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I drove for 2 hours to Brisbane yesterday with 3 photography projects in mind - Marvel Comic Exhibition, Narcisus Garden at the Art Gallery (chrome balls in the water exhibit) and car trails.
Between project 2 finishing and project 3 starting, I called by Southbank and saw a water park. I decided to stop and take a few IR mono images and rather than use a long lens and hide, I used a wide angle lens and was "in full view" and mindful that none of the images had naked or scantilly clad children. After taking a few images I was spoken to by 2 Security Guards arrived and informed me that 3 parents had complained about me taking pictures. Once asked I stopped and packed up my gear. I gave them a business card and asked that they pass the information on to the complainants if they had any concerns. After they left I remembered the publicity that Ken Duncan had for some years and "Goggled" the title of this thread. I found the following article by Susie O'Brien which I condensed below.
Not every man with a camera is a paedophile, says Susie O’Brien
Extract from an article by Susie O’Brien, Herald Sun May 8, 2015 11:51am
Not every man with a camera is a paedophile. .....................................................
Try to remember this next time you see a man take a photo in a public place.
Sadly, we live in a world where just about every male adult with children is seen in a suspect light, every person with a camera is a potential paedophile, and every stranger is a criminal.
It’s no wonder people increasingly say they wouldn’t stop to help a distressed kid anymore for fear of having their motives questioned.
Through social media people are causing panic by posting photos and personal details of suspected paedophiles online — in some cases without any evidence that the person had committed, or is likely to commit, a crime.
Even though many people freely share the most intimate details of their own children’s lives on social media, they are up in arms at the thought of someone else whipping out a camera in a public place or idly chatting to a child at a playground.
All this paranoia means children are increasingly living sheltered lives indoors, spending their time on computer screens rather than actually experiencing the world.
Ironically, children at much more at risk of harm in their own home from someone they know than a stranger.
Sadly this is not the first time that this issue has arisen for me. Some years ago I was photographing the sunrise at Dickey Beach (the wreck). As the sun came up, a group of school children (teeenagers) walked onto the beach. A techaer with the group told meto stop taking photos of them. I politely told him to get his students out of my photos - the best way to prevent photos being taken. I was breaking no law and had as much right as them and as courtesy they should stop walking into my images.
On another occassion, I was photographing (blurred images) people riding a walking over the Goodwill Bridge in Brisbane at sunset. A cyclist brushed passed me and yelled "paedohile" . The people in the image could not even be identified. With some of them stopping to take selfies and post on social media.
Having recently purchased a drone, I am surpried at the people who have made remarks about photographing their back yard yet they are not concerned about neighbour using a camera to photograph them?
Why don't people just stop and think before saying exactly what jumps into their head. I reckon that there are are a far greater number of males with cameras that do the right thing.
I think I may have to purchase a tshirt with the slogan below on it.
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