Re: Two Sides To Every Story
Here's another thought to those carefully made by NT.
I'm an amateur photographer, law abiding, conservative, elderly. I used to photograph underwater only but SCUBA is for the very healthy which I am not any more and so I have taken to land photography (a considerable step in itself).
I have, since December, a significantly sophisticated SLR camera that is, increasingly, getting a supply of sophisticated lenses and I'm fairly proud of it, but still learning this above water lark.
Back in February I met with some friends in the local Pub's beer garden (this is just north of Sydney Australia) and decided to take the system because I wanted to show off the latest two lenses, and so forth and so on.
There was a family, probably grandparents, parents and two children at the immediately adjacent table. The daughter, at a guess around five years old, got seriously involved in some kind of computer game and so I snapped a few pictures of her, she was very cute in the way she screwed up her nose and eyes in concentration. I did this in full view of everyone, this was not a long lens, and eventually asked the parents for their e-mail address to send the pictures to them, which I did. I also asked them whether they'd like the raw files and having explained that to them, they said yes.
A little later two of my friends commented that I should have asked permission first because the taking of pictures of people without their permission is illegal. I have yet, in fact, to bother to find out whether that is the case, but what happens if I take a Paparazzi picture with a 300mm lens, even a 150mm lens, and the "model" doesn't even know that it's been taken? Yes, we have Paparazzi here as elsewhere.
If that law is correct, which I doubt, then the law is an ass - again.
It follows therefore that a long lens, from further away than, say, the cops in that undercover BMW (a BMW? In England?!!!) would ever know of, would be perfectly benign to the photographer - never to be harassed by the local constabulary.
That would sort out phone cameras though although unfortunately, unless I miss my guess, those are going to become increasingly serious problems as the technology gets more sophisticated.
Lapel button cameras anyone? Oh, I forgot, no one wears suits any more.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
