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"Street" Photography over the line?

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Now, the line below isn't likely to endear him to his subjects.

"The neighbors don't know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the shadows of my home into theirs."
 
happysnapper64 said:
happysnapper64 wrote:

Juat wondering if anyone will reply in support of Mr Svenson?
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I'll be contrarian here and just say that living in NYC, with these all open glass apartment buildings going up, it is very uncomfortable for the pedestrian even. You look up to the second floor as you walk by and a whole family is sitting there watching tv in full view. It's awkward for me, whether it bothers them or not! None of these people use blinds of any kind, and there is something exhibitionist about it, like they are not respecting the boundaries of privacy from inside their "home". The fact that they are also universally wealthy people leads me further to believe that it's antisocial behavior driving them on some level.

Maybe none of you have experienced one of these buildings. The only room not in full public view is the bathroom. I have very little sympathy for their "plight".
 
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SteveS58 said:
SteveS58 wrote:

Saw this article today online at USATODAY about photographer Arne Svenson taking photos from his NYC apartment into open windows across the street:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

I'm pretty liberal about my tactics shooting in "public", but I wonder whether this crosses the line, even though the photographer claims you can't see people's faces. My guiding principle in my street photography is not to embarrass anyone.

This negative publicity is bound to ignite the flames against street photography.
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People in their apartments have the expectation of privacy, hence IMHO this crosses the line in a very BIG way and should not be acceptable. I don't think it can be categorise as "street" photography either. As far as I'm concerned, this person is a stalker!

--
Thanks,
Daisy AU - Brisbane
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ney_images/
 
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Daisy AU said:
Daisy AU wrote:
Daisy AU said:
SteveS58 wrote:

Saw this article today online at USATODAY about photographer Arne Svenson taking photos from his NYC apartment into open windows across the street:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

I'm pretty liberal about my tactics shooting in "public", but I wonder whether this crosses the line, even though the photographer claims you can't see people's faces. My guiding principle in my street photography is not to embarrass anyone.

This negative publicity is bound to ignite the flames against street photography.
Click to expand...
People in their apartments have the expectation of privacy, hence IMHO this crosses the line in a very BIG way and should not be acceptable. I don't think it can be categorise as "street" photography either. As far as I'm concerned, this person is a stalker!
Click to expand...
 
cplunk said:
cplunk wrote:
cplunk said:
Daisy AU wrote:
cplunk said:
SteveS58 wrote:

Saw this article today online at USATODAY about photographer Arne Svenson taking photos from his NYC apartment into open windows across the street:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

I'm pretty liberal about my tactics shooting in "public", but I wonder whether this crosses the line, even though the photographer claims you can't see people's faces. My guiding principle in my street photography is not to embarrass anyone.

This negative publicity is bound to ignite the flames against street photography.
Click to expand...
People in their apartments have the expectation of privacy, hence IMHO this crosses the line in a very BIG way and should not be acceptable. I don't think it can be categorise as "street" photography either. As far as I'm concerned, this person is a stalker!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
SteveS58 said:
SteveS58 wrote:

Saw this article today online at USATODAY about photographer Arne Svenson taking photos from his NYC apartment into open windows across the street:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

I'm pretty liberal about my tactics shooting in "public", but I wonder whether this crosses the line, even though the photographer claims you can't see people's faces. My guiding principle in my street photography is not to embarrass anyone.

This negative publicity is bound to ignite the flames against street photography.
Click to expand...
The only reference in the article to 'street' is

across the street

How dare you represent this as street photography. The stir you suggest is the one you created.

How dare you represent yourself as a street photographer ....you are no such thing if you could not even determine that street photography had no place in this story. The photographer is an art photographer and relies on fools for the sensationalism.

...and he found one
 
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doesn't a home get the same assumption of privacy, like a ATM booth or a public toilet ?
 
I'm sure if somebody would stand in front of his house and take pictures with a telephoto lens of him in his room, he would call the cops or feel very uncomfortable at least... he's doing the exact same thing.
 
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So shooting the same pics is ok if the subjects are movie stars?
 
Neither would I partake in this kind of photography, nor support it. However, as a resident myself in a NYC apt, unless you're a complete dunderhead, someone living in an apt/condo that has windows, KNOWS that their life is on display. Buildings with dozens of apartments, face other buildings with dozens of apartments. While nobody wants their photo taken, we already realize that someone could be taking our photo (however boring that might be).

Hardware and home furnishing stores sell these things called "blinds". Speaking for myself, I have no expectation of privacy unless I pull the blinds.
 
