Street pics and 'rules'?

Because they are my kids and until they are old enough to stand up for themselves with their own opinion it's my job.

It's ethical not to shoot kids without permission. My opinion, but also my kids.
 
BarryG said:
Because they are my kids and until they are old enough to stand up for themselves with their own opinion it's my job.
Click to expand...

But why do you (or your children themselves when they are old enough to do so) need to stand up for them, when someone is taking their picture? What are you protecting them from? :thinking:

BarryG said:
It's ethical not to shoot kids without permission. My opinion, but also my kids.
Click to expand...

Again, you're absolutely 100% right to stick to your guns, I'm not questioning that at all! I just want to know why people think they need to do this....:thinking:

Where possible, I will always seek parents or guardians permission before I take pictures of children.....but I'm starting to question why I do that or feel like I need to do that?! I hate having to (in a roundabout way) explain that I'm not a nonce, out to exploit their kids....I absolutely HATE it!!! :annoyed:
 
I think its all about common sense and respecting other people at the end of the day............

Personally I would feel uncomfortable getting up and close in someones face and snapping away, but I know of someone else (also a member on here) who has no qualms about doing this. Each to their own.

As long as a public place everything is legit, it's just what people are comfortable with. Likewise if someone asked me to delete it, not an issue............

I have taken pics of a couple of homeless guys (beggar and a big issue seller) for an Adult Education project and to push myself out of my comfort zone a bit. Nope didn't ask for permission (as Ryan says if they are aware, then you don't get the natural reaction) but took them both a sandwich and coffee afterwards and explained what i was doing and showed them the pics - no qualms........

Taking it to an extreme, if on a public beach, nothing anyone could do legally to stop me taking pics of their kids. Not something I would ever consider doing as

a) not a nonce
b) it would feel wrong to me etc........
c) I would more than likely get thumped!!
d) why would I want pics of a n others kids who i didn't know.............

However legally, it's all above board.........
 
ryanyboy said:
You can't ask for permission when you're doing street photography - it defeats the whole idea of capturing the moment and capturing people acting naturally. As soon as you ask permission the person stops acting naturally. And either way - the moment is lost forever.
Click to expand...

Had this same argument with my missus just the other day.
Capturing the moment was my defence. Anyway had a good day in Norwich on Saturday capturing the moment, and not one complaint.
 
fabs said:
The art of street photography is that the subject doesn't actually know you have taken their photo. It is, as already said, about documenting life on the streets. The minute you ask permission, it ceases to be street photography and becomes portrait photography.
Click to expand...

With that in mind, what sort of lens do you favour? A wide-angle, get in up close and personal or a telezoom and stand back and hope to be unnoticed? I ask as I went to a Canon showcase of some (can't recall the name) photographer who specialized in what I'd call 'tourist' photography, but more like exotic documentary photography. There he was, in what looked like a desert oasis getting right in the face of some native with a wide angle. Shot was stunning, but I just wondered how he had the nerve!
 
Something I haven't seen mentioned is if we go around making a pain in the arse of ourselves not only are we going to get nicked, but theres every possibility of new laws being drafted banning street photography altogether.
We get enough hassle with the P**** rubbish just because of a few idiot child molesters, can you image the outcry if somebody gets caught shooting children pics through somebodies windows with a long lens? Heaven help the tog if he gets caught, they will have a good old fashioned lynching given half a chance.
Just because taking pics in the street is legal doesn't mean we should abandon common sense.
 
I was thinking about this topic the other day after i'd been for a walk around town doing my first attempt at street photography.

When i got home i started looking on youtube to see if there was any vids with any pointers in them.

One of the vids i saw did leave me feeling a little uneasy at the way he went about taking a certain picture, which left me wondering about rights and wrongs of street photography.

Subscribed to thread to keep track of the opinions.
:thumbs:
 
Bigvin said:
I was thinking about this topic the other day after i'd been for a walk around town doing my first attempt at street photography.

When i got home i started looking on youtube to see if there was any vids with any pointers in them.

One of the vids i saw did leave me feeling a little uneasy at the way he went about taking a certain picture, which left me wondering about rights and wrongs of street photography.

Subscribed to thread to keep track of the opinions.
:thumbs:
Click to expand...

You got to be talking about Bruce Gilden! Ah, he's an absolute nutter. No body with a sane brain cell actually goes about that way of "street photography". In fact, I don't consider his street photography because by the time he has terrified his subjects during the shot taking process they are well aware of it. As a result he isn't actually documenting a street activity any more, he's documenting a reaction to a doofus jumping into your face.

