Your own standards

My rules are just my rules

I used to avoid photographing children. Now I do, if I see a story there. Children give the street its character, I think. Adults are mostly on their way somewhere.

So my boundaries have shifted. Not when it comes to people eating. Apparently, I'm pretty firm on that one.

That's what ethics in street photography means to me: your personal judgment about whether you want to take a photo. Your upbringing plays a part, as does your social circle. And the people you keep coming across on social media. We all look at the same street through our own values.

That doesn't make my rules your rules. I'm not saying I get everything right, either.

What's allowed, and what you want

In the Netherlands, you can generally photograph whatever you want in public spaces. Publishing is a separate question. When someone is recognizable in a portrait, they may have a reasonable interest that weighs against publication, for example because of privacy concerns or a vulnerable situation.

In Belgium, consent is generally the starting point for publishing a photo in which someone is recognizable, with exceptions. So where you photograph matters.

You can read more about that distinction in my article on who you can photograph on the street. That legal explanation is general information, not advice. The law sets boundaries. Within those boundaries, you still have your own judgment to make.

De Wet van de Straat

I wrote De Wet van de Straat with legal expert Charlotte Meindersma. We use my photos to explain what you can photograph on the street and what you can publish. In plain language, covering public spaces, portrait rights, and copyright.

The e-book is definitely not meant to scare you. Knowing these things actually makes me feel much more relaxed on the street. You can read more about the legal details there.

Respect goes beyond the photo

My main rule: I don't photograph people in ways I wouldn't want to be photographed myself. That's still personal. Something I'm fine with might bother someone else.

That's why my article on respect on the street also covers your surroundings and other photographers. Cleaning up your mess is part of it. So is how you respond to someone's work, or to criticism of your photo.

When someone demands that you delete a photo

A request to delete a photo can become a matter of principle in seconds. I've seen it happen on a photo walk.

My article when someone asks you to delete a photo looks at that conversation. Your attitude makes a difference, and so does theirs. Alongside the legal question, there's still the personal one: what matters most to you at that moment?

Where you draw the line

When photographing children and vulnerable people, those personal boundaries become very real. I used to make a point of not photographing homeless people. That was my boundary.

Once you publish, other people judge your photo by their own standards. That's why I like showing my work to people who aren't street photographers. Sometimes their facial expressions say enough. That doesn't replace my own judgment, but it does give me something to think about.