This literally just happened to me coming home after work in NYC. I ended up on a pretty packed subway car and there was one man who had a digital camera and was snapping photos of really random things who was close to me. After a while, I realized the camera was pointed at me. When the guy saw me looking he quickly explained that he was just taking pictures of my forehead and hair to test the camera, which is really weird regardless, but the camera was pointed at my head. I turned away and tried to move away from him.
At around two stops later, a much younger girl (I’m a 32f and this girl looked like she was in middle school) came on, right next to this guy and he started taking pictures of her as well after explaining the same thing he told me.
I had much more of a problem with this. She was obviously a minor and while you can take photos of people in public, she looked frightened. I finally started to raise my voice at the guy and ask him why was he taking photos of a young girl and not the many men around us? He sort of stammered a response and got off at the next stop since other people also started to get involve.
I’m not sure if I overreacted after having a stressful day at work after a bad weekend. He seemed really awkward and maybe he really was testing the camera but the situation was ambiguous enough that I’m not sure how to handle it, especially because this isn’t the first time a random man has taken seemingly non-sexual photos of me and it’s made me feel seriously uncomfortable.
So, if someone did that to you or the people around you, what would you do/how would you reason it?
Comments
Honestly bro this is such a NYC moment. I flipped a guy off once for it and almost got stabbed but he forgot his shiesty and knife. Sometimes nyc just be like that
Probably was some weirdo. You can’t get mad at people in public. If you do you’ll be angry all the time and get into altercations. Especially in NYC. Touching someone is completely different.
I’d take pictures of him back
Thanks to you and others on the train for standing up for the young girl. I am sure she felt relieved.
Hair fetish. People are weird
He definitely was not testing the camera that can be done anywhere in a less intrusive fashion than a public transportation mode with emphasis that under any circumstances he shouldn’t be taking an unauthorized picture of a minor in that setting. You did the right thing
Could be a werido, could just be a dude with a camera trying to get in to “street” photography and not really know what he’s doing (as a photographer who hangs out on reddit more than they should be out taking pictures, you read a lot of comments along the lines of how to get more confident shooting street).
It could be innocent, but, as it could be not I’d say you’re right to raise your concerns, if he’s too socially awkward to stand his ground that’s his problem, but we live in a society with too many fucked up people to not stand by and let this behaviour escalate (if it is the bad kind).
Take pictures back
Candid public shots are completely legal in the US. Some of them have made the photographer who snapped them incredibly famous. It’s annoying and can feel bad but as a lady photographer who has been accused of “taking creepy photos” when I’m actually taking a photo of a building and some chump wandered into my shot and borderline ruined it I understand both sides. Not everyone with a camera, especially in the era of cameras on almost every device, corner, and wall is being creepy. Really, it is what it is and when in public we are guaranteed to be on camera. The subway is also taking your image.
There are AI apps that can do nasty stuff with innocent pics apparently. This was a discussion on another thread
Sadly in the world we live in we can presume he was innocent of nothing, but it sucks because sometimes real moments don’t have anything to do with anything except the moment. Maybe it was literally just him trying to get some kind of street photography and the subject was females or even, ironically, the dangers they face. Maybe you and this girl were the center but the men were the focus. Never know, but follow your instincts.