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hiya jill...
the answer is simple, come down to melbourne (and teach me how to take photos pleeeease!) 
i think i would give it all away, the day you switch to landscapes...
i've had a few trips to melbourne (cbd that is) and have never been approached (192cm, 90kgs, ugly)
ads :o)
Quote: You're going to have to move to Denmark, WA to do your portraits, Jill
Any idea when you might venture back West?
She hasn't ventured 50 miles south to Brisbane yet! LOL
But yeah, NIc sure does live somewhere that would suit your style though I'm sure Denmark is not the only place to be found.
Bravo Raziel_Uk.. Beat me to it. I wonder what Afunkyname's attitude would have been if it had been a six foot male officer... propably not a foot stamping, ill tempered, tantrum or pehaps it's a sexist thing ( the cow shut her mouth). She may have been wrong but politeness costs nothing. Remember you can slide further on bulls**t than you can on gravel.. He may have got the shot.
The aim of terrorism is to get everybody terrified and with as much disruption as possible to normal everyday living.
Terrified of everything, including one's next door neighbour!
A measure of their success is the number of restrictions we have to impose on ourselves and the severer these restrictions become.
We tend to display our disapproval and take it out on the unfortunate individuals who have to directly apply these restrictions.
Our angry reaction to these restrictions again gives these people great satisfaction - they are succeeding in their purpose.
You may argue how effective these restrictions are in practice but without some effort to offset or countermand their activities the terrorists would have free rein.
jas
Ah busybodies... you can't really blame the police for following up on compalints when failure to will probably result in official complaints, letter to MPs and such.
I got reported after walking past a local primary school with my camera one afternoon, the police caught up with me about half a mile further on... they looked at me and couldn't help laughing when they saw my Ikoflex on a bloody huge maple tripod, carried over one shoulder - not exactly the seedy lurking photographer they were expecting
Not police, but I've been challenged a few times when using this tripod and accused of being a surveyor by nimbyists.
People are not very trusting of any one, especially so in the UK.
I wanted to do some photos of 'cafe culture' in my home town for a lifestyle publicity brochure / web site. I phoned the owner and asked if they were OK with this. They were and liked the idea of free publicity! However she did warn me that some of her customers have got up tight when they realised they were being photographed and so I had better be prepared to run. Perhaps it was the bored housewives out with their gigolos!
Quote: needless to say... the cow shut her mouth.
It seems that this incident left you feeling aggressive and up tight. Perhaps you would have have achieved the same end by being polite, had a pleasant encounter with a couple of jokes thrown in, perhaps even a pic of the officer. Instead you still feel the need to be unpleasant about her.
Attitude counts for a lot when encountering officialdom and nothing gets any ones back up quicker than a belligerent or aggressive attitude.
My problem is I can get very aggressive very quickly if I don't keep myself in check. When this has happened I may have had 'satisfaction' but in the long term it does not make me feel a better person.
The other day I found myself in a queue of traffic where one should not have been. I felt the aggression rise as I had a work filled day ahead, that is until I reached the problem. It turned out to be a little old lady who had broken down and was getting into a right state because of the obvious attitude of other drivers (I am talking about at least 20 of thempassing without stopping). I felt bad(about myself and the others who did not stop to help), got out and helped her get going again, which took 10 mins or so of my 'precious' time. She thanked me, I felt good about myself and had a good day. I hope she did to.
Attitude can really help.
I love Melbourne and I would love to take pics where Nic is and eventually i will get to see everyone here too (Steve) yes, it is particulary frustrating for me as I am an extremely polite and considerate photographer but I do understand peoples fears and I am only ever respectful when accosted by uniformed folk ( even meter maids) , i generally agree with everything they say. I am only frustrated because I just love taking pictures and it is highly embarassing when this happens and it does make me not want to take my camera out. As for adpating, that is fine but I am NOT a landscape photographer etc, nor will I ever be, I know my limitations. I am only here in Oz for two years and I will just have to get out there and find the faces and places....Nic, yours is no 1 on my list..thanks
sugarbird
I share your frustration which is compounded by my fears of repercussions if I take street candids.
I like sunbathing and with my family used naturist beaches near to us. Naturists can be touchy but I have never had problems and having young children seems to be a passport to many places where a single person cannot enter. On more than one occasion I was approached by couples to take photos, with their own cameras of course!.
Sadly now we do have many fears generated not only by the media but also by the fact that there are people, not just men, who do haunt public places to get images of children and that there are criminals and terrorists who use the ease of digital imaging to their nefarious ends.
Of course I understand wnat has caused this reaction in people. JPEG magazine devoted an entire issue to this subject a while back. Very good article if you can get it. It is just something we all have to deal with and mostly I can talk my way out of it. It is not where I am, it could happen anywhere in the world, it is just something I am not used to but I guess I will adapt.
jobsworths really piss me off - everywhere you go they're asking what you're doing, kicking you out or asking to see your written permission...
My best advice is to make sure you get some good shots before they get to you. Works every time!
Try setting a tripod up in the Light in Leeds... they're quick off the mark!
It's kinda flattering that they think I'm a pro tog, but a quick flash of my Halifax ID usually calms them down!
Ade
Try setting up at the Lights in Leeds with a pad and a set of watercolours and I bet within minutes you will have a group standing round billing and cooing and not a jobsworth in sight. They say that photography is art and I do believe it is. Unfortunately this country is paranoid about cameras (cctv) and see us as spies of some kind. Try this next time..
Jobsworth "You can't do that"
Tog " Is he here yet?"
J/w " Who"
Tog " David Beckham"
Chances are he will piss off in a hurry to tell all his jobsworth mates. You smile and take the shot. 
That's brilliant, I will try that. Actually it is the "jobsworths" in uniform not the police, and I just get so irritated when people call the police/uniformed jobsworths on their mobiles before speaking with me, they are making a huge assumption. I also need a more powerful lens, I just have the kit lens and so I have to get closer than normal and I mostly refuse to sneak pictures! Thanks to all of you for your advice..
I share your frustration Jill. For walking through the streets and such I use a wide-angle lens (17-40). You can hold this at your side, point it in the right direction and chances are you will get a good shot with out ever putting the camera to your eye. For close-ups I use a 70-200 but you still run the risk of someone spotting you taking photos so I tend not to shoot people using this lens - though its a good one for doing so! If we catch up I'll be sure to let you borrow these lenses If you wanna check out Eumundi it has a cool market with lots of characters. If you wanna meet up and go there let me know - its near Nossa so I can side track to the beach for some fishing!
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