interesting... thx for addin it to the group. look forward to hearing the story you refer to. :)

As I was walking up Carrall, I spotted the guy's jacket, and pointed my camera to his back. He was with two guys, and one of the guys said "hey, are you press?" I said "no, just a hobbyist", and asked if I could take a photo of this guy's jacket. He wondered why, then when I told him because it was interesting (I mean, isn't it?) and he relented and turned his back towards me so I could get a better shot. As I walked past, one of his friends said "it's better to ask people here before taking their photo".

I didn't disagree, since I knew that the Downtown Eastside has recently had a lot of media come by and ask people questions regarding a recent murder trial you might have heard about. In most cases it's probably better to ask first, but I'm sure there are also cases where you have to get the shot and if the person objects, you can (legitimately) claim that they don't have a right to privacy in a public place.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Citizen Vancouver, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.

The unfortunate thing about asking to take someone's picture is that they will be aware and conscious of the camera, which doesn't make the shot candid. And if you're going for candid, then you won't get your shot.

I admit, if someone snapped a photo of me on the street I probably would be suspicious, paranoid, and annoyed (in that order), but if they were to snap one of me from a distance or wearing a warm smile, I probably wouldn't mind.

In any case, interesting story and glad you got your shot in the end!

"All Cops Are Goofs" - what is this guy, 7 years old ?