Taking the p*ss ..

I was watching something on television the other night - can't even remember what it was - and I suddenly noticed there were all these childrens' face blurred out, and yesterday I was at an infant school to do a shot of the kids and some new play equipment when one of the teachers reached in and yanked out one of the little girls. "She can be in the newspaper .." she said "But not on Facebook" ..

Folks, I despair. What the bloody hell is going on in the world these days? Until that moment it was if I was suddenly back in the 1980s, when kids innocently revelled in the fun of having their photographs taken by 'the man from the 'paper'; when children would run up to you in the street, desperate to be in your shots. "Take a picture, mister" used to be the cry. Now it's more likely to be "Oi, Paedo!"..

I hate it. I hate the fact that I can't photograph a bunch of kids on the street without the fear of facing instant opprobrium, and I hate the fact that all those carefree days have gone. Isn't it ironic, though, that we live in a world where people are taking more shots of children than ever -  parents even using them as their social media profile pictures - yet as soon as a professional photographer goes near them they're a paedophile. People, you are taking the p*ss ..