Your right to be a photographer!
It’s hard to take a good picture if you don’t have a camera with you. I like to take my camera with me as much as possible and am currently trying to figure out a way to carry it and my gear that isn’t a hindrance but that’s a topic for another post.
What that means is that sometimes I try taking pictures that make people uncomfortable, like in the picture below. I always shoot first and ask permission second. What this does for me, is preserve the authenticity of the moment, especially when dealing with strangers in public. But sometimes I’ve been asked to stop taking pictures. I’ve had people threaten to physically harm me if I continued. Sometimes I keep shooting and sometimes I stop. It just depends on the situation.
The guy in the blue shirt and the beard is one who threatened me. When I told him I had a right to shoot, he stepped in front of my camera and wouldn’t get out of the way. So the above shot is really my only one from that car wreck. And just FYI, I usually stop at a car wreck and offer my assistance, if my assistance is not needed, THEN I get the camera out and take pictures.
I know where I have the right to shoot and where I should have permission and I’m not afraid of defending my rights. I also guarantee that no one is going to take my camera or CF cards from me, unless my life is in danger (getting mugged, etc…).
Below is a link to a handy PDF article that outlines your rights. I keep a print out in my camera bag.
Interesting “right” posted. I think I’ll print that out as well! Was the person in the photo ok? Do you know?