Daisy AU said:
Daisy AU wrote:
Daisy AU said:
cplunk wrote:
Daisy AU said:
Daisy AU wrote:
Daisy AU said:
SteveS58 wrote:

Saw this article today online at USATODAY about photographer Arne Svenson taking photos from his NYC apartment into open windows across the street:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

I'm pretty liberal about my tactics shooting in "public", but I wonder whether this crosses the line, even though the photographer claims you can't see people's faces. My guiding principle in my street photography is not to embarrass anyone.

This negative publicity is bound to ignite the flames against street photography.
Click to expand...
People in their apartments have the expectation of privacy, hence IMHO this crosses the line in a very BIG way and should not be acceptable. I don't think it can be categorise as "street" photography either. As far as I'm concerned, this person is a stalker!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Jorginho said:
Jorginho wrote:

Although I tend to agree here, I still have some reservations. I do understand the privacy and if we keep things superficial, to my mind, the discussions ends quickly. If we broaden our view, we may ask (or at least I do):

- Am I allowed to look at the woman?
- Is it a form of tresspassing to picture what I see?
- Does she own the image of herself in her house?
- She is not recognisable, she is not naked or anything close. What is there to be offended about when we look at this and similar pics?
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The walls of your home define an area where you have not just reasonable but total expectation and right to privacy. There are no questions that need to be asked. Shooting pictures into someone's home through the window is wrong. Personally I think that 'photographer' ought to be arrested.


It's nice to say that nice pictures are nice.
 
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Binary Hulled Ion said:
Binary Hulled Ion wrote:

It's an invasion of privacy. If a person walked up to my window and took a picture of me sitting on the couch and watching TV, I'd insist that they delete the image and I'd possibly call the police.
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Exactly. The walls of your home totally define an area where you have every expectation of privacy. Shooting pictures into your home is creepy and wrong, and certainly a violation of your privacy.
 
John Waine said:
John Waine wrote:

Just to reiterate here, i agree with you that reasonable expectation should protect privacy, but i dont think its reasonable to expect it when you are within view of public space. Again this is the same reason one cannot/should not stand nude in their window or in their back yard.
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No, no, no, no, no. While it may be unwise to stand naked in front of a window of their home, they should not have to hide within their own home to avoid photographers' cameras.

Really now.

Suppose a neighbor realizes he can shoot photos from his second floor window down into the bedroom of your child and see him/her dressing or even just sleeping. Would you excuse them since you forgot to pull the shades? The very idea that we need to hide within our own homes is utterly absurd.
 
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John Waine said:
John Waine wrote:

I wont support or condemn it. Here, it is perfectly legal to photograph FROM public grounds. While this does not mean it is ethical, its not an invasion of privacy if the subject has the ability to be hidden. Anybody in their own home has the ability to be hidden.
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Anybody who is within their own home has every right to expect to at least not be photographed. If they want to stand naked in front of a window, that is a little weird, but from the other perspective, there is a difference between seeing such a sight and choosing to photograph it, and worse yet to photograph people who are visible through windows who are NOT trying to be seen.
John Waine said:
I take this stance bc we have to draw a line somewhere and it cant be on the complete privacy side.
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In one's own home? Where else but there can we expect the right to privacy?
John Waine said:
Would i have the right to stand nude in my front window and get mad if somebody lookedat me? Of course not, bc i have the power to prevent it. I can draw curtains, or stand somewhere else. rights are only rights if they don't violate other peoples' liberties. There is some moral grey area but i dont think we should handcuff ourselves in public, and if people can see you from outside, its still considered public.
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There is a difference between seeing what is not being hidden, and proactively taking photographs of people 'because I can'.

Draw the shades and hide your children, if you think it's okay to shoot photos of anything someone can see through a window into your home.
John Waine said:
John Waine said:
happysnapper64 wrote:

Juat wondering if anyone will reply in support of Mr Svenson?
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Not anyone who knows the difference between right and wrong. Someone's 'right' to photograph me stops at the walls AND WINDOWS - the perimeter - of my home.
 
bosjohn21 said:
bosjohn21 wrote:
bosjohn21 said:
John Waine wrote:

I wont support or condemn it. Here, it is perfectly legal to photograph FROM public grounds. While this does not mean it is ethical, its not an invasion of privacy if the subject has the ability to be hidden. Anybody in their own home has the ability to be hidden. I take this stance bc we have to draw a line somewhere and it cant be on the complete privacy side. Would i have the right to stand nude in my front window and get mad if somebody lookedat me? Of course not, bc i have the power to prevent it. I can draw curtains, or stand somewhere else. rights are only rights if they don't violate other peoples' liberties. There is some moral grey area but i dont think we should handcuff ourselves in public, and if people can see you from outside, its still considered public.
bosjohn21 said:
happysnapper64 wrote:

Juat wondering if anyone will reply in support of Mr Svenson?
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