What's the proper approach to photographing people in public?

EnormousTalkingOnion — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:47:54 -0800

As an amateur photographer, how do I photograph people in public without it being awkward or creepy? I do lots of photography, purely as a hobby. I tend to focus on inanimate objects and scenes in part because I find it hard to take pictures of people I don't know. When I'm in public and I see someone doing something interesting or with an expressive look on their face, I often want to take a picture but don't because I feel awkward about it. I have a long-ish lens (200mm on a 1.6x body), so I can keep some distance, but chances are they will see me taking the picture, at which point they'll probably assume I'm a weirdo, and I can't hand them a business card from the local paper to explain that it's all in the name of photojournalism. I even feel awkward asking people for permission to take their picture, which is already a problem since it takes any spontaneity out of the shot.

(Note: all of the above goes doubly for pictures of kids.)

Does anyone have any advice for the best protocol for photographing strangers in public? Should I always ask permission first? What should I say if anyone confronts me about it? How can I get the shots I want artistically without seeming shady? Am I being paranoid about it and most people don't actually care?

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What's the proper approach to photographing people in public?