Photographing people?

James C

Okay, so I got to school in NYC and I'm rarely seen without my Nikon D70s. Obviously, in any city there are tons of strange and interesting pictures to take, but, what's the story? If I see someone doing something that would make a candid photo do I take it right then and then ask them if it's okay? Or do I ask them first and try to replicate what they were doing? What's the story for throwing a candid shot like that up here on the internet? Are those pictures techinically mine? I'm just wondering what the deal is!
Thanks in advance!

-James :dunno

gus

James C wrote:

Okay, so I got to school in NYC and I'm rarely seen without my Nikon D70s. Obviously, in any city there are tons of strange and interesting pictures to take, but, what's the story? If I see someone doing something that would make a candid photo do I take it right then and then ask them if it's okay? Or do I ask them first and try to replicate what they were doing? What's the story for throwing a candid shot like that up here on the internet? Are those pictures techinically mine? I'm just wondering what the deal is!
Thanks in advance!

-James

You need to use the search function here with words like model/photo release etc about who owns what. We certainly dont mind candid people shots if they are not a shot of something unacceptable or tasteless. Candid people can be the best shots.

There is no one answer to your question about approaching people. You could ask a relativley normal looking person & get a blade in the ribs for your trouble or you could take a quick snap of a bikie gang member & they see you ...smile & ask to see the shot

Rememember you are dealing with the most unpredictable animal on the planet.

Ted Szukalski

James,

shoot then ask. You will never capture natural behaviours once you tell the people what you are about to do. You telling them later is just courtesy not some requirement if the photo is taken in public. If you publish your photos on the Internet I suggest creating a simple business card (name, email address and web address will suffice) so the people can look their photos up. Some may even want to buy the prints if they are good enough.

Ask for poses only if there is no other way of getting the shot. Be polite, natural and take a second to tell them what you do and why, but do not turn it into a hour long saga. You will find very few people refusing a photo, but if they do respect it.

If the person you are photographing looks or acts dangerously you need to think twice before asking. Even though the law is on your side it may be wiser not to ask or not to take the photo in the first place. Common sense applies!

You need model releases only if you are to make commercial profit from the photographs.

Photographs you take are yours and you hold the copyright over them. Specific legislation varies from country to country but in most cases the moment you take the shot it becomes yours and yours only.

James C wrote:

Okay, so I got to school in NYC and I'm rarely seen without my Nikon D70s. Obviously, in any city there are tons of strange and interesting pictures to take, but, what's the story? If I see someone doing something that would make a candid photo do I take it right then and then ask them if it's okay? Or do I ask them first and try to replicate what they were doing? What's the story for throwing a candid shot like that up here on the Internet? Are those pictures technically mine? I'm just wondering what the deal is!
Thanks in advance!

-James

illuminati919

You can also get a 800mm lens and hide behind a bush and wait for a homeless man to do something interesting, hehe, just kidding.

If you're shooting candid lifestyle photos definitely dont ask, just take the photo if they get mad tell them its for a school project or something, theres always the nice and the mean ones, most of the time they dont care, but yous got to becareful all the time though.

asamuel

If the person you are photographing looks or acts dangerously you need to think twice before asking. Even though the law is on your side it may be wiser not to ask or not to take the photo in the first place.

Good advice I remember having bought my first SLR. cruising the centre of my home city. I was shooting the wrong group that decided they weren't having any of it. I could have lost everything and worse if things had gone differently. We definately did not part company friends.

feel the mood and feel if you're confident pushing it. I like to think my internal social thermometer has developed since then.

illuminati919

O one more thing, if its a homeless person and they get mad, pull out a dollar bill and just give it to them. My photo teacher used to do that and he said it worked great.

ivar

illuminati919 wrote:

You can also get a 800mm lens and hide behind a bush and wait for a homeless man to do something interesting, hehe, just kidding.

If you're shooting candid lifestyle photos definitely dont ask, just take the photo if they get mad tell them its for a school project or something, theres always the nice and the mean ones, most of the time they dont care, but yous got to becareful all the time though.

I'd suggest you just tell them the truth, not some bullshit story.