Is Photography in Public Space Inherently Suspicious - Essay Example

The space is not owned by anyone and shooting pictures is part of a citizen’s freedom to do as he desires, without interference and certainly without prejudice from other people and the authorities.

It is also helpful to determine why photography arouses suspicion. According to Mark Meyer (2013), this can be largely attributed to the impact of what he called movie plot threats: that we like to anticipate and predict attacks and threats and since we do not have anything to base such predictions on, we are driven by materials read in thriller books or seen in the movies where the bad guy does his photo surveillance. So viewing photography as suspicious is a manifestation of a society that is getting paranoid. People should just as well bury their heads in the sand or live under a rock if they are afraid of being seen in public.

And it is not good to live in such an environment where people instinctively view others and their actions in a negative way. Besides what could photographers possibly do with an image of an individual in public? Not all people are perverts, criminals, or terrorists and the public recognizes this. Each of us must have used a camera in public at some point in our lives so we understand the logic behind photography in public spaces.

If there are instances that require vigilance and suspicion, there are ways to deal with them. With the increased focus on terrorism and criminality, governments have raised the level of information dissemination so the public knows how to identify suspicious people and acts. The National SAR Initiative is an excellent example of this policy (DHS).
All in all, public space and what transpires therein reflect the values of a society. If we inherently view someone admiring the view of the space and taking photographs of it as suspicious, then it reflects a disturbing character. It is certainly not natural, at least, in the cases of free societies where freedom and individual rights are paramount. Therefore, prejudice to public photography must never form part of public policy. Read More