Kids say the darnest things. Kids DO the darnest things, too. Since they haven't developed (or been indoctrinated) with social norms, anything can happen in any given situation. Also, there is the element of innocence.
However, if you are familiar with my photo interests, you’d know that photographing kids is not one of my topics. With all the burned out homes and cemeteries about, who needs kids?
Kids have been subject matter of many photographers. An indie B&W photo magazine (in the style of a zine) often calls for submissions of photos of kids.
Why am I kidding you, you might ask?
The other day I heard a disturbing news report on the tube. It was about an unnamed photographer. The newscaster described a photographer, armed with a telephoto lens, who had attended a kid’s sports event. A vigilant soccer mom approached said photographer (armed with a telephoto lens) and asked him which kid playing was his. None. Said vigilant soccer mom proceeded to call the police and report said unnamed photographer (armed with a telephoto lens) and now the police in that city are on the lookout for suspicious lone photographers hanging around kid’s sporting events.
I really don’t care about photographing children, but this story sends a chill up my spine. Photographers tend to be spontaneous beings who are constantly on the lookout for interesting things to photograph. I didn’t invest thousands of dollars into my equipment to take family photos. And yes, I do photograph strangers. I don’t talk to strangers because my mother warned me about that, but I do take pictures of strangers. I can do that. It’s legal. At least, for now.
Sure, this unnamed photographer (armed with a telephoto lens) could well have been a predator of children. But then so could the baseball coach. Or one of the father’s of a kid playing in the game. I wonder if said soccer mom runs a background check on her local priests and boy scout troop leaders? I suppose she would have to…if she really cares about the safety and well being of her children. Better yet, why not lock the kid up in the yard and let him/her out when s/he reaches legal age?
The world is a scary and dangerous place and children need to be protected from these dangers. They just aren’t able to discern another person’s motives. And that goes for said soccer mom, too. She cannot know what the intentions of the said unnamed photographer (armed with a telephoto lens) but apparently we are now only permitted to photograph our own.
America is really a messed up place, morally. We commit crimes against humanity and justify them with a core belief that God is on our side and he has a special mission for us as a nation: we can do no wrong. Corporations are protected by law and stand above the law. A manufacturer of defective medical equipment can knowingly sell their wares, fully aware that the product can kill, and in the event of a wrongful death, get off scott free. You can’t send a corporation to prison, even though by law corporations are considered to be ‘people.’
A few weeks ago I saw a sports event going on and I nearly stopped, just to try my hand at action photography. (You’d think I found enough action in Detroit, right?) I don’t recall if the game was for kids, but had it been, and I do use telephoto lenses, I could well be the subject of a news alert, another unnamed photographer armed with a telephoto lens.
That soccer mom…is armed with a suspicious mind and is VERY dangerous to all of us.
And while you are out taking pictures, keep in mind that a terrorist could be hiding behind any telephone pole or hiding in a phone booth.
