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Many, many years ago a Unitarian minister I knew said to me: "People are afraid." It didn't seem to fit into our conversation, and it hung in the air for a frozen moment before we moved on. For months afterward I pondered why he said that. Finally, I came to a realization that what most motivates we humans is fear. Nothing else is as powerful. Today we live in a world seemingly turned upside down and people are fed a steady diet of fear-mongering media mash (n. a soft, pulpy mass). This mash ferments into paranoia for some people. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the fact that we now live in a surveillance state and know we are being spied upon at every turn -- and people are sick of it and want to lash out.
Anyway, I've had two such unpleasant incidents in the past few years. One afternoon I was standing on a sidewalk waiting for a public transit bus. When afternoon school buses went past I took pictures of a few of them. Part of my journalism history involved the trucking industry, so I just naturally take pictures of large vehicles when I see them -- especially when I'm bored and waiting for a bus. Within minutes there were four law enforcement cars in front of me, and I was literally surrounded by at least four local police and sheriff deputies. They wanted to know why I was taking pictures of children on school buses. Ridiculous, yes, but people now see danger everywhere, and police have to respond to satisfy their fears.
Another time I went to the summer carnival of the Catholic parish where I spent eight years in grammar school as a child. I was taking pictures of adults and the band that was playing. A woman approached and asked why I was taking pictures of her grandchild. I went farther than I normally would and finally showed her the pictures I'd taken. There were no children in any of the pictures I'd taken. She still wasn't satisfied -- and nothing I could possibly have said or done would have satisfied her poisoned mind. A few minutes later a police officer patrolling the event informed me that I was being asked to leave. I was thoroughly disgusted. Over time I've come to see humor in that kind of a welcome back to my childhood alma mater, especially given that it's a Catholic church parish. Still makes me sad though.
I don't shy away from shooting anything that interests me and is legal. There will be times when the poison in some person's brain will try to infect me. When that happens I mostly just smile a lot, play dumb and agree with them -- but never to the point of putting myself or my integrity/honor in jeopardy. For me, public photography is worth the effort.
Yesterday I had a different kind of interaction with a delusional character on the streets. On the sidewalk across the street from City Hall, Philadelphia, I saw a man had set up a table and was selling trinkets off it. As I came upon the scene I noticed he was nodding off and thought that could be a good picture. As soon as I raised the camera (5D3 with a 35mm lens) he popped to life and starting waving his hands and saying no. I took the camera away from my face, smiled at him and he started saying, "no pictures, no pictures." I said, "Sure, I understand," since I don't find it worth getting into arguments with people who for whatever reason don't want their picture taken. Unfortunately, he wouldn't leave it at that. As I started taking pictures of other folks on the street he began demanding I leave, "Move along, take it somewhere else, go do that in your own neighborhood," he started saying. Annoyed, I said to him, "There's nothing about you that's worth taking a picture. Get over yourself. I'm taking pictures of other people on the public sidewalk here."
Defeated that I would not be bullied, I overheard him whining to a guy at the next vendor table "...how these guys were taking their pictures all the time and selling them on the internet for millions of dollars." That gave me a good laugh and I resumed moseying down the street.
Anyway, if anyone knows where I can sell these street pictures for millions of dollars, please let me know.