A guy once asked for my photo at Stockwell Station, and as it's not the first time it's happened -I've been spotted/scouted/whatever the fuck that's called more than a few times, and I never have any idea as to why- But anyway, it seemed harmless enough, he had a nice camera and it could have been another street fashion blogger or something trying to get a shot of me. Not that weird (for me).

So I agree, since I wasn't wearing anything revealing in any way since it was fuck-off cold (this was in winter), and he was polite enough to ask (many people don't, and I catch them in the act of trying to discreetly hold up a fucking huge Canon camera with huge lenses attached, as if I'm fucking blind, but ANYWAY YES I'M GETTING ON WITH IT) and he gave me a business card with an email on it and everything like all the other photographers usually do, so I asked him if he just wanted a standing pose or what.

He said sitting on the bench just waiting for a train was fine, and I was like okay, so not-quite-a-pose, cool cool, this is normal, and then...

...He sat his little girl down next to me.

What the fuck.

So he took a couple shots of me sitting with his daughter, who was about six or so if I had to guess, and the train arrived so he shook my hand and asked to meet up- which is when I know street photographers are notttt actually street photographers- and I declined politely but firmly, as I had no idea if this weirdo would throw me in front of the train or what if he took offence to anything, and this young girl was right there.

I doubt he would have done anything in front of his daughter (and I would have reported this to the police somehow if they hadn't been genuinely behaving like father/child, I had no reason to suspect she was kidnapped or anything, which was a minor reassurance) but I was still paranoid now, because this was now one of the Weird Photographers, who are unfortunately hard to tell from Actually Legitimate Bloggers/Photographers/Magazine People etc. and so sometimes these incidents happen.

So thankfully, the train pulls in, after what felt like five million years, and he thanked me and I said no problem and now I do my damndest to avoid the shit out of that whole area out of weirdo paranoia.

I know it doesn't sound THAT weird. But it was fucking bizarre. Never had a dude ask for my photo and then have his young kid sit next to me, like we were related or something.

I have no idea what the photo could be for, as (since I was really freaked out) I just bolted and I guess in my "what the fuck was that" haze I lost the business card he gave me. Figures. I'd have loved to have reported him to the police if the site or email was suspicious or weird, but as this was a year or more ago now, I just have to be happy with reporting it to tube staff and hopefully they gave a shit enough about the "suspicious incident" to write it down somewhere and pass it on to someone, or something.

I still let people photograph me on the street or wherever as long as they ask and they have proof or a business card etc. where I can contact them or look things up, and as long as they don't get creepy after I agree, which has also happened before.

The weirdest part overall I guess is that so many fucking people want my picture for so many reasons. Slightly unrelated, my favourite was a group of Chinese uni tourists who started cheering at me and asked to take my photo when I was walking around just getting groceries while dressed like Boy George, because I'm queer and sometimes I like to throw my 100% into things.

I told them I wasn't actually Boy George, and they were like, we know, we just don't give a shit, can we have pictures with you? You're awesome! And who can turn down a bunch of people cheering you on? Time to break out the peace signs and stupid Instagram filters!

So somewhere, there is a group of extremely happy Chinese university students with a bunch of photos of me with them doing weird poses on some photo site somewhere, and I remember actually being sent one by someone a couple years ago, but sadly I have switched laptops since then, and no longer have it.

I think I still have the one Made in Camden took of me, and a few others, but generally I just find the photography thing weird. It's cool, it's fun, but it can also be creepy as fuck. Depends on the situation and where they go with it.

But this tube incident was particularly unsettling. Can't even say why, it was just so bizarre. Nobody's ever sat a kid next to me and had that weirdly casual air about them while taking street photos of me. Usually it's either fun and goofy and energetic, or professionally directed (at least, as much as is possible).

But this dude was just like, as if he was taking a family photo. Me, the six foot tall punk rock flamboyant queer and his little girl. That seemed so wrong that I immediately reported it to the TfL attendant, and they said they'd file that for me and get back to me, but nobody ever did.

I kinda really hope the police got ahold of it, though. Although I lost that fucking business card, which I'm still angry about, since that could have been some good proof or evidence or whatever.

But I left as much information as I had (exact time/place/etc. and I even wrote down the number of the carriage he got on, just in case it was actually a kidnapping or some other weird shit, or if he's doing something weird with the photos, I don't know) and handed that over, filled in a report, and all that.

But they never got back to me, so who the fuck knows, there's just some guy wandering around London with his kid, taking pictures with total strangers.

Which.... I never thought about this before, but I think it bothers me because the little girl had like no problem at all with that, like it was totally normal. I'd imagine nobody would want their young child anywhere near a stranger--

--Wow, I sure fucking hope I didn't encounter a kidnapper or some shit. This was forever ago, but FUCK. I was just so creeped out. Can't even explain why. It was his whole demeanour. I would have grilled him or something, but I was like, I don't want to traumatise this kid.

This is only one of many fucked up TfL/tube encounter stories I have, but this one sticks out the most to me.