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Ever feel baited by a minor?
I think I was baited by a minor (undercover cop). I had a few email exchanges with a minor that makes me think I was possibly being baited on here. There were a few dutiful responses when we talked about shooting. The model mentioned some sexy stuff and then I said that their parents had to attend any shoots, which I would have done anyway. I was told that they weren't comfortable with that, and could we meet alone first. I, of course, said no and that the parents needed to be notified. I haven't gotten a response. In any event, if you are new or something or just don't know this - be careful to whom you speak and say UP FRONT that you mandate that parents be in the loop. Don't meet any minor alone even in a public place. Kinda creepy. May 06 08 11:43 pm Link It was probably more likely a minor who just wanted "photos" for her boyfriend or to show off on MySpace.... Most online police are busy in the chat rooms.......I doubt it was one trying to target a female photographer. Maybe if you were a male...maybe but still doubtfull!!!! How did she contact you...thru MM or E-mail or IM or something? But I agree.....always get the parents involved when being contacted like that. May 06 08 11:47 pm Link I don't know. I mean a lot of photographers do nudes on here. There are a lot of minors on here. Not that anyone would be shopping to bust people for being sexual predators, but for child pornography, maybe? It just seemed off, and I am really big into following my gut. Just be careful, all. May 06 08 11:50 pm Link I would have taken it one step further and insisted on discussing any further details with her parents and not with her. It may have been a cop. Or it may have been one of your local photographer enemies trying to catch you in something... May 06 08 11:52 pm Link You were being baited!!!....I received an instant message one afternoon asking is shoot portfolios and got much of the same as you did....questions about "sexy" pics.....when I asked the persons age she told me 16.....it ended right there. There are cops out there who do nothing but this type of work. Pitty the poor fool who falls for it. May 06 08 11:52 pm Link I don't think you were baited now if you were a male that could be a different story. May 06 08 11:53 pm Link FKVPhotoGraphics wrote: Yeah. Could be the case.. but according to "To catch a predator", the cops always wait for you to come to them. could be entrapment otherwise. May 06 08 11:55 pm Link Wow! I can't believe that! But then again I can. It is the world we live in. Good thing you have morals, standards, and think well on your feet.....Unlike some of the other GWC's May 06 08 11:55 pm Link Michael R Kihn Studios wrote: Whats the diference I have heard many cases were the females were child predators. Usually not as bad as the male percentage out there but I believe there are still some out there. But then again it might be a young boys dream come true lol But still I think theres males and female predators out there May 06 08 11:59 pm Link Unlikely - entrapment can be a solid defense - not that you would want to rely on it. Which is largely why they let you do the talking and take the actions that show you would follow through - IE show up for the shoot, have the right equipment with you, etc. May 06 08 11:59 pm Link A Creative View wrote: I'm not a GWC! I'm a MWC (Mom with a Camera) - or, at least, so I've been told. lol May 07 08 12:00 am Link Anything is possible. Several years ago, long before MM was even a glimmer in anyone's eye, I suddenly began to receive emails from young girls, 14 through 17, wanting to pose nude. Bear in mind I was far more active on the forums than now and was considered an established photographer at the time; maybe a fairly serious target. Now I'm talking about lot of emails, ranging from nearby states to the west coast, at least one per week for a good 8 to 10 months. There were so many emails I ended up doing a cut and past, saying I was not interested, they were not old enough and if interested in legitimate modeling to have their parents contact me. then one day it was as though someone had flipped a switch and they ended. I have not received one now for at least 4 years. My assumption is that I passed their tests and I quit being of interest to them. That's a good thing! There is no question that many law enforcement agencies are out there trolling, ranging from local police to FBI and customs. It's entirely possible that someone believes MM might be fertile grounds for them. So be careful out there! May 07 08 12:01 am Link KillerShotz Photography wrote: Female predators are teachers male are photographers lol May 07 08 12:02 am Link Michael R Kihn Studios wrote: That's kinda true lol May 07 08 12:07 am Link Even if you weren't being baited by a cop you did the right thing. If you did a shoot with a minor, even if it wasn't "sexy shots," there are always going to be the chance of those simi-psycho, overprotective parents that are going to come back and haunt you saying that you took sexy pictures of their daughter without their knowledge or permission. Rule of thumb for shooting minors - Parents are always the top priority May 07 08 12:32 am Link Since there are no "little kids" on here, then what is the minimum age limit? Is there one? May 07 08 12:33 am Link shhhh.. don't let the gwc's know about the baiting ;-) May 07 08 12:36 am Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: From the FAQ's on the INFO page... May 07 08 12:36 am Link NorthPoint Photography wrote: Oh, okay. I didn't read that before. May 07 08 12:37 am Link It's not