A family photographer who was in the middle of photographing young children in a public park was verbally harassed by a woman who was upset that the photographer was using the park for photo sessions earlier this week.
In the NSFW video, the woman, after a profanity-laced rant toward Nickolette Mottola, the photographer, can be heard screaming, “This is not your studio! This is a park for kids and children and people; this is not a place for you to conduct your business!” She was extremely upset by the benign family photo session taking place. The children — whom Mottola was photographing — can be heard crying in the background, presumably upset by the tantrum-throwing woman.
This incident certainly isn’t the first time a photographer has had a run-in with an angry person over photos being taken in a public space and highlights a disturbing mindset by some that photography is somehow a public nuisance.
Reportedly, the woman seen in the video owns a home located against the park in question and has complained publicly regarding the activities that are allowed to take place in the park by the local parks department. After Mottola posted the video of the incident on Facebook, another photographer came forward in the video’s comments explaining that the week before, she and her clients had been sprayed by the same woman with a pressure washer from the woman’s backyard. The photographer said she’d obtained a permit from the parks department, which cost $12, and that the woman called the police on the photographer. The woman was angered when the police refused to do anything because the photographer had obtained the proper permitting to conduct professional business within the park. Mottola was taking photos of a friend’s children, and not conducting professional business.
Should Photographers Be Considered a Public Nuisance?
Far too often photography is lumped into park or public space rules along with other seemingly nefarious activities like skateboarding, graffiti, and drug use. Visit enough parks, and you’ll run across a “park rules” sign stating “no photography” along with the activities listed above.
Obviously, the reaction of the woman in the video above is an overreaction, but does the public really have reason to view photographers in such a negative light in regards to conducting photo sessions in public spaces, particularly if the photographer has obtained proper permission and permitting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The most surprising thing here is that the city only charges $12 for a permit! I always just do things guerrilla style because permits where I live cost more than I can charge for a shoot.
Photogs have become a pest. When the hordes of hipster shooters invade parks during the fall, it ruins the experience for everyone else. Toooooooo many toooooo often. We need to learn to be more innovative with scouting locations...maybe even be....creative. Gasp!!!
Everyone has a right to enjoy a public space. Photographers included! Video and pictures are a part of our public life. She's just pissed off because she can't stay on her diet, and a stretch jogging suit doesn't make her skinny!
Seen this behavior before. It is typical behavior of someone taking substances sadly, and i have experienced myself a previously lovely caring friend act just like this. Its a crisis in this country. I. would suggest, although its difficult, not to antagonize - she clearly is not in her right mind and u can easily end up hurt but to call the police. Particularly if u have a permit and she is preventing u doing your business. Hope the woman gets help before she hurts someone and also gets into irreversible trouble
Yes that could also be a problem. Getting the correct medication and dose is tricky. And often as we all know many people prefer to take a pill when its not necessary. However as to your second para.i dont think she is logical so i dont think she is just annoyed and has just "snapped" on this one occasion. As the article states this is a recurring situation. So i would say something else is going on although, i am far from an expert - but it is a stunning parallel of a situation i have seen in another person. The amount of energy and circular pattern of thought she exhibits seems key
My thoughts exactly too..
This woman is mentally ill, she is close to a nervous breakdown. A lot of people are on.the edge of survival and are afraid of everything.
Glad it wasn't a black photographer
Because it proves one does not need to have an ethnic background to be harassed by white folks? :)
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It was a Hispanic family harassed by a white neighborhood landowner.
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She definitely has issues. Her outrageous behavior and especially her body language come across as an attention seeker. I think she just wants to be on the internet. Or she truly is a nut case!
One more thing, when arguing with each other turns into nitpicking, it's time to just let it go.
Two tantrums in two weeks ... Hmmmm!
What gets me is when people freak out about people with DSLR cameras but never even think twice about someone taking pictures with an iPhone.
We all have battles in life. That woman clearly has some serious ones.
The park is there for people to do park like things.
To be "fair" maybe the city is handing out too many permits for photographers to conduct their business in the park. Similar to too many food trucks on the same street everyday.
Maybe there are photoshoots there every day. $12 is a ridiculous fee, make it $25 or $40 and the amount of permitted photographers would drop but there would be more unpermitted shoots, which the rangers could shut down.
It's her pet peeve and she lets everyone know, part of living next to a park is that people use the park....
Obviously she is fed up and will only be happy when she moves.
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Why do you think that the public park's job is to limit the success of local businesses, specifically photographers?
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Regardless, this is not a photography-permit incident, even though the yelling white neighborhood landowner said "... this is not your studio ..." ( yes it is, it is legally equally everyone's free-speech public "studio" ).
Before this yelling person arrived, "... a man appeared behind his fence which was next to the park and told them what they were doing was illegal ..." see
https ://coralspringstalk. com/neighbor-angered-with-residents-taking-family-photos-in-public-park-21238
The racist bigoted white yelling landowner and their lying partner are trying to invent and inflict non-existent laws to eliminate Hispanic people.
