane. The only time I ever did that was when I was shooting a wedding party; I had the groomsmen lean in like a football huddle and got a shot almost straight up at their faces. Turned out moderately well, but I got my suit kinda dirty.

2. Using the flash at inopportune times

Heck no, that won't go! I just won't do it.

3. Taking photos of food

Yeah, once in a while. Particularly if my best friend happens to be working when I eat at his favorite steakhouse; I snap a camera phone pic of my meal and message it to him: "Hey, Rick, look where we're eating tonight!"

He typically replies with profanity.

4. Documenting every moment

Nope. I never take pics at Walgreens, rarely in the airport, and never in the bathroom. I have also never taken a pic of myself sleeping. But with a tripod and the time-lapse software, that might be possible...

5. Carrying a camera everywhere I go
Only on vacation. Because there are so many great photo ops on vacation, and because I'm afraid to leave my beloved Canon in a hotel room that other people have keys to.

"zackiedawg" said:
For the ground shots, I cheat. ; I switch to quick AF live view, flip my LCD up 90 degrees, and hold the camera down at my feet, composing on the LCD. ; Boy, there are times I absolutely LOVE having live view...because when it comes to laying down on the ground to get a shot, to quote Sgt. Hulka, "I'm getting too old for that &#!^"
Click to expand...

Sargeant, when the camera batteries die, does that mean we're through for the day?
 
Just did the lying on the floor in China thing today. Took the lead from Tim at Pixelmania. ; Luckily no body around except cast members who looked at me kind of strange.
 
I'm guilty of a couple of them...

The worst example is laying on the ground to get a shot. ; I really embarrassed my college roommate doing that once. ; He was a political science major and was volunteering at his congresswoman's office which got him a staff badge and allowed him to give staff tours whenever he wanted. ; So, he offered to take me on a tour so I could take pictures inside the capitol without being rushed around by the regular tour docents and I laid on my back in the middle of the rotunda so I could get ; a good shot of the painting on the ceiling of the dome. ;
 
My family is usually happy with the results of me being a dork with the camera. They put up with my Think Tank fanny pack and bounce flash as long as they can see the results!
 
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