akane said:
Talking about street photography here in Australia, the"Photography vs Privacy" issues are a very much debatable issue here. As more and more laws on personal privacy are passed down by various states government, more and more street photographers are facing the problems of being abused by predestrains.
In the past where street photographers have the rights to photograph in the open public, nowadays they are being restricted. Try walking around in the streets of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth... all the major cities, and you will find that predestrains are often avoiding you just because you are holding a camera, even though you are not taking them.
Did you all know that photographing a particular person A having his/her meal, if A spotted you, A could press charges on you on the account of you invading A's privacy of having his/her meal time, which he/she considers as being his/her own private moments, even though it is in the public ground.
This "probia" of being photographed, also could be seen inside public buildings too. Normally you wouldnt take the building's interior, subjected the the property owner's permission. Now, if you are entering the buildings, evening with your camera strapped on the neck, security guards will harshly tell you not to shoot... Instead of politely...
Now I am having my break in Melbourne... I will insert some examples when I can back in Canberra so that you guys could have a better idea.
Jack