Photography

If they're not recognisable then it's fine I think.

I used to do this 10 years ago. People were intrigued and actively come out in my photos. They are still up, but I've stopped this style as people have become snowflakes

As long as a single person isn’t a major focal point of a photo, I think it’s fine. Honestly in today’s age as soon as you step out of your house you’re on camera to some degree. But I also don’t photograph people who are showing me that they don’t want to be.

Don't let sensitive people ruin your art, people are way too sensitive these days.

I plan to get rid of the portfolio once I get accepted to uni.

Why are you uploading these photos to Instagram, then? Surely there would be a better way to submit a portfolio with your university application?

Do you have to show them on any social media?

I pay a website to host mine. I have ownership of my photos and if web crawlers respect the rules the photos are not catalogued by a big tech firm.

The photos that you posted on any social become just a pool of images for various AI training sets. This seems to be the case regardless of any privacy policy or statements made to the contrary.

I think how you demonstrate respect for the images goes a part way towards answering your question.

No, but there are better and worse ways of doing it. Your friend seems to be making a blanket statement that all of it is wrong, no questions asked, no exceptions, no nuance.

You sound like you are aware of the more exploitative ones. Some of those are legal but not cool.

Just because people disagree with you doesn’t make you a horrible person….

My dude, find a street photography sub and ask the question there. Those are folks that have already wrestled with the issues and not some random bunch of people giving you their opinion, many from a place of shocking levels of ignorance. It does not help that there is a LOT shitty street photography out there, everyone may be a “photographer” these days but that does not immediately imbue them with talent or skill. A street photography sub should lead you to some trusty outstanding work, both from an artistic perspective and a historical value perspective.

Street photography is a genre that requires a certain level of conviction and tact. If you lack conviction then this is not the genre for you, it is not for the faint of heart. You DO need to be aware of the laws and rules for where you live or travel to as public photography does not have a universal set of rules/laws jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

My only comment about Instagram is don’t seek validation from that… platform it is not what it used to be.

Good luck. Don’t let ignorance be your guide and dissuade you from something that may give you joy.

Street photography is played out. The subject is doing most of the work.

Just don't be a goon, don't intrude on other people's perception. Stay stealth.

If someone asks you to stop taking their photograph, apologize politely and comply.

You'll need a release if you want to use it in an ad.

It's not "wrong" to be a working artist. Art is not the provedence of the wealthy.

That's all.

Do be upset on other people's behalf. They only have the right to be upset if they are in the photo. If not, they need to stay in their lane.

The idea of someone taking photos of me and posting them without my ever knowing makes me feel absolutely disgusting and unsafe, but I just dislike not having control over myself and how I’m seen. I know many people in ED/mental health issues spaces feel really similar, absolutely regardless of intent or end result. I think it’s definitely up to how comfortable you are with knowing how many of us experience that.

I've recently grown really fond of street photography and I follow similar moral rules as you mentioned: avoid kids and people who may be disabled. I actually love people in compromising positions or unflattering shots, but I don't often post them on Instagram or Flickr unless the composition and general scene is worth it.

I'm just echoing what the majority of people have commented already, but you should take photos and post what you feel comfortable with. That's another aspect of "you" that informs your unique style. If you'd rather avoid having people's faces visible, try snapping those shots. But if you like the weird and wonderful abstract tapestry that is the public at large then you shouldn't listen to your friend's opinion and instead lean into what you enjoy. Unless you are being creepy, which it doesn't seem like you are, your friend is projecting their own insecurities onto you.

Remember, living your life based on others' opinions won't bring happiness or personal growth.

At the end of the day, you're in public and so are your subjects. So long as you remain respectful and nonconfrontational, you're golden. And posting those shots, imo, is completely correct and proper and does not make you a horrible person.

Why do they need to be on instagram?

Does your uni require they're on insta to be part of your portfolio, or can you share them through some other means?

shows us the photos and let us judge

You’re not a horrible person so don’t feel bad. Your friend is just priggish.

It's not fair, nor ethical to put someone's face or identity on the internet without their consent, no matter what the law says. If they are obscure and unremarkable in identity then probably. It isn't about deleting, once on the internet is always, not even if it's free.

My entire insta account is of other people.

I’m a photographer myself and do not do street photography because it exists due to a lack of consent. I’m also a woman. It ethically doesn’t fly in my world. That’s just me tho.

Some photos will ask for consent!

If their face takes up a significant portion of the frame, you could just ask them to sign their name if it's ok, maybe show them the picture quick, hand them a card and then not think about it. Could get some followers that way.

