I’m sorry this happened to you, Alex. For me, it’s lost battle. It’s no illegal, but specially in Mexico, and specially in Centro Histórico (I guess this is where happened), people is so fearful of pictures and being ignorants, you always will lose no matter how right you are. That’s my eternal concern with street photography.
It may be legal, but a lot of humans don't like being photographed. Add a bit of mental illness, a touch of paranoia, and perhaps a chemical stimulant, and voila! You got yourself a problem! Happy for you that you were not hurt. It can be frightening to experience.
It’s an ethical question, arguably always has been. And a good debate, i think. Perhaps more so now that technology is so omnipresent. But at its foundation theres a question of respect. a person who happens to be in a passing shot in public vs taking a photo of a private citizen going about their day; it’s different. If I don’t have consent I do my best to avoid faces, or if I think I might get consent later I’ll take the pic but delete if I don’t get it.
You are talking of something impossible if we talk about street photography. In public space you can’t pretend privacy. I think is a little confusing what you write: the fact I make a photograph without asking permission doesn’t mean I don’t respect. There is a right to document that in democratic countries is protected by the self expression determination. Also: I find absurd to pretend something ina world where anyone can grab videos and photos in hidden way via drones, smartphones, etc. and is an absurd even more when people has their entire life given in social networks, private data included.
It’s not impossible, but it may not be what you want to do. Is the ubiquitousness of technology, and my rights as a photographer, a good enough reason for not proceeding with a greater duty of care than I’ve had in the past? I stand by my argument that it’s the ubiquitousness of technology that increases our duty of care more now than ever in our history.
If you photograph only people by the shoulders or not showing their identity you can, but your photography will not be giod enough. Street documentary photography needs of persons that are visible and spontaneity. A street portrait is not street photography: it is a portrait. Sone (many) photographers want to make… street photography. I do portraits too, but I am aware is another thing and not what I want to achieve as a street photographer.
I think is more a cultural issue. I think the system works a lot,’in order to have us suspicious of the others. And, of course, photography that can represent an important instrument to show what happens in the world needs to be suspected. I would like to see visual culture taught in schools. I would back to a world where a photographer on the street is not seen as a weirdo or enemy.
Well said 👍🏻🐦⬛ I’d love to return to a day where I felt safe to return to photographing people on the street, and to feel safe having my photo taken. For now I stick to photographing mostly street art, graffiti, and portraits
If you photograph only people by the shoulders or not showing their identity you can, but your photography will not be good
enough. Street documentary photography needs of persons that are visible and spontaneity. A street portrait is not street photography: it is a portrait. Sone (many) photographers want to make… street photography. I do portraits too, but I am aware is another thing and not what I want to achieve as a street photographer.
I’m sorry this happened to you, Alex. For me, it’s lost battle. It’s no illegal, but specially in Mexico, and specially in Centro Histórico (I guess this is where happened), people is so fearful of pictures and being ignorants, you always will lose no matter how right you are. That’s my eternal concern with street photography.
It may be legal, but a lot of humans don't like being photographed. Add a bit of mental illness, a touch of paranoia, and perhaps a chemical stimulant, and voila! You got yourself a problem! Happy for you that you were not hurt. It can be frightening to experience.
Sucks this happened. Don’t let it discourage you. 👍
No way that is going to happen. In fact immediately after I made a sequence of shots.
It’s an ethical question, arguably always has been. And a good debate, i think. Perhaps more so now that technology is so omnipresent. But at its foundation theres a question of respect. a person who happens to be in a passing shot in public vs taking a photo of a private citizen going about their day; it’s different. If I don’t have consent I do my best to avoid faces, or if I think I might get consent later I’ll take the pic but delete if I don’t get it.
You are talking of something impossible if we talk about street photography. In public space you can’t pretend privacy. I think is a little confusing what you write: the fact I make a photograph without asking permission doesn’t mean I don’t respect. There is a right to document that in democratic countries is protected by the self expression determination. Also: I find absurd to pretend something ina world where anyone can grab videos and photos in hidden way via drones, smartphones, etc. and is an absurd even more when people has their entire life given in social networks, private data included.
It’s not impossible, but it may not be what you want to do. Is the ubiquitousness of technology, and my rights as a photographer, a good enough reason for not proceeding with a greater duty of care than I’ve had in the past? I stand by my argument that it’s the ubiquitousness of technology that increases our duty of care more now than ever in our history.
If you photograph only people by the shoulders or not showing their identity you can, but your photography will not be giod enough. Street documentary photography needs of persons that are visible and spontaneity. A street portrait is not street photography: it is a portrait. Sone (many) photographers want to make… street photography. I do portraits too, but I am aware is another thing and not what I want to achieve as a street photographer.
I think is more a cultural issue. I think the system works a lot,’in order to have us suspicious of the others. And, of course, photography that can represent an important instrument to show what happens in the world needs to be suspected. I would like to see visual culture taught in schools. I would back to a world where a photographer on the street is not seen as a weirdo or enemy.
Well said 👍🏻🐦⬛ I’d love to return to a day where I felt safe to return to photographing people on the street, and to feel safe having my photo taken. For now I stick to photographing mostly street art, graffiti, and portraits
Fair enough and I respect your feeling.
If you photograph only people by the shoulders or not showing their identity you can, but your photography will not be good
enough. Street documentary photography needs of persons that are visible and spontaneity. A street portrait is not street photography: it is a portrait. Sone (many) photographers want to make… street photography. I do portraits too, but I am aware is another thing and not what I want to achieve as a street photographer.