Do you need to ask permission to photograph people and/or their property

First, I want to apologize to all my readers for not being around for a couple of days. Things were pretty hectic up here on Walch's Mountain. I had a rush order for 50 photos to illustrate a diy manual on electric motor repair and I've put in three 10 hour days getting those pictures shot, processed, and uploaded to the publisher. I just wanted to let everyone that I haven't forgotten about you :-).

One of the questions that I get asked over and over again by people just starting out in photography is, "Do I need to ask permission to photograph people and/or their property?" The short answer first. As a rule, if you are simply taking the photographs for your own pleasure and have no intentions of selling them or entering them in a contest you don't need to ask permission but it's the polite and right thing to do especially if you are traveling in a foreign country because you may be violating some custom or unwritten rule that you aren't aware of. I'm working on an article on this very subject that will be published on Factoidz.Com within a day or two. If you are photographing military or other government buildings, it's always a good idea to ask before clicking the shutter because they may have rules against it based on security concerns. On the other hand, if you are taking the photographs to be used for any commercial purpose you should always get a properly signed release form to photograph any person or any person's property with the exception being the exteriors of public buildings but the same warning applies here-it's a good idea to ask first because there may be security concerns involved in what you can and can't photograph. Carry an ample supply of photo release forms in your gadget bag, it's the safest thing to do.

I could spend several thousand words on the subject of model and property release forms but I really don't believe in re-inventing the wheel. The American Society of Media Photographers has already done an excellent job of explaining the various types of releases and the law behind them on their web site. Under their Business Resources section that explain this in great detail and even offer you release form for adult model releases, minor model releases, and property releases that you can download and printout for your own use. Here's the link http://www.asmp.org/tutorials/property-and-model-releases.html.