pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 7, 2016 21:31:56 GMT
I took photos for first communion/confirmation for the local church this morning. I've done this for the past 10 years, and I'm invited by the youth ministry person. They make an announcement that they've hired a photographer, and please stay away from the area in front of the altar, no flash, etc.
There was a guy there wearing some sort of press pass and a shirt with a business logo on it. He started taking pictures of the Mass. I thought maybe he was from the local news or the local Catholic newspaper - no biggie.
Then we got to the confirmation. I take one shot of each kid as they get annointed. The guy came up on the other side and started taking photos - not just one shot, but a burst of shots, close-ups of kids. But not every kid. A lot of the younger kids. He would skip a few kids here and there, and when we got to the the teens, he disappeared.
Same thing for communion - lots of shots of younger kids, none of the older kids.
Afterwards we did the group/class shots. I line the kids up, take my shots, then get out of the way so parents can take photos. He was coming in and taking really close-up shots of certain kids - always the younger ones, by the time the teen group was up there, he had disappeared.
He didn't give out business cards. But the shirt he wore had a web address on it. I checked it out and it looks a bit sketchy.
From his behavior, I am certain that he is NOT a press photographer. He was taking too many pictures of certain kids, and he did not ask for any sort of parental release to use the photos. There were too many kids he DID take pictures of to have been hired by a parent/group of parents - I would say that he took photos of 70-80 of the kids. What are you going to do with 4-6 shots of 70-80 kids?
I've asked the RE director if they know who he was or why he was there. I don't expect to hear back until Monday, but I'm wondering - am I over-reacting, or does this sound sketchy? Sure, maybe he's just there to take pics of his niece/nephew/etc. but it just felt off to me. My husband was there as a second shooter and he said the same thing - during communion, the guy was on the side where my husband was shooting, but he stayed back more than he did when I was shooting.
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Post by txdancermom on May 7, 2016 21:35:07 GMT
Something does sound off - it hopefully is nothing, and hopefully someone knows who he is.
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Post by Sassenach on May 7, 2016 21:45:54 GMT
Did anyone get a photo of the weird photographer? To identify him later...
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Post by Lexica on May 7, 2016 21:50:02 GMT
Yeah, that sounds a bit strange. What was the subject of his website? Is it logically connected in any way with what he was doing? Did you get any pictures of him?
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Post by beanbuddymom on May 7, 2016 21:50:10 GMT
The web address you say you checked out "looks a bit sketchy" in what way? Was it a photographer's website? Is it possible since he just took a certain age group that he knows someone of that age and will be giving/selling photos to them? Like, when we went to a certain town's football games there was a friend of one of coaches and he would take pics of the football players/cheerleaders but only games involving that team. I saw pics of my DD but it was including the other teams' cheerleaders so at first I thought well that's weird this guy taking pics of my DD but then realized he was taking pics for the other team.
I mean maybe he had a focus of just those kids because he had a friend/family member that had kids that age. I find it odd that he just took off though, I guess that part bugs me. But he could have had another job to get to I guess. Saturdays can be busy for photographers.
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kate
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Post by kate on May 7, 2016 21:55:17 GMT
That does sound strange. I had a parent who hired a professional photographer for first communion one year - I was so grateful she told me about it beforehand. He did photos of all the kids, but all the parents were aware.
That's different from your situation, though, because we did not hire a photographer like your church did.
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Deleted
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May 3, 2024 14:46:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2016 22:03:56 GMT
Why didn't you talk to him?
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Deleted
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May 3, 2024 14:46:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2016 22:32:56 GMT
The press pass itself is odd. Why would the press be there and the church not be aware or question that? And if the church did authorize for him to be there, why would he need the pass? As a parent, I wouldn't be happy about the press just coming into an event like a communion and snapping pictures of my child without first checking with me.
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 7, 2016 22:33:14 GMT
His website is a bunch of weird photos and links to a variety of things - trump, plus just general weird stuff. But there are no real content pages - just a link to a content page with one photo on it. And a bunch of text about being the most powerful domain/social media in the world.
If he had taken photos of a few kids, fine. But there was no rhyme or reason we could tell, other than mostly younger kids. He wasn't focusing on a specific class, either.
I didn't talk to him as I was working the event and he was never close enough to me for me to ask him. I do have him in some shots.
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Post by christine58 on May 7, 2016 22:49:19 GMT
Do you have his name???
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on May 7, 2016 22:49:46 GMT
Ask someone in charge at your church.
For goodness sake, if you thought there was something off with some guy photographing the children, why would you not have spoken up?
