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As a newspaper photographer I’ve taken quite a few `snatch shots’, which are photographs of someone that were taken without the person in the picture being aware of it.

Actually there are two kinds of snatch shots, long range and close range. Long range shots are usually but not always taken with a zoom lens, usually from several hundred yards away. Close range snatch shots are best taken with a medium wide angle lens and they are taken from just a few yards away.

Let’s assume that you plan to take a long range snatch shot, that your subject (or prey, whichever way you want to look at it) is in a public park and that you are perhaps a couple of hundred yards away from him.
Several things could happen.

You might casually raise your camera and pretend to be taking pictures of the park. Point it in several directions and perhaps play around with the camera controls to make it look as if you’re adjusting it, maybe changing the aperture or shutter speed.

But at some stage you’ll have to point the camera in his direction, and this is where the problems can begin.
He may not be quite sure what you’re taking a picture of; he may think that you’re just taking a picture of the park or he may suspect that you’re taking a picture of him.

It’s bad news, either way, because he has now been alerted. This may be enough to make him turn his back on you and move away but if he doesn’t, if he keeps looking at you, keep cool.

Remember that he will be looking at the camera head on, and from this perspective all he can see is the front of the lens, he can’t see the body part of it. And as he can’t see the body of the lens, the chances are that he doesn’t know if it’s a standard lens or a zoom lens.
If he decides that it’s a standard lens it might be ok, he might decide that you’re harmless.

Or he might tell himself that he doesn’t care what kind of lens it is, you aren’t going to take his picture, period. He might decide to confront you about it, to walk over to you and find out what the hell you’re doing.
Keep calm, but also decide what you’re going to do - and do it quickly.
Basically you have three options.

One option is let him walk right up to you, let him demand to know what you’re doing, admit that you were taking his picture and offer to delete the pictures. This may not be good enough for him, of course - he may decide to trash your camera and perhaps trash you too.
Another option is to stand up to him; tell him you were taking his picture and ask him what he plans to do about it.

A third option is to take his picture as he is walking towards you, to forget how scared you are and keep pressing that shutter. Then, when you’re sure you have some good pictures of him…
Run like hell!

* There are also important ethical issues involved in this kind of photography and I plan to discuss these in a future article.

Paul Gooch is a Press and wedding photographer located in Skegness UK. He sells his photographs to local, regional and national newspapers, has taught media studies at a local college and has published several thought provoking and perhaps controversial articles about photography on his web site http://www.paulgoochimages.com

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We have all seen the scene of the photographer being surrounded by the heavies, the camera being confiscated and the film being thrown on the ground. Makes for great dramatic footage but in most jurisdictions such behaviour is illegal unless accompanied with a court order.

Essentially if you are in a public place, you can shoot away to your heart’s content. Even in the paranoia of post 9/11 and officers from security forces both private and government saying otherwise. But do use some commonsense, taking pics of military installations is just dumb as with any other sensitive government building.

Conversely if you are on private property such as a shopping mall or somebody’s farm you must heed the owner’s instructions. It is their property so they get to call the shots. Although from the public road you can click away.

However you will have to exercise restraint with regard to a person’s privacy or expectation of the same. The person seen in the window of your shot of that lovely composition of windows could land you in trouble if they took exception to being in the pic. Conversely, the same person walking down the street would be fair game.

An excellent article on the state of play in the US by Andrew Kantor, published in USA Today, can be found here. As he says, “If you can see it, you can shoot it”. He also refers to a downloadable PDF by Bert P. Krages The Photographer’s Right.

In England things a little more complicated, not only do you have to take English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish law into account, which can vary from place to place, but the European Convention on Human Rights also gets a look in. An extensive over view is the The UK Photographers Rights Guide

There is no such guide available for Australia at the time of writing although the information available from the Art’s Law Centre indicates that taking photos in public places you can just click away. Justice of the Peace, Barry Daniel spells it out a lot more here and in essence says. “The general rule in Australia about photographing in a public place seems to be that, unless there is a legal prohibition such as a statute or ordinance or a legally authorised sign indicating photography is not allowed,
you can photograph virtually anything you wish.”

