Do you mind taking stranger's photos when on vacations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mind at all. I think it feels nice.

I'm decent at taking pics so I'm pretty picky. 95% of the time I'm happier with selfies than I am with the pics others take.

Same

[Anonymous]

I’m the outlier here I guess but I don’t like it. It usually only happens if I’m walking alone, peacefully. Doesn’t happen when I’m with my kids and husband - which is when I’d not mind it. I have so little alone time with young kids, always something being asked of me, that when I have 15 min to walk quietly with a coffee and 2 different groups approach me and ask me to take their photos, I do it with a smile but I’m like , ugh can’t I just enjoy one moment to myself without someone needing me?

No one ever asks my husband.

[Anonymous]

No, do not mind at all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about germs?

Normal people don't worry/think about this.

[Anonymous]

When someone asks me I worry it might be the prelude to some scam.
I was in Shanghai many years ago and two young people tried to pull the "Chinese Tea house scam" on me-they initiated contact by asking me to take their photo.
Luckily it was my first day in Shanghai and I was jet-lagged and exhausted so I declined their invite just based on that-I didn't even realize they were trying to lure in me in for a scam until later when I read about the scam online.
But after that I'm just more suspicious in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only mind because I am not good at it. I pass the phone to one of my teens to do it as they are MUCH better photographers.

Life hack - when asking a stranger to take your picture, get an older teen/early twenties girl to do it. They know how to take great pictures.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mind and generally ask if I see one person out from a group picture. Sometimes I’ll ask a random person to take a picture for us.
A potential scam never entered my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When someone asks me I worry it might be the prelude to some scam.
I was in Shanghai many years ago and two young people tried to pull the "Chinese Tea house scam" on me-they initiated contact by asking me to take their photo.
Luckily it was my first day in Shanghai and I was jet-lagged and exhausted so I declined their invite just based on that-I didn't even realize they were trying to lure in me in for a scam until later when I read about the scam online.
But after that I'm just more suspicious in general.

What's the scam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone asks me I worry it might be the prelude to some scam.
I was in Shanghai many years ago and two young people tried to pull the "Chinese Tea house scam" on me-they initiated contact by asking me to take their photo.
Luckily it was my first day in Shanghai and I was jet-lagged and exhausted so I declined their invite just based on that-I didn't even realize they were trying to lure in me in for a scam until later when I read about the scam online.
But after that I'm just more suspicious in general.

What's the scam?

Basically they will strike up a conversation with a western tourist and ask the tourist to join them for tea at a tea house. Sometimes they will say they want to practice English or so the tourist can learn more about Chinese culture. They bring the tourist to a tea house, where the menu has no prices, and the tea house workers bring a few varieties of tea and then present the tourist with a huge bill (hundreds of dollars for just a few cups of tea.)
If you google "china tea house scam" you'll find lots of stories about it.

[Anonymous]

poster who was targeted for the tea house scam here again

More specifics about my situation:
I'm American but my brother was living in Shanghai for a year for his job, and I was there to visit him. He still had to work during the day so I was on my own, touring the city. This was my first day there and I was still really exhausted from travel.
I had just left the Shanghai museum when two young people (college age) approached me. It was a girl and a boy and the girl did all the talking. They asked me to take their photo and after I did the girl started telling me how the boy was her friend and they were both students. That he was visiting her from a different part of China and they had heard about a "tea festival" and they were on their way there. They invited me to go with them and "experience culture."
I actually LOVE meeting people from different countries and cultures and honestly if it had been a different day I might have fallen for it and gone along. They seemed very sweet and friendly. But I was just so tired and wanted to go back to my brother's apartment to rest so I declined. It wasn't until much later that I was reading online and realized I dodged a bullet.

[Anonymous]

I am happy to, if asked. I also offer, when I see one person missing from the group to take the shot. I usually aim to take 2-3, to up the odds that they will like one.

Once I saw a young woman trying to take a photo of her baby with her VeryFamousFather. You would all know his name. His security team had waited outside so could not takeaphoto. So of course I offered to get them all into a photo, using her phone of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the outlier here I guess but I don’t like it. It usually only happens if I’m walking alone, peacefully. Doesn’t happen when I’m with my kids and husband - which is when I’d not mind it. I have so little alone time with young kids, always something being asked of me, that when I have 15 min to walk quietly with a coffee and 2 different groups approach me and ask me to take their photos, I do it with a smile but I’m like , ugh can’t I just enjoy one moment to myself without someone needing me?

No one ever asks my husband.

So just say "No, sorry". Guarantee your husband doesn't make eye contact with them and doesn't slow down when a stranger approaches to ask him a question. Look less approachable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about germs?

Normal people don't worry/think about this.

You're the reason COVID is endemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:poster who was targeted for the tea house scam here again

More specifics about my situation:
I'm American but my brother was living in Shanghai for a year for his job, and I was there to visit him. He still had to work during the day so I was on my own, touring the city. This was my first day there and I was still really exhausted from travel.
I had just left the Shanghai museum when two young people (college age) approached me. It was a girl and a boy and the girl did all the talking. They asked me to take their photo and after I did the girl started telling me how the boy was her friend and they were both students. That he was visiting her from a different part of China and they had heard about a "tea festival" and they were on their way there. They invited me to go with them and "experience culture."
I actually LOVE meeting people from different countries and cultures and honestly if it had been a different day I might have fallen for it and gone along. They seemed very sweet and friendly. But I was just so tired and wanted to go back to my brother's apartment to rest so I declined. It wasn't until much later that I was reading online and realized I dodged a bullet.

What do you think they would have done to you?

[Anonymous]

I don't mind. I'm a photographer so I know they will have the best shots I can take with their cell phone and I'll often advise them on posing.