Anyway, my opinion is that as long as you aren't beating them over the head with said camera, and as long as your intentions are social, then game on. I don't ask for permission. Never will. If I'm caught taking a shot I just laugh. If they give me a stare I take that as a "they don't want their photo taken". After that point I don't want to take it anyway, because the moment has long gone and now they're aware of me.
 
fabs said:
The art of street photography is that the subject doesn't actually know you have taken their photo. It is, as already said, about documenting life on the streets. The minute you ask permission, it ceases to be street photography and becomes portrait photography.
Click to expand...

Well said that man, my thoughts exactly. :clap:
 
Yeah it was the "way" he took the photo that didn't sit well with me.

I understand it's all about the picture that he's trying to take and nothing more, but having a young daughter myself i'd feel uncomfortable having someone take a picture like that of her.

I suppose it's the idea of children being the subject of a picture in street photography that doesn't sit well with me.
 
^ Yes, 100% agree there. It's not right ... especially the way he went about it.
 
I suppose I'm just part of the camp that doesn't understand why people don't like their kids (or children) being photographed. It's just a photograph. Quite funny actually, there's another thread going on about a guy who has just given up photography because he was finger pointed at while photographing his own daughter.

It's a difficult subject though (street photography). Because it always ends up going down 1 of 2 routes. 1 being privacy and the other being about children. It always seems to get away from the fact of what street photography actually is, and that's, as been said, documenting life on the streets. If your kid is on the street then they are subject to that documentation, end of. And there's absolutely nothing wrong or sordid about that, but unfortunately a lot of peoples current mindsets lead them to think "it's just not right". Yet you can never explain what's wrong about it!
 
It's just a way of taking a photo without making it obvious you're doing so.....the only purpose of which, is to make the pose/expression/ and ultimately the photo, look natural, and not forced/posed and ultimately fake!

The result he got was lovely, had he taken the photo in a differnt way i.e. asking for opermission, checking with parents etc etc then the result would have been totally different....

I think this is the 3rd or 4th time in this thread I've asked this question, and it's being completely ignored.....WHERE/WHAT IS THE ACTUAL HARM TO THE CHILD??!! What is this huge fearful threat that everyone is so worried about? :thinking:

All I've heard so far is "Well it just doesn't sit right with me" type comments.....BUT WHY????!!!!! :bang:
 
Slimbert said:
I think this is the 3rd or 4th time in this thread I've asked this question, and it's being completely ignored.....WHERE/WHAT IS THE ACTUAL HARM TO THE CHILD??!! What is this huge fearful threat that everyone is so worried about? :thinking:

All I've heard so far is "Well it just doesn't sit right with me" type comments.....BUT WHY????!!!!! :bang:
Click to expand...


I agree - would love to hear an explanation why?
 
I answered in a little bit more detail on the other page didn't I.

BarryG said:
Because they are my kids and until they are old enough to stand up for themselves with their own opinion it's my job.

It's ethical not to shoot kids without permission. My opinion, but also my kids.
Click to expand...

They are kids. They are vulnerable.

I know the majority of people are not doing anything wrong, but there are some people that are. So, these people ruin it for everyone else.

Slimbert, I don't think you will ever get an answer that you are satisfied with on this topic - opinions and ar$eholes.
 
BarryG said:
I answered in a little bit more detail on the other page didn't I.



They are kids. They are vulnerable.

I know the majority of people are not doing anything wrong, but there are some people that are. So, these people ruin it for everyone else.

Slimbert, I don't think you will ever get an answer that you are satisfied with on this topic - opinions and ar$eholes.
Click to expand...

see to me thats not any sort of explanation, sorry its not. Of course kids are vunerable, and its your job (and mine) as a parent to protect them, legally, no-one taking of photo of your kids is doing anything wrong.

Thats distatseful when its someone sitting in the bushes at the park with a 400mm lens and I'd (and I suspect you) would move heaven and earth and probably break a few laws to stop that sort of behaviour, but thats very different from the simple act of taking a photo.

edit and I really think living your life for a very small minority is a good way of living with complete fear. I refuse to bring my daughter up to be afraid of other people
 
Last edited:
BarryG said:
Factually incorrect.

There are people that take pictures of kids, in the street, for bad reasons. Fact.
Click to expand...

show me some evidence, seriously, on the street please. One proven case in a paper please. Not photos on a mobile phone iin private either

Its not factually incorrect, because the act of taking a photo in a public place (ie a street) in not thankfully against the law in the UK

edit and by paper, not daily mail scare mongering please and nice snip to half a sentance, I did say legally remember
 
Last edited:
BarryG said:
Factually incorrect.

