Street Photography -- Laws and Techniques.

Ethics, privacy, opportunities, and rights

Good morning, everyone! I’d like to start off in an unconventional way by getting something off my chest right away.

Since many people wonder what is and isn't allowed on the street, I'd say we should start with this point. It's a very thorny and controversial issue, often debated by people who aren't in the know.

Privacy — When We Can Take Photos

In a public place, it is ALWAYS permitted to photograph people, even in a way that makes them clearly recognizable. Exceptions include minors, which also raise issues of appropriateness—but we’ll get to that later. Law enforcement officers on duty. Or sensitive situations such as train stations, etc., where specific regulations may apply due to security concerns. However, photography must always be conducted in a way that does not disturb or annoy others. We do not have the right to follow someone—perhaps for several hours—just to take a photo. Nor do we have the right to persist with a camera mere centimeters from a person’s face for several minutes. One thing, however, remains the possibility of taking the photo; it is an entirely different matter to PUBLISH the photos. Whether on social media, in a book, or a magazine. Obviously, commercial use of the photo itself requires specific authorization from the subject if they are fully recognizable. Naturally, photographs can be published in contexts where it is clear that the situation was widely in the public domain. And the sacrosanct right to report the news is also safeguarded (photojournalists, take note). Likewise, you can always photograph and publish photos of a public event taking place in a public space—provided it is not a close-up of a subject completely isolated from the context, which obviously plays a fundamental role in the concept of a “public event.”

Leica M11. Voigtländer 50 f/1.0. I love the 50mm lens for street photography. It allows you to maintain a good distance while still placing the subject well within its surroundings.

Ethics

This is an extremely sensitive issue. And a subjective one. So I’ll try to keep it very simple and straightforward. Personally, I believe that the line that must never be crossed is that of personal dignity. The moment I feel there is even the slightest possibility that the subject being photographed is involved in a situation that in any way undermines their dignity, I do not take the photo. I do not take the photo even if I have the SLIGHTEST doubt that this might be the case. Respect, above all else.

Opportunities

This concept is tied to ethics, but it goes a step further. For example, I might feel compelled to photograph a scene with high emotional contrast—such as a homeless person in a luxurious urban setting. Before you even raise the camera to your eye, ask yourself this question: What am I adding to photography, to the record, that hasn’t already been seen millions of times by millions of other photographers? There are situations that should NOT be photographed, because they simply add NOTHING to the current photographic landscape. But they could upset that person who is already in an extremely delicate situation. Of course, there may be that one-in-a-million situation that is worth photographing. In fact, it should be done. Probably one in a million. The same applies to minors. In an era where perceived social danger is very high, it is almost never appropriate to photograph minors. And if you really want to do so, ALWAYS ask the parents first. Even in this example, there may be very rare exceptions. This is an operational note: an essential guideline for defining your boundaries in the field.

Rights

We always have the right to take photos in public places. So if you’re verbally attacked, feel free to point that out. In the worst-case scenario, you can contact law enforcement. But in all my years of photography, I’ve only been attacked once, and I stood my ground. If you show respect, you’ll be respected. Almost always. Don’t worry—just behave politely, and nothing unpleasant will happen. Of course, people also have the right to refuse to be photographed. If they ask you not to, simply don’t do it.

The camera trap

Let’s move on to much more enjoyable topics: the actual act of taking the shot. There are essentially endless ways to approach street photography. One of the most classic is the so-called “photographic trap.” Essentially, it’s a bit like what you do in nature photography: you set up a stakeout from a very specific spot. Maybe we’ve spotted a mural, like in this photo.

In this case, the “comic-style mural” interacts perfectly with the cyclist thanks to its ideal placement within the frame. This creates a meaning that is completely different from that of a photo lacking this level of subject-background interaction.

Or, as in the following examples, we can see that an interesting background can serve as the foundation for a photographic composition. We just have to wait for the right subject or subjects to appear and interact appropriately within the scene. A personal tip: try to work on multiple meaningful levels when shooting this way. Symbolism, irony, atmosphere… whatever you like… but make sure to add a personal touch. Give it your own touch. The background I was talking about doesn’t necessarily have to be a literal background. It could also be a beam of light cutting across a street, for example. It’s up to you to find a way to play with it. The possibilities are endless. Be creative.

Work quickly and continuously.

Unlike with a camera trap, this involves working in a highly dynamic manner, often while moving. You need to set up the camera so you can react very quickly. You can use very fast continuous AF, pre-focus at fairly small apertures to get plenty of depth of field, or even use hyperfocal distance in a more modern way (see Ricoh’s Snap Focus, for example). My advice here, however, is to just lose yourself. Let yourself go with the flow of what’s happening around you. You’ll find fascinating insights over time as your photo archive grows. It’s easier to work this way with shorter focal lengths. From 24 to 35 mm, for example, are fairly standard. With formats smaller than 24x36 mm, you’ll benefit from greater depth of field at the same angle of view and aperture setting.

Leica M11, Voigtländer 35 f/1.2. It doesn’t matter that it’s a manual-focus camera. Street photography is all about your ability to anticipate what’s about to happen.

Combining different elements to create new meanings.

Whatever your approach may be, this is one of the things I find most wonderful about photography: the infinite interconnectedness of elements that you can suggest through elements that are completely unrelated in reality. And through these suggestions, you’ll spark new ideas, associations, and meanings in the viewer. You may have already noticed this in the previous photos; I’ve included a few more below.

In conclusion

If you start approaching your “work” in a systematic way, you’ll find that the rewards will come. And in less time than you think, you’ll make a real leap in quality—to a level you never expected.

To do this, it’s essential to organize your photo library properly. Personally, I use Capture One, which has cataloging tools that are infinitely more powerful than those in Lightroom. However, even without specialized software, it’s still possible to do this—it just takes more time. You’ll need to organize your folders by including as much information as possible. For example, start by organizing folders by year, and within those, create subfolders using keywords related to WHERE you took the photos, WHEN you took them (the date), the camera used, and details of the outing (such as who you went out with and/or which areas you visited). By rating photos with stars or flags, you can then make further selections within RAW processing software. But regardless, the basic structure is this. Building a rigorous archive is a deep, thorough process that requires method and vision. It is the true starting point for any artistic project.

Irony—a perfect example. It’s deeply ingrained in me, so it’s no surprise to find it in my photos, quite often.

I hope you enjoy it, and as always, please let me know what you think if you liked it. Or feel free to offer criticism if you have any suggestions.

See you soon!

Federico Zaza