Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/19

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Subject: RE: [Leica] What I did today ..or...GET A LIFE!
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 13:13:31 -0700

I fear you have misunderstood me. My comment about newsworthy scope 
overriding someone's saying NO would be justifiable only when you were 
actually doing news photography of a public event, not just having some 
fun intruding upon some person's privacy with a camera. If I'm being paid 
to cover Joe "The Razor" Putitoffski's execution and he shields his face 
with his hand, well, I'm going to try to get the shot. You may think it 
abhorrent but that's what I'm paid to do and rules of common courtesy are 
not applying there. If some other observer gets in the shot and then 
turns to say "Don't you take my picture!", I'm going to respond, "Well, 
get out of the way!" This is news reportage of a public event in a public 
place. 

Anyone whom I'm casually photographing because I think they have a neat 
face or whatever and who indicates that they'd prefer not to be 
photographed I immediately cap the lens, apologize for the intrusion, and 
turn away. If I think that a photograph of them would be particularly 
interesting, I might try just entreating with them a little bit to see 
whether the intrusion of a camera was offensive because it was 
unexpected, or that they just don't like having a picture taken, or 
whatever. In some cases, some subjects have relented and allowed me to 
make the photographs, and enjoyed the copies I sent them afterwards. 
Other times they have remained firm that they didn't want to be 
photographed or even refused to engage conversation. No problem.

>In photographic relations, as in relations between the sexes, NO means NO.
>What don't you understand about that, as the feminists are wont to ask?

As in relations between the sexes, NO means NO. Absolutely. But sometimes 
'no' doesn't mean NO. It means "maybe" or "hmm, i gotta think about it" 
or "well, only if you tickle my feet" or whatever. Learning to 
differentiate NO from 'no' is tricky, we sometimes make mistakes. It's 
the mistakes which guide our learning, best not to make BIG mistakes... 
Sometimes, it's a miracle the human race continues to breed at all.

Godfrey