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 7, 2016 23:03:28 GMT
He had an official-looking press pass around his neck. There are lots of people who take photos during the event - parents, friends, etc. We have in the past had press photographers show up (usually when the bishop is officiating, but not always). Throughout the event (which I was WORKING, so I wasn't actually able to chase him down to find out where his press pass was from), he was not close enough for me to see the pass closely enough to determine where exactly he was from. At the end of the event, he was finally close enough to read his shirt (but not the pass). I wrote down the website from the shirt and checked it out. It was not a news site, or a typical photographer site. I asked DH what his thoughts were and he agreed that the guy was sketchy.
The RE director (who is usually there and knows EXACTLY who should and shouldn't be taking photos) was not at the event today. The assistant RE director was in charge, and he didn't say anything about it so I assumed he knew who the guy was. At the end of the event, it became clear that he really didn't know who should/shouldn't be there, as he questioned DH about whether or not he was supposed to take photos. If I had known before the event that the assistant had no clue who was or wasn't supposed to be there, I would have asked.
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 7, 2016 23:17:57 GMT
I'm looking at the website right now:
He's got a section on Auschwitz, with photos of concentration camp victims. He's got lots of type about it being done by the GERMANS, not the NAZIS.
He's got a vote for Trump page with lots of CNN screen shots.
He's got a page about Obama being against the patent reforms and free trade.
He's got a bunch of photos of various people in the AZ Republican party.
He's got a page of photos grabbed from around the net of Prince, with some text about his death.
He's got a page that says that his dream is to make America and Poland great again, and he wants to be the official White House photographer for President Trump.
He has a page with one of the girls from this morning - two photos of her before the event. So I would assume that he did know someone at the event, but was not supposed to be taking photos of the other kids.
It seems he's some sort of weird political guy who wanted a BUNCH of photos of a BUNCH of kids taking their first communion/confirmation. I will check his site over the next week to see if the photos of these kids show up.
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Deleted
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May 3, 2024 14:46:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2016 23:21:15 GMT
I'm looking at the website right now: He's got a section on Auschwitz, with photos of concentration camp victims. He's got lots of type about it being done by the GERMANS, not the NAZIS. He's got a vote for Trump page with lots of CNN screen shots. He's got a page about Obama being against the patent reforms and free trade. He's got a bunch of photos of various people in the AZ Republican party. He's got a page of photos grabbed from around the net of Prince, with some text about his death. He's got a page that says that his dream is to make America and Poland great again, and he wants to be the official White House photographer for President Trump. He has a page with one of the girls from this morning - two photos of her before the event. So I would assume that he did know someone at the event, but was not supposed to be taking photos of the other kids. It seems he's some sort of weird political guy who wanted a BUNCH of photos of a BUNCH of kids taking their first communion/confirmation. I will check his site over the next week to see if the photos of these kids show up. Don't assume. Ask the girl's parent if he/she knows the photos are on that website. |
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 7, 2016 23:44:10 GMT
I intend to - I don't know the girl, but I am going to send the link to the RE director so she can contact them.
He is in a BUNCH of my photos - at one point he was actually on the altar taking photos of people. I hope the parents enjoy having a photo of their child being confirmed with this guy in the background taking shots of them. They specifically announced that NOBODY was allowed within the area in front of the altar - but this guy was allowed in. Hence my assumption that he had been invited or was covering it for the press, etc. The regular RE director would have ended that really quick, but the assistant probably assumed that he was with me. DH doesn't need to take shots of confirmation, only communion - so when this guy got up, the RE guy assumed it was my DH and not some random dude with a camera.
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Post by femalebusiness on May 7, 2016 23:51:09 GMT
Ask someone in charge at your church. For goodness sake, if you thought there was something off with some guy photographing the children, why would you not have spoken up? This. Weirdos get away with stuff because no one wants to ask them what their reason for being there is. |
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Post by buckeyegirl on May 8, 2016 0:56:03 GMT
It definitely sounds sketchy to me. Given the circumstances as you've described, I think you are doing all you can. Thank you for that because so many times people don't want to get involved. We should all listen to our gut and act appropriately on it. Please keep us posted.
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Post by anniefb on May 8, 2016 1:19:06 GMT
Something does sound off - it hopefully is nothing, and hopefully someone knows who he is.  |
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Post by dewryce on May 8, 2016 1:28:47 GMT
Trust your gut. If he is legitimate he should understand the concerns.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 3:52:56 GMT
Was this a Catholic church? The church, for obvious reasons, has enacted strict regulations and standards for the protection of children. This must be investigated. I would not stop until I knew it had been either confirmed he was there because a parent (relative?) asked him to be. And if he wasn't? The police should be notified. Better safe than sorry.