For street photographers, overcoming the invasion of another’s personal space is a greater concern. It does take some nerve to get in close and personal with a stranger. Although being completely legal, the subject’s reaction could be down right illegal. If it comes down to a choice between a broken/stolen camera and a broken photographer, I know my choice.

Fortunately it rarely escalates to that extreme and in 5 years of street photography it has only happened to me once and that was my own fault. I was so intent on what I was shooting I didn’t notice the agitated subject in the lens, who was incidental to my shooting. When he turned up a short while later with 2 large mates in tow, well a stolen point & shoot isn’t high on the police crime statistics.

If you do find yourself the subject of a street photographer, ignore them. It isn’t you they are shooting it is the scene, which you just happen to be a part of that is their point of interest. Unless you are providing a street performance, in which case its free publicity. If you’re embarrassed by your performance, should you be doing it in the street?

Canadian street photographer, John Brownlow has some very good advice regarding overcoming shyness when engaged in street photography, it can be seen here. Nitsa, another very good street photographer suggests taking a friend along on your shoots, not only are they good back up but can help distract a subject from giving you their photo face.

In this post 9/11 time of terrorists under the bed, shooting infrastructure will be sure to attract attention. As happened to a colleague in Australia, who became enthralled by the way the light was working the local oil refinery. He stopped to take some shots and a couple of hours after getting home the local gendarmes were on the door step with the mandatory who, what, where and especially why. With some help from the local press his right to take photographs in a public space was confirmed by his minister for police.

It escapes me why the person with the big, black SLR is such a subject of official concern. Any self respecting terrorist is going to go to some trouble not to be noticed in their activities. If they can’t get what they want with a Google search, one would suspect that a cell phone would be their camera of choice. But such are the times we live in.

Henry Bateman is an artist/photographer, his work can be seen at http://www.pissedpoet.com

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How do you find a Los Angeles Photographer for that special occasion at a price I can afford? As if moving to Los Angeles isn’t difficult enough in and of itself, there is always the hassle of getting things done when you don’t know anyone to cope with. So to find a Los Angeles Photographer, or any other service for that matter, in the town, there are some steps I always take to make sure I get what I want at the price I want.

When it comes to service providers, like a Los Angeles photographer, the first step you should do is to figure out exactly what you want. In the case of a Los Angeles photographer, you will need to determine whether you are going to have portraits done, candid photos as a party, or formal pictures and portraits at an event like a wedding or graduation. Once you determine what exactly you need out of a Los Angeles photographer, you will have an easier time looking for someone who fits your specific needs.

Next, you need to do your homework. Get out your yellow pages and look up photographers. It seems like an elementary way of locating a good Los Angeles photographer, but it is a necessity to get started. Find a few that look good to you based on the ad and what it looks like they specialize in. Once you have scoured your yellow pages thoroughly, check out the internet. Look up Los Angeles photographers in a search engine or business directory and look for more places you can check out. Also, you may want to look up the ones you have chosen from the yellow pages to see if they have a website. Often the sites have sample photos, portfolios, and the like which can help you to make an informed decision about the photographer that will work best for you.

Last comes the calls. Once you have narrowed your list of Los Angeles photographers down, you should start making calls. Talk to the photographer, find out about availability, find out about prices, and get a feel for the business. You want someone you feel comfortable with, so it is okay to just go a little bit on gut feeling. In addition, you should ask about additional services, like video or album creation. Once you have talked to all of the photographers on your list you will likely have a fairly easy time making your decision. Choose someone you have confidence in and feel comfortable with and you won’t go wrong.

Moving to a new city can be incredibly difficult. Having to find a service provider in that city, then, can be equally as daunting. However, finding a Los Angeles photographer or any other services provider doesn’t have to be that bad. By taking three simple steps, you will have done your homework and be able to book a photographer that meets your needs at the price you are looking for. Take your time and work with confidence and you will find your Los Angeles photographer in no time.

If you would like to find more of my personal articles on california photographers please check out my website on photographers!

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