When I was in college, one of my teachers, who was one of the few who helped me and was nice to me, Mr. Tárkányi said that cameras (in general) are like guns. I’m not sure whether this has anything to do with Canon cameras being homonyms with a massive gun, but a mental connection can be made for sure.
Over time, I have noticed that, indeed, cameras are like guns. In some parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, where I live, people are really afraid of cameras. Whenever you take pictures on the street, you get a wide range of reactions, from clear visual disapproval to getting asked furiously why you are taking pictures to getting yelled at and insulted. When was the last time you did something that resulted in someone almost attacking you?
Last year, I was part of a street photography project, which resulted in a documentary and a photo exhibition. One of the scenes we filmed, which unfortunately did not make it in the final cut, was of me and a few of the other photographers in the project discussing why people are so… camera shy, to put it nicely.
I said that I think it’s a modern version of the concept of “the camera stealing your soul”. The idea originated in the belief that having one’s photo taken would capture their soul, leaving one vulnerable to harm. This superstition was especially prevalent among Indigenous cultures and has been perpetuated in different forms over time.
I feel that today people are afraid to have their photos taken for a similar reason – fundamentally, that is. From what I gather, people are so reluctant when it comes to someone taking a picture because they feel they are either under surveillance (à la updating their FBI file or showing their boss what they’re up to), because you will use it for harm (kidnapping, etc.), or because you will use it to make loans – as if that was possible. Others fear that they will be mocked in the media, and I can only assume some think you will use it to hurt them in one way or another. This may appear to be different from the classic “stealing your soul” situation, but if you look at it, it is actually quite fundamentally similar. Both the people of the past and those of today thought that if they have their photo taken, they would lose in one way or the other control over their life and, above that, over their own being and that someone would use the image to control them.
It is really an interesting phenomenon and certainly one that says a lot about the worldview of the people of today. This is not to insult anyone, but in a way, it shows how little people know about the world around them. Say I desperately wanted to take a picture of somebody to use it for some weird voodoo purpose. I could very well buy or borrow a massive bird-watching lens and shoot (interesting how this verb applies to both guns and cameras) them with it from afar, without them even knowing.
Overall, it is clear that people are often uncomfortable with having their photos taken in public spaces. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be, I don’t want to be a hypocrite, and maybe sometimes I don’t want my picture taken, but I find it very interesting how the general consensus is that people become downright scared and violent when it comes to being photographed on the street, while in some places in the world, street photography is accepted as a thing that happens and which should not be something to be afraid of.
