Street photography - new experience for me

[george013]

I think I mentioned before, but these ebooks are worth to read. And free.
http://thomas.leuthard.photography/ebooks.html

George

[pat3pee]

I wanted to ask you all where the boundaries are re taking photos of people in the street and using it eg. on your photo website of in a public domain. Where should privacy take precedence from the photographer's general interest in taking an interesting street photo, hopefully with a story to tell ?
Below I will show some examples where I have just shot away for curiosity with less thought about quality or composition. Which of these photos are accepted/ or not from an ethical or privacy point of view ?

1.



2.


3.


4.


5.
or a possibly violent scene (?). The tool in one of the guy's hand was either an ice pick or a screw driver. You can make your own imagination as to what happened. I took the picture from my car just passing, but sped away quickly in case I was spotted taking the photograph




I didn't make contact with the subjects in any of these photos. Appreciate your view points.
Patrik

[GrahamS]

Patrik, you are in Greece therefore you should consult someone who is familiar with the law there. Here in the UK, anyone in a "public place" i.e. not on private property, may have their photograph taken without restriction. Use of said photograph is a different matter - it can be used for non-commercial purposes or in the news media without requiring the permission of the subject(s) of the photograph. Commercial use may, however, require consent and a release. The bottom line regarding ethics and privacy is to use your common sense.

[Shadowman]

This is a list by country on the legality. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/C...t_requirements

Your question was on the ethical nature of and opinion on right to privacy, we all have our own values so any answer given does not mean you need to adopt it (the value) as well. Regarding your images, I don't see any invasion of privacy but the people you photographed might, so if you feel awkward or conflicting next time ask them first before you photograph, chances are you'll get fewer shots and even if you do they won't have the same feel as these you've captured.

[pat3pee]

Thank you Graham and John for your good advice +

Cheers
Patrik

[Manfred M]

Patrik - I do some street photography, especially when I am traveling. These scenes are part of my own personal record and they often help to complete the story.

When it comes to the legal aspects, the situation is rather complicated by distinctions of personal use and commercial use (i.e. selling the images for publication) versus selling the images as art. In English speaking, developed Western countries, the legality is quite broad. In other countries, the restrictions can be quite variable, so I generally will not take pictures of police or military personal, unless the situation is a public event, like a parade, honour guard at a government installation etc.

For general street photography, I have two simple rules that I follow (anywhere in the world):

1. I will not photograph someone who has indicated to me that they do not wish to be photographed; and

2. I will not photograph someone in a way that is not respectful of that person.

From an ethical standpoint, that becomes something rather personal. I have two s

[Round Tuit]

Manfred,
Out of curiosity, how do you reconcile this:

...

1. I will not photograph someone who has indicated to me that they do not wish to be photographed; and

2. I will not photograph someone in a way that is not respectful of that person.

with this:

...

Did I mention that Mennonites do not want to have their pictures taken, so one has to be a bit sneaky to get some shots in?

Andre

[pat3pee]

A tried to find a Thread dealing with "street photography" as it has become my new obsession. I found this article which gives a lot of insight into this genre. Click on this link if interested...

http://digital-photography-school.co...paign=Oct-2716

I hope there are more people on this forum interested in this art-form of photography so we can learn more from each other

Cheers / Patrik

[chauncey]

art-form of photography

I have never seen this type of photography hanging in someone's living room as art work.

[Geoff F]

I'm in agreement with Manfred. I would never post an image of a scene where I might feel unhappy about a similar image of myself being shown.

But there is always a chance of unintended consequences; such as photos of a person skipping off from work by pretending to be unwell or someone being caught in an embarrassing situation by being with a particular other person.

[Sergio M.]

I have never seen this type of photography hanging in someone's living room as art work.

Just because you don't, doesn't mean it isn't. I've been to several art galleries with plenty of street photography on display. I get that you don't think it's art, but there are those of us who do. You've mentioned it several times. I think we've got the message.

Sergio