Taking picture of strangers

[Yisehaq]

Hi guys,
I find it very difficult to take picture of people on the street. The problems are two faced.
1. Will it be fair to take picture of people sitting in a cafe or waiting for a taxi without thier consent? In what condition will that be okay?
2. The other thing is if you get their consent to take their picture most people will be a camera concious and they will ruin the mood they were in.

Please share your experience. May be we will have cultural difference but just wanted to hear your opnion on that.

cheers,

[tomorrowstreasures]

Yisehaq - I can so identify with what you are saying. Last summer, I tried my hand at that - I was at a festival in West Virginia, US - there were some girls dancing to the music - just a neat shot. I was about 100 feet away from them. I had a little sony cybershot - so not even a big lens or camera - they "caught" me. They stopped dancing, then were looking right at me and making me feel like I was intruding on some very private moment and started acting very put off. ...It was embarrassing. Then, there was a man that had the coolest tattoos and rings galore... i finally worked up the nerve to ask him if I could photograph his arms and hands - which he allowed but that shot was rushed and not what i wanted. so, there you go, one with permission, one without, neither worked. I want to try again, but feel so invasive doing so.:(
*sigh*..

[jjeling]

I have always pondered this same thoughts. While at one hand, it seems like there is a problem with it, the poparazzi does it all the time. I assume it is legal, but prefer not to do it in that fashion. Since they just want a snapshot, creativity means nothing to them. I have only tried this in New York, but I generally used a telephoto lens. It kept me far enough away so that the subject didn't even know I was there, and it also helped isolate them. In one rare occasion, I took a picture of a man sleeping on a bench with a 55mm lens, but he was sleeping so I did not care too much. Sometimes it does feel weird doing that, but if you can pull it off without them knowing, it seems to work a lot better. You can keep the tone of the image without them ruining it, and you do not have to worry whether or not they care. In todays world, there shouldn't be much of a problem with it. With the government taking our picture to keep tabs on you vs. a few creative images from a photographer, shouldnt be much of a problem.

[Marko]

The laws on these things vary from country to country. I believe it's legal to take a picture of anyone but selling the image normally requires consent.

These things are so tricky. I CAN tell you that if you ask someone if you can take their picture, most people are flattered and say yes....but then the mood is sometimes ruined. (On the plus side you can get in much closer and feel more comfortable)
If you want take the shot without asking - then ethically you may feel bad but you get the spontaneous shot. One suggestion might be to take the shot then tell the person you took it and send them a copy by email....

[Ben H]

We've talked about this here before I think. Personally, I'm uncomfortable taking candid shots of strangers without their consent, it feels like an invasion of privacy.

In the UK, if it's in a public place, it's "legal", just doesn't seem very polite or respectful.

I was at an event on private property which was essentially a Christmas kids party - I was there to document things, but if I was taking specific pictures of kids doing various activities (eg having their faces painted) rather than general crowd pics, I would almost always be involving the parents - for instance, I might shoot a few pics of the kid, and then make conversation with their parents, either let them know what I was doing, or generally make sure they were ok with what I was doing - it also helps to show them some of the pics you're taking so they can be dazzled with how great their kids look.

If possible, I like to give the parents the opportunity of being able to get copies of the pics, preferably free of charge, as an extra bonus.

If you are on the level, and seem trustyworthy and not like you are talking pics for questionable purposes, and are happy to involve the parents/subject, then I've found most people are fine with it.

In some cases, if I felt the shot was *really* worth it, I'd take the candid, then probably approach the subject afterwards, although this hasn't happened yet

I also feel rather more comfortable at an "event" taking shots of people (say, a festival), rather than on the street on elsewhere in more "normal" life.

[Mad Aussie]

I've recently gone through all this and joined the Australian Institute of Professional Photgraphers (AIPP) in order to get access to the right information and become an accredited photographer, which takes time.

The short story in Australia is simple.

There is no right to privacy that protects a persons image.

Unless a person is in a place where they can expect a 'reasonable level of privacy' such as a toilet, shower, bedroom, fenced backyard for example, then it's legal to photograph them as long other laws aren't broken.
For instance, take a photo of a celebrity scratching his danglies and he can claim that you have damaged his reputation and therefore sue you for defamation.

However, if you are planning to sell your photo, and unless it's completely unpractical to do so, a model release should be sort if the photo contains a person(s) that is/are obviously the main subject of the photo.

Long story short, I can legally stand on a public footpath and take a photo of anyone in their front yard working on their car or BBQ'ing (sunbaking topless might be pushing the privilidge) and there is no law to stop me here in Australia.

[Barefoot]

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/12/stealth_lens_tu.php

[Yisehaq]

Thanks guys, its good to know its the same all over.

[merman]

i shoot alot at skateparks that are crawling with people, i like to keep a pen and pad of paper to exchange email adresses, plus its a really cool feeling to take a great shot walk up to the person and introduce yourself and say "Hey i got a great shot of you, heres my email" people generally get pretty stoked about it.
at the same time no one likes emabarassing shots of themselves, be careful and respectful.