09/01/2026
⚠️ PARENTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS & YOUNG ADULTS — PLEASE READ & SHARE ⚠️
Something came across my photography business today that really made me stop and think, and I feel like this needs to be talked about.
There is a social media trend involving “stranger photoshoots.” The basic idea is that a photographer finds two people who supposedly do not know each other, gives them some information about one another without showing pictures, and then they meet for the first time at a photoshoot.
On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc., it can look adorable. Two strangers meet, there’s chemistry, everybody laughs, the pictures are beautiful, and maybe there’s even a romantic connection.
But please remember: social media shows you what someone wants you to see.
We have absolutely no way of knowing whether every viral “stranger” photoshoot actually involves strangers. Those people could be friends. They could already know one another. They could have been screened beforehand. The entire thing could even be staged for content.
The problem comes when somebody watches that video and decides to recreate it with an actual stranger from the internet.
I was recently asked through my photography business about doing this type of session. After learning that I would be responsible for finding the male participant, I declined.
Not because I don’t like the photography idea. Because I cannot guarantee another human being’s safety.
I am a photographer, but I am also a mother and I work in security. That part of me immediately started asking questions:
Who is this person really?
How do I verify what they’ve told me?
Do they have a violent history?
Are they giving me their real identity?
What are their intentions?
What happens after the photoshoot?
If I choose that person, does the other participant believe that means I have personally vetted them and can guarantee they’re safe?
I can’t.
A photographer is not automatically a professional background investigator, dating service, law-enforcement agency, or security screening company. Someone appearing friendly in messages or having a normal-looking social media profile does not establish that they’re safe.
And while the worst-case possibilities are rare, meeting strangers can carry risks including harassment, assault, stalking, kidnapping, or other violence. Those possibilities are enough for me to say no photograph, viral video, amount of money, likes, shares, or TikTok trend is worth gambling with somebody’s safety.
This isn’t only about young women, either. Men can be victims too. Parents, please talk to your teenagers and young adults about this stuff. And adults, please have these conversations with your friends.
We’ve watched internet challenges become popular before and then discovered how dangerous they could be. Something going viral does not mean somebody qualified has determined it’s safe.
My daughter is graduating high school this year, and these are the same conversations I have with her. I would rather have her roll her eyes at Mom for being overly cautious than have her assume something is safe simply because thousands of people online are doing it.
And as a photographer, there’s something else I want people to know about my business:
Your safety matters more to me than your money.
If somebody offers me a session that I don’t believe I can conduct responsibly and safely, I will turn down the money. Period.
Creativity is wonderful. Photography should be fun. Trying something different can make incredible memories.
But safety comes first. Every single time.
Please teach your kids that the internet isn’t reality just because somebody hit “record.” ❤️
Feel free to share this. If it makes even one person stop and think before meeting a stranger because of something they saw online, then this conversation was worth having.
