Quote:
Originally Posted by 27cows
This increasing hostility to snappers is gong to kill WNBR, mark my words. The whole point of the rides is to raise awareness. Think of any big event you care to name - London Marathon, Notting Hill Carnival, Brighton Pride etc - and the thing that helps to promote the events is the proliferation of pictures and vids that appear all over YouTube, Flickr and the like, many of which get many thousands of views.
It was obvious yesterday that several people at least were put off riding in Canterbury as a direct result of that 'no photography' sign in the park. Because it had to apply to everyone, including riders and professionals, or no one. Even though it was nonsense, probably unlawful and certainly not enforceable. At a small gathering like that, it would be a brave person who defied the ban, with cops everywhere, half of whom probably don't know the law regarding photography in public places (worryingly commonplace now).
Thing that always makes me laugh is when naturists (and of course many WNBR riders are) insist their nudity is non-sexual but can't accept that any photographer might genuinely want to cover the event without being overly concerned with bums and bits. And while strongly emphasizing that no one must be naked and on foot (without a bike) during the ride, tell snappers they should be naked if they want to take pictures. So exactly how would that work? 
This increasingly antagonistic attitude is going to backfire. The vast majority of pictures that encourage others to ride in subsequent years are taken by amateur snappers. I've had lots of PMs on Flickr, including from several women, who decided to take part after seeing my snaps (and those of others). And the organisers always overlook the fact that a fairly substantial number of riders like to be seen and snapped, for whatever reason. |
Sorry mate I really disagree with what you're saying. I did the London ride this year and it was probably one of the most fun experiences Ive ever had. It was really friendly, all the riders were chatting and laughing with each other and I will admit that the women looked wonderful. But at the end (and at the beginning to some extent) the photographers were really aggressive. As we finished I was almost taken off my bike by snappers rushing up to photograph any naked women coming in. Consequently most women who'd been totally happy naked most of the afternoon, whipped out a tee shirt and put it on within seconds of finishing. There was a difference with the people in the crowd on route cheering and taking photos and the letchers with cameras at the end, acting like they had never seen a pair of tits before. I would suggest to anyone who would like to do one of these rides especially London, start the ride clothed, stop 200m down the road, take off their clothes, do the ride and put something on before finish. And if anyone is so desperate to see a naked women, do the ride themselves naked.