Houston Cool

@Richard_Irwin: Thank you. They were definitely confident and comfortable --a nice feat wearing black jackets in the very hot and humid weather that afternoon. And not confrontational about having their photograph taken.

@Lost Valley View: To or from a meeting --it was in the middle of the afternoon, so probably. I was thinking maybe part of the Men-In-Black team, fresh from an encounter with space aliens.

@Amir: Well, the law is on our side. There is no right not to be photographed in public, as the burgeoning use of surveillance cameras attests to. The whole notion of "privacy," as Alberto Gonzalez might say, is becoming "quaint." Still, I agree, there are other considerations.

My approach to taking photos of people varies, depending on the circumstances. Though, legally, permission isn't required, one thing I never do is take photos of children in public without permission from their parents (maybe a long shot of a group, but not individual children). I don't like to photograph people responding to the camera so I prefer not to ask permission when I take photos of adults, but sometimes I do. And I don't take photos of people when I feel such photos are exploitive. For instance, I saw any number of "homeless" people in Houston but I didn't take their photos because in the particular circumstances it didn't feel right. This isn't to say I wouldn't take such photos if I had their permission and they understood how the photos were to be used, or in some other particular circumstances.

On the whole, it's been a long time since I've been challenged for taking someone's photo in public, and back then, I wasn't so careful. I have professional looking equipment, I act like what I'm doing is legitimate and I take photos openly, so most people apparently assume I'm taking photos for some "professional" purpose. Most people seem to be flattered by the idea that their photo may be published somewhere. It hasn't come up, but I carry business cards to provide my bona fides and to hand out to people who might want to find their photos on the internet.

In the last couple years I've been challenged for taking photos numerous times, but it has always been for taking a photo of something, not someone. Of course, like I said, I'm careful about who I take photos of.

@kairospix: I saw them coming from a distance and took a position to take a photo or two. Of course, they were coming right at me and walked right by me. I have a cheap 300mm lens, but don't use it walking around the city because it's slow and it only opens up to 70 mm --not much good for closed in spaces.

I've been considering a D200, and it looks like the D300 isn't that much more expensive, so it's definitely a purchase I'm thinking about. B&H Photo has the D300 with the 18-200 VR lens for about $2500, with the body running about $1800.