Inspiring Confidence in My Intentions
As a photographer and especially one who is interested in street photography, there are often moments where you feel the eyes and opinions of others. Recently, I experience someone actively express their discomfort with me for taking photos of others. The two things most photographers look for are light and action, and the night scene offers plenty of both.
Over the weekend, I often will go out to the bars and clubs in my area because there is lots of activity. While walking by a bar this past week, I stumbled upon a medical emergency full of bright lights and activity. A woman had become unconscious at a bar and needed first responders. Fire, Police, and EMT responded to the scene, and I began to capture them going through their routines.
Finally, they brought out the woman on a stretcher, and she was not in good condition. As a photographer, I am not particularly interested in capturing people in a health crisis state. I am more interested in providing insight into the men and women who help people in their times of greatest need. But after they had put her in the ambulance and her face was no longer visible, I continued taking photos to capture the reactions of the first responders. How do the police officers act after finishing their job, but they are still on the scene? How do the firefighters put back their gear and head back to the fire station? I thought these were ample reasons to take some photos and capture these actions.
While I was doing this, I noticed that a staff member at the bar had gotten very close to me and recorded me on their smartphone. This was not the first time someone has recorded me while taking photos, but when I looked at him with a smile and tried to start a conversation, he glared at me and walked away. I was super confused by this interaction, and my confusion became a curiosity. I went to where he had assumed his position next to the door and asked him why he had taken photos of me. He would not even look at me. I asked again and made it clear that I did not mind it, but I was just curious why. He looked me in the eye and said he took the photos because I should not be taking pictures of the woman on the stretcher. He went as far as to call me a creep and a disgusting person with some more colorful language mixed in between.
I was taken aback by this sudden outburst of emotion and, more specifically, anger. In the most respectful tone I could muster, I told him that I was not trying to capture this woman in the state she was in but instead the first responders we were doing to help her. But he had already made his judgment of me, and my camera and nothing I could say would have changed his mind. So I left and avoided further conflict.
I became a bit nervous that the photos he took in combination with his opinion might paint me a false light for more than just this individual. Still, after further thought, this anxiety became excitement. This was my first time being ridiculed for my photography to the point of my character being questioned. This excited me. As a photographer who wants to take photos that show life in a sincere form and show less obvious aspects of life, there is always bound to be someone who judges my work. There will always be someone who disagrees with me. But this should not affect my confidence in myself or what I am trying to accomplish. I know I wasn't taking an inappropriate photo and instead was trying to capture images that promote the good in such situations. That's all that should matter. This self-reflection inspired me to take even more photos that night, in which I met many more people who were immensely supportive and told me to continue with my work no matter what.
