Last week, street photographer, Joshua Rosenthal ran into a situation he’d never experienced before. He was at the Ventura County Fair taking candid portraits of the people around him. He went home only to wake up the next morning to a slew of viral Facebook posts… viral posts targeting him and his profession.
This story was reported first on Petapixel.
When Local Vigilantism Goes Too Far
While Joshua was taking journalistic photos at the Ventura County Fair, someone happened to be there taking video of the fair as well and recorded him taking photos of fair attendees. It only went downhill from there.
The morning after the fair, Joshua woke up to find out photos of him had gone viral, but not in a way he could have ever imagined. Angry parents and Facebook vigilantes were sharing his photo all over social media, spreading appalling accusations about the local street photographer. Needless to say, Joshua immediately took to social media to defend himself.
So guys, I have woken up to all the sadness in this world striking me square in the face. Not really sure how to respond…
Posted by Joshua Rosenthal on Friday, August 9, 2019
Part of his job is taking candid photos of people without gaining prior approval. “The photos speak more to the moment,” he said, adding, “One can’t capture life when it’s being posed.” As you can see from his Instagram account, Joshua is a legitimate photographer, with an eye for the real moment.
Just talk it out
Look, I get it, if someone were to point a camera at me, I’d get a little suspicious. If they pointed it at my kid, we might even have problems. Which is why, it’s always important to ask for permission, even if you’re not obliged to. No law exists prohibiting photographers from taking photos in public. In fact, the Ventura police department posted on their account that “no crime occurred during this incident.”
I know there are a lot of street photographers out there who don’t ask for permission. And the most I hear coming from them is a subject asking not to have his picture taken. It’s no big deal and the conversation, as well as photographing, stops there.
But some people just like to watch the world burn. They’d rather sit behind their computer and try to ruin someone’s livelihood rather than stopping to simply ask what they’re doing. It’s those types of people that you’ve got to look out for.
It’s so easy these days to take someone down with a few out-of-context photos on social media. A lot of problems can be solved with just a direct conversation. Just a few quick words is all it takes to avoid catastrophe. Remember that next time you’re out at the fair and a photographer comes up and snaps a shot. Maybe if you confront them about it, you might end up with great photos of yourself and your loved ones.
(Via Petapixel)
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This is such a ridiculous overreaction by these crazy people BUT this is exactly why I rarely photograph children when shooting street photography (which is 95% of my shooting) and I would never ever take photos of kids at a park or fair or any organized event. I took photos for my nephew’s little league team and I felt like I creep and kept telling anyone in ear shot that the photos were for my nephew. If you’re pointing a camera at kids and taking photos at a public event, people are going to be weirded out. I often see what I think would be a great shot of like kids jumping rope or playing in an open fire hydrant in summer but I won’t take the shot unless I can do it discreetly from my hip or something. So I think it’s weird that this guy was surprised by people’s over reaction in this day and age.
This is such a ridiculous overreaction by these crazy people BUT this is exactly why I rarely photograph children when shooting street photography (which is 95% of my shooting) and I would never ever take photos of kids at a park or fair or any organized event. I took photos for my nephew’s little league team and I felt like I creep and kept telling anyone in ear shot that the photos were for my nephew. If you’re pointing a camera at kids and taking photos at a public event, people are going to be weirded out. I often see what I think would be a great shot of like kids jumping rope or playing in an open fire hydrant in summer but I won’t take the shot unless I can do it discreetly from my hip or something. So I think it’s weird that this guy was surprised by people’s over reaction in this day and age.
The absolute hypocrisy of the freak who made the original post calling him names is astounding. SHE has a problem with HIM shooting images, while NOT SEEING any problem shooting video herself.
Furthermore. By her publicly labeling him a pedophile, SHE opened herself up to legal action along many routes, libel and harassment at a minimum. And any of the morons who are calling for his blood, fully deserve their names to be publicly shown as the nazis they are.
Excellent point about the woman complaining about stills while she is taking video
That is so ridiculously stupid. It’s okay for her to take photos but not for him. This is why I fear street photography. I try to capture moments (not children) but it makes you look out of place.
As for that woman, this could be a suit of defamation of character. You CANNOT label someone a pedophile. That can destroy someone’s life. I am a parent. If I see someone who appears to taking photos of kids I would ask. Asking would have simply cleared this up and the feedback could have been hey I am not comfortable with this and the photog moves on his merry way. But now this.
Just absolute stupidity.
The absolute hypocrisy of the freak who made the original post calling him names is astounding. SHE has a problem with HIM shooting images, while NOT SEEING any problem shooting video herself.
Furthermore. By her publicly labeling him a pedophile, SHE opened herself up to legal action along many routes, libel and harassment at a minimum. And any of the morons who are calling for his blood, fully deserve their names to be publicly shown as the nazis they are.
Excellent point about the woman complaining about stills while she is taking video
That is so ridiculously stupid. It’s okay for her to take photos but not for him. This is why I fear street photography. I try to capture moments (not children) but it makes you look out of place.
As for that woman, this could be a suit of defamation of character. You CANNOT label someone a pedophile. That can destroy someone’s life. I am a parent. If I see someone who appears to taking photos of kids I would ask. Asking would have simply cleared this up and the feedback could have been hey I am not comfortable with this and the photog moves on his merry way. But now this.
Just absolute stupidity.