Has our increasingly paranoid society declared war on the humble 'weekend snapper'?

[johnastovall]

Extensive article for the U.K. Telegraph on the increased abuse of amature photographers in England.

An amateur photographer is chased by the police after taking pictures on the seafront; another man is frogmarched away when using his camera in a town centre. Since when did carrying a camera in public provoke so much suspicion and hostility? Sam Delaney reports.

[CaptainTom]

This sort of thinking is not new.
I recall reading about such perceptions in a town in Massachusetts. Salem was the towns name, and witches were being burned at the stake.

[Duffy Pratt]

If those witches were taking photos back in the late 1600s, maybe they got what they deserved?

I've travelled to places where it can be considered very impolite to take pictures of strangers. When I'm aware of this, I'll always ask permission first, and its surprising how often people are hesitant about this. Maybe there's been a resurgence of the superstition that taking a picture of someone steals part of his soul.

Duffy

[Hanky]

The price of silence.

[jeffkohn]

Seems to be a much bigger problem in the UK than anywhere else, which is ironic since most Europeans seems to think that it's the US that is taking away liberties in the name of security. One thing's for sure, I won't be visiting the UK anytime soon.

[Hanky]

LOL, maybe the digital cameras interfere with their trillions of spy cams.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...very-move.html