Nobody sets out to be rude with a camera. It happens because a visitor sees a scene and forgets that the scene contains people who live there — and who did not agree to be part of it.
The fix is straightforward and it is always the same: ask first.
| Always ask | before photographing a person |
|---|---|
| Also ask | before photographing inside a home or business |
| Never | during a church service |
| Accept | no, without negotiating |
The basic rule
If a person is recognisable in your photograph, ask them.
It takes seconds, the answer is usually yes and often warm, and the resulting picture is nearly always better than the sneaked one. People who have agreed look at the camera; people who have not look away or look annoyed.
If the answer is no, that is the end of it. Do not negotiate, do not offer money, and do not take it anyway from further off.
Where it goes wrong most
- Markets — sellers and their stalls are photographed constantly without asking
- Fishing beaches, where people are working
- Children, which requires the parent's permission, always
- Festivals, especially J'ouvert, where people are least clothed and least composed
- Homes, including photographing into yards and through doorways
- Church, during a service
The market case is the most common. A stall is someone's workplace and a seller is not a display — but ask, buy something, and you will usually be invited to photograph properly.
On children: ask the adult with them, every time, without exception. This is not a local rule so much as a universal one, and it matters more when you are a stranger.
Drones
A newer problem and a real one:
- Check the local rules before flying — permission or registration may be required
- Do not fly over homes or private property
- Do not fly over people on a beach
- Never near an airport or a port
- Consider the noise, which in a quiet place is a significant intrusion
The last is underrated. The reason people came to a quiet beach is the quiet, and a drone removes it for everyone within a considerable radius.
The bigger point
The distinction worth holding onto is between photographing a place and photographing people as part of the scenery.
Landscapes, buildings, boats, streets: photograph freely. People are not part of the view, and treating them as such is what makes visitors unwelcome even when they mean nothing by it.
A useful test: would you take this photograph of a stranger at home? If not, the fact that you are on holiday does not change the answer.
Sharing what you take
- Say if you intend to post it when you ask permission
- Send people their photograph if you promised to — and do actually send it
- Do not caption people in ways that reduce them to a type
- Do not post pictures of children who are not yours
- Do not geotag someone's home
The second one matters. Promising to send a photograph and then not doing it is a small broken promise that people remember, and it makes the next visitor's request harder.
Asking well
How to do it in a way that usually gets a yes:
- Greet first, as always here
- Have a short conversation before asking
- Ask directly and simply
- Show them the picture afterwards
- Say thank you properly
Done this way it stops being a transaction. The photograph becomes a small part of an encounter rather than the point of it, and those are the pictures worth having anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to ask before photographing someone?
Yes, always if they are recognisable. The answer is usually yes, and the resulting photograph is better than a sneaked one.
What about market stalls?
Ask. A stall is someone's workplace, not a display — though buying something usually leads to an invitation to photograph properly.
Are drones a problem?
Check the local rules, never fly over homes or people, and remember the noise removes the quiet that everyone else came for.
What is a good test?
Would you take this photograph of a stranger at home? Being on holiday does not change the answer.
