I just read a story in our local news about a couple of people who have been taking photos of children out of the back of their SUV. Understandably, when parents heard about this, they were alarmed and called the authorities.
It made me think of one evening when we were on the beach a few weeks ago–with all of our six boys having fun playing together during a beautiful sunset. They were burying each other in the sand and playing with Ashley, my sister’s family’s beautiful Golden Retriever.
A woman came up to the kids and started shooting photographs of them. She looked completely harmless, and she had a nice 35-millimeter camera. She seemed to be enjoying their pure boyhood energy, and she was smiling as she took countless photos. The boys are all used to their mother shutterbugs, and they all like to pose for the camera.
It struck me as odd at the time, because I can’t imagine ever taking photos of someone else’s children without asking their parents. I figured she must not have been a professional photographer, or she would have known to get our permission. We were not far away, and it was clear that the boys belonged to us. My dad even went up and began talking to her.
I’m not generally the type of person to make a stink about stuff like that…so I didn’t say anything. But I do think the right thing would have been to ask our permission. What do you think?
Every Day Is a Miracle 