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anniebygaslight
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Post by anniebygaslight on May 8, 2016 6:06:52 GMT
Ask someone in charge at your church. For goodness sake, if you thought there was something off with some guy photographing the children, why would you not have spoken up? |
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Post by mcscrapper on May 8, 2016 11:32:50 GMT
Maybe I'm missing something but why would "the press" be at a children's confirmation? Is something like that "media worthy?" It just sounds fishy to me if you were the designated photographer for the event and didn't know of a possible media rep. And since you were the official photographer, it seems to me that you would contacted by said media for possible use of your images.
I mean, *if* a Catholic newsletter wanted photos, a press release would be necessary before publishing. I would keep every picture you have of this guy and speak to your director asap and make sure you have the website info. You may need to make a police report before long.
meredith
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imsirius
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Post by imsirius on May 8, 2016 13:28:01 GMT
I would definitely be speaking to someone at the church TODAY. Why would a legit photographer have all these political and sketchy pages attached to his work site? Personal site, sure, but not his "business". Anyone can make up a pass and put a website on a tee shirt.
I'm betting the assistant RE has NO clue who this guy was and didn't question it. He could be anyone.
It being Sunday, surely there will be some administrational staff at the church today?
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Post by hop2 on May 8, 2016 13:34:00 GMT
Maybe I'm missing something but why would "the press" be at a children's confirmation? Is something like that "media worthy?" It just sounds fishy to me if you were the designated photographer for the event and didn't know of a possible media rep. And since you were the official photographer, it seems to me that you would contacted by said media for possible use of your images. I mean, *if* a Catholic newsletter wanted photos, a press release would be necessary before publishing. I would keep every picture you have of this guy and speak to your director asap and make sure you have the website info. You may need to make a police report before long. meredith Our little local newspaper does things like that all the time. They tend to focus on positive things and milestones. they let the national news depress us. |
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Post by pierkiss on May 8, 2016 13:43:02 GMT
I'm looking at the website right now: He's got a section on Auschwitz, with photos of concentration camp victims. He's got lots of type about it being done by the GERMANS, not the NAZIS. He's got a vote for Trump page with lots of CNN screen shots. He's got a page about Obama being against the patent reforms and free trade. He's got a bunch of photos of various people in the AZ Republican party. He's got a page of photos grabbed from around the net of Prince, with some text about his death. He's got a page that says that his dream is to make America and Poland great again, and he wants to be the official White House photographer for President Trump. He has a page with one of the girls from this morning - two photos of her before the event. So I would assume that he did know someone at the event, but was not supposed to be taking photos of the other kids. It seems he's some sort of weird political guy who wanted a BUNCH of photos of a BUNCH of kids taking their first communion/confirmation. I will check his site over the next week to see if the photos of these kids show up. Don't assume. Ask the girl's parent if he/she knows the photos are on that website. You need to let that girls parents know ASAP. Seriously, this feels really weird and off and if those parents have no idea why their kids picture is on that website you need to talk to the police, as do this girls parents.  |
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Post by mom on May 8, 2016 15:40:57 GMT
OK I am curious. Whats the website?
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on May 8, 2016 16:47:29 GMT
The local Catholic newspaper frequently sends their people out to events like this - usually to ones where the bishop is doing the confirmations, but not always. So that didn't raise any suspicions on my part at all - at the beginning he acted exactly as their press people do, taking general shots of the ceremony, etc. It wasn't until he started taking shots of SO MANY kids that I was a bit concerned. In any case, it's not something where I have the means of stopping the ceremony while they investigate the guy. My job is to take pictures, period. The ushers and RE staff are the ones to keep people out of they way. Since they allowed him access to the front of the altar area, it wasn't at all far-fetched for me to assume that they knew who he was and why he was there.
I've already contacted the main RE person and heard back. She is concerned as well. I've sent her pics of the guy, a link to the website, and described his behavior. She will know if the girl on the website is someone from the church or not.
I don't really want to post the website as I don't want him to be able to trace anything back here. I don't think the guy is particularly web-savvy, but you never know. His site looks like something that would have been great in 1998, but not so much now - just a bunch of text and images, entirely in HTML. Lots of bright colors against a black background. Suffice it to say that the guy is VERY anti-German and pro-Trump, and has dreams of being Trump's official press photographer.
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on May 8, 2016 19:26:16 GMT
Creepy for sure!
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zella
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Post by zella on May 8, 2016 19:34:17 GMT
I wonder if those photos aren't for his website, not the one you saw but for another website he runs. What's it called, the internet that is for illegal purposes? The dark web? That's where my mind's going with this information. Particularly since he showed interest in younger kids over older kids. And the press pass and website name are probably just there to make him appear legitimate. I think that's true whether he's a creeper or not. I don't buy that he's legitimate.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 19:44:12 GMT
I'm glad you said something! I believe we have those feelings for a reason and they are given as a protection.
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