Photography

Debatable

a lot of people still think they have the right to privacy in public (they dont) and can tell you to delete any photos of them (they dont).
Also a lot of people think kids are more protected from being photographed in public (they arent)
There is the moral side of it though, culturewise, the UK people like their privacy, but at the same time, they dont realise that in a town center they're being filmed by 3-5 cameras at all times.

I say if they're the main subject and they're just trying to live their life, then don't. If they're in the background, fine. If they're like some street performer, fine. If they're a person with a megaphone at a rally, fine.

But if you're just taking a photo of someone on a bench eating a sandwich then no. Or if the person sees you and asks you not to do it, then respect their wishes.

If they can be easily identified then it's tricky.

My 2 cents.

What does instagram have to do with Uni application? If you just use it as an easy to use online portfolio, there are better, free options. Google ‘free online portfolio builder.for photography’ etc. This way you can show off your photos big and less compressed.

IG can normally only be viewed on a phone and thats not ideal for showing off your photography to the university, they are much more likely using a laptop to access your links rather than a phone.

I think its really a case-by-case thing. Depending on the photo you compose, the presence of the person in it (main subject or just part of a daily life scene)

There are valid arguments on both sides tbh.

I don’t do street phitography. But on the rare occasion that i do. I just ask the people or person.

Do you think there may be some issues if photography is banned in public places?

I’m not a fan. Random people in a photo is not a problem. But making them the subject without their permission is kinda shitty. There are other less public venues you can use for your application, but I sure hope you have something else to show them. Besides street stuff

That's up to you, but, if anyone could have witnessed the same scene in person and it was on public property then I don't see the need to feel any guilt.

Listen to your heart, not your friend.

At one extreme, people regard street photography as creepy by definition.

At the other, they'll do a Bruce Gilden and pop a flash in your face.

You will need to work out where you stand yourself whilst aware that you cannot possibly please everyone. No matter how you do it, street photography comes with a heavy split in opinions.

Personally, I follow the law and take my photos without anyone noticing. In the very rare case that someone does notice and objects, I delete their photo. I don't approach people after taking their photo to ask for their permission, as where I live, people generally prefer to be left alone. That is cultural and varies across the globe.

I'm also a big fan of reflections and silhouettes where you can't identify anyone. Like so:

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https://preview.redd.it/12r51d6y9izb1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef4abf77529f837fdfc485eacd78967f0d6ce116

Public Space = Public Face, I have no problem photoing people out in the public space. If they don't like it then don't wander outside.

I stick to the law and I have a few personal morale rules I follow, for example I don't generally take photos of homeless people, vagrants (is that the right word?) etc, I never publish them on social if I do. I won't publish pictures that rely on the aesthetics of the person for their sole interest, anyone can take a picture of a hansom/pretty/well dressed person and people will like it, I've not added anything.

You are allowed to be a "horrible" person ya know

You say these images are going into a portfolio. It's only really an issue if your posting these in public, either online or in a gallery. If these photos will never be in the public domain then you don't really need to worry about what people will think, because they'll never see the images.

If your posting images publicly then I would seek permission even if I didn't have to. I don't want to make people feel bad or like they're being pointed at. Or to run away and wide when they see me with a camera.

I say this every time this comes up. Art > else

Keep posting them. Unless you're shooting people with a 70-200 (that is seriously creepy) you don't have much to worry about being creepy. You can't please everyone, so just do what you like.

Law and Ethics in Street Photography
This video is a good watch. Personally, I don't include visible faces on my Instagram. That said, I don't do street photography so it's not really an issue.

No one will see it on insta anyways so does it even matter?

So there are two separate but related things:

1 Your behavior when taking photos.

2 Publishing these photos in public places like Instagram.

Sounds like it is more the second one. I agree with P5_Tempname19 that the answer depends on how you portray them. I think you should also consider the situation they are in (what kind of activity). Even if you can photograph a children's sporting event legally (and often you can't) without permission it is not going to be a good idea. A parent and child walking down the street - probably fine.

Also consider if the people are in a vulnerable position or situation. A disabled person struggling to navigate a city not set up for them, or a homeless person who doesn't have anyplace else to be except on the street. A child crying because their parent has been hurt. Of course that doesn't mean you should not take photos of these kinds of people. There are also important stories to tell there. But you should be extra careful to think about their dignity when sharing these photos publicly.

Asking for permission is always good, but I know is not always practical.

If you feel uncomfortable about a particular photo I think a good exercise is to write a small, maybe two sentence, justification for yourself. It forces you to think through the competing principles involved.

For example, in Germany, even in public, it's illegal to take a photo of someone in a public space, and show it without asking for consent, privacy it's a serious issue there. And I think that's great, because I wouldn't wanna be in someone's photo album without consent.

