With the blessings of modern technology, smartphones are now in our hands. Capturing any moment of life is now a piece of cake! Taking photos or making videos is a matter of moments. Besides personal or family joy and memories, many people nowadays record photos and videos in public places or crowded areas. This trend is also increasing for creating content for Facebook or YouTube. However, just because you have a camera in hand, is it always justified to record photos or videos in any situation? Is it right to record someone’s photo or video without their permission and upload it to social media? Let’s delve into these sensitive issues.
Unfamiliar Faces in Your Frame: What to Do?
Suppose you are traveling in nature or commuting on public transport and capturing moments with your family. In this process, many unknown faces may inadvertently enter your camera’s frame. In metro station platforms, and even on escalators, some people are seen using their phone cameras, which results in many surrounding people being caught in their camera’s frame.
Unfamiliar Faces in Your Frame: What to Do?
Suppose you are traveling in nature or commuting on public transport and capturing moments with your family. In this process, many unknown faces may inadvertently enter your camera’s frame. In metro station platforms, and even on escalators, some people are seen using their phone cameras, which results in many surrounding people being caught in their camera’s frame.
Exercise Restraint in Sensitive Situations
Often, law enforcement officers, as part of their regular duties, stop vehicles on the road to check documents or search them. In such situations, many news media or YouTubers are seen recording and uploading videos of these incidents. Spreading such videos can lead to many undesirable discussions about the people in that car, potentially subjecting them to awkward questions in their social lives. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider these sensitive aspects before recording and uploading videos.
Things to Consider When Recording Photos or Videos in Public Places:
When using a camera in a public crowd or public place, try to ensure that no unfamiliar person is within the camera’s frame. If this is not at all possible, then that unfamiliar person’s portion should be cropped out or blurred. If an unfamiliar person is clearly visible in your frame, never post that photo or video on social media. Not even if that unfamiliar person is a child.
Is Something Happening? Don’t Be Overly Enthusiastic!
When people witness incidents like law enforcement officers stopping a car, many become overenthusiastic and rush to record photos or videos. If you feel such an urge to record a scene, restrain yourself. Excessive curiosity about others is not good. Whatever happens around you, recording all of it is unnecessary and, in many cases, embarrassing for others.
Even if you witness a humanitarian act, it should not be recorded without permission. Suppose someone is distributing food to helpless people on the road. Just because you like the scene, you want to record it. In this case too, permission from the concerned individuals (the food distributor and those receiving food) is essential. If any of them object, such a scene should not be recorded. You can write about the incident on social media, share the humanitarian story of an unknown good person with your acquaintances, but taking photos or videos requires permission.
Your Role in Negative Situations
You may witness many undesirable and negative situations in life. But is it really necessary to record a violent scene where someone is hitting another? If you see such an incident happening before your eyes, your humanitarian duty is to try to stop it. If you can’t do it alone, seek help from others, or promptly inform law enforcement for urgent assistance. It is true that in some cases, your video might be useful in identifying terrorists. But not everyone is a terrorist. Therefore, use your discretion and humanity when recording any photos and videos.
Source: Reader’s Digest (Paraphrased and Abbreviated)
