LEARNING TO "LISTEN "!

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

The Photo Situation,
as I fell that sometimes I am the most photographed Man in the world,I forget that it is not the photo that bears the gift it is the person behind the photo,and the story they have to tell!
It took me a while to get to this stage and the more I found that I was fighting this moment the more it would get the better of me!

So I gave in !!!!!

The situation that broke me,was-

I was in Covent garden 2 years ago and the photo thing was out of control!There were people taking my photo,in the most odd ways!
People doing it on the sligh,pretending to be taking it of something else and then SNAP!
People in the crowd of another show taking my photo at the back of the pitch!
Eating food at a resturant 5 *****'s and "excuse me do you mind if i take your photo"!
My favourite was the sexy princess that would come up and ask with that voice,you know the one "the get what you want voice"!And I would say "NO" just to see the reaction!
Anyway it was out of control,and then the penny dropped!

This guy was staning in front of me taking my photo,and I went up to him and said with my hand over the lense,"if you want to take my photo,just ask man!"
He replyed,"I am not taking your photo,i am taking the photo of the Building behind you!"

That was it!

I did not know what to say and this was what,stopped me in my tracks!

Is it my photo in the first place?
Do I have the right to own it?
Should there be something to give in return for it?
Am I public property?


LDR

[Triona]

LDR,

You have chosen to alter your appearance through various forms of art (tattoos, piercings, etc.). I don't think you did any of this figuring no one would notice. On the contrary, I suspect that either conciously or unconciously it came as a result of the "look at me" complex that most of us have (why else would we street perform?). As such people will want to take your picture if for no other reason than their friends will never believe the guy they saw on vacation. By making a spectacle of yourself, and I don't mean this in a negative way necessarily, you've got to expect these things to happen.

Like I said, I'm not the most photogenic person to begin with (short, overweigh w/glasses), but when I put the lime green and purple jester outfit on, people want to take my picture. This bothers me only because I hate the way I look, not because of the people. I realize, however, that these are people who are on vacation or just an outing, who have stumbled across something they feel is worth photographing. That's why I don't ever say no.

Once you hit the street, you're public property. Take the compensation that this is a photo that someone's grandchildren will look at and go "Wow, check out the funky dude grandma and grandpa saw that day". Those photos will live on long after you've gone. I know because I just inherited my family's entire photo collection (all 200+ albums and films). I now have the chance to show my son people that he never got to meet (including his great-grandmom who died two months before he was born). It makes me feel good that I might be part of a legacy like this to someone else when they get their family's pictures.

<img src="graemlins/jester.gif" border="0" alt="[jester]" />

[jonnyflash]

I usually get three or four photo requests when I'm working, sometimes i ask "What's the photo for" if the person doesn't look like someone I can relate to instantly, but I am always a sucker for the females, subconsciously switching them for my sis/mum/girlfriend/gramma and gushing "Of course you can! I'm a tourist attraction!!"
I don't wanna be in conservative rags, so those guys have to shoot me when I'm not looking.(They could at least have the common decency to look me in the eye as they shoot!) Ha.

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

Yes Yes Yes TO JAPAN,
Wow,what a culture!I think the world has a lot to learn from these people,as I have!I am in the PHOTO capital of the world and people are so polite when they ask you if they can take a photo!
I love it as I do not speak the language,but I love the contact and the edicate of theer approach!
I LOVE JAPAN,and they have tought me alot about life!
The joy of being able to listen,even if I do not understand what they are saying!!!!!!!


LDR

[Rex Boyd]

Yo Lucky,

I'm listening bro'. It's good to have your thoughts up here on the bulletin boards.

Rex

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

Rex,
will be back in London next monday will call you then,MO FO!

I am really lokking forward to hearing about this other project!

Yes Yes Yes to man that calls out,"I am going to set my hair on fire"!


LDR