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Sun 29 Jun, 2014 02:45 pm
Got a bit of an etiquette rant. My girlfriend and I are socially active people in our 30s and something we've both noticed at social gatherings is that a woman (not trying to generalize, but only women have done this to me so far) will want a picture taken of her and her girlfriends, and instead of asking nicely she'll hand (or practically throw) her phone to me, or whoever the nearest guy is, and say "Hey Greg, take the picture!" Note that they're telling, not asking.
In some cases they even have the nerve to complain about the quality of the picture and hand it back to be taken again. It's a phone camera, for crying out loud!
At least 3 women in our friend circle have done this to me in the past few months and I find it condescending and impolite. Am I alone in thinking that this is bad manners? I was brought up with "ask, don't tell. " I'd like to put my foot down on this the next time it happens. Does anyone have any input on doing so without being mean or killing the mood?
@Slavoski,
Oh. I thought this was going to be about being expected to stand around with a really stupid, unnatural smile on the old phiz while the "photographer" stands around dinking with focus, lighting, depth of field, and so forth. If that were the case, yeah, "Just take the damn picture".
I thought the same thing as roger, as in "take the picture already!"
You're being oversensitive Greg.
Hand it back and say, "Oh, I don't do that so well. Ask someone else."
@Slavoski,
I find it's helpful to take one or two bad photos - then people leave me alone about the stupid picture-taking.
@ehBeth,
Hey, that's almost as good as trying to sell drugs to the missionaries that come to the door.
@roger,
I'm always very apologetic about my inability to handle all the different types of phones/cameras. It obviously doesn't work with people who know my camera gear
@Slavoski,
Sometimes with close friends - politeness goes out the window. In other words they know you so well that asking isn't necessary. If something is an expected norm within a group - you shouldn't have to ask. If you are at a friend's house that you know very well and have been there too many times to count, do you ask, May I use your bathroom, please?" No you simply use it - maybe you say excuse me if your talking or similar.
If you are annoyed because you don't take good pictures, and they complain - why not simply say I stink at taking pictures - why don't you have fred do it? Or something like that.
Not a big deal - sounds like mountain out of a molehill type of thing.
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