Vent: That older guy at the park who told me I was 'looking at clouds wrong'

I was at Balboa Park last Thursday taking pics of a big lenticular cloud over the museum, and this older dude walks up and says I was 'wasting a good shot by not focusing on the edges.' He stood there for 10 minutes explaining how I should frame it with trees and shadows. Has anyone else had a random stranger try to give you unsolicited cloud photo advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

colemiller7d ago

Man, people really cannot help themselves sometimes. It feels like everyone thinks they're the main character in somebody else's day. I've noticed this pattern where strangers just decide you need their personal expertise on whatever you're doing, whether it's taking photos, loading your truck at Home Depot, or buying produce. They see you doing something that looks approachable and they just wade in with their unsolicited wisdom. It's like there's a whole class of folks who never learned that just because you have an opinion doesn't mean you need to share it. Maybe it's a generational thing or maybe some people just don't have enough of their own stuff going on. Either way, you have my sympathy and your cloud photo was probably just fine without the tree framing.

rileygonzalez7d ago

That thing you said about "just because you have an opinion doesn't mean you need to share it" really hits a nerve. I've noticed the same pattern creeping into other parts of life too, like how people feel the need to comment on your parenting in the grocery store or critique your lawn care technique from their porch. It seems like a lot of folks have lost the ability to just let someone be and trust they know what they're doing. Maybe it's related to how we're all plugged in and overstimulated now, looking for any distraction from our own heads. Either way, I find myself nodding more and talking less in public these days.