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Photographing in public spaces

tuga

tuga

Legal Alien
I went for a walk this morning to try out a new camera. I don't usually photograph picturesque urban settings but I want to experiment a bit with the metering modes and this nice row of townhouses looked challenging.
I framed the photo, took one shot and this posh old lady comes out of the building grumbling that her home was private property and that I shouldn't be photographing it without asking for permission. Earlier in the day some chap who sat in a bench at the park got all angry because I took a photo and he was in it.
Is Covid isolation driving people mad(er)/angry(er)?
I have been photographing for over 25 years and I've hardly ever had anyone complain let alone tell me off for taking a picture of a façade...
 
https://www.blpawards.org/competition/photo-rights

https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/ph/photography-advice/

https://www.geppsolicitors.co.uk/site/blog/taking-pictures-without-the-owners-consent

i am always very cautious. If I notice someone pointing a camera in such a way that might include me so that I am identifiable, i will ask them politely not to or will turn myself away. I have been photographing for about 40 years and i have been regularly asked to not photo things.
 
In a public place you do not need permission to take photos. That does not mean some people might object even if they have no legal right to do so.
 
Cav said:
In a public place you do not need permission to take photos. That does not mean some people might object even if they have no legal right to do so.
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Yes, I know that. I was completely baffled by this lady's claim that I had to ask for her permission to photograph the façade of her home...

I understand and respect if someone asks me not to take their picture and never shove the camera in someone's face. I find Bruce Gilden's approach obnoxious and at times downright offensive.
 
Using a camera in Edinburgh is fine, everyone is taking photos. Doing the same in Reading results in public annoyance, bad looks despite the very interesting railway architecture.
 
herb said:
Using a camera in Edinburgh is fine, everyone is taking photos. Doing the same in Reading results in public annoyance, bad looks despite the very interesting railway architecture.
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Here in Oxford one should be seeing hundreds of tourist at this time of the year. Now I'm the only person around and I am carrying a camera...
 
mansr said:
If in doubt, use a tele lens so they don't notice you.
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that could work if you're going for a voyeur effect, but street shots are typically most effective from an up-close-and-personal, wide-angle perspective.
 
I always ask if someone is in the foreground. I remember at a Gay Pride rally in Tel Aviv there were all these people, mostly naked with leather bits around them and feathers on their heads, I'd ask and they were invariably friendly and cooperative. In more "normal" situations people are usually pleased that you ask them first and don't object. Sometimes they do object so I back off. I've noticed that if you pre-set focus and depth-of-field and hold the camera over your head people find it less invasive. When you do it with a Rolleiflex or Hasselblad and bend back to look up into the viewfinder they probably think you are photographing the sky. A paper bag with a hole for the lens can also work. But in general people appreciate respect and politeness.
 
If you want to trick people, you can have someone pretend to be posing for you while you're actually pointing the camera in a slightly different direction.

I'm not defending such actions, just amusing myself thinking of ways of being sneaky.
 
Being sneaky always draws attention, better to take the shot with a friendly smile, and politely engage with the subject if challenged, offer to send them a copy of the image, etc...
 
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