Article: Protecting the Right to Photograph, or Not to Be Photographed

[noisycheese]

Here is an interesting article on street photography and the right to photograph.

It is a sad commentary that the streets of Paris - once photographed by Henri Cartier-Bresson - are now a battleground for street photographers who must endure harsh verbal attacks for the supposed "crime" of pursuing their craft.

Sad and difficult times for street photographers - in Paris, at least...

Link: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/paris-city-of-rights/

 

[jsrockit]

It would be sad if it becomes illegal... even stupid. However, harsh verbal attacks is just part of making photos of people who might not want to be photographed... IMO, they have a right to object. However, what I never understood is the people that get in your business when you are photographing inanimate objects that they are not the owner of. Average joes asking what I am doing when they have no business asking me anything. That pisses me off.

 

[thegman]

People should have the right to photograph anything they want, and people have the right to object to being photographed. I think anything else in between really comes down to manners, and it's not a matter for the law.

jsrockit is right though, it's far more odd when people want to know why you're photographing a building or something though. Just have to put it down to general purpose idiocy really, some people just need to be ignored like you would a barking dog or screaming child.

 

[Exdsc]

This is not street photography, this is zoo photography -- zoom lens and framing and taking one's time...

From the article:

“People can get really angry, and since my students tend to use a longer lens, they zoom in and out, try to frame the picture, and, of course, it takes longer for them to take a photograph.”

 

[noisycheese]

People should have the right to photograph anything they want, and people have the right to object to being photographed. I think anything else in between really comes down to manners, and it's not a matter for the law.

jsrockit is right though, it's far more odd when people want to know why you're photographing a building or something though. Just have to put it down to general purpose idiocy really, some people just need to be ignored like you would a barking dog or screaming child.

How about this for an exchange -

Nosy person: "Hey! You! Why are you takin' pitchers of that tree/building/fire hydrant for??"

Photographer: "I'm doing research for a behavioral psychology study. I am attempting to determine the percentage of the general public that are dips***ts who will ask me stupid questions about something that has absolutely no bearing on their lives." 😀

 

[noisycheese]

This is not street photography, this is zoo photography -- zoom lens and framing and taking one's time...

From the article:

Jay Maisel would probably beg to differ.

He has made a nice living creatimg street photography images using an 80-300mm zoom in New York City.

Just sayin'...

 

[lynnb]

How about this for an exchange -

Nosy person: "Hey! You! Why are you takin' pitchers of that tree/building/fire hydrant for??"

Photographer: "I'm doing research for a behavioral psychology study. I am attempting to determine the percentage of the general public that are dips***ts who will ask me stupid questions about something that has absolutely no bearing on their lives." 😀

Good one. Followed up by handing them a printed questionnaire asking demographics and education level, and which political party they vote for.

 

[maddoc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e0iKoJZx27w

pkr

Awesome !! 😀

 

[FA Limited]

although i like to take pictures of random stuff, i've mostly avoided street photography because i wouldn't want to be a subject of a street photograph either

 

[jsrockit]

...i've mostly avoided street photography because i wouldn't want to be a subject of a street photograph either

There's no wrong answer to this, but may I ask why?

 

[FA Limited]

There's no wrong answer to this, but may I ask why?

just a personal preference really, i don't like to be photographed. i'm more used to the posed family / travel photos but that's about it for me.

that being said i respect the right to do street photography though and i really admire the work that has been done

 

[mrb]

just a personal preference really, i don't like to be photographed. i'm more used to the posed family / travel photos but that's about it for me.

that being said i respect the right to do street photography though and i really admire the work that has been done

I'm in the same boat as FALimited: don't really want my picture taken. Might be why I take pictures: to make sure the camera's pointed away from me.

 

[DNG]

How about this for an exchange -

Nosy person: "Hey! You! Why are you takin' pitchers of that tree/building/fire hydrant for??"

Photographer: "I'm doing research for a behavioral psychology study. I am attempting to determine the percentage of the general public that are dips***ts who will ask me stupid questions about something that has absolutely no bearing on their lives." 😀

Good one. Followed up by handing them a printed questionnaire asking demographics and education level, and which political party they vote for.

I want a Questionnaire when you have it ready.... 😛

 

[DNG]

I have had a few not won't their picture taken... I don't, I nod, and smile, and move on... nothing missed IMO.
Also, a few just turn away, or cover their face...
Sometimes I take photo of a covered face though 🙄
Like with an umbrella.

 

[Highway 61]

Here is an interesting article on street photography and the right to photograph.

It is a sad commentary that the streets of Paris - once photographed by Henri Cartier-Bresson - are now a battleground for street photographers who must endure harsh verbal attacks for the supposed "crime" of pursuing their craft.

Sad and difficult times for street photographers - in Paris, at least...

Link: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/paris-city-of-rights/

Well and all further comments aside, this is an absolutely excellent and sensible article and it would be nice to see more articles of that calibre.

Yet - like in many other articles on the same topic, even when less good than this one, there is something which isn't said, and here it is.

The "law" hasn't been evolving much in this country and by the time of Cartier-Bresson and Doisneau some people taking photographs in the streets encountered some similar problems already. The "decisive moment" and "humanist photography" great years weren't exactly the photographers' paradise.

But - this wasn't put under the Internet lupe within a fraction of a second.

😉