My neighborhood has a small very scenic “ruins” with fountains, and people go to take photos, sometimes professional ones. The issue is, and I’m not exaggerating, it is ALWAYS being used by people who don’t live in the neighborhood. Obviously, people are welcome to come and take pictures. My issue is only that the residents don’t have the opportunity to enjoy it. It was a major selling point as to why my family chose this neighborhood. I would love to be able to occasionally sit there and read or journal but I can’t because someone’s always having some kind of photo shoot.
I walk my dog every evening and yesterday when we reached the ruins it was in use as usual. This time I decided to go anyway, and as expected I got bitched at. I told them very nicely that I wasn’t planning to stay but just going to walk through. Am I the asshole? (They were doing a photo shoot)
It’s a shame because I was looking forward to reading/relaxing there when we moved in, but I’ve literally never had the opportunity to do so.
NTA, sounds like it’s time to deliberately piss off MORE people who think the world is their backdrop for instagram
It is an asshole move to purposefully walk behind people making fotos yeah.
It can be pretty justified tho. I don’t think tourists taking pics at some ruins are as assholes as tiktokers dancing midstreet, but yeah, when occupying a walking space to do photos, you should expect people walking on it
It is a public space and everyone is welcome so. Go, do your things, they can shoot around you since it is your neighborhood park. They are no more entitled to it than you they can get pissed off then go pound sand.
NTA
INFO
Who owns the property? Would they be willing to post no trespassing signs?
It sounds like a public place. Everyone is entitled to the scenery. It needs to be respectful both ways.
NAH. If its a public place, everyone has the right to be there.
If the photograph asked you for 30 seconds to finish talking their picture and you refused, that’s maybe an AH move. But if the photographer wants to take over the entire space for a full photo shoot and didn’t want you to use it at all, which sounds like it was the case, that’s definitely NTA if you refused. It’s a public space and you are allowed to use it.
Unless they pulled a permit to do it, I agree.
It’s never 30 seconds, is it? And having to get up, bookmark my book and then settle back down again, over and over, is not a fair thing to ask.
NTA
Public space. They nor you should have any expectations of private enjoyment
If they are professionals, they should apply for a permit to temporarily block public access.
If it’s a special occassion, like a wedding shoot or a proposal, I’d wait like 10 minutes.
If they are influencers trying to pose, then hell yeah, I’m ruining their shot. I couldn’t care less. They can use software to edit me out of the frame of their faked perfection.
NTA.
In the case of influencers, OP should play music loud enough to be heard by them so that they can’t use the shot due to copyright protections. That only works if the influencer is talking or recording with sound, obviously.
I’m (mostly) joking here but I honestly don’t understand why OP can’t take a book or journal and sit on a blanket or a bench and enjoy the space. If people are taking pix, they’ll need to understand that it’s a public space for all to use. If she’s looking for contemplative silence then yeah, this probably isn’t the best place for that. But, if she just made it a practice to visit every day and keep to herself, photographers who frequently use the location will either stop using it as much because they don’t want to fight for the space or they’ll become confrontational. Like others have said here, it’s a public space and unless someone has pulled a permit to use it exclusively, it’s available for all to use. Seems to me the only person keeping OP from using the space is OP.
OP can put on headphones settle in, and loudly yell sorry I’m reading I LOVE IT HERE I LIVE JUST DOWN THE STREET ISN’T THIS JUST SO LOVELY. And ignore.
NTA. We have a cherry blossom feature in our neighborhood. Seasonally, hundreds of people descend on it. I refuse to modify my visits to suit the photographers. They can wait until the coast is clear.