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I've been approached twice in the past couple of weeks by irate people asking me "Why are you taking photographs?"
My response to the first woman was "Why not?"
It turned into a scene from a Beckett play as I kept shooting and she stood there silently fuming. It was not her building or her 'property' but I guess because it was on her block- she felt she had the right (or responsibility ?) to question me.
The second time I was taking photos of the street signs at the end of my block juxtaposed with a 'dead end' sign. Not a great photo by any means- but kind of funny in an existentialist way. An older man rushed over and after asking me WAYTP- he said "Can I help you?"
I started to answer "Not unless you know the aerial coordinates of the block" but I had been warned by co-workers that my San Francisco style humor was not playing well here in Wisconsin. So I asked him why he thought I needed help.
I told this story to a customer at my job who has a very East Coast sense of humor and he told me his reponse to that question is "Why aren't you?"
The perfect punk rock response. Challenge them to get out there and do something instead of worrying about what you're doing.
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I find it odd that people find YOU so odd for taking pictures. I mean, isn't it obvious what you are doing? Why do people always think there is a malicious reason behind every action nowadays? If I were to pass you on the street and saw you taking pictures of a building or a street sign, I would find it perfectly obvious what you were doing and just let you be. Some people are just too nosey for their own good.