There's cctv literally everywhere, everyone of us has probably been watched in one form or another through the camera in our phones or computer and then people get wierd about a well framed and thoughtful picture. I find most people don't really think about their opinions and rather just act on emotion. Take the pictures.

unfortunately, most of my non-photogrpahy friends find it rather strange to take pictures of strangers

Imagine if, since the dawn of photography people had been so worried about this that they either never photographed people in public spaces or never shared such photographs. How much the poorer would we be in history and in art? It’s kind of unthinkable. As photographers we need to exercise a degree of discretion, but… we also must fight to protect the right to photograph in public. There already exist rules about commercial use and that sort of thing.

And don’t assume people don’t want to be photographed. You actually have no idea. Most are either ambivalent about it or even flattered by it. People see me photographing all the time, a lot of people ask me to photograph them. Not all even want the photo. They just wanted to be seen. People who really have a problem will let you know. Then it’s up to you if you want to delete or make certain assurances or whatever.

If a person is the sole subject, take the photo and ask them if it's OK. Offer to send the finished product to them for free. If someone took a candid photo of me and it looked good, I wouldn't mind so long as I had a copy

Your friend is totally over reacting.

If it did not paint those people in an obviously bad way you are doing nothing wrong.

Whilst I think that arguments about identity ownership and privacy are very important, I think the general opinion of street photography, or candid photography of people, has really taken a strange turn.

I watched a video not long ago of someone expressing that any kind of street photography is exploitative. I stayed up all night thinking about it because it’s the only kind of photography I really love. After thinking long and hard, on the cusp of deleting everything I’d worked on all these years, I decided I wasn’t exploiting anyone in photographs I had taken.

I rarely ask for consent, because 90% of the photographs I take are of street scenes where the people themselves are not the core story. If I take a photograph of a person, I will tell them afterwards and show it to them and delete if they’re uncomfortable in any way. I never take photographs of people when they are vulnerable, this includes things like eating, sleeping, drinking, caught up in an accident or whatever.

Here’s my rule: if I take a photograph of a street and you happen to be on it, and your face or any distinguishing features are not visible, then I’m good to go. If I make you the central feature and you are recognizable then I need to ask consent.

However, one thing we have to consider in this age is the use of AI. If we post their image somewhere, we’re seemingly allowing that image to be raked and reused in an image that some AI vomits out somewhere (fuck AI). I personally think this makes things even more complex.

It goes without saying, but never kids. Leave kids alone. Unfortunately, AI has made this even worse as I’m reading stories already of vile degenerates using AI to make CP.

Oh yeah, and fuck AI to hell.

TL;DR: if face is recognizable, ask consent. Don’t photograph kids in any way. AI has made this issue way worse be very careful with people’s likeness, they can be made to do anything. Fuck AI.

If you want to read a bunch of peoples opinions on that specific topic go read a bunch of comments from @earthsworld posts on instagram

Get a new friend

Run to the uni and tell them you’re hear and ask them for advice

On a slightly different note, I find it funny people getting upset about taking photos of people in public. Some(!) of the most famous images we have from the past to give context to our understanding of modern history are candid photos of people going about their daily lives. I often wonder how future historians will filter through all the traces we leave behind (in particular social media and photos and videos) and how they will differentiate between what was real and what was put on for show. One of the biggest debates on history is about how history was recorded and by whom and for what purpose- a lot of it was written by people with power and influence and this could really start to change over the next few generations. Anyway taking candid photos of life is fascinating…

No you’re not a horrible person. It’s documentery style photography plain and simple.

I've run into the same issues and have a separate account for my street photography because I know some people just don't 'get' it. I love it as an art. Street photography is one of the rare ways you can capture completely real life, no pretence, no filter, just people living their lives. You can some incredibly poignant images. I make sure never to identify the locations, and tend to post the pictures a while after I've taken them, not the next day, just to feel like I'm protecting the people a little more. There will always be people who think it is creepy or weird, and you won't change their minds, but if you like the images you're creating, there's no reason to stop doing it.

Next stop is the tyrants of London telling you that even standing on public property you can’t photograph “their” building. I bluntly tell them to leave me alone, if they harass me I call the police and start filming them personally.

If you’re not doing the pap and leveraging the public street argument to shoot over hedges at people sunbathing I don’t see an issue. Street photography is and always has been a great form of art, expression, and record of life. 0 issues - though in the uk there are laws about children I think , faces have to be obscured. Double check that.

Your friend is wrong. Street photography is a perfectly legal (if done properly) and legitimate art form. Don't feel "super bad." I get a kick out of these people who insist I need their consent to take their picture in public when 90% of the time I can point to multiple video cameras and ask if they gave consent to all those cameras to capture their image. How about all the people taking images with cell phones? It's because you have a big scary camera that you're the boogeyman. Let it go and good luck at uni.

Your friend doesn't know what they're talking about. If you've taken photos in the public space you're good to go