[Leica] Candid photos in public places

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

Ashley,
Great to unlurk!  As to your question, I can't answer for Australia, but I
can answer for a pretty uptight area in America.  The trick is to go about
your business with authority.  By that I mean carry yourself as if you
belonged there and it was your job to take pictures.  Smile and look people
in the eye.  Talk with people at the venue while carrying your camera with
authority.  Chat up with any people in authority, explain honestly what you
are doing.  If someone indicates that they are uncomfortable with you taking
pictures of them then respect that wish.

Don
don.dory@gmail.com


On 9/24/06, Ashley C Gordon <ashley@ccm.com.au> wrote:
>
> I have been a subscriber to LUG for some months now- but have yet to
> submit
> a message until now. Looking at some of the (excellent) photos by LUGers,
> especially those on public places, brings to mind a recent debate here (in
> Australia) and I was wondering if this had come up anywhere else.  A few
> months ago there was a serious debate about banning people taking any
> photos
> at all in any public place where there were children.  Apparently child
> sex
> offenders had been prowling playgrounds etc with cameras and in typical
> form, the over reaction was to ban photography in such places all
> together.
> I can understand it to a degree, but the problem is wherever there is a
> monument, beach, or place of natural beauty worth photographing, there
> seem
> to be children!  Australia tends to be over-protective in such matters.  I
> have been looked at with suspicion because I had a camera near children at
> a
> local beach resort area (actually, I was trying to get a whole bunch of
> beach umbrellas in frame) where as on a recent trip to South America,
> people
> seem much happier and actually jump in frame to be in the camera!  Has
> this
> matter of children and photography come up any where else?  What is a
> balanced approach?
>
>
>
> Kind regards
> ASHLEY
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