A while ago I made a post on hear asking if it was OK to post pictures of people in street photography, the general consensus was yes and its legal in England.
For some context I’m building a portfolio for uni and wanted to show off all my images.
Well my frend mentioned today it was super creepy and run as I didn’t have their consent.
I’m torn, it was in a public place, its completely legal, you can’t really tell who thay are in most of them,
Idk, I feel super bad, but I don’t wanna delete them as they really add to my uni application. All photos have some people in If you’re taking street photography.
What should I do?
If you want to read a bunch of peoples opinions on that specific topic go read a bunch of comments from @earthsworld posts on instagram
Debatable
a lot of people still think they have the right to privacy in public (they dont) and can tell you to delete any photos of them (they dont).
Also a lot of people think kids are more protected from being photographed in public (they arent)
There is the moral side of it though, culturewise, the UK people like their privacy, but at the same time, they dont realise that in a town center they’re being filmed by 3-5 cameras at all times.In the uk there are laws about showing children’s faces online, Tarrant there? Not that it precludes the photo.
Those cameras don’t put their recordings online for everyone to see.
There is a big difference.
One person watching the security cams vs thousands of people watching your photo online.
what if the security camera footage is needed to be shown publicly on the news or for a crime? what if someone takes a selfie and you are in the background? what if someone is recording a tiktok and you walk into frame? you dont know if they are posting it to get 10 likes from their friends or if they have 70k followers.
it’s ridiculous to suggest that the number of people who see the photo somehow make it worse or better.
Also on how protective parents are of their kids potentially be in a photos background cuz “pedos” but then happily pose with their kids for 1st page on local newspaper giving away loo rolls during covid
Last time I checked pedos can buy newspapers
Or better yet, they put images of their children in the bath on their socials because “that’s different”
Parents need to worry about the person with a 600mm telephoto, IF ANYONE WHICH IS UNLIKELY, not the guy with a Fuji x and 23mm trying to practise street photography.
unfortenately u can get picked on with anything.
I got asked straight up if I was a pedo by a dog walker at a public park, while sitting on a bench, cameras on the bench next to me turned off with lens caps on while waiting for a couple for their pre-wedding shoot once. Worth noting there was not a single human being other than the dog walker and myself in a 250+meter radiusMy response to that would have been….unkind.
I’m somewhat lucky in that my physical size means people don’t pipe up too much, though that’s changing as the uk weirdly falls into the belief that nobody would ever punch them in the face (not that anyone should, but let’s not act like it doesn’t happen).
I once shot an incredibly beautiful photo of a child sitting on mum’s lap behind a booth at a farmers market in the USA. She was looking down lovingly and the child reached up with both hands to take her face. It was ADORABLE. she freaked out. Badly. I tried to show her the photo and she was basically shouting paedo and a crowd was forming. I called the police for her.
She would have absolutely loved that photo if she had just been a bit more calm.
I would never take pictures of children due to the idea of pedos
I would rather have a million strangers see my photo than one police officer. Plus Amazon knows what my face looks like so every time I walk in front of a Ring camera it knows where I am. Google knows literally everything about me. It’s hard to get worked up about some random people seeing photos of me when the world’s 4th largest company knows my innermost thoughts and desires.
And my insta has like 50 followers at best, its for my uni application. The entire world isn’t going to see it. Only friends and potential unis
I say if they’re the main subject and they’re just trying to live their life, then don’t. If they’re in the background, fine. If they’re like some street performer, fine. If they’re a person with a megaphone at a rally, fine.
But if you’re just taking a photo of someone on a bench eating a sandwich then no. Or if the person sees you and asks you not to do it, then respect their wishes.
If they can be easily identified then it’s tricky.
My 2 cents.
and they’re just trying to live their life
Some of the greatest photographs of all time are candids of people just trying to live their life. That’s the whole point of documentary photography. If you ask first you’re killing the moment and the whole point of the practice.
What does instagram have to do with Uni application? If you just use it as an easy to use online portfolio, there are better, free options. Google ‘free online portfolio builder.for photography’ etc. This way you can show off your photos big and less compressed.
IG can normally only be viewed on a phone and thats not ideal for showing off your photography to the university, they are much more likely using a laptop to access your links rather than a phone.
I think its really a case-by-case thing. Depending on the photo you compose, the presence of the person in it (main subject or just part of a daily life scene)
There are valid arguments on both sides tbh.
I don’t do street phitography. But on the rare occasion that i do. I just ask the people or person.
Do you think there may be some issues if photography is banned in public places?
I’m not a fan. Random people in a photo is not a problem. But making them the subject without their permission is kinda shitty. There are other less public venues you can use for your application, but I sure hope you have something else to show them. Besides street stuff
Of course the street photography us one of many projects. I’m only trying to show the diversity of people within urban spaces.
That’s up to you, but, if anyone could have witnessed the same scene in person and it was on public property then I don’t see the need to feel any guilt.
Listen to your heart, not your friend.
At one extreme, people regard street photography as creepy by definition.
At the other, they’ll do a Bruce Gilden and pop a flash in your face.
You will need to work out where you stand yourself whilst aware that you cannot possibly please everyone. No matter how you do it, street photography comes with a heavy split in opinions.
Personally, I follow the law and take my photos without anyone noticing. In the very rare case that someone does notice and objects, I delete their photo. I don’t approach people after taking their photo to ask for their permission, as where I live, people generally prefer to be left alone. That is cultural and varies across the globe.
I’m also a big fan of reflections and silhouettes where you can’t identify anyone. Like so:
Public Space = Public Face, I have no problem photoing people out in the public space. If they don’t like it then don’t wander outside.
I stick to the law and I have a few personal morale rules I follow, for example I don’t generally take photos of homeless people, vagrants (is that the right word?) etc, I never publish them on social if I do. I won’t publish pictures that rely on the aesthetics of the person for their sole interest, anyone can take a picture of a hansom/pretty/well dressed person and people will like it, I’ve not added anything.
You are allowed to be a “horrible” person ya know
Yeah but horrible people don’t have friends, coz they all leave when you do something slightly out of touch
It’s a beautiful balance
