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- Path: sparky!uunet!dtix!mimsy!afterlife!mssmith
- From: mssmith@afterlife.ncsc.mil (M. Scott Smith)
- Newsgroups: rec.photo
- Subject: Photographing people; need permission?
- Message-ID: <1993Jan2.224731.20546@afterlife.ncsc.mil>
- Date: 2 Jan 93 22:47:31 GMT
- Organization: The Great Beyond
- Lines: 31
-
-
- Hi.. I'm new to the world of photography but I'm very excited about it.
-
- I was practicing taking pictures the other day at a park, and there was
- a lady with two kids feeding ducks that I thought would make a great picture,
- but I didn't take it because I began to wonder if I would be breaking any
- laws of etiquette (or plain old laws) by not getting permission from her.
-
- A little silly in that case, I suppose, but are there any "rules" that should
- be followed when taking pictures of total strangers?
-
- I assume this would probably depend on what was being done with the photograph.
- My intuition tells me that you can take pictures of whatever you want, or
- whoever you want, as long as it's in a public place, without obtaining
- permission.
-
- But is this true? What if I'm taking a picture of a bunch of people walking
- down a street in a big city? Or what if I make a specific person the
- unknowing subject of a photograph?
-
- I guess these are probably stupid questions, and I guess they're fueled by
- my habit of always being "polite". It would make me nervous to take a picture
- of a total stranger, especially if this was considered an inpolite (or illegal)
- thing to do..
-
- Any remarks from the pros on this topic would be appreciated.
-
- Thanks!
-
- Scott
- (mssmith@afterlife.ncsc.mil)
-