A few years ago I wrote about another blogger who was photographing strangers in public to ridicule them, which was something I disagreed with very strongly. It brought up a lot of questions in regards to taking photos of people in public. My personal opinion was that it was ok, that people in public are fair game, as long as you show them a little respect. Taking photos of them to make fun of them is not something I would ever do. During these conversations another photographer friend of mine voiced her opinion that it’s not ok at all to take photos of people you don’t know in public places, especially children. As a parent herself, she felt it was a massive invasion of privacy to take photos of people’s children without their permission.
It’s such a grey area, street photography… but it’s also something a lot of people enjoy and get some great photos from. Ever since those previous discussions about it, I’ve never felt comfortable taking my camera out and capturing strangers in their day to day lives… I worry they’ll get angry, tell me off or that someone on the sidelines will see me and cause a scene. So, I’ve avoided it.
Since getting my new camera and joining a photography club, I’ve been wishing more and more that I could get the nerve up to “just do it”, like the other members urged me to do after opening a discussion with them about it. I am a people watcher at heart and as someone who really enjoys photography, my instinct is to try to capture some of what I see on ‘film’. A lot of the other members of the club can relate to this and for some, it is their main source of enjoyment in photography.
So this weekend, while out in the city center looking for inspiration during Queen’s Day, I decided to just suck it up and give it a go. I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would and I admit, I tried not to be obvious and shot most people from a fair distance. As my new friends said… the more I do it the more confident I will become, but often the closer you are the better the photo.
The above photo is my favorite of the day. It was just two random girls in the crowd whose expressions made me stop and ponder for a moment. They both have such lovely and interesting faces and I’m glad this is one of the moments I chose to take the risk, as the photo came out quite well. At least in my opinion.
Later in the month I am going to Amsterdam with my photo club to the World Press Photo 2009 Exhibit. One of the more experienced street photographers of the club has offered to take me around Amsterdam afterward to give me some tips and ‘guard’ me while I take some shots. As he knows one of my biggest fears is someone getting angry with me or telling me off, he’s also offered to go to battle for me if the need arises. Not that we’d fight with anyone who has a problem with getting their photo taken, of course, but if someone did get angry I’d probably be too stunned and afraid to speak. So, it will definitely be handy to have someone more experienced and confident there with me, just to be on the safe side.
I think street photography is something I could really come to enjoy, if I can get over my fear of it properly.
I forgot to mention that I am perfectly within my rights to post the photos on the internet, print them in a book to be sold, or even sell individual prints, all without their permission. The only things I cannot do is use the photos in commercial advertising of any kind, that would require a release. The other thing I cannot do is to make untrue derogatory comments about someone in a photo in public, or “publicizing” them. That’s different from “publishing” as in a book or newspaper which is legal. Again, all this is in the U.S., other countries are probably different.
Just as I have the right to take anyones photo when I am standing on public property, everyone has the right not to go to public places where their photo may be taken. People don’t know how many times their photo is taken in every store they step into, plus someone in a dark room could be watching their every move and analyzing who knows what. But let a photographer try to exercise this perfectly legal, and guaranteed right (at least in the U.S.) and they may become upset. That said I have only ever been questioned about it a couple times, never angrily. Both times I offered to erase the photo I had taken if they would prefer, and both times they said to go ahead and keep it. I’ve moved away from strict ‘street photography’ lately but still do it occasionally. I think females may have an advantage in that area though because they are rarely perceived as predatory by anyone. Men have it tougher but smiling and being in a large crowd helps.
It’s a tricky subject and there is certainly nothing wrong with taking wonderful pictures of people – it’s how you handle the situations that matter. I think the core of it all is remembering that even though -you- don’t feel fussed – you cannot safely assume that the people you are taking pictures of will feel as relaxed about it as you. Taking pictures of plants is ok because plants don’t care. Taking pictures of animals is ok because animals don’t care. But humans do. I have some friends who have been on the internet since the late 80’s and all this time they’ve gone to great lengths to keep any and all pictures of themselves off the net. They have their reasons and we need to respect that. Then imagine some amateur photographer coming along, taking snapshots and posting them up in a public photo forum. Then someone else going “Hey that’s so and so – I know them!”. Or another scenario… maybe there is a woman who is beat up by her jealous and possesive husband and finds a very sweet guy who listens to her as a friend. They sit down on a park bench in a “safe place” and then the amateur photographer comes along and takes photos of them, publishing them on the net. You can guess the rest. Point being that we really cannot know whether that person would be comfortable having their picture posted up or not, so the safest thing is to -always- ask.
Here are the rules I follow myself.
1. If people are part of a larger crowd and not the main subject of the photo – I have no problem taking the picture without permission or posting it up on the net
2. If children are the main subject of the photo:
> Private use: I go ahead and take the pictures but never publish them (for my private portfolio for instance) or in the case of there not being parents around to ask. Obviously a kid can’t make a rational decision on whether or not their picture should be plastered up on the net.
> Public use: If I’m passing by people nearby and spot a kid that looks interesting, I ask first, then take the picture upon permission (such as the greek kid on my site)
> Public use: If I’m trying to “capture a candid moment” which would be ruined if I asked first, I take the picture and go up to their parents afterwards, inform them I took a picture and ask it would be ok to publish it on the net.
3. Pictures where an adult is the main subject: Same as above, but instead just asking the people themselves.
Think of it this way Tammy. Imagine how it would feel to suddenly stumble upon a website that had a whole gallery of pictures of you going about your business in public. And imagine the gallery had a commenting system and there were hundreds of people discussing pictures of you. Now imagine that these pictures had been taken years ago, and all this time they’d been viewed by thousands of people, but you never knew about it.
Great picture. And street photography is my favorite to look at. I think those pictures that photographers feel confident taking and displaying says more about a culture than any book can. It’s amazing what you can learn looking at pictures. I hope you’ll become more confident, because I really think it could give you an even stronger liking of the Netherlands, looking at it through the lens of a camera. Good luck!
I agree, the top picture is beautiful. It does capture a moment… I thought it was taken by a professional photographer!
I love street photography. In a busy setting I don’t mind: I took a lot of pictures of people in China and no one cared. Same in Latin America. I feel a bit more self-conscious in North America though… In France, I asked people a couple of times if they mind (they didn’t). But in Canada, especially in Ottawa, which is not so touristic, people already look at me when I have my camera, let alone if I point it on them…
Gotta work on that.
I LOVE that picture. It’s beautiful, yet simple! Very good. I envy your photoskills, girl!
DutchBitchs last blog post… Project Bulbfield – April
Hi there,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while but never commented. It seems we share similar stories (I’m also Canadian, married to a Dutch guy – and our baby project has been stalled for a while) and similar interests (photography). I’m not a member yet of your photography club, but it’s on my list of things to do starting in September. I’ve followed some photography courses over the past year and joining the club would be my next step.
I’m no expert yet but I love the photo you’re displaying. It’s funny how they are looking in opposite directions. The B&W suits this photo really well.
I hope I’ll have the chance to meet you next year during one of the activities :-)
Cheers,
Marie-Claude
I like that photo too, especially in the black and white. I like street photography, but as a mother, I would get extremely angry if I saw some random person taking photos of my kids. There are too many weirdos out there, and you never know what they’re doing with those photos. You have to be so careful nowadays; it’s sad, really. I’m also a little tired of grown men staring at my 14 year old like she’s lunch, but that’s a whole different discussion. LOL