Some Q's about pictures of people.

DJ,
In the public domain, no need to ask permission....Depending on intent.
What that means is.... Non commercial use.
I never ask unless I want a Posed portrait.
I'm on the street at this very moment. If I had to ask to make photos, I'd go home and paint the kitchen.

If you feel the paranoia that exist out on the street, you'll never be comfortable working.
I am totally aware of this but won't let it stop me.
Just be innocent in your approach and you'll feel little if any resistance.

 

our societies become more paranoid and suspicious by the day ..... this is the direct result of psy-ops by the intelligence communities of the western govts , anyone with a modicum of intellectual honesty can verify this with a little research and an open mind..... it is a sad realization of orwells warnings to the citizen of the world about the direction society would take as fascist agendas were implimented in more and more places in the world,

the fear you feel in shooting freely in the spirit of the moment is one widely shared ...
i tend to shoot clandestinely , or i shoot in areas where a lot of activity is going on to minimize the chance of confrontation often i am just not feeling it and choose not to shoot in certain situations

the world is in a much worse place psychologically speaking fron the time cartier bresson thru winogrand shot candid portraits of the world , this is a sad loss that many choose not to think about, to avoid the emotional pain that realization brings


do what i do shoot anyway but size up the moment , and always respect a persons right not to be photographed

 

or do what shooter does:smile:......

 

Accosted For Taking Pictures Of Kids On Bikes

I was out walking the dog last night and a youngster on a bike approached. I got down and started snapping as I could see she was into it, smiling for the camera. Seconds later following mother goose was on top of me, cell phone out, calling her husband to complain about the pedophile in the park taking pictures, threatening to call the cops.

All this and these people live four houses down the street from me. I talk over the fence with her husband on my walks. As I walked back I spotted him and described what had happened... I could see him putting his cell phone away. He looked at me and said "What the hell were you doing taking pictures of little girls anyway?"

It's getting nuts out there folks. Be careful, whatever you think your rights as a photographer are.

Bokeh Diem

 

see my post re. 9:55, sorry for your unpleasant encounter ,community is dead

 

i'm quite uncomfortable taking pictures of strangers too. but using a micro 4/3 helps to a certain extend. i wonder how these guys do it, with their slr and stuff --> 100 Strangers

 

That looks like a fantastic idea for a project nokiamia... I think I'd like to do a 90 face project on similar lines.

Cheers

Brian

 

thee project is interesting but has a weak premise, you ask permission and shoot , and when you do the moment is gone.... as challenging as collecting stamps or presidental quarters

 

Dj, I can certainly empathise with your feelings regarding this topic - and at the same time I would like to think we still have the freedom to shoot whatever we wish in a public space... My advice would be to frame with your LCD in an obvious tourist fashion and blend right in.

As for the shot above of the girl - if I'd have been in the situation as described, I would have deleted the image from my camera, with respect for the feelings of the parents. Even if you know that your intentions were pure, you have to respect the wishes of the parents imho... I guess you could have asked the mother if it was OK to take the portrait on their behalf - offering to give them a print as a friendly neighbour? obviously too late now, but you live and learn...

Cheers

Brian

 

I feel uncomfortable taking open photos of people on the street as well in spite of my freedom to do so for private use, so I resort to surreptitious photos. I took some the others day with my film camera, and it'll be interesting to see what actually comes out. I had to judge the focus distance by feel while leaving my camera hanging from my neck and kinda pointing toward my subject. That works less well using a modern lens without distance markings, so if I do it with my GH1 I take a manual lens with me.

I do try to stay away from taking pictures of kids because I understand that concern - I wouldn't want strangers to take photos of my kids either, and I think kids should be off-limits anyway. But that's just a personal opinion.

 

My understanding was that you make a friend, find out their story and take their portrait to go with the story... a sort of street interview exercise. I read somewhere that making friends and being in comfortable company can lead to some fantastic environmental portraits.

Obviously there are other times, where you want to catch 'heat of the moment' activities in public spaces where you wouldn't take the time to introduce yourself to all involved.

I think there would be some value in developing the social skills necessary to do this exercise - and it could be a good way to get to know the characters in our cities/towns more... I may give it a go and see how I feel.

Cheers

Brian

 

This is one of the most useful resources out there (in my opinion)

The Photographer's Rights

 

We are not all streetshooters. There are many genre's to work in.
Streetshooters are fast becoming patriots. I mean they are aware of things like Cosina posted. There are areas of street work that also makes different genre's in itself.
Street work is about asking questions and questioning the answers.

If anyone is uncomfortable on the street, and still wants to do the work, well, ya have to find a way to do it. The issues presented are more about the human condition and conditioning than photography.
I for one work the street. Maybe it's my rebellious nature but I also try not to exploit anyone either.

 

I'd be curious to see if there's a 2010 version of that guide. More and more public places like court houses and police stations prohibit you from taking photographs of their buildings directly, although I'm not sure if that's actual law or just authorities over-stretching their bounds as usual. In other words, where does the photographer's rights clash with homeland security and terrorism threats?

One of my photographer friends also told me it was now illegal to take photos of children, although I'm not sure I believe that one.

 

From 'the Photographers' Rights'..

"Members of the public have a very limited scope of privacy rights when they are in public places. Basically, anyone can be photographed without their consent except when they have
secluded themselves in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy such as dressing rooms, restrooms,
medical facilities, and inside their homes."

Permissible Subjects
Despite misconceptions to the contrary, the following subjects can almost always be photographed lawfully from public places:
accident and fire scenes
children
celebrities
bridges and other infrastructure
residential and commercial buildings
industrial facilities and public utilities
transportation facilities (e.g., airports)
Superfund sites
criminal activities
law enforcement officers

 

Bokeh, that looks either out of date or not relevant to the UK. It would be nice to have a definitive up to date guide.

Cheers

Brian

 

check this out!

Are Cameras the New Guns?

 

That's the reason I'm asking if there's an updated guide taking into account recent changes in laws because of fear of terrorism and police being caught in the act of potential acts of brutality. I figure I don't want to go to jail or have my camera confiscated (good luck getting it back!) if I can avoid it.