There are people that take pictures of kids, in the street, for bad reasons. Fact.
Click to expand...

Your children and mine are being photographed/videoed countless times a day, who's to say the person who looks after the video tapes in your corner shop, or the CCTV control room is any more or less trustworth than the man in the street?
The only real answer is a total ban on photography/video, personally I don't want to see that but the way it's going in this country I'm afraid it just might happen.
 
BarryG said:
I answered in a little bit more detail on the other page didn't I.



They are kids. They are vulnerable.

I know the majority of people are not doing anything wrong, but there are some people that are. So, these people ruin it for everyone else.

Slimbert, I don't think you will ever get an answer that you are satisfied with on this topic - opinions and ar$eholes.
Click to expand...

It's not a response to what harm you think it's doing. Even a guy in a bush with a 400mm won't harm the child, especially if they don't even notice it.

What will harm the child more is watching their dad going shouting, or even worse punching, some innocent photographer in a park. What kind of values would that teach, not to mention the next generation's view of photographers?

Pedophiles that abuse children are a threat, someone taking a picture of a child in a park is not. In fact, even if the photographer *was* a pedophile he still wouldn't be a threat just taking a photo...

It's all just gone out of control :shrug:
 
BarryG said:
They are kids. They are vulnerable.
Click to expand...

Only when exposed to harm, and I don't see having your photo taken as harmful in any way at all! Unless you believe cameras steal peoples souls....:p

BarryG said:
I know the majority of people are not doing anything wrong, but there are some people that are. So, these people ruin it for everyone else.
Click to expand...

Absolutely stupid attitude to have.....Do you make your kids live in a concrete nuclear underground bunker in case an aeroplane falls from the sky and lands on them? Or do you make sure your kids never go on or near any roads at all ever (that includes being driven somewhere by you), because there was 2,222 deaths on UK roads during the last year?

Your way of thinking is media-hype led paranoia.....you have little or no understanding of how peadophiles operate, and sadly just believe what the papers say letting it effect your attitude and in turn your life. More fool you....!! :shake:

BarryG said:
Slimbert, I don't think you will ever get an answer that you are satisfied with on this topic - opinions and ar$eholes.
Click to expand...

Sadly, I think you're right....such a shame to have fun, enjoyment and freedom taken away by easily led people that think like you! :thumbsdown:
 
Slimbert, you are way off the mark.

You know people are allowed different opinions right?
 
BarryG said:
I know, I know - "Do not feed the trolls"

I was stating the law, not my opinion or feelings on the matter.
Click to expand...

but you then quoted your 'opinions or feelings' as fact in this thread, not the law you correctly quoted and then told me I was incorrect.

Don't understand the troll comment though :suspect:
 
BarryG said:
Slimbert, you are way off the mark.

You know people are allowed different opinions right?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, but people who share your badly informed opinions, make it difficult for people like me who want to freely take pictures in the street where I'm doing no harm to anyone at all.....but am made to feel like I am!

Your opinion is not based on facts or experience, it's based on make-believe fear.....that's what I have a problem with, and if I am indeed way off the mark, then please feel free to correct me.....but please, no more "Well, it's just not right is it?" type comments.....they are just plain stupid!
 
morsing said:
Pedophiles that abuse children are a threat, someone taking a picture of a child in a park is not. In fact, even if the photographer *was* a pedophile he still wouldn't be a threat just taking a photo
Click to expand...

The p*** would put the photo on thier wall of children - a vast sickening wall of pictures of kids in parks, happy in the street, playing with friends....ooh the horror. :(

oops, i was typing with the Alt+Daily Mail button on.....

In reality, child abuse happens within faimilies, not on the street.
 
Slimbert said:
Absolutely, but people who share your badly informed opinions, make it difficult for people like me who want to freely take pictures in the street where I'm doing no harm to anyone at all.....but am made to feel like I am!

Your opinion is not based on facts or experience, it's based on make-believe fear.....that's what I have a problem with, and if I am indeed way off the mark, then please feel free to correct me.....but please, no more "Well, it's just not right is it?" type comments.....they are just plain stupid!
Click to expand...

You can cry foul, but people act on what they believe to be true, not what is actually fact.

The bottom line is most people don't like having their photo taken by a stranger. And they certainly don't like having their children photographed. They don't understand why you could possibly want to do that, without being a pervert or at least some other dodgy ulterior motive.

You can jump up and down all you like, but you'll only get tired and you won't change public opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top