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He was either focusing on women or red light jumpers
You didn't find out which he was focussing on? Obviously both would make him a wanker, just one more literally than the other.
I was going to ask if you were sure he wasn't just taking snaps of street scenes, I see nothing wrong with a bit of photography for photography's sake and there is a limit to the amount of privacy one can expect when out in public, but the transcript of your conversation makes it clear his motives were dubious.
middleofnowhere-
The timings of his raised mobile phone would have made it a coincidence if he weren't taking photos of either red light jumpers or women, or both. My brief empirical investigation was nowhere near large enough to suggest concrete results. Whilst I waited at the lights a number of cyclists jumped them, the majority were female.
His choice of location, equipment and actions didn't suggest amateur photographer taking snaps of London to me, but that's my assumptions and biases.
He did take a photo of me as I approached him so maybe I should wait for that to show up somewhere.
overtheroad
Waiting at the lights to head across Waterloo Road and east along The Cut this morning I spotted an older gent on the pedestrian crossing bollard taking pictures on his phone of cyclists. He was either focusing on women or red light jumpers, either way it put my back up.
I gave him a yell of "alright snappy, snaps - what you taking photos of?" to try and embarrass him into stopping, to no avail. After the lights changed to green I pulled up next to him and asked him what he was doing.
"Taking photos."
"Why?"
"For Facebook."
"You're weird."
"Get lost you wanker."
"You're a wanker."
Will keep my eyes peeled for him next week.