Some people on here take some really fantastic street photos of people. From what I understand, there are two ways to accomplish this: ask first, or just take it. There's a whole slew of privacy concerns. So you could take frontal (with faces) or rear (can't see faces) photos. I'm in the USA, and my understanding is as long as you're in public, you're fair game for having your photo taken. It's way easier just to take the photo and continue on your way.
What's everyone's thoughts and experiences? Has anyone approached you and gotten hot and bothered, forbidding their photo from being taken? Avoid photos of children or women?
From my recent experience, no one knows what you're taking a picture of, and can be so kind as to walk around you to avoid interrupting your shot. What's your take on it?
I took a photo of a little girl watching a parade a couple of weeks ago. I felt kind of uncomfortable doing so, and when her father noticed me, he seemed uncomfortable as well, but by then I had already taken the photo and it was too late to ask permission, so I decided not to post it and deleted it.
I went out and took my first "street" scene today. I decided to do it candidly, so I just put the lens up, zoomed in and took the picture. Public place, so I wasn't worried about it, but it's taken me a month and a half to really get up the courage to even go out and try it. I actually enjoyed my result, so I'm probably going to do it again.
I was at the farmers market last fall, just holding my camera up, looking thru the viewfinder but not actually taking picutres. This woman came up to me all hot and bothered and told me that I better not be taking pictures of her. I assured it I wasn't but it was a very uncomfortable interaction
I would think its always best to ask 1st this way you can have a conversation with the person and get to know them and have a better story to tell. But there are people out there that dont like to have there photo taken and I think thats fine. There will always be other people to take photos of.
@pwallis if they are in public are they not free game? a child watching a parade is a sweet moment and I would of talked to them after and maybe gotten a email so they could of had a copy of a moment in time between father and daughter and if then after he still said he didn't want the photo then you could of deleted it.
I think its best to take a small notebook and pen with me for moments like that.
@relicsong Good idea! It may have just been me projecting my discomfort on the father too. Maybe he was totally fine with it, I just felt so invasive that I read his reaction as discomfort, lol
I got "sure, why not"', smiles, got people shaking their heads, a guy insisted that I take his photo with my camera, long inquisitive questions (especially from older ladies), and I believe a bottle or a glass thrown at.
The thing is for me, I'd like raw expressions. I know some oppose street photography, but its street photos that tell the stories of raw human living environments, IMO :-)
@andifree Freudian slip with the "it" comment? That was totally uncalled for...being in a public place means there are no expectations to privacy. Sheesh!
I would never take pictures of children in public. too me that is so wrong. If i saw someone taking a pic of my child I would be so mad. today you have to worry that someone would photoshop that pic and make it look like my child was naked or something. I would make the person delete the pic and probably call the police afraid the person was a child predator or something. im not trying to insult anyone but this is how i would feel. Now if my hubby caught them they would probably be on the ground looking for their teeth.
@jeancarl That's so true. I'm really chomping at the bit to do street photography. But I want to do it tastefully, without exploiting my subjects. I just got a photo of a young lady the other day, but I asked her permission and she was more than happy to pose for a picture.
@jeancarl That is true. Raw expression is best if not neccessary caught unnoticed, without warning. So sometime I take the photo and ask at the same time. Usually they don't mind. But this is Thailand anyway. People are more relaxed about it I suppose.
@annlessner It is unfortunate that the world does this. "These people" also do bad things to photos of adults. Because of these few bad apples, the cute moments of life are never captured with the best intentions. There are so many times while I'm taking regular shots, when a parent and child walk past. The child says something precious or does something funny that makes me chuckle. I guess that is where the two worlds conflict and the uneasiness shows up.
On black Friday, I tried to take a photo of the people leaning on a box waiting to be opened.. a whole bunch of people started yelling at me, so I deleted it.. I haven't had the courage to do a street scene since.
Its very sad, and im afraid there will come a time where children will be no longer photographed...what a sad world we live in, in our zeal to protect children we are essentially erasing them :(
If someone sees me with my camera and asks me not to take their picture - I don't. Usually I wasn't going to anyway :-) I feel people have a right to privacy and I honor that. I have certainly taken street pictures tho.
