Was I the asshole?

Would it have been a nice gesture to move out of the way for a moment, if asked nicely? Yes.

Was it reasonable that you didn’t when someone started rudely flapping their arms at you?
Also, yes.

He was rude and you did the right thing.

100%

Someone else's preoccupation with taking a fucking photo of every single thing they see isn't my problem. I wouldn't be moving an inch😅

I wouldn’t have moved. The art is there to be looked at using your eyes, which are a million times better than an iPhone camera. If they want a photo with no one else in it then there will be better ones available online. Otherwise you get to the ridiculous position like at the Mona Lisa where no one can actually see the art because ether are so many people taking (crap) photos of it. Look, move on, download a picture from Wikipedia.

All of this. I'm honestly amazed at how many people are saying that you should have moved at the request of somebody (a man no less), who was being a bit of a dick about it. A classic case of 'The OP is always wrong'. If 'it would cost the OP nothing to move for ten seconds' then it would equally cost nothing for the impatient tosser to wait.

Absolute YANBU.

I honestly wish that it was forbidden to take photos in all museums and galleries, it would make the whole experience so much more enjoyable. It sets my teeth on edge that so many people are more concerned with getting photos than actually being in the moment and enjoying the in-person experience. There are already professional photos online of practically everything in every art gallery or museum if you want to refer back to it, why do you need one on your own camera phone.

Agreed! I actually didn't get to the top of Snowdon, but I got to the back of the queue for taking a photo at the top of Snowdon, and I couldn't be bothered to stand in it, so I began my descent after enjoying the view from not-quite-the-top for a while.

I wouldn't have moved for him either. In fact, I would have taken my phone out and told him to move.

Could you have moved immediately? Yes.
Should you have had to? Fuck no.
Are you an asshole for that? Absolutely not.

You have as much of a right to be standing somewhere or looking at something at your leisure just as much as anyone else does.
I understand wanting to get a photo of something, but that doesn't mean that you're therefore allowed to order people to move at the drop of a hat.
For most normal people, if they're trying to get a photo of a monument or sculpture, they would simply wait until most people had moved out of the frame rather than shooing people away.

IMO, you did the right thing, OP. I'd have stayed firmly where I was until I was prepared to move in my own time and not a moment sooner 😂

If the man had 'common decency' he wouldn't have shooed her.

YABU - why is it such a big deal to move for 10 seconds? How was your enjoyment affected by moving aside? Loads of people want photos free of people.

I think it depends on the amount of time you took there. I usually wait a couple of minutes for people to move if I want to take a photo of something. If a person wants to spend a lengthy time in front of a sculpture (which is fine of course) I think it’s nice to step aside for a short time to allow others to take a photo.

All the references to this being a cultural thing are BS, in my opinion. This took place in Europe. To shoo someone away would pretty much be considered universally rude anywhere in Europe.

The OP has later confirmed he looked East Asian, so yeah, probably a cultural thing. But he's not in his own country so he should adapt. Same way that I wouldn't snog my boyfriend in public in Saudi Arabia and I'd wear something conservative if visiting the Vatican. Civilised people adjust their behaviour to the local expectations.

He was rude, OP and I wouldn't have budged, In fact, I'd have settled in for the long haul.

Common decency has been all but obliterated. Would it really be that hard to move away for a matter of seconds? Then again, he could’ve had the decency to ask politely. In either case, common decency & politeness towards others is becoming a thing of the past

Don’t be daft: he shooed her! Beyond rude and he deserved to be ignored.

You should have pushed him in!

I had a similar experience with a man trying to pose two women on a bridge and take pictures yelling at people to move on the (crowded) bridge.

It was a major transit route at Alton Towers, the mind boggles at the entitlement.

ESH. He should have asked politely. You should have moved.

Cameras out during the bows! Just ridiculous.

Remember what you saw in your head!

I don’t mind people taking photos of their view before the play starts review sites as those are helpful, but I feel like the bows are part of the show and like to see them.

I think the issue was, they’d have had to pack up their whole picnic to move!

People and their need to take photos of absolutely everything with no one in shot is getting absolutely exhausting!

See the queues on top of Yr Wyddfa/ Snowdon for example. Preventing actual climbers from getting to just touch the trig (summit).

I might have accommodated him but I agree that his manner of asking would have put me off- and really this whole thing is getting too much!

If only they took a fraction of a second!

Oh, my gosh, did it take them an hour to take a photo? Well, then, stand your ground! Less than 30 seconds? You were being unreasonable.

Also, photos are taken in fractions of a second. You were being unreasonable.

If you don't think so, fair play to you. I disagree but I respect your opinion. However, I did specifically indicate why I thought the man's actions can't automatically be ascribed to sexism, and you cut that part out of the quoted post.

I land here after thinking about it. He was rudely shooing a woman away from a popular tourist site that she was enjoying/studying. He notably didn't try to shoo the male tourist who appeared to do the same thing.

Sometimes we don't get to take the pictures we want to take it busy, public spaces. It really is that simple.

I don't think it makes much difference!