I was walking my dogs this morning when something happened that made me go 
Walking up to a street, I notice a man pull a u-turn, go down the side street I was about to turn on, and park less then 150m from the stop sign. He got out his phone and I thought he was just texting. He was an older white man, maybe mid 60s.
I continued on, turning down the side street, on the opposite side of the road from him. About half way down the street, I see him slowly following behind me, slowly in his car. My dogs stop to sniff something and he pulls parallel to me, pulls the phone out of the car window and was either video taping or taking pics. I thought maybe he was trying to get the house for sale that I stopped by so I started to try to move out of the way. He and his phone started following my direction. So I asked "why are you taking pics of me?" It seemed very strange.
He answered that he was taking pics of my dogs to show his wife. He had seen us walking before and told his wife, so he wanted to show her. I did say he should ask first, to which he apologized. I got my dogs turned around for a better pic/video and thanked me, going on his way.
Now I get a lot of attention with my fur-kids. Pomeranians always do and mine are very unique in colour so it makes it worse. My youngest is only 3.5 months old and only weighs about 3.5 lbs so you can imagine the cuteness factor. Walking them in the morning when school is in, takes about 3 times longer because we have to say hi to all the kids. So I am use to being stopped. I have had cars pull up beside me with kids in the car so they can see out the window. I have picked up my dogs to give pets through windows. This is not strange to me. They love the attention and it brings a smile to people's faces. In a world where people don't smile enough, I have no problem giving one to people when I can.
This situation however, left me a little puzzled. This man was doing nothing wrong legally. He was totally within his rights to videotape in public. We are on camera all the time, and I have no issue with that. At first, I admit I felt a little creeped out. Then I calmed down and was all proud puppy mom. But it did leave me thinking that this was really my first encounter with being publicly photographed/video-taped without expressed permission. I told him he should have asked first but really he didn't legally need to.
So this has left me wondering - legality aside - what is the proper etiquette for taking pics/vids in public?
I have seen escort selfies with people in the background. Selfies used on ads, with these random people's full faces showing the background. I don't think that is right. I think the escort should at least have the faces blurred. I am sure when the selfie was taken, the people in the background did not think they would get their face plastered on escort sites. However, again - nothing illegal there.
We have seen articles, or at least I have, about muslim women going ape shit in downtown TO because people are taking pics of public places like Dundas square and they happen to be there. Yet nothing illegal.
I always try to stay out of photobombing a selfie taker, and of course, I watch when people are trying to get pics in public so I don't walk through the pic. I even offer to take the pic a lot of the time, so all can get in the picture. I am sure the rest of us do, but what do you when the picture taker is taking a picture of you or like in my case, my dogs.
I admit I was uncomfortable at first. Hence why I asked what he was doing. This was a seemingly harmless older man. What if he was younger? What if he was a different race/religion? What if he was a she? Would these things make a difference? To me, I don't think so. I would have acted the same by asking "what are you doing?' Some are not that open. Some would think this was creepy behaviour. Others would think it was harmless. Some would even think I was confrontational by even asking him what he was doing and by saying he should ask first.
What do you think? What is the proper etiquette for taking pics/vids in public?
Walking up to a street, I notice a man pull a u-turn, go down the side street I was about to turn on, and park less then 150m from the stop sign. He got out his phone and I thought he was just texting. He was an older white man, maybe mid 60s.
I continued on, turning down the side street, on the opposite side of the road from him. About half way down the street, I see him slowly following behind me, slowly in his car. My dogs stop to sniff something and he pulls parallel to me, pulls the phone out of the car window and was either video taping or taking pics. I thought maybe he was trying to get the house for sale that I stopped by so I started to try to move out of the way. He and his phone started following my direction. So I asked "why are you taking pics of me?" It seemed very strange.
He answered that he was taking pics of my dogs to show his wife. He had seen us walking before and told his wife, so he wanted to show her. I did say he should ask first, to which he apologized. I got my dogs turned around for a better pic/video and thanked me, going on his way.
Now I get a lot of attention with my fur-kids. Pomeranians always do and mine are very unique in colour so it makes it worse. My youngest is only 3.5 months old and only weighs about 3.5 lbs so you can imagine the cuteness factor. Walking them in the morning when school is in, takes about 3 times longer because we have to say hi to all the kids. So I am use to being stopped. I have had cars pull up beside me with kids in the car so they can see out the window. I have picked up my dogs to give pets through windows. This is not strange to me. They love the attention and it brings a smile to people's faces. In a world where people don't smile enough, I have no problem giving one to people when I can.
This situation however, left me a little puzzled. This man was doing nothing wrong legally. He was totally within his rights to videotape in public. We are on camera all the time, and I have no issue with that. At first, I admit I felt a little creeped out. Then I calmed down and was all proud puppy mom. But it did leave me thinking that this was really my first encounter with being publicly photographed/video-taped without expressed permission. I told him he should have asked first but really he didn't legally need to.
So this has left me wondering - legality aside - what is the proper etiquette for taking pics/vids in public?
I have seen escort selfies with people in the background. Selfies used on ads, with these random people's full faces showing the background. I don't think that is right. I think the escort should at least have the faces blurred. I am sure when the selfie was taken, the people in the background did not think they would get their face plastered on escort sites. However, again - nothing illegal there.
We have seen articles, or at least I have, about muslim women going ape shit in downtown TO because people are taking pics of public places like Dundas square and they happen to be there. Yet nothing illegal.
I always try to stay out of photobombing a selfie taker, and of course, I watch when people are trying to get pics in public so I don't walk through the pic. I even offer to take the pic a lot of the time, so all can get in the picture. I am sure the rest of us do, but what do you when the picture taker is taking a picture of you or like in my case, my dogs.
I admit I was uncomfortable at first. Hence why I asked what he was doing. This was a seemingly harmless older man. What if he was younger? What if he was a different race/religion? What if he was a she? Would these things make a difference? To me, I don't think so. I would have acted the same by asking "what are you doing?' Some are not that open. Some would think this was creepy behaviour. Others would think it was harmless. Some would even think I was confrontational by even asking him what he was doing and by saying he should ask first.
What do you think? What is the proper etiquette for taking pics/vids in public?
