[LRflex] Re: Looking at the camera

  • From: Walter Kramer <walter.kramer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:55:34 +1000

Bill,

Thanks for your frank thoughts.  I have previously grappled with this 
issue and sought advice and opinion on the internet and through friends. 
I have checked the laws here and basically I shoot within the law, ie., 
public spaces are open to be photographed unless some restrictions are 
applied by event organisers. With regard to publications, exhibitions 
and sales it is more complicated and there are some well known legal 
cases that you can research on the net.

Personally, I like to think I respect people's privacy but take the shot 
anyway. I won't for example capture homeless or otherwise fringe people 
without permission, eg, I'll shoot people touring the old cemetery here 
but I won't shoot people paying their respects, I'll capture lovers if I 
can.

My feelings are mixed though as I believe one should be able to capture 
whatever is around in the spirit of sympathetically displaying the 
reality of people lives and the society we live in.

In any general and comprehensive way this question cannot be resolved. 
It may depend on what you are comfortable with.  I have some shots I 
can't bring myself to post and have not printed, although I have shown 
them on my computer to a few select friends who are not photographers. 
There are different levels to this depending on what you do with the 
capture, assuming you take the shot. Do you show anyone at all?  Do you 
post? Do you print and display? Do you offer for sale?

 From my point of view, I'll take the shot if I can. The dilemma sets in 
when I consider what to do with it.

Regards

Walter


On 26/07/10 09:07, William B. Abbott III wrote:
> Walter,
>
> Here are some ramblings that came up for me after seeing your "faces in the 
> shutter" picture.
>
> I am an amateur photographer who has never made a dime from a picture and 
> most likely never will but seldom if ever photograph people who are looking 
> at me without their permission (except for friends and acquaintances) and on 
> the street I usually try to avoid including recognizable faces at least in 
> the foreground of any picture.
>
> Obviously some people are occasionally portrayed when I photograph public 
> events (parades, etc.) but I try to avoid it, especially here at home in the 
> U.S. When traveling, I am a bit more relaxed about it knowing that no one who 
> sees my pictures could possibly know anyone in the frame and vice versa, but 
> realizing also that photography is a religious or cultural taboo in many 
> places and among many individuals. If I really want a picture, I always 
> choose to ask permission first.
>
> Maybe I am just shy but I feel that I am simply being respectful of others. I 
> realize that amateur photography is not professional photography and have no 
> idea of the legalities surrounding amateur, non-profit-making photography of 
> the "man in the street."
>
> Perhaps you and others would be kind enough to share your thoughts and 
> experiences on the ins and outs of this issue, one which has always seemed to 
> be important to me. Maybe I am simply wrong, or ill-advised, and have nothing 
> to worry about, and maybe the subject has been cut-and-dried for decades and 
> that I am simply uninformed.
>
> And no, I haven't Googled the subject yet to find out, preferring to seek the 
> advice of my Leica friends.
>
> Thanks in advance to all who wish to share.
>
> All the best,
>
> Bill
>
>
> On Jul 25, 2010, at 5:30 AM, Walter Kramer wrote:
>
>    
>> People keep looking at my camera even through the shutters
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/25126059@N02/4826066445/sizes/l/in/photostream/
>>
>> Panasonic G1, Konica 85mm f1.8
>>
>> -- 
>> Walter Krämer
>> walter.kramer@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>> walter.kramer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Bus: 03 9854 2463
>> Mob: 0414 884 965
>>
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>    


-- 
Walter Krämer
walter.kramer@xxxxxxxxxxxx
walter.kramer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bus: 03 9854 2463
Mob: 0414 884 965

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