Kisses and insults...

I've heard about a lawsuit here where a photographer was candidly shooting topless women sunbathers on the beach here. He got sued for what basically amounts to molestation. The women won.
 
Where are the pictures of the girls?
It is a bit difficult for me to get involved in discussion prior to seeing the pictures.
 
tom.w.bn said:
I am sure you know that there is something between offensive style street and asking everyone on the photo for permission.
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And I am equally sure you know that people who take offence are seldom likely to make any distinction.

I had a screaming harpy emerge from a caravan to demand why I was taking pictures of 'her property'. I wasn't. I was taking pictures of the facilities block at a municipal campsite, no people present, to illustrate what you can expect in rural France (quite a high standard). I think the corner of her caravan may have been in shot...

Wuld you care to try to make a legal distinction between 'offensive style street' and any other sort of photography? One that would stand up in court?

Cheers,

R.
 
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I wouldn't even respond. Why bother talking? It's only cheap egoism. You aren't going to change her mind. I'd just move on.
 
This post reminded me of a incident that occured to me a few months ago in DC. I was taking some pics of my wife near capitol hill in one of those parks. The cherry trees were in bloom and she wanted some pics to send to her parents. I had to stand a little far back since i was using a 85mm lens on my D200 (sorry RF guys). She got highly aggitated when she saw this guy snapping pics of her from behind a tree. I looked round and saw the guy using a 300mm lens and aim it straight at her, then absolutluy bolt the moment he realised i spotted her. My wife was upset over the incident for quite a while. I know it's a public park, but i wonder how i would have reacted if he came up and then insisted on his rights??

Sorry it was OT. I don't think the OP was wrong just a smile would have helped.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Wuld you care to try to make a legal distinction between 'offensive style street' and any other sort of photography? One that would stand up in court?
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I am not a lawyer but I know that here in Germany there are restrictions regarding photography of people. Not everything around people photography is allowed but on the other side you don't have to ask every person on a photo for permission. There are distinctions regarding the place (private, public spaces, spaces belonging to a non public property owner, etc.) and context (it's a difference if you visit an event or just walk the street, if you are one in a group, or you are the main subject in the picture, etc.).

We Germans tend to over-regiment and it sounds way more complicated than without regimentation but when I look at summaries of legal cases then we don't have a problem with too many photography cases in front of the courts. So I would say it's possible to make a legal distinction that does not lead to total confusion.

And it's even possible to publish photos of people in the press or have photos in an art exhibition.
 
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Reglementation in Germany? I'm so ignorant. I thought it was a French word.

In English law we have phrases like
"that which a reasonable person would be likely to be offended by"

In English we have rules of grammar. Try, "that which would offend a reasonable person". (English is my second language.)

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Pico is so crabby this morning.
 
Sorry to hear of Your Verbal Attack...though I do Think You handled Yourself with Smooth Ease.

Can we see the pixs Please.... :D
 
Juan,

You should watch the movie Blow-up of Michelangelo Antonioni. And next time, simply tell them you were doing your job like others.

Besides, is there really a difference between taking pictures of strange women and simply looking at them?
 
I think people, even photographers, need to respect people. If you choose to do what can be conceived as creepy photography, you have to take responsibility for your actions and realize that some people are just not going to like you. Just as you say it is your right to photograph in public, it was that woman's right to yell at you in public... even if she wasn't in the photo.
 
Since when has dishing out verbal abuse in public been the right of any individual? :)
 
Getting confronted happens less than one would think but it does happen. Ive found that if the person seems reasonable and not too flustered I try to engage them in order to try to explain the logic behind public photography and why its perfectly legal. If the person seems overly angry or visibly disturbed I just wave and walk away. Reasoning and especially arguing with these types is quite fruitless. Being that the woman was drunk, I would've walked away and Ive found that its NEVER a good idea to be rude even if the person engaging you is rude themselves. Being calm and rational disarms people.

In the past couple outings I was confronted by two dudes and both times I just calmly engaged them. Both were kind of upset at first and both sort of conceded a point or two by the time we had finished speaking.

Anyway, my two cents.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
........ If you want a more detailed explanation on why I can make photographs of anyone I want here, ask those police officers there, and they'll explain it to you kindly while I remain making my photographs......

Am I wrong?
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I will not offer an opinion on the incident but having photographed professionally all over the world, including quite a bit in Barcelona, I would NEVER invite police involvement...... (even if the law were technically on my side)
 
hipsterdufus said:
So you would be comfortable with someone yelling at you whenever they feel like in a public place?
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No, but I'm not necessarily comfortable with someone photographing me on the streets making out with my girlfriend either. However, I believe people have the right to yell in public and to photograph in public. Both people have to deal with the consequences of people's reaction after the act though... because both yelling and photographing can be harrassing in similar ways. I know it is hard for photographers to accept, but photographers photographing in public can be exploitative and insensitive at times and can be as obnoxious as yelling. It depends on the choices one makes.
 
People do have a right to their own image. If you are shooting people, it is polite to ask them whether they mind.
Since the advent of the Internet and digital photography people are much more sensitive about having their photo taken.
IMO people of the street or on the beach have a right to privacy. Photographers should respect it.
 
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