This is something I've always wanted to do/have always been curious about.

So to those who photograph strangers on the street or in public, how do you do it?

Do you ask? Do you just shoot? Are others interested or offended by you?

Just looking for advice and experiences.

I have often wondered the same thing. I usually just snap photos "from the hip" and hope that some turn out, or I'll pretend to be taking a picture of the landscape, and secretly get a portrait of someone.

I guess the polite thing to do would be to ask, but then you run the risk of losing the image, because they could say no, or they could just totally change their persona because they are self conscious because of the camera...

So risk vs. reward is the answer, is running the risk worth the reward?

I never ask for permission, because that would make the shot lost all its "real life" value, except if what I want is a more classic portrait. Then I will discuss with the person to know her/him a bit and to make her/him feel a little more at ease.

I'm trying hard to shoot what I want to shoot despite the possible reactions, but it is hard for people often seem paranoid the minute they see a camera!

I've read that there is a major protocol to this, but I don't really follow it. I also shoot from the hip or pretend that I'm shooting something else. What I always wonder is, if you shoot a homeless person or someone while you are driving by in a car and want to publish the photo, are you supposed to have a model release? It's frustrating because I don't want to ruin the moment either.

My latest blog has a lot of candids in San Francisco that I'd love to put in a book but am not sure if I can. Check them out.

http://www.photoblog.com/Myeye/

It is my understanding that if you are use a person's image and make a profit, you are liable for a payment to the model unless you have a signed model release. I also believe that. without a release, the model can request you remove their image even if you are not using the image for profit.

As for ruining the moment, you might try carrying around some model releases and get your subjects to sign them AFTER you take the picture. Most people are flattered and will sign away their rights for free (or for a copy of your book).

Of course, if the person in the shot never sees it...

Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and my advice has no legal bearing. I would suggest you check out Calafornia Lawyers for the Arts for the real scoop (http://www.calawyersforthearts.org/). They offer free or cheap legal information and advice. They could show you some boiler plate model release forms too.

If you are in the US it is really simple to determine just google photography rights and it will come up with a slew of information about your rights as a photographer and at what point it is necessary to get a release.

I love doing street photography (photographing strangers) and I don't shoot from the hip, but literally just while I'm walking looking through the lens, stop and snap my shot. Most people don't like their pic taken so if you ask you will definitely lose the moment.

One thing you can try if you're chicken like me; get a compact camera that does video. Hang it around your neck and let it run as you roam the streets. Afterwards you can extract stills from the movie. Some examples from the first trial I did:
http://www.photoblog.com/yellodog/2009/01/06/

If you have a DSLR you can get a 90 degree mirror lens or voyeur lens in which case you are able to take a shot to the side while looking like you are trying to get a shot from the front.....

Shoot and be damned.. Argueing about having your photo taken is a learned reaction, not an emotional one. Just stare straight past the person once you have taken the shot, as if they were incidental to the photo, and something else was the subject. Equally, if you have a willing conspirator, have them walk ahead of you, snap your photo in their general direction, missing them but getting the subject you want.

Speaking out of experience, asking people a permission to photograph them makes them suspicious, so you are left with two options:
The first option: Photograph them without permission, if they get offended, then apologize and delete the shots in front of them, otherwise they don’t mind and you should not also.

The second option: you may photograph them without knowing. But make sure the results do not reveal their personality or identity.

Best regards

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I've done a tremendous volume of work on this topic as a summer associate at a law firm, and with an Information/Privacy class.

When people are in public, they have a lowered expectation of privacy. As such, they may be find themselves in situations where their photograph is taken, or they are filmed. Generally, this filming is not neffarious, and they're merely passing through a frame. The law is not remarkably developed on the situations that one may find themselves in, but it becomes clearer if you're in a place of business, someone's home, or not "outdoors." If you want trouble, try shooting at a private resort, or in another place that has clearly posted "No Cameras" or "No Photography" (or something similar).

The other issue that one may find themselves in is a confrontation with a person you have just taken a photograph of. The easiest way to avoid it becoming physical is, like others have suggested, offer to delete the photograph in front of them, and move on. There is no reason to get your camera broken, you face beat in, or spend a night in jail just to get a shot of someone on the street.

When it boils down--if someone is in public, their expectation of privacy is lower than it would be in a more private/intimate setting. If you're really concerned about the legal ramiifications of shooting people in public, you may wish to consult an attorney. If you're doing free lance, it would be an issue you'd like to pin down prior to shooting.

Candid street photography is an old and respected genre, although it turns out that some of the finest examples (Doisneau, Winogrand, etc.) were composed using models! One of the main appeals of the genre is its spontaneity, something the greats sometimes had to contrive to express…

For us lesser mortals, the issue here is one of privacy. As the previous poster mentioned, people in public groups and settings have a lower expectancy of preserving their privacy. I suspect that if you ask people, all too often, the answer will be “no” – and you’ll lose that spontaneity in the event of a “yes”.

The legal issue to far too vast and diverse to give a simple answer. In some countries such as France, you simply can’t capture people’s particulars without their formal, explicit approval. Other countries have a laxer attitude, but this is what I do: I shoot first and ask later. I show people the result and explain it’s not for commercial use. I also offer to delete the image if they want (never happens). Perhaps it’s my honest face and engaging yet unobtrusive personality… My rule of thumb is as follows: if someone is visibly and uniquely recognisable AND if they occupy a significant proportion of the image (more than a fifth, say), then I feel required to ask his or her permission, but after taking the shot.