Do you ask permission?

[ARS]

Do you ask permission before taking a street portrait or a "close up" shoot of an unknown person? I tryed to, as a result a lost a lot of good shoots. By the way 50% of folks I met were mind to be photographed. Do anybody know how legal it is in Canada?

Thanks everybody in advance!

 

[bmattock]

I don't know about Canadian laws regarding photography, but I'm sure many here do. Personally, I don't ask permission. First, it generally ruins the shot I want if the subject is aware of me. Second, asking permission implies that I "should" or "must" ask permission, which sends the wrong message, since no permission is required in the USA of people in public (presuming that the resulting photos are not used commercially without a signed model release).

Many here disagree on the need or ethics of asking first. I choose not to ask, and others are free to choose how they wish to take photos.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[jano]

I do. Usually nothing more than a smile or acknowledgment, but sometimes I will try communication. I get less "candid" shots as a result, but I like to have some level of involvement with my shots *shrug*

 

[wlewisiii]

Explicitly? Only if I know the subject. Less explicitly per jano, rarely - there are sometimes when eye contact is made irregardless of what I may wish. Otherwise, no. OTOH, I don't do much "candid" photography as I tend to find it rather boring. <shrug> YMWV.

William

 

[sf]

I ask permission if they see me. Then, if they say "sure", they generally go back to doing what they were doing with very little if any noticeable change in nature. I've never had anyone say "no".

I don't ask permission otherwise. Why bother if they don't see you? The law is still on our side.

 

[BrianShaw]

Never... and as a result I take very few "street" pictures.

 

[ghost]

i ask permission through body language. if they don't want me around, i keep walking.

 

[telenous]

I don't ask permission - but I am very, very ambivalent about this practice. On the one hand I really want to rip the photographic moment and asking for permission to do so means I will be denied the opportunity even if the subject consents. And on the other I am perturbed by the deeply intrusive and quasi-voyeristic nature of street photography. It is jolly good that the law is on our side but I cannot help thinking sometimes that perhaps it should be on theirs. For what it's worth, my darker instincts usually predominate: I shoot, no questions asked.

 

[ghost]

if you have doubts about your photography, you should probably sit down and think about what you're doing/what you want to do.

 

[telenous]

if you have doubts about your photography, you should probably sit down and think about what you're doing/what you want to do.

A very sound advice in general. But there are some cases where the arguments for and against a certain practice are equally formidable. Further thinking accomplishes little but further frustration. What I do instead, is that I go out to do the street photography I know and love, when I feel peaceful with myself about it.

 

[rool]

No, I don't ask, no time for it.
The few times I asked, the picture sucked.

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

In the cases of my recent projects, the photographs could never have been taken without prior permission. Whilst this can sometimes loose the sense of candid moments i just have to work harder and faster in capturing the right moment and then in selecting an image i think represents them in a postive way and in no way undermines them or belittles them. Respect for people is paramount in the way i choose to work.

 

[ghost]

beau* made a good point about this on pnet the other day. who are you responsible to? the person photographed, or the vision you're sharing with everybody?

 

[clarence]

I photographed a homeless man without asking permission once, and was given a lecture on why it's dangerous for them to be photographed. I never photograph the homeless anymore.

As for everyone else, I don't really care to ask permission.

Clarence

 

[nomade]

Soemtimes you wouldn't dare to ask for permission 😀

 

[matt fury]

I don't have a ton of experience, but this is what I've been going with. I'll just take pictures, but if someone looks at me or says something, I'll just say "Hi" or smile or something similar. I make like it's perfectly natural, which it should be.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

If the subject is merely a subject within a larger composition, no. No more than I would ask anyone if they mind if I look at them with my eyes. That is what being in 'public' is all about.

If, however, I want a composition where the subject is the centerpiece of the composition, then I raise my camera, make eye contact with him/her, and mouth "ok?" I've never been turned down doing this. I don't really need to do it, but it is just a matter of courtesy in that specific situation.

Legally, anyone in public is subject to photography, so long as that photo is not used in a commercial/advertising manner without waiver. Documentary use is always permitted (at least in the US).

 

[darkkavenger]

I never asked for permission, however, it strongly depends on my "mood of the day", if i'm feeling confident & sure of myself or if i'm having one of the "self-conscious" days... In the first case I'll be shooting without troubles, in the 2nd case, I'll be too afraid.

 

[srtiwari]

if you have doubts about your photography, you should probably sit down and think about what you're doing/what you want to do.

This is helpful to me- for brief periods of time, but I sometimes worry that as a dark skinned , bearded, "foreign looking" man toting a camera, I must do more to allay anxiety, than to avoid offense at intrusion. So, I smile,handle my camera casually and in full view, and try to avoid seeming furtive; but I suspect I miss some pictures in the process.
I vaguely recall reading (probably on nemeng.com) that Andrew Nemeth often walks up to the subject, takes a picture, and keeps walking- no permission ,talk etc. I think I would have trouble with that...
Subhash

 

[jonasv]

I never ask. If they notice me before I took the picture, I probably won't take it anymore because whatever it is I wanted to photograph was probably interrupted. If they notice after I took the picture, I just smile. I think I smile all the time, actually, and that helps a lot. If they inquire about it I usually just keep it at a short but friendly "I take pictures. It's what I do". Usually I'll just walk to the rhytm of the city's sounds, take a picture, walk on, take a picture, walk, repeat. And smile.