Street photography of families and children

[juggler]

So I was out and about the other day, snapping away. I wasn't spending ages peering through my lens, just attempting to work fast. I suck at street photography but managed to grab a few shots of families and kids which I'm quite pleased with, so I thought I'd bung them on 1x.com to see how they were received. Only then did I think that maybe this wasn't the done thing, that I should have got the parents' permission. In one shot the child is somewhat distant but on their own, in another the entire family - with parents - is clearly identifiable.

Now I know that permission or a model release isn't a legal requirement - but I was wondering how other (street) photographers thought about it.

 

[boliston]

You do not need permission to shoot anyone, including under 18's in a public place in the UK, even though a lot of people do not know the law on this. Having said that I'd use a bit of common sense and don't draw too much attention, but just don't act "sneaky" as this draws attention in itself! Shooting with permission is street portraiture rather than street, but some people like this type of photography and interacting with subjects.

 

[ChasG]

Convert it to B&W then it is art