Here's a good reason to be aware

When photographing street people, be aware. They're not living on the street because everything is going well.
http://fstoppers.com …-photographing-transients

Tragic. From the way it sounds, this wasn't a case of a street photographer being stabbed, but a regular citizen who decided to take a cell phone picture of them.

namtot wrote in post #16050148
From the way it sounds, this wasn't a case of a street photographer being stabbed, but a regular citizen who decided to take a cell phone picture of them.

Your comment sounds a lot like a version of "It can't happen here." Street photographers don't have special protection, aside from (I would hope) the street smarts they may have developed while learning their trade.

namtot wrote in post #16050148
Tragic. From the way it sounds, this wasn't a case of a street photographer being stabbed, but a regular citizen who decided to take a cell phone picture of them.

The distinction is hilarious.

Do you stop being "regular" when you become a street photographer? I'm pretty sure the citizenship you get to keep.

Don't stab me! I'm a street photographer!

It wasn't meant like that guys, I wasn't saying it couldn't happen to a street photographer, all I was saying was that in this case it wasn't.

I also wasn't saying street photographers aren't normal citizens, that's rediculous, you know what I'm trying to say. There's a difference between a dedicated street photographer and someone going out for drinks who stops to basically disrespect and insult the homeless.

if i take a picture of someone asking for money i generally give them money, its a fair mutual exchange.

anyhow, common sense tells you that when people write that language on a sign, they are trying to instigate a reaction, so either you avoid it or you accept the risk to engage them. some people are down on their luck and other are looking for trouble, its best to know which is which.

Just because the person was using a cell phone to take the picture doesn't mean she/he can't be classified as a street photographer. Personally I think it is demeaning to photograph people that are down on their luck without their permission. I would think that you could expect trouble from this group given the context of their sign. I have shot some street people but only after talking to them first. Some have some amazing stories.

This is a horrible story, no matter what happened. It happened on a busy street too. Really sad...

mike_311 wrote in post #16051347
if i take a picture of someone asking for money i generally give them money, its a fair mutual exchange.

anyhow, common sense tells you that when people write that language on a sign, they are trying to instigate a reaction, so either you avoid it or you accept the risk to engage them. some people are down on their luck and other are looking for trouble, its best to know which is which.

I agree. I've done a few street people and put some money in the cup