Ethics of shooting random people

[LaFoto]

Well, I have taken photos of people in the city and never asked them if they were ok with it and even showed them here, though the photo makes very obvious they saw me take their picture. But their reaction looked positive enough, so I thought I could walk away with it.*

I saw someone else sitting having a break from work in a doorway, we established eye-contact, I pointed at my camera with a question mark on my face (you all know how to produce that, don't you?), he shook his head in "No"-style ... and I left the photo untaken.

I have taken photos of people on many, many occasions, but unless they are total, total, total strangers to me and the place where I came upon them is far-far away, I only have those photos for myself and do not display them neither in an internet forum nor otherwise ... or I get myself release first.

But - like I have said in other threads on this self-same issue - our German regulatations are quite a bit strict on that matter.

(*It is these_photos_here that I am referring to- and I was specifically thinking of the first -, and I was a bit uncertain whether to post them or not, but what use is there in going into "street photography" if you must never let anyone see your photos!?!?)

 

[Alex_B]

Ethics of shooting random people

.. it is really good that on this forum we all know it is all about photography

if this was taken out of context, we would be in serious trouble :lmao:

 

[Goran Katic]

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Robert Capa.

In Croatia is no problem to photograph people, but if you sell picture to third party, the people on photo can ask for their fee. I think the same law is in America.

 

[Aquarium Dreams]

Smiling is very important. If you look grumpy when you take someone's photo, they might take it the wrong way!

It seems like when I shoot people and they look at me, they know I'm taking their photo, but sometimes it seems like they have this internal dialogue going on: "Is she taking my photo? I don't want to say anything, because what if she's not taking my photo? She must be taking my photo. Why would anyone take my photo? I can't say anything because I'll look like a jerk," etc.

 

[Alex_B]

If you shoot ultrawide angle and got them slightly off centre, they will believe they are not in the picture

or one could just hide with a telephoto

 

[dewey]

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=150

 

[Riggaberto]

http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=150

Hahahahaha that's awesome. Just be a camo lump on the streets. You would get some interesting facial expressions for sure!

I thought about just getting a big ass telephoto lens in ignorance of the cost....def not going to happen.

 

[LaFoto]

I tell you a story ... I was on the Isle of Wight in summer and there was this French Market. And this lady with REALLY BIG hair. I mean: REALLY. And dyed red since actually it would have been grey. And she walked along the stalls there and back and I thought: I so want a photo of that lady! That hair is ever sooooo big!

So since I was with a friend and her s-i-l and daughter, we arranged that they pose tourist-like for me when we saw that lady approach, I'd aim my camera at THEM and quickly turn towards that lady when she was there.

It worked.
What do you say, after all those months? You think I can show her on here? (I haven't as yet, too reluctant to do so).

 

[Riggaberto]

I tell you a story ... I was on the Isle of Wight in summer and there was this French Market. And this lady with REALLY BIG hair. I mean: REALLY. And dyed red since actually it would have been grey. And she walked along the stalls there and back and I thought: I so want a photo of that lady! That hair is ever sooooo big!

So since I was with a friend and her s-i-l and daughter, we arranged that they pose tourist-like for me when we saw that lady approach, I'd aim my camera at THEM and quickly turn towards that lady when she was there.

It worked.
What do you say, after all those months? You think I can show her on here? (I haven't as yet, too reluctant to do so).

I certainly want to see it! As far as the legality of it in Germany I have no idea It should be ok as you're not making any money off it and it was in public but who knows.

 

[Jim Gratiot]

Interesting... the title of this thread is "ethics of shooting random people," but people seem to be focusing in on "legality."

Entirely different situations, in my view.

I think the most obvious example is the paparazzi... while they might have a legal right to stalk Britney Spears driving into a rehab clinic... I don't know how any of them can sleep at night from an ethical standpoint.

Several years ago in San Diego there was a huge storm... and the front page of the Union-Tribune printed a photograph of several elderly people on the front lawn of an apartment comlex, many of them in just their underwear.

Perfect example... legally these poor people were on public property, so the photographer "was just doing his/her job." But running the picture was still a HUGE exercise in poor taste... as the 8,240,923 letters to the editor proved.

Which brings us back to a good rule of thumb. If you want to photograph somebody... imagine that your subject was your mother/sister/child/grandparent, etc. And if you wouldn't want somebody else to take that picture, think twice about taking the picture.

 

[dewey]

Several years ago in San Diego there was a huge storm... and the front page of the Union-Tribune printed a photograph of several elderly people on the front lawn of an apartment comlex, many of them in just their underwear.

Perfect example... legally these poor people were on public property, so the photographer "was just doing his/her job." But running the picture was still a HUGE exercise in poor taste... as the 8,240,923 letters to the editor proved.

I have to disagree 100%... let's not mix news photos in here. Whether you think it's poor taste or not what a powerful image that must have been. When that photographer captured that scene he or she captured news. Some amazing photos come out of disasters and it's certainly news worthy and perfectly ethical. To call a news photographer unethical for that or to accuse him or her of bad taste is unfair.

 

[dewey]

Which brings us back to a good rule of thumb. If you want to photograph somebody... imagine that your subject was your mother/sister/child/grandparent, etc. And if you wouldn't want somebody else to take that picture, think twice about taking the picture.

And this rule of thumb would work for some photographers, but not news photographers. When I stop at an accident scene and I grab a shot of someone who is being extricated from a wrecked vehicle, emotion is not part of the mix.

 

[Jim Gratiot]

Some amazing photos come out of disasters and it's certainly news worthy and perfectly ethical. To call a news photographer unethical for that or to accuse him or her of bad taste is unfair.

Definitely agree... I've seen some amazing disaster photos... but I won't entirely agree that just because you can print a photograph you should print a photograph.

Perhaps this has been discussed... but there was a lot of "ethical" talk after 9/11 about whether or not to show pictures of the bodies jumping out of the Towers. Although I saw a few, the general consensus seemed to be not to print them... even though I'm sure several exist.

Bottom line, it comes down to personal taste... for instance, when the local news shows a brutal car accident, I think that's a newsworthy image to show. When they show (and they do every time) the bloody shoe of the driver on the street... I personally don't think that's necessary.

Going back to the San Diego storm... I still think that if the elderly person had been the grandmother of the newspaper publisher... that picture never would have run.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Well, I think if you see something that might make a good picture, take it. (if in public)

If you're questioned, be polite, maybe even flattering. "The way you were positioned, it just kind of made a nice scene." or something similar.

Or you could say: "It is a wide angle lens, I was shooting the building behind you. You will be a very small object in a large picture."

Know what works for me? When I get spotted, I just smile, wink, and walk away while the person is deciding whether they approve or not.

For more research on this subject, you might do some reading over at www.rangefinderforum.com. Those guys are masters at street photography, and they run into this a lot more often than we do.

 

[Goran Katic]

always smile, explain and leave bussiness card - you will look professional and wirh good manners.