Charlotte Makes Photos

I don’t know exactly what it is, but this year has been my worst for being accosted by strangers of making photos somewhere nearby. Normally, to avoid unwanted attention and being, I won’t use a flash and I usually won’t use any lens longer than 100/105mm. I also don’t make habit of making photos of people in general: but don’t wait too long for them to pass out of frame either. Incidental and unidentified has been the general rule I operate under.

On Thursday, to participate in Half Frame Camera Day, I took my new and very plastic Kodak Ektar 35H out for a try. Noticing some advice that with such a simple camera it’s wise to be liberal with the flash, I decided to make use of it.

Everything was going well until I made it to corner of Bank and Gladstone when I made a photo of some old buildings and no sooner had I turned around to cross the street, but a man appeared right in front of me, agitated, and demanded that I show him the photo I just made.

Not wanting to agitate him further, I showed him that, no it’s film, and I can’t show him the last photo I took, which only seemed to confuse and agitate him further. I stood still there for a few seconds uncomfortably and getting increasingly nervous, beginning to well up a little, I finally just said “I took a photo of the buildings there. That’s it.” stepped around him, and walked away quickly.

Fortunately, that seemed to put the issue to rest, but I was a bit rattled for the rest of the day, contemplating taking a little break from my hobby.

As the day wore on, however, I began to feel a little angry instead of scared. Although I am very privileged to be in the position I am in, as a visibly trans woman, my world has shrunk dramatically in the last few years. Places I once dreamed of visiting are no longer a sure thing, people can be a little more open about their feelings about me and my sort, and the clouds that surround seem to thicken monthly.

I don’t need a different hobby, what I need is people to leave me alone when I’m doing mine.