Posted on August 28, 2018
by Jennifer Bishop 
5 Recent Posts
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Waiting for a train in a small Northern California town afforded me with some...
Jennifer Bishop “Woman in Park” 8/28/2018
Walking in a park in Baltimore City on a hot day, I came across this woman in Muslim dress. I was struck by the dramatic silhouette her dress made in this landscape of sculptural trees, plus the added contrast of the mundane porta potties, the combination suddenly transforming the park into an exotic, mysterious landscape. I shot only two frames before I saw that her reaction to my camera was one of fear. Quickly I put down my camera and explained to her that I meant no harm and that I had simply found her interesting. As I turned to leave, a passing stranger paused to berate me angrily. Clearly he saw me as a threat to the woman. In that moment, I felt misunderstood, and yet ashamed. I see my photos as a celebration of what is, but the act of taking a photo can be seen as an invasion of privacy, a stealing of the soul.
5 Comments for Woman in Park
Eliot Crowley
Sometimes what we do is intrude. After the initial intrusion the only thing left is the image. Without the intrusions
wonderful, important, and world changing images would never exist.
Russ Widstrand
Nice follow up Jennifer.
Jeremy Green
Perhaps neither the woman in the picture nor the berating busy body passing by understood that she was but a small element of a larger scene. It’s not a picture of her, it’s a picture that she is a small part of. I wonder if Garry Winogrand dealt with stuff like this.
Joseph Hyde
The perceived invasion of privacy is the number one reason I don’t make images of people without prior consent. I don’t care who’s legally in the right, I just don’t need the additional hassle, and so am happy to concede those rewards to the deserving photographers who pay that price every single day of their lives. Kudos to all of you. You have my deepest sympathy and respect.
As far as I know, Winogrand’s large book on his work never mentions anything about people refusing to be photographed. He was a large man, but he moved around delicately. He does say he tried to be invisible. I do not believe he asked for permission to shoot. He also shot with a Leica rangefinder, which makes no sound.