If you have ever decided to pick up your camera body and lenses and go into your local town or city to capture the moments of the day, then undoubtedly you have posed these questions to yourself:
~Is what i am doing invading the privacy of my subject?
~ Is this allowed, can I actually capture this scene?
Whether it be a shot of a homeless man walking to a soup kitchen, or a businessman sipping coffee in a restaurant window, one cant help but feel a niggling anxiety right before taking the shot.
There is constant debate regarding using the plight of an individual for artistic purposes. Personally, I avoid shooting subjects that appear impoverished on personal moral grounds.The idea of using the figure of somebody who hasn't much to his name to generate profit for myself doesn't sit right. However, if your goal is to take photos as a hobby, where they would only be seen by family and friends, then i can't find fault with it.
The key with street photography is compliance. If somebody wishes for their photo not to be taken, delete it and move on. We as street photographers work at the discretion of our subjects, respect their wishes.
Make use of common sense whenever you're in a public setting with your camera. It may not be against the law to photograph children in a playground, but use common sense. Speak to parents first, and avoid any telephoto lens that would make you look like a creep spying on kids.
Avoid photographing people on their cellphones, or other people shooting photographs. The very essence of street photography is capturing your subject's true image. Sometimes, unflattering images of a person can result in a better photograph in the end, but this is the exception, not the rule.
Never be discouraged if a person tells you to delete their photograph. This is bound to happen at some point or another during your journey through street photography. The best thing to do is accept this and move on. As long as you keep taking pictures, there will always be things to take pictures of.
Both US and UK law permit taking photos of people without their permission as long as they are in a public place and the photo is not going to be used commercially. The subject has the right to respectfully ask you to delete the image. However, in many country permission has to be given by the subject before the photo has even been taken. As always, be mindful of the setting you are in and avoid taking photographs deemed disrespectful in any region you may be in.
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