Rude Photographers
By bobmnu
@bobmnu (8157)
United States
May 9, 2009 1:20am CST
Several weeks ago I posted an comment on TV reporters and how they stepped right in front of people to get their shot.
Tonight I was shooting pictures of the local High School Concert and you had many people taking photos with their small digital cameras. the problem is every time they took a photo the flash went off and was very distracting to everyone including the performers. From where I was, in the back of the auditorium taking pictures with my DSLR and a high speed lens, I could see the photos as they popped up on the display screen and they were almost black except for the whit spot of the head of the person in front of them. Yet they continued to take pictures.
I guess it bugs me because I try to be as inconspicuous as possible when taking pictures. It also bothers me that people can be so thick headed, they take a flash photo and it doesn't turn out so they continue to take pictures. There were about 75 to 100 pictures taken using a flash and not one of them will turn out.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
9 May 09
On my digital camera there is a low light mode that is unbelievable. I can take pictures in any well lit indoor sports arena. However, you are right about the flash. It does not help much if at all over too much distance. These folks need cameras with the low light mode and then turn the flash off, if they even know how. Lot's of folks aren't familiar with the special features of their cameras.
@luntian_grace (1373)
• Philippines
10 May 09
yeah i just hope that they will read the manuals, because IT DOES HELP! most of these people think they are too good in using cameras but the truth is they don't know art... most of them end up using flash... so amateurs!
@photobug (157)
• United States
9 May 09
Most people taking photos at local event just want a photo for their scrapbook, or to send to relatives over the internet. I doubt any of them have taken photos in low light before. Also, many point and shoot cameras don't have a feature to turn off the flash, or if they do, the owners haven't taken the time to read their manuals, or else figure their camera's automatic features will take care of it.
If you know an event is coming up, perhaps you can contact the organizers and ask how they're going to publicize. Then you can offer to give some photography hints that they can include in their publicity. If that doesn't work, perhaps you can ask the band leader to tell people to take photographs after the lights come up after the concert.
If you live in a small town and take photos of many events, offer to write and illustrate how to take photographs in low light for the newspaper or website.
@DivePeak (30)
• Fiji
15 Jul 09
Wouldn't it be nice if the P&S cameras were intelligent enough to look at the focus distance and think, "Gee, the flash isn't going to do anything at this distance", and switch it off? If the newest cameras can detect faces and smiles and closed eyes and take the photo when people are smiling and not blinking, then seriously how difficult would this be?
It also bothers me when I see hundreds of flashes going off in the grandstands of huge stadiums at night events, knowing that every single one of those photos is going to be a complete waste of time. Thick-headed AND apparently learning-impaired, because they keep trying and trying and trying to take photos with the same result, always blaming the camera and never once thinking, "Hmmm... I wonder if it's something I'm doing?"
