Taking pictures is a lot like fishing. Throw out a line and see what you can reel in. Sometimes you sit quietly waiting for a catch. Sometimes you throw it back, sometimes it
Being Human in Niagara Falls: A Story of Photoblogging [by Andrea Galyn]
August 22, 2012 By Christopher Stoianoff
Filed Under: Featured Stories, Music & Arts, Visiting?, Your Neighbors
keep up the good work, love seeing all the different people-too bad you didn’t get mayonnaise man,sounds like you have gotten yourself into a bit of a pickle at times! And I am glad that you remove anything that sounds snarky, there are plenty of other sites to make those comments..especially if one is not making their identity known!!
thank you, Mr. Smith. I had thought that unless the subject was a famous person, you would need permission. It recently came up in a history class I was taking. I wasn’t sure if that had changed or not. Glad to see there is still some bit of privacy left as I would not want to be photographed at random and put on Facebook, blog or any other publication. BTW..how did you come to the conclusion that it’s “Mr.?”
To Niagara: Just an assumption. Was I wrong?
Everyone makes that assumption, that’s why i asked. Yes, you were wrong.
Why not add a gender recognition word to your name, like woman, lady, girl, gal, etc. Or do you like the mystery?
No mystery– unemployed and looking for work. Potential employers may not like my opinion on something and not consider me =(
Good luck and God bless.
Kudos to Andrea for telling the Niagara story through her Facebook blog. Her photos and stats are impressive. Her goal is very similar to mine, except that I work with moving images and sound. You go girl.
Hey Mr. Niagara, the short answer is yes, a photographer (amateur or professional) does need permission from a subject before publishing their photo. Andrea
Michael, I love your suggestion and have thought of that as well!
Hello Niagara! I’m happy to answer your questions. I’ll address the last first since many people have that question. A person may be photographed in public without giving consent. Further, that person’s image may be published or displayed without that person’s consent, so long as the image does not appear in an advertisement. This includes images of people taken in all public locations, so Humans of Niagara Falls, and the other “Humans Of” groups all over the United States and the United Kingdom are acting within their rights.
There was one photograph which solicited a death threat to me if I didn’t take it down. I’m not really sure if the threat came from one of the subjects or someone known to the subject. I’m not sure the reason someone wanted the photo to be taken down so badly. I document all cross sections of our society and people really should think about how they present themselves in public. For example, if someone doesn’t want to be seen in their underwear in public, they should probably cover their underwear in public. The particular photograph I am referring to in my mind documented young love, a couple tenderly holding hands despite the tough surroundings and their tough exteriors by manner of dress.
Now, to address your question about being banned. I regret to say that while you may have felt (what you said) was a compliment, given that your comment came within the context of many other ridiculing comments it appeared to be insulting to the subject. Therefore, I had to remove all the comments posted about the subject of that photograph, including some comments calling for the negative comments to stop simply because I did not want the subject to feel she was being bullied or the source of ridicule. When you questioned me about why I took the comment down, it probably should have been done in the form of a private message rather than reiterating the comment all over again. I just didn’t want the beautiful lady to think she was the source of a controversy simply by her looks. I’d be wiling to remove your ban and chalk it up to a misunderstanding if you’d like to message me on facebook or email me directly. I am very happy to know that the photographs I share inspire people to think in terms of art, beauty, society, and how humans relate to all that.
I hope that everyone continues to enjoy Humans of Niagara Falls; because I absolutely love doing it!
Thank you for your feedback, Andrea.
You certainly capture the diversity that is Niagara Falls…keep up the good work…how about Places of Niagara Falls?
Your article is interesting and your photos are very nice. I’m actually pleased that you have posted here as I have a couple of questions to ask you, hopefully, you won’t be offended and offer a response.
Firstly, I am a one of the people you banned from your site and, quite frankly, I did not understand why. You see, I am the person who commented “human peacock” on one of your photographs. You took the comment down and when I questioned why, you banned me. The lady had very colorful red hair with a plume of white in it. In my eyes, a peacock is elegant, colorful and beautiful.
I would also like to ask, does a private person not have the right to chose if they want their picture put on the internet? I would not want my photo put on the internet, that’s just me, others may be delighted. I have never seen you take photos and I have never met you. I wanted to ask you but as I said I have been banned.