illegal to meet with a minor, you know (even without a parent there). There are some awesome models under 18 on this website. In fashion modeling being under 18 is so common it's not even worth mentioning. May 07 08 12:39 am Link Can there be kids faking the age and saying they are 16 I could swear I saw a girl that does not look 16 I would say she was atleast 12 but her profile say 16 is that ok and not against the rules as long as her bday says she is 16. I'm not sure if what I just said made any sense to anyone it sounded better in my head lol May 07 08 12:40 am Link SouthFLpix wrote: Yeah, I know. I'm just being overly cautious. I don't want any drama. Besides, when it comes right down to it, it would be my word against theirs, and I don't want to deal with that. May 07 08 12:44 am Link John Jebbia wrote: Are you saying that the police wouldn't entrap or othewise break the law? Did I understand that corectly? May 07 08 12:45 am Link Lua Cheia Fotos wrote: LMAO May 07 08 01:26 am Link Here we go again. May 07 08 01:27 am Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: The police have better things to do than to go around baiting random people. Even if some over zealous cop did that, it would never stand up in court. The majority of all those "To catch a predator" cases were dismissed or were never prosecuted. I meet minors in public and private places without their parents and I'm not in jail. It's called living your life. May 07 08 01:33 am Link KillerShotz Photography wrote: My niece is 18 but she is really short and looks like a chubby 13 year old. She's in college and works at Penny's but everyone thinks she in junior high. May 07 08 01:33 am Link PYPI wrote: What do you mean? May 07 08 01:33 am Link How do all the photographers who shoot senior portraits do it when they don't deal with the parents? May 07 08 01:35 am Link If they mention, sexy, lingerie, implied and they are underage just say no thanks and move on. May 07 08 01:36 am Link I don't even want someone saying something happened on a shoot that didn't happen, regardless of whether the pictures themselves are totally innocent. I don't want anyone saying that I hit on them, offered them drugs, whatever. Besides, I can live without having to deal with parents. There is a paranoia down here in Florida. Too many women are getting busted having sex with little boys. May 07 08 01:38 am Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: Don't ever buy fast food. You're dealing with a minor without their parents. May 07 08 01:43 am Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: Here's a thought. Don't have sex with little boys. May 07 08 01:45 am Link Just last weekend, I shot 4 teenaged girls wearing only skimpy bathing suits. No parents. And they didn't even sign a model release. Arrest me. Oh, wait. It was a synchronized swimming event. Of course they were wearing bathing suits. They were surrounded by at least a hundred observers around the pool (many with their own cameras). No parents, but their coach was there. I was hired by the event organizer to shoot the photos. Maybe an arrest would be premature. Yes, we should all be observant of proper boundaries when working with teenagers. But lets not get too paranoid. There is nothing illegal about meeting with a teenager and talking. I probably wouldn't meet alone in my house, but meeting at a food court in mall, surrounded by hundreds of other teenagers and shoppers would be perfectly safe. Teenagers like to look sexy. This is nothing new. I'm perfectly capable of verbalizing to a teenage model exactly what is okay and what is not; what the boundaries are. As an adult, it is my job to set boundaries with minors (just as it seems their wont in life to test boundaries). I would give them a choice of either having a parent present, or shooting in a very public place with lots of other people around. There are ways to accommodate a teen's wish to look somewhat sexy, but staying within the bounds of age-appropriate photos. Be careful. Be sensible. Establish clear boundaries. But don't be paranoid. May 07 08 02:39 am Link rich cirminello wrote: You are right - I'm LMAO - I've been "affected" by my environment, here. May 07 08 12:30 pm Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: I think he was concerned that Rich and I would start to argue about NJ. May 07 08 12:36 pm Link Only pervs need to worry about things like this. Any upstanding individual would not agree to shoots without parents or other things you mentioned and thus if it was a cop they would move on to another potential target. You only have to worry if you have something to hide. May 07 08 12:46 pm Link I did a CL post looking for female models for "Classic Nude" shoot. Here is one response and my reply! Hey, I'm a 14-year-old female so not very developed but might work. I've never modeled before but am looking to start now. 5'7", blonde, fairly skinny and will do whatever. Email me back at [Deleted here] Reply: Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately due to the nature of the images, I am only accepting models over the age of 18. I would strongly suggest that you wait until that time before thinking about modeling in this genre. These people are insane! John May 07 08 12:47 pm Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: PYPI wrote: You know you just ruined some "Little Boy's" weekend plans. May 07 08 01:07 pm Link Tracy Scott Photography wrote: Yep my rules the same no parent, no shoot I do not care what they say and then I tell them I want 3 forms of ID 2 have to have a picture. A;so I tell them I want to talk to the parent before we do anything. May 07 08 01:11 pm Link |