Consent in Street Photography

[rodeo_joe1]

We had the gender naming discussion at TG dinner as one of the guests' daughter had gone trans and is now a "they" or a "them". One thing I would say is that other people didn't create the new pronoun's trans people use. These folks chose the name for themselves. Personally I think it's a clumsy locution for a pronoun, but it's their choice on what they want to be called. I know the language gets a little tortured, but think of it as if someone insisted on calling you a girl in conversation, you might not like it.

As I said, I fully accept the existence of three genders, which includes neutrality. It's the other two dozen genders that I'm informed have been invented that I take issue with.

Yes. And the word awful once meant inspiring wonder. Language, and culture, evolve. That’s hard for some people, welcome by others.

I would expect no other response from the passive-aggressive and self-righteous 'liberal'.

 

To clarify: Yes, I'm irked by the devaluation of words such as "awesome" and "enormity"; it removes expressions of events beyond words from the language.

I'm also dismayed that there appears to now be an entire generation that can't string together a short sentence without inserting the word "like" between every other word. Dismayed, but not apoplectic about the above.

 

However, I take task with the description "evolve". Devolution would surely be a far better descriptor?

[samstevens]

I would expect no other response from the passive-aggressive and self-righteous 'liberal'.

Speaking of devolution, look how quickly we went from “I’m losing my freedom of speech” to using that freedom for name calling.

 

sticks + stones

[AlanKlein]

Getting back to the OP question about consent. I think once you ask, it becomes more portraiture rather than street which should have a more extemporaneous feel about it.

[AlanKlein]

It should also have feelings from or among the people in the shot. Otherwise, it's more of a snapshot recording the passage of time. There should be something that makes you smile, or cry, or emote something.

[samstevens]

I think once you ask, it becomes more portraiture rather than street

If this is your experience, it's valid and likely has to do with the way you ask and the resulting shot you choose to take.

 

It's not, however, the experience of every street photographer, many of whom ask for permission and come up with very compelling street photos that would likely not be seen as portraiture.

 

There are many ways to ask permission. One can quickly gesture to someone on the street who may simply nod back agreement but not adopt a pose for the photo and just continue what they were doing.

 

And no rulebook exists that says that a posed shot can't be street photography.

 

Then there's the example I gave above of asking a group of guys playing basketball in the schoolyard if it's ok to take pictures while they go about their game, candidly.

 

And then there's not asking permission and being waved off just a little too late!

 

don't shoot me

[AlanKlein]

Well, at least he didn't have his finger on the trigger. ;)

[Allen Herbert]

Why do I see in Sam's photos a gay guy, dressed up as a girl, showing their rear end? Why do I see a photo of a half naked bloke? And then we have a guy in a uniform how nice.

 

I see little in these photos to do with street photography, other than set up photographs of titillating sexuality.

 

"The 1 out of 100 of yours that might not, though put in the context of your body of work, I wouldn't necessarily think you innocent of sexualizing her as you do the other young women you photograph" Sam

 

Pot calling the kettle black.

[Robin Smith]

I know many photographers who do ask permission and they get great results. With me, I think most people can tell I am taking or about to take their photo, so it is not a surprise if I decide to do so. They are free to object, but not all that many do. In the past, occasionally, people would put their hand up to cover their face, but nowadays with the ubiquity of cell phones I find this happens less often. I have asked permission on a few cases when it would be just too awkward to not do so. All this is rather moot at present as due to Covid I have not been street shooting for about 2 years.

[samstevens]

All this is rather moot at present as due to Covid I have not been street shooting for about 2 years.

I've been doing a lot of empty street shooting. :)

[Ed_Ingold]

Twitter announced that there must be explicit consent from everyone appearing in a posted photograph. Forget holiday photographs of crowded streets, and possible those taken from the space station ;)

 

I used Twitter once. I think it was in 2013. I think its best use is to assemble a flash mob.

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

I know this thread is pretty much left for dead, but I remembered this photo I thought kinda applies to the article the OP linked too

 

From a play area installation at LACMA Los Angeles