[Murfy]

If I found some stranger wandering around on my property taking pictures I would be annoyed to. This has nothing to do with any laws but simple common courtesy and respect.

Are we talking about driving up someone's driveway and walking around their house taking photos? If it is obvious, yes, but sometimes, you can't tell what is private, like when you are dealing with large amounts of property that butt up to large state or local parks. I gave my experience earlier growing up and did not realize I wandered onto private property because I was just in a local municipal forest owned by the county. You could actually walk a few minutes and be in the state owned park, too, they looked exactly the same. This same area has a Presidential retreat, so many of my friends have wandered off trail while hiking , been lost, and ended up being meet by Secret Service, there are no visible markers anywhere in this particular area, for an obvious reason, they don't want the area to be found or marked out. Roads aren't even paved, but there are designated parking spots because it is a park. I guess I should be lucky I wandered into the farm with a camera and not the other direction...

Some of the civil war battlefields in our area are partially on private active working farms (because they were working farms back then too). There are no markers to let you know you walked off the battlefield area and onto a farm, unless you count the cow poo you stepped in. The farmers just tell visitors they wandered off path, because they deal with it, I am going to guess, nearly every day.

[Scorpio71GR]

Yes sorry I should have clarified that I live in the city. I grew up hunting on state lands which were also the same lands I did photography on. Many times you did not know when you were on state land or private land. Here in Michigan we have state parks that bump right to peoples property on that can be difficult to know which you are on.

[goodnight]

Hang the meanest pair of Truck Nutz you can find from your K-5II and cover your whole
rig in stickers of different colors and sizes quoting Revelation in various fonts. Walk with a
diligent, staccato gait. Carry a statue of the Virgin Mary on your back. If anyone confronts
you, stare them right above the eyes with a defocused gaze and tell them you'll pray for
them. If they persist, fall to your knees and make good on that promise, quietly.

[Clavius]

Hang the meanest pair of Truck Nutz you can find from your K-5II and cover your whole
rig in stickers of different colors and sizes quoting Revelation in various fonts. Walk with a
diligent, staccato gait. Carry a statue of the Virgin Mary on your back. If anyone confronts
you, stare them right above the eyes with a defocused gaze and tell them you'll pray for
them. If they persist, fall to your knees and make good on that promise, quietly.

LOL! I bet that will work like a charm. Or, just shoot with an old 645 film camera. Or even better, a TLR. The looks I get when I shot my Ricoh Diacord TLR or 645 were priceless. But only strange looks, no questions, they leave me alone. I only get interaction (from annoyed people or genuinely interested ones) when shooting digital.

[Rondec]

I live in a rural area and if people drive by and I am photographing a field, I just wave and they usually wave back. But that's pretty typical of southern Indiana. You really are supposed to wave or acknowledge the people you meet, even if you don't know them.

My wife shoots portraits and she will sometimes stop at someone's home who has a barn that she likes or a tree and ask them if it is OK if she does a photo shoot there. People have always been gracious and let her do so, but she is careful to ask first.

[DeadJohn]

I live in a rural area and if people drive by and I am photographing a field, I just wave and they usually wave back. But that's pretty typical of southern Indiana. You really are supposed to wave or acknowledge the people you meet, even if you don't know them.

My wife shoots portraits and she will sometimes stop at someone's home who has a barn that she likes or a tree and ask them if it is OK if she does a photo shoot there. People have always been gracious and let her do so, but she is careful to ask first.

That's a difference between sparcely and densely populated areas. If we acknowledged everyone we meet in New York City we'd be doing nothing but saying hi all day. I walk past 100 other people just between my office entrance and my desk. Between my company and several other large tenants, we've got 5000+ people in one building. I think that's why New Yorkers are considered unfriendly.

I will walk around commercial property for photos because I'm not intruding on anyone's privacy. Worst case, some security guard will shoo me away.

I won't walk onto any property that's near a house unless the house is obviously abandoned. In populated areas it's very easy to tell the difference between public and private land. In rural areas I give dwellings a wide berth because there's so much open space to shoot.

[AquaDome]

While taking a snapshot of an old truck at the gas station, an old gentleman shouted from behind the vehicle, "No pictures!". That's the extent of heckling I have received.

When I lived in Los Angeles, I could set up a Mamiya TLR on a tripod in the middle of Echo Park and parents would tell their curious children, "Don't bother that man." That's considerably more respect than one would get without the camera.

Here in Polk County, Florida, if someone DOESN'T honk or shout or at least wave while driving by, we may think they're being unfriendly, but we wave back anyway.

On the other hand, I wouldn't set foot on my neighbor's property without his full prior knowledge and consent, and we're good friends.

[r0ckstarr]

While taking a snapshot of an old truck at the gas station, an old gentleman shouted from behind the vehicle, "No pictures!".

That reminds me. One time at a car show, some guy told me the same thing. I asked him "If you don't want people to see your car, why did you bring it to a car show?"

[severalsnakes]

That reminds me. One time at a car show, some guy told me the same thing. I asked him "If you don't want people to see your car, why did you bring it to a car show?"

Pfft! Laugh in his face! "Good one, man..." *snapsnapsnap*

[r0ckstarr]

Pfft! Laugh in his face! "Good one, man..." *snapsnapsnap*

That's pretty much what happened.

[NicoleC]

The only thing that ever happens to me when I am carrying my camera out is that I get asked to take a lot of cell phone and Canon Rebel pictures of couples and groups.

I live about an hour and a half from the OP, so I don't think it's a regional thing. I think the OP just has the misfortune to encounter a lot of jerks.

[MadMathMind]

The only thing that ever happens to me when I am carrying my camera out is that I get asked to take a lot of cell phone and Canon Rebel pictures of couples and groups.

I live about an hour and a half from the OP, so I don't think it's a regional thing. I think the OP just has the misfortune to encounter a lot of jerks.

They usually ask my wife...while I'm standing next to her covered in fancy-looking camera crap.

[r0ckstarr]

They usually ask my wife...while I'm standing next to her covered in fancy-looking camera crap.

Do they ask your wife if YOU can take their picture, instead of asking you directly?

[MadMathMind]

Do they ask your wife if YOU can take their picture, instead of asking you directly?

No, they usually just walk toward her and hand her the phonecamera. I guess I look like someone who doesn't know how to work one of those things. They'd mostly be right.

[mattb123]

As a frequent cyclist, I've become immune to hoots and catchcalls … :-D

I was going to say I do have only been treated like that riding my bike, not taking photos!