Photographs are still considered with more cautious guard than they may be in whichever first world country you are from. The Chinese do not smile upon you taking unauthorized photos of their children, but if you think about it, how would you feel about a foreigner who doesn’t speak your language taking pictures of your child without permission?
There are between one and three pictures meant to accompany this article (depending on the permission we can secure prior to going to press) that embody this sentiment. I’ll go through each with the photographer’s sentiments about his photographing stranger’s children.
The first one is the blurry, black and white, on-the-plane photo. This was one snapped in terrible haste without adjusting the cameras settings, just to capture a moment of uncommon art, even if it was on the plane. The photographer, Mr. White, said, “I didn’t know who his parents were but it was a special moment and I just wanted to capture it without any flash or fanfare.”
The second picture is of a boy looking down from a bridge. This was a different matter. As the photographer explained, “I already set up my shot [in Suzhou] and the boy walked into my picture. I thought about waiting for him to leave but I’d already hit the button, and what I got was really great.”
When asked if he took more than one photo of the boy, Mr. White said, “Oh no, just the one, and I even pretended I hadn’t taken it. My shot was already set up before he walked into it, if the parents had caught me shooting their son I would have just told them truthfully that it was an accident, he was in the way of a shot I wanted to take anyhow.”
The third and final shot is the critically acclaimed “China Doll” shot from 2001. This photo, taken in the Forbidden City in Beijing, was what the photographer called an “impossible shot” that “just worked out”. He saw the little girl sitting there, set up his camera, walked past, paused, and shot it from the chest without so much as looking through the view finder. What he got was a piece of work that’s brought him no less than half his income as a photographer and earned mention in every one of his art show reviews.
But why didn’t you ask for permission, AboutShanghai asked him. “I was afraid the parents would say no, but I was also afraid the girl wouldn’t be natural in the pictures, that she might smile or frown or otherwise be aware of the camera.”
In truth, this article was written because I have that very print on my wall, but more important than that is the simple message that you shouldn’t take pictures of other people’s children. Consider how you’d feel if you went to the Statue of Liberty and a man from China wanted to take a bunch of pictures of your little blonde daughter without your permission or even knowing about it. It would be uncomfortable to say the least, and you would likely say no.
Meanwhile, if you are traveling through China with your child — which I certainly do not advise against — be aware that your child will be something of a little celebrity. Don’t worry, most people will share this same respect and ask for your permission, but even if they try to take a quick snap with their cell phone, understand they’re just being curious, not malicious.