Do you ask permission to take pics in stores and such?

[tracib]

I see a lot of pictures people take in stores, restaurants, etc. Do you ask permission before you snap? What about in airports? I would love to take my camera everywhere with me, but it would just sit in my bag. Im terrified someone will get mad if I snap pictures. I'm picking someone up at the airport on Monday and thought it would be a great place to take pics, but I'm scared to offend anyone. You can't ask everyone, so what do you do?

[daft_biker]

Originally Posted by tracib

I'm scared to offend anyone.

Don't be. Some people are awfy easy to offend.

If somebody wants to take offence that's their problem. Let them be offended. You could even say it's their right to be offended. It's their choice, let them get on with it.

If I take a bike up a hill I sometimes find walkers that take offence....how dare I ride a bike of their hill kind of thing. I usually just laugh and carry on as there is nothing they can or will do. Don't let whingers spoil your fun!

[zona5101]

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission"

Really hard to say but most places including airports don't care....especially if there are people in the picture (as opposed to you just taking pictures of the TSA screeners, machines and stuff - that might raise some eyebrows.
If you're on private property(grocery store, the mall, the ice creame shop, resturants bars etc etc) the property owner can ask you not to photograph. So you say ok and move on. Most do not care.

[Gulf Coast Girl]

I agree with the posters above.

You know it's funny because in any restaurant it's not uncommon to see folks whip out a camera phone and snap a pic of their good time. I don't think any of us would hesitate to do that.... but whip out a big old DSLR and it's a little more noticiable. I think as long as you keep it as low-key as possible, no one is going to say anything. By low-key, I mean don't setup a tripod in the middle of the aisle and zoom in on a table of strangers..... that's likely to upset a few folks

[Deleted]

Depending on who is shooting, where they are, and in some cases who their client is it can be illegal to photograph people in public.

Say I have a town hire me to take snaps of a park here in Canada. Unless I get a release from everyone in the photo, blurred or not, I'll be breaking the Privacy Act and will be held accountable.

Even as a wedding photographer in Toronto with a release from the wedding party to take their shots I still can't just go to the park and snap shots. Even if no one was in the shot other then the wedding party I'd still be breaking the Toronto By-Law #608.

The Privacy Acts also prevents profit or gain from the sale or use of any photo, be it a person or an identifiable property, without permission. Now tack on the Criminal Code of Canada's Criminal Harassment (264.1) and the job of a photographer just got interesting.

And the big one; Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). A photo has been deemed personal information and protects the use of personal information for anything other then personal use (edit, without a release but the release must accompany the photos so long as they exist).

If you post a picture of me taken in public on something like facebook I can make you take it down or sue you, or both.

Better safe then sorry, know your local laws and ask first. If it's going to be posted anywhere online get a release or else it could come back to bite you in the rear.

[tracib]

Thank you so much for all the advice!! I really appreciate it! Looks like I'll try to start taking my camera with me everywhere!

[candidrachel]

I tend to snap away until I get reprimanded otherwise. Most people will politely tell you if you are breaking any "rules". I once took some candid shots of members of the public going about their lives in our local shopping centre and it was announed over the tannoy "Members of the public are reminded that photography is is not permitted" so I just packed my camera away. I got the message loud and clear!

I wouldn't worry about hearing horror stories about getting beaten up or worse. Those kinds of situations are very few and far between.

[inkista]

To me, it depends. As a hobbyist, my living doesn't depend on getting a shot. In a reasonably public space, and a place where I'm unlikely to have a security guard/property owner up in my face, sure I'll snap first. But if the subject is a stranger, I typically make eye contact and with a head nod to the camera, tacitly ask for permission.

When shooting a store (and I make the distinction between shooting in a store, and shooting the store itself), I always ask for permission from the owner or manager. Mostly because I'm likely to be setting up for spherical panoramas with a panohead and a tripod, and that kind of behavior is definitely not a casual snapshot.

I have a thing for used bookstores and they're disappearing rapidly.

I've yet to run across one that has denied me permission. They usually just tell me not to block the aisles. And I'm forever grateful to Wahrenbrock's for letting me record their space, because only two years later, that 75-year old institution closed its doors. Those guys were class. They not only told me to go ahead, they told me to have fun.

Asking can be good, too. It's not a given that they'll say no.

[Sterling]

Deleted, do you have citations for these?

Say I have a town hire me to take snaps of a park here in Canada. Unless I get a release from everyone in the photo, blurred or not, I'll be breaking the Privacy Act and will be held accountable.

The Privacy Acts also prevents profit or gain from the sale or use of any photo, be it a person or an identifiable property, without permission. Now tack on the Criminal Code of Canada's Criminal Harassment (264.1) and the job of a photographer just got interesting.

[Deleted]

There are also various Privacy Acts for each province as well as the Privacy Act of Canada. There are certain sections that will apply depending on where you are in Canada, who your client is, and what the photos are going to be used for. In Alberta I'd check out the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Part 2, Division 2 as a starting point.

Alberta's FOIP Act;
FOIP - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy: Alberta's FOIP Act

Criminal Code of Canada - Criminal Harassment;
scroll down to 264.(1)
Criminal Code