In the US, while the rules about taking photos in public can vary from state to state, the core principle remains the same: if you’re in a public place, taking a photo is legal. If you’re taking a photo of someone in their private residence, however, it is almost certainly illegal. A Texas man experienced this issue firsthand when he was caught taking a picture of a student in her apartment complex in Milton. The student confronted the shutterbug over the incident, and the video is making the rounds online.
The video, which was originally shared to TikTok recently, sees a Texas man sporting a dark blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black headphones hung around his neck as he’s stood at the entrance of an apartment complex. He appears to be visibly contrite and apologetic about what he has done, and the person recording the confrontation is the student at the heart of the drama.
While the act was not caught on camera, the evidence of what the shutterbug did is clear in the clip. Accompanying the opening is a brief snippet of context that gives viewers some detail: “I was studying at MY apartment and this man started harassing me and got caught taking picture of me [sic]”
At the beginning of the clip, the student is explaining to the man what he’s done wrong, exclaiming, “–In a private space that I pay money to do. Dude, you just broke the law.” The enthusiastic photographer then admits that he’s in the wrong, replying, “You’re right. I did. I’m deleting it, okay. That was not right of me.” though his emotions begin to overwhelm him and he starts to cry, as he’s holding his phone up to the camera to prove that he is deleting said pic.
However, while the man does delete the image, the student implores him to go into his Recently Deleted photos on his phone, as the image is still on there. “No, go to your Recently Deleted, ’cause I’m still in your Recently Deleted.” explains the student. Unfortunately, the Texas man doesn’t know how to do this, tearfully stating, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“What the hell? Who do you think you are? What the [expletive].” fires the frustrated student, as she takes over and goes into the man’s Recently Deleted images on his phone. After a few moments, the student accesses the man’s Recently Deleted files on his phone, and clear as day, there’s a picture of the student sat at her desk studying in her apartment. “Look, there’s my picture right there! This man right here was taking a picture of me.” Under his breath, and in a dejected tone, the man responds, “You can cancel me. That’s fine. I’m not anybody.“
People Reacting to the Peculiar Confrontation
As the clip circulates on social media, reactions to the video have been critical of the photographer’s actions, but also sympathetic to his apologetic demeanor. Over on TikTok, one comment read, “He took accountability so we have to give grace.” while another simply added, “WHY IS HE CRYING“. Others touched on how lonely the Texas man sounded in the video, with one person penning, “He sounds like he needs a friend or something 😂” A fourth netizen was less sympathetic, and declared, “He was crying because he was being recorded! Had she not been recording him, he would have continued to be hostile!“
