Thomas has an interesting take on taking photos of folks in public over on the nanolog — and specifically taking photos of the homeless.
I have no idea who the chap is in the pic nor do I have any thought as to why he considered it acceptable to photograph the Soup Van and the queue of folks waiting to be served.
I actually was quite blatant about taking the photo… but either he didn’t notice or didn’t care.
I found his behaviour rude and… if I am honest… rather dangerous.
We do not take photographs as a rule because we don’t want to put a barrier between us and the folks we serve… some of which would prefer not to have their photo taken.
He was rude because he didn’t ask… and he took a chance because he would have met with some strong opposition if he’d been spotted.
In hindsight… whilst I appreciate what he’s trying to do… it still seems wrong to me and probably explains why I prefer to take pictures of buildings or people I know. People need a choice….
People deserve the common courtesy to be asked whether or not they wish to have their photo taken. Not an easy task considering the number of folks present.
I’m not sure I agree with Thomas but I’m always open to continuing the conversation.
I’m guessing that many of my opinions and ideas come from my time working in the newspaper business. Legally we were always told that as long as someone (child or adult) was in public, we were able to photograph them and use them in our publication.
Granted, we often did ask (after taking the photo) in order to get names and other information for the newspaper cutlines, but sometimes during events with a number of photos we didn’t always do that.
While traveling, I often try to take a number of photos of the people and the culture I’m seeing. I love having memories of the people and places I’ve seen. I rarely ask permission, unless I’m asking the individual(s) to stop and pose for a photo.
Usually once you ask someone for permission to take their photo, all the photos you take will be posed and unnatural. You lose a lot of the original feel of the person.
In Nigeria I took A LOT of photos of people, closeup and far away and no one seemed to care. There were times I asked people to stop what they were doing so I could grab a photo of them — but otherwise I didn’t ask for permission. Most people were glad to have their picture taken and if they saw me taking the photo they usually asked to see it as well. Many people seemed to expect tourists to take photos and often started to pose as soon as they saw me pull out the camera.
I’ve never had anyone complain until I took a picture of a street musician in Nassau this past week. I think he was more upset that I didn’t give him a tip before or after taking the photo – rather than the fact that I took his photo.
Personally I would hate to know someone was snapping my photo and without my permission — using it for commercial gain. Glad I don’t have to struggle with that issue like celebrities do.
So, for the photographers out there – do you ask permission before taking someone’s photo? Should you? Does it make a difference if the person is homeless or not? Does it make a difference if you’re using it for “personal” or “commercial use?”
For everyone else, do you mind when others take your photo? Do you expect people to ask for your permission before taking your photo?
Hi JD.
I worked with people who live on the streets of London for three years, and discovered that one of the things many of them protect fiercely is their privacy.
Many of them are on the run from abusive family members and are living homeless because this allows them to be hard to find.
Taking a photograph which may then be published online, in a periodical or in some other place, may allow the abuser to track them down and start the cycle all over again.
We were always very careful to ask for permission from people before recording them on audio, or taking any kind of photographic image for this reason.
Just my 2c worth…
Thanks for the feedback Rob!
I appreciate your insight and experience. So you’re referring primarily to the homeless I presume. Do you do the same for those who are (don’t appear) to be homeless?
I haven’t had any issues with taking pictures or video of homeless here in the Dallas area. I wonder if perhaps its a cultural issue as well? Or maybe the people were offended but didn’t want to make a fuss and say anything.
Either way – its an interesting thought/idea to protect their identity. I’d hate to know I was offending someone or rubbing them the wrong way by taking their picture.
Hi JD.
I worked with people who live on the streets of London for three years, and discovered that one of the things many of them protect fiercely is their privacy.
Many of them are on the run from abusive family members and are living homeless because this allows them to be hard to find.
Taking a photograph which may then be published online, in a periodical or in some other place, may allow the abuser to track them down and start the cycle all over again.
We were always very careful to ask for permission from people before recording them on audio, or taking any kind of photographic image for this reason.
Just my 2c worth…
Thanks for the feedback Rob!
I appreciate your insight and experience. So you’re referring primarily to the homeless I presume. Do you do the same for those who are (don’t appear) to be homeless?
I haven’t had any issues with taking pictures or video of homeless here in the Dallas area. I wonder if perhaps its a cultural issue as well? Or maybe the people were offended but didn’t want to make a fuss and say anything.
Either way – its an interesting thought/idea to protect their identity. I’d hate to know I was offending someone or rubbing them the wrong way by taking their picture.