If they don't take up a significant portion, and are more a figure, I wouldn't worry about it in the slightest.

If it were me (I’m not a photographer), I wouldn’t mind as long as my face isn’t shown. Not totally obscured or anything, but enough you can’t tell it’s me.

https://preview.redd.it/xeg85farakzb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce5d79184d5b6bf21774bab7de65301e98d8362b

I will probably be downvoted into oblivion but this image shows some of my instagram posts. I live in London and not a single time i had problems with anyone telling me off because i was taking their photos. There are a couple photos of children too, all taken without permission. I don’t take these maliciously, i am merely documenting what people looked like in 2023. Some people smile, some people are surprised, some of them pose, but not one person ever said anything bad to me and this is how it should be imo. We all make our own art and that should not be restricted. There are thousands of CCTV cameras all around the UK recording our every move and these are not always operated by nice people. Try googling “photo leaked woman toilet robot vacuum”.

Creepy as hell to post identifiable pics without consent. Street photography isn’t voyeurism.

Let's put it this way. Every single one of us is in the background of someone's selfie, which could be taken in a public or private place, and that photo has been posted on the Internet without our consent. It's not creepy, don't worry about it. Unless you've done closeups of strangers faces, then you should be asking for their permission when you take the photo since they are the subject.

Not photographing people in public is a bit like not looking at people in public. Completely silly and has always been a huge subject in photography. Not for me personally as I hate humans cluttering up the landscape or architecture - most are revolting anyway. Occasionally, like in Italy you see beautiful people everywhere and they enhance the views. But if they are in a public place, they are there to be seen and can be photographed. Probably shouldn’t follow people around to take photos - that would be a bit off. Frankly these days, people are so addicted to selfies that they would probably follow you around instead.

I don't think you're a horrible person, but I've seen IG accounts that feature a lot of photos like this and I do think it's a bit weird and not to my taste.

Thank the Lord I am not a street photographer (though I am often involved in documentary filmmaking). IMO it is 100% a grey area and it's ultimately about what you can get away with, what personal relationships are acceptable, etc. Recently I've been photographed on the street several times by street photographers and I really don't mind it, they were shooting from fairly far away or being pretty subtle about it. The legality of photographing people is generally quite free, so it comes down to what your subjects feel comfortable with in the moment (the shot you can get) and whether it will be socially sustainable for you in the long run if people complain or come after you.

As someone who studies photography in University, this is one of the ethics conversations we cover a lot. Personally, i don’t agree with taking photos of people in public and then displaying them anywhere (social media, ones website, an exhibition) because i think it is a breach of privacy especially when that person did not leave their house expecting their image and likeness to be used or posted on social media.I know other photographers who think that it’s okay because it is technically legal in many places.

You have to ask yourself as an Artist and Photographer how you want to engage with the medium. Ethics is always an important part of photographic conversation, because our medium is one of the newer fine arts. When taking work in public that I intend to use for University or Exhibitions I ask myself;

Would I be okay with my image being seen/used/talked about?

Does this image possibly harm others? (many people may have religious reasons or other concerns and are not on social media, will your image harm them even if they don’t know who you are?)

Is it fair to assume everyone in public has no right to privacy? Keep in mind that every essential thing we need as people is in a public place (food, shopping, pharmacy etc etc) while in many stores it is not allowed to photograph, is it breaking someone’s privacy if they are just trying to get an essential item? If they have stepped out in public for five minutes, does that mean i can break their privacy just because i don’t know them?

All of this to say; one photographers approach differs from another’s. I know many photographers who think it’s okay and many who hate it. I would suggest that you think about how you would feel yourself, if you saw your image on someone else’s social media, if you saw it in a gallery etc etc.

A Rule of thumb that i ALWAYS follow; i will not take a photo of someone’s face/likeness without speaking to them. This can be hard in street photography, but I like to believe that speaking to your subject will benefit your art overall.

I hope this helps in some way, even if it’s to start a conversation/reflection around your practice. All the best for your portfolio and uni!!

Don’t feel bad, your friend’s a dick

You can do whatever you want, but there are consequences for your actions. If you leave the photos up maybe they help you get into uni, but also maybe you lose a friend. Conversely, you can take them down to appease your friend but maybe it's harder to get into uni. You have to choose what's more important to you.

Finally I would never sell the images, that's just wrong, there free for people to look at, like all art should be.

If you're planning to study photography and hope to turn it into a career, you might have to change your position on this point. There's nothing at all wrong with artists selling their work — people have been selling art probably for about as long as they've been making it.