Expect More Confrontation in Street Photography

“Street photographers, are you paying attention to … your ability to take photographs in the street? And I don’t mean legal ability.”

For years we have operated on a simple principle: people in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy. That has been our shield.

But the shield is getting dented. Flock surveillance cameras, license plate readers, data collection: more and more Americans are questioning surveillance, questioning what privacy in public should even mean. And when the public mood shifts on cameras in general, street photographers are going to feel it.

I am not saying street photography is about to become illegal. It is not. I am asking whether the whole debate changes how people think about cameras in public spaces. All cameras. Including yours.

So expect more confrontation. Not because the law changed, but because the vibe changed.

Keep your head up, be respectful, and “…make your street photography confrontation-free.”