Responses to my San Francisco Street photo series has been really positive, and this makes me very happy. I have a ton more images queued up, stuff that I'm fairly pleased with.

Since I've gotten some repeat questions lately, I think I'll post my replies here, which makes this Mail Bag day! So Ryan, Richard, Sarah, Nick, and Tudy, this is for you!

Do people know they're having their picture taken?
Usually not.

How do people react when they realize you've taken their picture?
One woman in Sacramento gave me a filthy glare, then went back to over-appreciating her stud muffin-type boyfriend. Besides her, the reactions (in order of frequency) have been:
1) Completely ignore me
2) Seem flattered / smile / start doing things they think I'll find even more interesting
3) Turn away or leave

Has anyone asked me not to take their picture?
No.

Aren't you supposed to get people's permission? What are the legal repercussions of posting people's images on the web?
Honestly, I don't know for sure. If someone someday freaks out that I just took their picture, I'll happily delete it from the camera and same goes for the web site. I'm not submitting any of these images to competitions (which usually require model and property releases), nor are they being used for commercial purposes, so I feel pretty certain my bases are covered. And let's face it, I'm not taking pictures over the tops of fences around private property or anything.

I want to do street photography. Any tips?
I won't kid you, as soon as you get out there you'll probably hit the 'wall of taboo' about taking pictures of people you don't know. My advice is just plant yourself somewhere busy, stand there for a while, and try a few frames. It will definitely feel creepy, but don't make your actions all paparazzi like or anything. Just be purposeful and calm, and distract yourself from any weird feelings by looking around for people who are telling stories with their bodies.

There's nothing stopping you from asking people's permission first. I'm far too much of a social retard to do this, so I figure it's just easier to apologize later than it is to get permission. Remember, people act very different when they've consented to a photograph, but that might be what you're after.

Also, I keep both my eyes open when I'm looking through the viewfinder because, honestly, San Francisco is not the kind of place where I feel 100% comfortable. Today I had a very aggressive panhandler stand inches from my face, but everything resolved itself peacefully.

Lens-wise, I've used a 28-105mm lens for almost all my street work so far. A longer lens is just too creepy feeling, and wide angle isn't what I'm looking for in this series.