@annlessner Sorry, but your reply rubbed me all kinds of wrong. If that is truly how you feel, you need to not ever go out in public. Hate to tell you this, but predators try to blend in. They're not going to be walking around with a camera. Unfortunately, they don't need to photoshop your kid onto a naked body, there's thousands of kids being exploited for that already. And if your hubby knocked someone's teeth out for taking a picture... well, you'd spend the next 3-5 years visiting him on weekends through a plexiglass window.
@jeancarl I take street photos everyday. I have the theory if you ask for permission it is not candid street but posed photos. I do not ask for permission and always have a smile while taking the shot. I have only been confronted once in over two years and I told them what I was doing and they were fine with it. I am taking shots of what is happening on the streets today so I can capture the fun, unique and current events that are impacting us as we go about our daily business. As a female, I seem to be able to take photos of everyone. I know from my fellow male street photographers, children are hard so they don't attemp it unless they are in a crowd. I love this type of shooting and most of my photos are street shots. Get out and just snap...
I have not asked, yet I have only done a few shots of strangers (on purpose) Lately people just walk right in front of my lens and get captured... and it works.
Here in Hawaii we get a lot of Japanese tourist and ive noticed that they take a lot of pictures of the kids here. Which in fact it happens fairly often to my kids. At first I thought it was strange but Ive kind of gotten used to it, and take it as a compliment. I have some friends here with kids too and they said its happened to them very frequently also, mainly at the the touristy destinations. Also today we had another couple of tourists try to interact with my boys (of course neither of us spoke each others language) but it was so fun to watch them give my kids high fives and play with them, they too took a picture of my boys.
For me I personally dont feel right taking pictures of a random child, its just out of my comfort zone. And Ive yet to get the courage to take pictures of strangers. Im very interested in street photography but think im too shy to do it.
well like i said i wasnt trying to insult anyone I was just giving my honest opinion. I am scared when it comes to my kids. i dont believe anyone has the right to photograph you without your permission. I guess that is why I do mainly scenery. invading someone elses privacy is just not my thing.
I always avoid full-face photographs of people because they may have reasons - sometimes perfectly honest and understandable and sometimes not - for not wishing to be seen in that location. I always ask before taking a recogizable picture, even though the law allows it, and try to avoid getting children in my pictures, even if the person with them has no objection - unless they are at a distance in a crowd, or just back views or silhouettes. My main rule is to hold the camera openly so that there is no suggestion of lurking or voyeurism, and smile or say hello to anyone who looks in my direction, whether they are in shot or not.
I love street photography and take a lot of pictures in the streets. I think I is great for documentation and a kind of art in itself. There are many different ways for taking pictures of strangers and many styles and purposes. Sometime I feel embarrassed to take picture and try to make myself inconspicuous. At other times I just take picture straight forwards. Usually talk to people, smile and explain what I am doing . During the time and with my coring knowledge in photography I became more confident. There were times that people got angry and then I did not make any use of their picture. There was one time for instance that I took picture of very religious Jews on the street on Saturday and the woman was annoyed because it is forbidden to do in their belief. Most of the time people do not mind at all. I myself was photographed by strangers and can understand the kind of inconvenience that is attached to it. The main concern is at being used especially in an unflattering way. When I have a clean conscious as to what I do I think that is what other people perceive.
I missed a great photo opportunity today as I was too shy to ask permission, this guy was doing parkour and ran up the side of our cathedral and did a back flip. Wish I'd captured it, perhaps I'll see him again...
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@pwallis if they are in public are they not free game? a child watching a parade is a sweet moment and I would of talked to them after and maybe gotten a email so they could of had a copy of a moment in time between father and daughter and if then after he still said he didn't want the photo then you could of deleted it.
I think its best to take a small notebook and pen with me for moments like that.
The thing is for me, I'd like raw expressions. I know some oppose street photography, but its street photos that tell the stories of raw human living environments, IMO :-)
People who live in fear irritate me.
http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2011/01/photography-and-the-law/
I have not asked, yet I have only done a few shots of strangers (on purpose) Lately people just walk right in front of my lens and get captured... and it works.
For me I personally dont feel right taking pictures of a random child, its just out of my comfort zone. And Ive yet to get the courage to take pictures of strangers. Im very interested in street photography but think im too shy to do it.
Well, this is a delicate subject... I'm reading a lot about "my permissions"... http://www.pixiq.com/article/street-photography-and-the-law http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/76032.aspx