Is it ok to photograph a kids’ soccer game if you don’t know any of the children? It’s not against the law, but that doesn’t necessarily stop it from being inappropriate, and Hilary Duff wasn’t shy to put her point across.
Actor and singer Hilary Duff was attending her kids’ soccer game and spotted a photographer on the touchline. Clearly, something made her wonder if the photographer had any connection to the children out on the pitch, so she approached him to ask, recording the encounter on her phone. She then posted the clip to her Instagram account.
The conversation lasts a little less than 90 seconds, and the photographer doesn’t come out of it very well. When asked to stop photographing, he responds that he’s not doing anything illegal and that he’s simply practicing his photography.
While the photographer is entitled to take photographs of whatever he wants in a public place, there’s certainly a better way of handling a request from a parent who is asking you to stop taking photographs of their children. Regardless of whether Duff — as the photographer suggests — was being paranoid, there are probably better ways of practicing your photography skills without photographing children you don’t know.
In the caption for her Instagram post, Duff states that laws surrounding children and photography need to be changed. How do you feel about this encounter? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The child in the lead image is from a stock photograph.
I am a parent. Also, the young man was totally aware that I was photographing him and expressed no objection. You want photographers to go around carding young people, asking for their IDs to verify age of consent? Get real. It's folks like you who engender mob rule by giving every vigilante comfort and demanding photographers get "permission" before doing what's emphatically legal. I'll say this as simply as I can, because you seem to have trouble with the concept:
Nobody
Has
Any
Right
To
An
Expectation
Of
Privacy
While
In
A
Public
Place.
Also, there's that pesky First Amendment.
Also also, have you NEVER taken your camera out in public and made photos that included people who did not give you prior consent?
Like most, this website thrives financially on pageviews and ads. So they post stories and articles with a tone and bias that will only fire up more discussion and polarisation in the comments. If they did the only sane and rational thing and denounced how Duff treated the photographer, there would only be a couple of comments, stating stuff like "Good article" and "I agree". Don't wast your energy on bothering about that detail, this is no journalism website.
I just reported her IG video for harassment. Others should do the same. I feel sure she took photos of him and she probably didn't bring a black adult to the game with her.
Done.
I'm surprised Instagram is continuing to allow the weaponizing (bullying & bias) of Ms Duffs high follower base-Instagram might be open to litigation if the photographer files suit.
I hope he does.
What a horrible thing to do to someone. This Hilary seems like a rather malicious woman. The presumption of innocence seems to be dead these days.
There is nothing to say that this man was doing anything wrong. Now his face is being blasted everywhere with the notion that he is some sort of perverted creep. Good way to possibly ruin someone's life.
Might I suggest next time that you want to run an 'article' like this that you at least give the person a chance to defend themselves.
If the photographer had been a young white female influencer shooting for her blog, would Mrs. Duff have reacted the same way? I guess not. Her attitude is a bit presumptuous.
And there a photos of her own kids in her instagram feed. This is even more questionable.
(edit: typo, added second paragraph).
Hell no she would not have acted the same way to a white female influencer. Typical Hollywood actor who thinks her shit don't stink and 1.2 million followers will stand up for her and smear this poor guy all over the social media world. Dude may never get a job again because she has falsely accused this guy to millions of people without knowing his side of the story.
I have two boys that play sports as well mountain bike racing and I have been approached numerous times from other parents questioning me who I am taking photos of. I have no problems with them approaching me, they are just curious and being protective. If I was at the park and a strange person was just standing and taking photos of my young children I too would go and question person in a polite way not to make haste. Would never post a video harassing someone knowing I could get sued or arrested. Plus I only have 3 followers on Instagram. Many of you have good arguments and all I can say as a father and a amateur picture taker is be careful around young kids it is a judgement call on your part if you are just taking pictures and have no child there or do not know anyone there or not been hired.
I think that it's perfectly fine, and their right, if parents want to approach a photographer and ask them what they're doing and who are they. I also think that such photographers should expect such periodic attention if they engage in these situations. They should also think about beforehand what they are going to say if asked and be ready for to respond. Me personally, if ask by a parent not to take photos of their kid, I'd most likely humor the parent and agree. BUT, having said that, I do think the attitude of the parent would have some bearing on how I respond. Someone engaging me in a polite manner is going to get a different response than someone that comes charging at me like a momma Grizzly with accusations and issuing demands.
Well put Geoff. Kindness and being polite goes a long ways rather than threatening someone. I would like to point out one thing I will not do at the high school mountain bike races and that is take photos of any kids not on our team. I am our team picture taker and have permission from all parents. Again, I am not a professional photographer so I am not making a living doing so. Maybe I am paranoid when it comes to what ends up in the view finder and on the memory card. Rather have a parent ask me nicely rather than accuse me on social media when I am not doing anything wrong.
I'd like the writer of this article to balance his views more. He certainly didn't in this item. How about following up with actual, not imagined, abuses, by photographers.
