The Word On The Street, Part I: Special Q & A Edition

November 12, 2012 by missheather
Filed under: 11211, Culture War, The Word On The Street, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn

Thought of the day: something I have become very aware of when I am out and about taking photos is the fact that my presence does have some impact on any/all human subjects I capture. Or to put it differently: all portraiture, be it deliberate or accidental, is colored by the interaction between photographer and subject.

So let’s take what happened when I was trying to take a photograph of a rather substantial construction fence I spied this afternoon. A 20-something fellow decided to wave his arms, shout:

Be sure you get me!!!

and generally be obnoxious. Would he have done this if I was, say, a 6’2″ 200 pound man? Probably not. He’d be afraid of having his ass kicked. Am I upset about this? No, not really. What this fellow didn’t know was what I was attempting to document. Had he known this I suspect he would have deported himself differently. I for one am glad he didn’t!