At Carolina Summer Nights when I saw Jewell Booth immediately turn her back on someone casually passing by and stopping to take her photo with his camera phone, I was puzzled. It was the steppers’ paparazzi.
“Wasn’t he just taking your photo?” I asked Jewell.
“Yes, but without my permission! That is a topic you should write about on your blog,” she responded coolly.
This topic has come up several times with different people. If someone is at a stepper set or weekend event, it does not mean “please take my photo, I don’t mind.” I “know” some steppers are paparazzi pleasers and love having their photos taken all day every day. However, some individuals don’t care to have personal photos taken – especially if they think the photos may end up posted on social media in places they don’t know. At times social events are recorded for promotional purposes and the hosts set expectations upfront as patrons enter at the door on how and where photos will be used. That is different.
Sometimes steppers casually take photos to capture life moments of happiness, fun, and friendship. Then, some paparazzi are bloggers and promoters taking photos to share the dance through media. Indeed, a picture says a thousand words. I believe most times people are offended when a photographer “invades their privacy and space.” Whether as a hired photographer or someone taking photos with a personal camera phone, some courtesies go a long way before taking a photo of someone.
Photography Courtesy
- Engage and greet the person. Start a conversation before you try to take a picture.
- Ask permission to take the person’s photo. If the person says no, accept the answer politely.
- Make a memory of the moment. Ask the person their name and where they are from to add a personal caption to the photo.
- Show the results. Most cameras have a review pane. After taking the photo, show the photo on the spot if you can. If you post on Facebook, tag the person if they don’t mind.
- If you take a photo of a husband and his wife, don’t crop the wife out of the photo. In all situations don’t crop a photo out and take the subject out of the originally captured context.
- Tell the person how the photo will be used. This is actually a legal requirement.
- Do not block the walkways, procrastinate and take your sweet time to take a photo while others are waiting to pass by.
- Don’t use a bright flash and crazy lighting that disrupts the mood or interrupt someone’s dance to take a photo.
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