Examples: Walking across protected areas to get photos, as that one group did in Yellowstone hot pool crusts. Walking off trail to get a better angle, such as at waterfalls, cliffs, where it is marked not to get off trail.
Harassing endangered animals or animals in national parks, by approaching them too closely. Illegal use of drones. Endangering yourself by approaching bears, moose, elk, deer or other species of animals. Trespassing to get photos. Taking photos in churches, museums, or other places without checking first on the appropriate policies. For example, use of flash, tripods, obstruction of others, and so on. Baiting animals with illegal feeders is another example. This is prohibited in National Parks and in at least some circumstances in national forests.
I have confronted photographers abusing the law on several instances. One group actually told me that their photography teacher had told them to disregard law or rules when taking photos, that getting the photo was more important.
Notions of etiquette can and do vary. But disobeying the rules in private settings, or the law in any setting is actually very commonplace.
Then do a whole series on times where it is reasonable to ignore the opinions of your subjects. Examples might be abusive police interactions, Social commentary, journalism, street photography, and so on. Look at the issues from BOTH sides in any article. That was certainly violated in this article. The author basically endorsed the slander of an innocent photographer, in my opinion.
What if he is photographing kids and plans to sell the images to the parents? He could easily walk over to the coach and ask for an email list etc. Yadda Yaddaaaa...
I didn't watch the video.
Wouldn't you go ask the coach and parents first if you where trying to make a few bucks rather than taking photos then asking? Just saying!!
Ah maybe the coach was coaching and didn't want to interrupt him? Lol.
He wasn't out to make a buck. He was an amateur simply enjoying a hobby. You know, as many folks with cameras do.
Yeah. I think Duff is crazy.
Nothing pedophiles like more than images of kids in full soccer gear, widely known to be the sexiest sporting attire.
Be careful. Some of the people in this thread are so clueless they may not recognize satire. I think that this whole thread is somewhat jumbled on that account. Issues this serious should probably be addressed in a direct manner. I am sure that a lot of the readers of this thread are taking snarky statements at face value. I love snark, but in important issues, it's important to be clear.
ILC = "creep"???
Another fact that doesn't seem to have been remarked on here is that there were undoubtedly lots of folks photographing the game with phone cameras, and Duff didn't harass them. We live in a photo-obsessed culture where EVERYONE is making photos of EVERYTHING, and yet having a bigger camera makes you a "creep"? The stupid - it BURNS! I guess all of Duff's defenders here will be shooting only with phones while in public in order to avoid alarming snowflakes.
You know what is disgusting? Hillary Duff's Insta page of entitled white fantasy life "invaded" by a black male looking vaguely ominous, who was doing nothing illegal, immoral, or threatening, She is pathetic.
He doesn't look the least bit "ominous" to me.
Congratulations. You aren't the intended audience, whose response may differ from yours, or mine.
It was the baseball cap worn backwards. So many of those guys sitting in the Denny's restaurants with that same look. White guys, as a matter of fact. Makes me feel somewhat ill at ease. Even wearing them with the bills forward.
Gee. I wonder why a photographer might wear his ball cap backwards when shooting? It must make it easier to conceal your submachine gun lens.
The aggrieved Ms Duff has never used a "real" camera and just would not understand. She surely is a demon with her cell phone, however, stills or video.
Caps are practical. The bill keeps the sun out of my eyes when I'm not shooting and shields my face from sunburn, but it bumps my camera when I am shooting with the camera in vertical orientation, so I turn it around. I also wear it to keep my hair out of my face.
Any black male over the age of 10 looks ominous to a white person who is sufficiently racist and entitled. After all, Duff's opinion is the only one that matters.
I think this may have gone down differently if she had not come in so aggressively. Photographer seemed taken aback and thrown off balance by the encounter. I think most photographers would just apologize, say they meant no harm and quit taking photos.
To me she approached the situation 100% wrong and I wonder if he was another skin tone if her reaction would have been the same. The fact that she resorted to a bully tactic well says plenty about her. She was looking for a confrontation and given the video it was more about a pre planned post to social media if he was not there with a team or at the request of someone on one of the teams. Looking at the comments on social media well it was a mob mentality in an echo chamber.
He while not wrong (legally) he also reacted wrong. He could have diffused the situation rather than the its legal argument. He also could have explained what he was going to do with the photos. IE put em on the computer and check for sharpness or composition then delete them or archive them. There are a number of ways to settle things down .Also, it might be within his right but just because a right is a right does not mean that it is the right thing to do. He could have got there early and spoke to one or both coaches and made sure it would be ok or at least inform them of his intentions. If yes then shoot. If no then go find birds or another subject.
you dont shoot kids without parents permission in wherever public place you are. You just cannot. Simple as that.
Where is that written? Is it law? Does every parent believe that? Do you give other people veto power over your rights? I'm very conservative, and I think that we should protect ALL of our constitutional rights. If somebody were to ask me to stop for such a stupid reason, I would absolutely keep shooting, and maybe call the police and report a white lady harassing me for taking photos in the park.
