Being fairly new to photography, I am always a bit nervous when photographing in public. I regularly head out in my town of Charleston, SC, to photograph the beauty of this city. In addition to the architecture, there are beautiful people, rich in history and culture.
On one of my very first times out in the city, i encountered a situation that continues to cause me uneasiness about photographing in public. I was in the local market downtown, where mostly locals sell crafts and other goods. There is a culture of Gullah people here, descendants of plantation slaves from africa. They have managed to maintain their own culture, and language, but they are very quickly disappearing. At the market in the middle of downtown Charleston, they sell intricate, hand-woven baskets, little children selling roses, all made from the dry leaves of palmetto trees. Right there on the corner of this busy street, in the bright sun was this elderly man. It was one of those scenes that just looked like a beautiful picture. He had the most beautiful skin tone, a straw hat on, a palm leaf in his mouth, weaving the basket in the hot sun. As soon as i aimed my camera, he got really irritated, and yelled “no!” I will admit, this was my first time out with my camera, and i should have asked to take his photograph, but to this day, i still get a bit nervous to approach people and ask if i can include them in my pictures. I did immediately apologized and deleted the picture, out of respect, but i felt embarrassed, like he thought i was invading his privacy.
Well, i found an article in Digital Photography School about the rights of photographers, and it was very helpful to me. As it turns out, photographers are not only seen as a nuisance by some people, they are often mistaken as terrorists! The article explains your rights as a photographer, and some etiquette tips. Take a look and follow the link to download a pdf to keep in your bag, which reminds you of your rights as a photographer, should you be questioned by police. They have one for England, USA, and Australia. Arrests have occurred, so just make sure that you know your rights.
http://digital-photography-school.com/im-a-photographer-not-a-terrorist-how-to-shoot-in-public-with-confidence