Sunday, January 23, 2011

"Don't photograph me!"

I forget where i heard this, but it's been mulling around in my head for a while. Someone compared how people seem to freak out when you take photos near them, even if they aren't of them, for various reasons. Then went on to describe how in Japan no one bats an eye at people with cameras or freaks out when they take pictures in their direction. That's not so much the part that sticks in my head, it's the part about how in past decades we seemed to make fun of the stereotype of "Japanese person with a camera", but they are now used to people with cameras, where we aren't.

I'm far from being one who "likes" being photographed, i'm more a behind the lens person, but that's more because of body issues and that i never like (well, maybe one or two) how i look in photos. I'm just tired of getting looked at like i'm up to no good when i go out with my camera, even if i'm not ever pointing at people. Having a more "professional looking" one sometimes helps, as people seem to assume i'm with press or something, but i'll still get dirty looks like "don't point that at me".

I don't know, this post really doesn't seem to have a point other than rambling out loud.