I just don't do it because of what it looks like today. But, unless municipal and/or state legislators pass laws against the practice, it becomes a matter of discretion. He can do it. But, at his peril.
So you don't use a car because somewhere, there is a driver running people over and if you start to drive, it might look like you might want to run somebody over?
Because that's the thought proces behind your reasoning.
if people had reacted like her, 30, 40 or 50 years from now, there would be no Doisneau, no Cartier Bresson, no Lartigues. Those photographers were taking pictures of children in public and now their photos are in art galleries.
this is so stupid this is what u call entitlement and white privilege and a scared America , nothing wrong with taking photos of kids how can that be turn in to something bad or creepy , taking candid shots or anyone at a park and prating photography is normal .. it gets twisted to be a bad thing like its a weird fetish and going to go home and jerk off to kids palying sports u can google kids plating sports if u really want to that , its such bullshit i just travel Asia 4 to months and took all kinds of photos of kids plating out side all over many photos never once was it wrong but i note states somehow it becomes u are a creep . all theses comments about pedophiles is crazy thats like if u seen someone in a store that don't have money u automatically think they are stealing , he has a camera so that means hes goign to kidnap the kid he a guy playing with his camera at the park calm down America i have done that so many times never thought once how its a bad thing , you screw white privileged entitled scared people , she really wanted to one what he was doing she coulda asked what are you taking photos of and asked to see photos and say could u not take photos of my kids please she approached aggressively who are you wit hand recording she coulda not had that on video
She wanted exclusive rights[IP] to her kids that might become famous one day.
She should have had her child play in an exclusive setting.
I get nervous out in public with a camera. Don't know when someone would think you're infringing on their rights.
People are thinking why can't you use your phone like everybody else. That big long lens makes me think you are a voyeur[guilty as charged]. haha
I could see this being me actually. I have considered shooting ski racing to build up a portfolio that I could market at some point. I could see an angry parent like Duff getting in my face and doing something similar.
Another issue that I have is how Duff posted the video destroying the photographer's reputation. The photographer did not ask for her to post this video. She also did not get a release. If I were in the photographer's position I would consider suing for defamation.
Random thought. Would Duff would've still been freaking out if it were a woman photographer?
Are you likely to see a woman shoot random kids in a park?
Probably not. I'm just curious how Duff would've responded. Again, I could've had this happen to me for shooting youth ski racing.
Not targeting you, but this thread has gone in any possible way one can imagine from racial to amendments to what ever political crap people can come up in the most singular selfish way they can to tear her down. I suspect there is a massive crowd of younger and older generations of people here who don't have kids or possibly abandoned them to the mother to raise them and certainly are clueless when it comes to parenting. It's not impressive at all.
I am a father of two boys and have often been questioned by others why I am taking photos and if I have a kid playing the game or in the race. You make a good point that this thread has gone many directions while tearing down HD. What I do not understand is when the man offered to show his ID to her rather than agreeing to see it she just continued to berate him with plans to smear him on social media. I looked at her IG post and read some of the replies from her followers and yet no one question why she didn't check his ID when offered. What if this man had press credentials and was hired as a free lance photographer by the club to take pictures for their website to promote youth soccer. We will never know. Yes we are all quick to jump to judgement not knowing all the facts. This is what social media has done to all of us.
I think she didn't want his ID because her point was just to ask as a person to another person to stop shooting the kids, not to play the cop. Not everything has to be formal to the extreme. She never asked for his name, just for him to go practice somewhere else. If she had dare asked for his ID, there would be something like 600 posts here.
True that. By the way you have some really cool race car shoots. I'm a gear head, been involved in building race cars for 30 some years.
"She never asked for his name, just for him to go practice somewhere else."
So if I ask you to go practice your creative writing and discussion skills somewhere else are you going to stop posting on Fstoppers forum? I mean, I know that anyone that spends 30 seconds to set up account on this portal has the right to participate in discussions but I'm asking you really nicely to please do it somewhere else.
How does it feel?
LOL
"...this thread has gone in any possible way one can imagine from racial to amendments to what ever political crap people can come up in the most singular selfish way they can to tear her down"
Yeah, all the way to your wild presumptions: "I suspect there is a massive crowd of younger and older generations of people here who don't have kids or possibly abandoned them to the mother to raise them and certainly are clueless when it comes to parenting" Evidence? Or just some of the "crap" you came up with?
Over to you, Benoit.
Well, I don't know if you have kids, a wife or even your age. May be you fit in my description? I don't know, only you know and I don't need to know.
No worries. I never felt targeted.
I personally think she overreacted. This is not the first time I've heard of this happening. When I was in high school I took a video course. At the time a few of my peers were shooting in my hometown when a woman approached my classmates and demanded that they give her the tape of her on it. They gave in giving her the tape and the project they were working on.
Yes.