Invasion of privacy?
Tonight whilst walking in the streets near home, I stopped to take a photo of the moon, some powerlines and the sunset. Whilst preparing for the shot (with manual film camera), I was confronted by an angry and aggressive woman. From a distance she demanded (five times) “what are you doing”. Each time I responded that it was my business, and not her concern. The tone of my voice would have been along the lines of …. bugger off and leave me alone.
But I could sense something was not quite right.
The woman told me she was under police protection, was a victim of crime and again demanded to know what I was doing.
I said if she had asked me politely I would have better understood her concern. She then apologised and explained that sometimes she did not quite put the right words together. She was very concerned about her whereabouts being known and did not want any photos of the house.
This didn’t quite make sense, but as she moved closer to me, I could see she bore the tell tale signs of physical abuse. She explained she had recently been bashed and just returned from hospital, I could see that her jaw had recently been broken (I’ve seen a couple of cricketers with broken jaws in pre helmet era).
At this point, I felt sad and wondered if I should have been less rude. I apologised for causing her any grief. I explained I had not seen her until she approached me, and was not intending to take a photo of her house, whilst at the same time pointing to the moon to indicate my intent.
At the time, I couldn’t quite understand how a photo going to cause any harm. The woman started to cry and apologised, again explaining her circumstances. I could see a genuine fear in her face. At this point, I thought it best to end our encounter and I wished her a quick recovery and farewell.
As I walked home I wondered about a terrible existence some people endure. We hear about conflict and war overseas, when often it is just a street or two away from where we live, perhaps even next door.
I am going to make sure I say hello in more peaceful and calmer circumstances.
Richard Veal
Interesting story John, and a nice outcome.
Alf Caruana
a good story, there are some very unfortunate people out there. thanks for telling this story.
AlexMac
oh this happens far to much, I have been in a safe house and the thought of anyone knowing where you are is terrifying, especially if you have children with you, I also wish this woman a safe passage into a new life away from physical abuse, I can see why you reacted this way, she was scared and fear makes you react in different ways, thankyou for sharing
Catherine Veal
very true John, glad it turned out ok.x
Optimalxpozure
Touching journal entry. I hope others will stop for a moment and think about what you’ve written.
Thanks!
becks127
Nicely written John. Plenty of food for thought.
Shame though – would have liked to have seen the moon and powerlines shot! Look forward to the results of attempt two soon!
dimsim
good story, nice :) i can see her point of view entirely, and it’s nice that in the end she could see that you weren’t a threat … and of course, to reassure you as well, her expectations were entirely coloured by horrific experiences that understandably skewed her communication :) we artists should not be made to feel guilty as the targets for people outletting their anxiety about a culture of pervasive surveillance … but we always will, because the surveillance crews are fearful too and disguise themselves … the world was always thus, just the artifacts and words that have changed …
reflexio replied
An interesting and articulate perspective, thanks :-)
SD Smart
“As I walked home I wondered about a terrible existence some people endure. We hear about conflict and war overseas, when often it is just a street or two away from where we live, perhaps even next door.”
Wise words and all too true. Thanks for sharing.