What is considered ‘off limits’ in photography? Well, the answer of course can certainly vary from one photographer to the next.
These days, photographing children raises a red flag for many people and some photographers steer clear away from them. There may be a sense of ‘intrusion’ into the lives of these children, and photographing them may just not feel right. There is also the perceived risk that someone may call the authorities suggesting that the photographs are being taken for sexually motivated reasons. Other photographers that photograph children do so in order to show the true beauty and innocence of who children are. They don’t care about perceived risks as they know that the photographs they take are artful and ethical. Completely different sides of the story, right?
Another interesting choice of subject to some photographers are street scenes — capturing the beauty of surroundings with people passing by. No wrong doing right? Well again, to some photographers, there is a sense of discomfort in shooting complete strangers without getting their permission first. Other photographers that know their rights (it’s legal to photograph anyone in a public place) have no issue with the ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ policy.
There are many interesting subjects to shoot, and which is right depends on the photographer’s preference, taste, and comfort zone. What subject matter are YOU uncomfortable shooting and why?
For more on this subject, check out the Photography subjects — off limits thread in our photography forum.
These days you can’t be too careful..especially if you walk around with a pro-looking camera and a long lens. I often shoot Engagement Sessions with a lens that looks like a bazooka and go out of my way to avoid backgrounds with children in them. It’s just not worth the hassle.
I don’t think there are ANY photography subjects that are OFF LIMITS with the exception of images created by harming someone. Child porn, snuff images and other such harmful creations should be OFF LIMITS because of the way they are created.
Other difficult subjects should be totally open and available for the photographer who can handle taking the shot. Quite often these are stories that need to be told.
I wish I could put my fingers on the article I read (or heard on CBC Radio) about a photographer who took a controversial image. If I remember correctly, the subject of the image recorded the last moments of a soldier’s life. He felt he may have invaded that man’s privacy and profited from his death.
A close friend or relative of the dead man took the time to track down and thank the photographer for image because it showed the true cost of war and honoured the soldier’s memory. It was a very powerful message.