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bikefast
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
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 Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:56 pm Post subject: Taking pictures of Koreans |
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I'm often out in the city, and I'm tempted to take some pictures of local people going about their everyday life. But I'm hesitant to approach them to ask if I can take their picture b/c I'm not sure how they would react. In general, how do Koreans react to requests for pictures?
I obviously wouldn't ask someone for a picture if they were clearly busy. And I know how to ask for a picture in Korean. So when I ask, I would do it in a tactful way. Just curious about everyone's experience with this, b/c I know, in some countries, local residents do not take kindly to foreigners taking their picture. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't know about actually asking people, but in my experience some people get really upset by being photographed. I have been yelled at for taking pictures with people (shopkeepers) in it in Namdaemun, and my parents have been yelled at twice, both times they visited. This is in one of the major tourist attractions in Seoul and the people got really upset. In the case of my parents picture, the person wasn't even in the picture the one time. |
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bikefast
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| ajgeddes wrote: |
| I don't know about actually asking people, but in my experience some people get really upset by being photographed. I have been yelled at for taking pictures with people (shopkeepers) in it in Namdaemun, and my parents have been yelled at twice, both times they visited. This is in one of the major tourist attractions in Seoul and the people got really upset. In the case of my parents picture, the person wasn't even in the picture the one time. |
Yeah, from living in other parts of the world, I've learned to always ask before taking a picture of (A) someone I don't know or (B) the shop/house of someone I don't know. |
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T-J
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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I was out with my son a couple weeks ago to see the Blue House. There were a couple Seoul Police officers there on roller blades and dressed like they were ready to step on to the short track, racing tights and helmet, looked pretty cool. Anyway, I asked them if I could take their picture and they were pretty cool with it.
I've had pretty good experiences with getting permission through the years. I think the key is to explain in a complimentary way why you want to take the picture. "Wow, that is so (complimentary adjective), we don't have anything like that in (your home country). May I take a picture?" |
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Jane
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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My friend has a son who is two, and she would take him on the subway. Hundreds of Koreans now have a picture of her son on their phones. Nobody would ever ask her, they would take pictures and walk away.
She had photos done at a photo studio last year; the next week she shows up to pick them up and finds two big portraits of her son hanging on their wall. Never asked them.
Just want to share these stories as examples of the photo etiquette shown to 'foreigners'.
Last edited by Jane on Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bikefast
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Jane wrote: |
My friend has a son who is two, and she would take him on the subway. Hundreds of Koreans now have a picture of her son on their phones. Nobody would ever ask her, they would take pictures and walk away.
She has photos done at a photo studio last year; the next week she shows up to pick them up and finds two pig portraits of her son hanging on their wall. Never asked them.
Just want to share these stories as examples of the photo etiquette shown to 'foreigners'. |
At the same time, I've also had a number of Koreans approach me and ask nicely if they could take their picture with me. I'm sure we all have. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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| bikefast wrote: |
| ajgeddes wrote: |
| I don't know about actually asking people, but in my experience some people get really upset by being photographed. I have been yelled at for taking pictures with people (shopkeepers) in it in Namdaemun, and my parents have been yelled at twice, both times they visited. This is in one of the major tourist attractions in Seoul and the people got really upset. In the case of my parents picture, the person wasn't even in the picture the one time. |
Yeah, from living in other parts of the world, I've learned to always ask before taking a picture of (A) someone I don't know or (B) the shop/house of someone I don't know. |
In all 3 cases, the pictures were not of specific people or shops. They were all just general pictures of the market and shots of the streets. My picture was just one of my dad standing around. Either way, the people had no right to be angry in all 3 cases. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| bikefast wrote: |
| Jane wrote: |
My friend has a son who is two, and she would take him on the subway. Hundreds of Koreans now have a picture of her son on their phones. Nobody would ever ask her, they would take pictures and walk away.
She has photos done at a photo studio last year; the next week she shows up to pick them up and finds two pig portraits of her son hanging on their wall. Never asked them.
Just want to share these stories as examples of the photo etiquette shown to 'foreigners'. |
At the same time, I've also had a number of Koreans approach me and ask nicely if they could take their picture with me. I'm sure we all have. |
At the same time, it is pretty difficult to take a picture with someone without asking them. |
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bikefast
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| ajgeddes wrote: |
| At the same time, it is pretty difficult to take a picture with someone without asking them. |
Fair enough. Maybe if someone snaps a picture of you from across the subway aisle, you should grab your camera, get up and make a scene of taking a close up portrait of the perpetrator. |
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steveinincheon
Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Location: in The Shadows of Gyeyangsan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| People certainly shouldn't have a problem if you ask them first - Koreans seem to enjoy posing for and taking photos quite a bit. Often I don't even bother asking in Korea (I do in most other countries) mainly because I am often photographed here without being asked first - not to mention what Koreans do when they are abroad. |
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Jane
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Nonetheless, I find the 'picture etiquette' much worse in China. Although staring is much worse here. I guess it's a tradeoff. |
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youtuber
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Just take their damn picture and don't ask them. Because they are taking pics of you all the time. |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Jane wrote: |
My friend has a son who is two, and she would take him on the subway. Hundreds of Koreans now have a picture of her son on their phones. Nobody would ever ask her, they would take pictures and walk away.
She had photos done at a photo studio last year; the next week she shows up to pick them up and finds two big portraits of her son hanging on their wall. Never asked them.
Just want to share these stories as examples of the photo etiquette shown to 'foreigners'. |
Koreans in general will not like having their pictures taken randomly (who does?) but Jane makes a good point about how many of them don't give a shite about taking picture of others, especially foreigners. I have seen guys take photos of hot chicks without asking them and once I stumbled onto a website with a bunch of these photos posted. It would have bothered me if I saw a picture of my girlfriend or sister.
My former company routinely used peoples' facebook photos, resume photos, random photos on the internet of white people to show that we had tons of foreign people working for us. Of course they didn't ask permission. One time one of the teachers asked us to not take his photo if it was gonna be used for promotional purposes and plastered on a poster or something. My boss told me to tell him that nothing of the sort was gonna happen. A few days later I see his face all over the company's website and they photoshopped it to give him blond hair.
They also used my picture for one of those info sheets that they hand out on the street. They asked me if I was ok with it after they made like a thousand copies and on the day we were starting our promotional campaign. |
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Goku
Joined: 10 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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I like TJ's method,
I would never refuse a picture the way he states it. |
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aussieb
Joined: 08 Sep 2007
Location: Brisbane,Australia
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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Haha,
I was posing with my family at Cheonggyechon for a photograph. Just as the photo was about to be taken, a Korean passerby jumped on the end of the family lineup and smiled for the camera!
We now have a lovely family photo with a strange unknown Korean man smiling at us as well!! |
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