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RACIST BIGOTRY:
I searched and found another story on this:
https ://coralspringstalk. com/neighbor-angered-with-residents-taking-family-photos-in-public-park-21238
I believe it's racist bigotry, the yelling person is white, the photographer victim is Hispanic.
This is a racist bigoted class struggle, where
-- the white person owns land and only wants the public park, paid for by everyone's taxes, as free space for the landowner to improve their own property value and their own enjoyment of their own land.
-- the Hispanic people use the public park for their enjoyment because they cannot afford their own land, especially parf-front land.
Before this yelling person arrived, "... a man appeared behind his fence which was next to the park and told them what they were doing was illegal ..."
The racist bigoted white yelling landowner and their lying partner are trying to invent and inflict non-existent laws to eliminate Hispanic people.
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I had a different comment here...but I've gone ahead and edited it because of my endeavor to put out more goodwill and thoughtfulness during the holiday time...especially in my attempt to consider those who may be having a bit of hard luck. So, I hope this woman looks inward and has some second - and third - thoughts...
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... yet consider the HS sophomore students with less reserve who abuse their way to the Supreme Court because no one stood up and spoke out and did anything about them.
This incident was not about a permit to use the park for professional photography ( whatever that is ).
This incident is yet another racist bigoted white person trying to invent and inflict non-existent laws to eliminate people of color.
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Some of the comments have officially gone off the rails.
Her mental state is really of no concern, making this into a racial issue is pathetic- there's not enough info for either conclusion to be reached . Make sure you are within your rights and call the police, or tell the person harassing to call them if they would like and that you'll gladly wait for them to arrive.
The only concern should be if the photographer was breking the law, sadly too many don't fully understand their rights.
http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/photography_law_rights.html
Oh, well isn't she special....and probably drunk.
I'm not going to try to defend this lady. I just need for us as photographers to realize that "WE" also do NOT own properties that we stumble upon to shoot. Like public parks, abandoned locations.
I'm kind of sick of photographers messing up really cool locations and forcing police to rope it off and taking away our access.
Example: I moved to Chattanooga and several places where mini sessions were being taken have now been banned to photographers because of the lack of professionalism.
This story goes both ways.
Any bets if she's a Trump supporter? 😂
wow! hahaha.... she pulled out the old, "you're not from around here" sentiment. i WISH i knew where this park was; shit, i'd go to echo park to witness it. we can only hope it finds it way to and on @tosh.0 someday, "and for that we're thankful."
Certainly deviant behavior and not the norm. I feel sorry for the kids this lady upset.
I bet she has bumper stickers on her car.
A public park is for everyone to enjoy or use, not just MOTHERS. I am a photographer and I will continue to use the parks for some of my location photography. My taxes pay for me to use it. Im not interested in swinging in the kids area. This screaming woman has no right to complain unless she can prove that the photographer is taking pictures of her or her children.
By all means, you should ask about and obtain a permit to shoot in a public place like a park or a beach. The sad truth is that even if you have the proper permit, as this photographer did, to shoot in a public park or other such space, it isn't going to prevent an unhinged person from throwing a fit, swearing, threatening, and calling the police if they simply don't like what you're doing in that public space. Their whole goal is to make a scene, disrupt your business or activity that they don't like, and make your life more difficult in that moment. Having a permit will mean that you are in the right if or when police do come and will, as with recorded video of that person's unhinged outburst, give you grounds to file a complaint or press charges against the person who unreasonably and illegally disrupted your legal business. In that moment of confrontation however, the permit won't stop the crazy from coming.
I feel like this is just the left over rage from ten years ago when photography became public enemy number 1 after 9/11, and people started viewing photographers as possible terrorists, because a few of them photographed Gov't Buildings and there was this big scare that anyone with a professional camera must be doing something illegal.
I even recall some news sites trying to lump in child pornographers with people taking pictures, because "why would you photograph kids?"
At least that's how I've always seen it. Because I never heard of photographers being hated until after all these stories about photographers being detained and arrested for suspicion of photographing gov't buildings.
Im not a doctor to say if she is mentally sick but she is for sure just a miserable selfimportante asshole, I would file small claim for lost from photosession as a photographer and call police as a parent for swearing in front of my kids(im sure she did)!
Wow, this had me dying! LMAO! Wow, she blew a gasket! LOL. I would love to get the park address and buy a permit for 30 Days and go there and offer 1 free family shoot EVER DAY until Christmas HAHAHAHA. Wow, what kind of person gets angry at a family trying to get pictures for their memories? It makes you wonder does she lack intimacy and meaningful relationships in her life. It's kinda sad to think about why someone could be so negative about someone working hard to provide a service to families that want to capture moments of their beautiful kids before they grew up too fast. Smh.
Every video of an American woman screaming I hear the same thing: "I am calling the cops!". Such stupidity...
two words "Crack Head"