anti-sart

as much as i am a followed of fashion blogs and outfit-du-jour tumblers, it really upset me when a street photographer tried to take my picture the other day. i figure they were a tourist because they didn't ask my permission beforehand, but her determination to catch my image even as i was getting on my bike and pedaling away was more pronounced than your average visitor to new orleans.


i've been stopped on the street before, but there seems to be a diplomacy between aesthetes that requires a spoken request or at least a nod of assent. sometimes credentials are offered. i've never scowled at anybody. sure, i was leaving work after a rough day, but my ensemble was fun and it's more pleasant to be obliging. it was irksome that the woman kept taking shots, turning her lens to follow me, continuously clicking, even as i threw up my arm to block my face.


part of what anyone wants (or deserves) as a subject, is compassion and courtesy. un-composed or spontaneous shots are wonderful as long as there is a sensitivity to the intent. on several occasions, my roommate's boyfriend has been accosted by camera-weilding pedestrians while he is on a cigarette break -- probably because he has a mohawk, tattoos, gauges, and a handsome profile. although he generally obliges them, it is uncomfortable to be framed as a part of the scenery, an element of the new orleans fauna. i do not necessarily want to be part of a slideshow representing lower garden district culture, either as tribute or detriment. i do not want my bike to be an accessory, even though it is awesome.

in basic: as it is the aim of a good designer to exalt the fabric chosen for their garment, so should it be the goal of a documentary photographer to establish trust and not exploit their subjects, or show them at a weaker vantage.