Asking people to take photos

Just wondering if it's rude to ask someone else to help take my photo, say, a passerby. And in restaurant, asking the waiter.

I don't have a selfie stick and I'm a solo traveler. Don't want to offend the locals.

Thanks.

No problem whatsoever. Most people are more than happy to help.

I agree - I am also a solo traveler and although I do not care to have my photo taken and have never asked, I can't tell you how many times people have offered to take my photo, even insisted...;-) I wouldn't think you would have any trouble....

Hey, I'm a Japanese who come from the generation that asking to "press the shutter" was the main means of communication for travelers, solo or not. That stick thing often just gets in the way. I miss the old-fashioned way!

When I travel I never ask anybody to take my photo as I don't see the point at all... BUT I love to take photos of other tourists...

Quite often I have volunteered before they ask me.. for example, after seeing a man taking a photo of his woman companion, then her taking his photo, I ask if they want a photo of both of them..

Rueful Renard, that's exactly what I do! I remember doing it once for a couple in Kinkaku-ji, asking them how they'd like to be placed in front of the Golden Pavilion and I shot a few photos. When I was done, I turned around to see a line forming behind me for couples' photos! I took about 30 minutes of my time to help them out!

I guess when they see my camera, they must think I'm semi-professional and trust me with their equipment and photo-eye. I've always felt bad when I see the father taking a photo of the family, then the mother, but no one volunteers to take a family photo. I feel bad that the families often don't ask anyone else because maybe they don't want to bother anyone.

I recall a professional photographer writing that a photograph is the photographee seeing the photographer.

In other words, a photo of a family taken by the father shows the wife and kids looking at their dad and thinking of him or reflecting how he looked at them as he held his camera. So I don't think you have to feel sorry or what not for them not asking anyone to press the shutter.

That said, I still love the gesture of people offering to press the shutter for others. Long ago when cameras were more precious, it was more common to decline the offer to avoid theft. But I hated declining. Then someone suggested that while you decline, you can still offer to take a photo of the person who offered first, and you can still maintain the communication aspect.

And the point of having a photo taken by a stranger is that you can record yourself looking at a nice stranger you happened to meet during your trip :)

Exactly my feelings, Uco! When my partner and I travel, we will sometimes take photos of each other, but we never feel a need to have our picture taken together. But people will often ask to take our photo for us, which we usually feel inclined to agree to so as not to seem rude and ungrateful. Frankly, though, I rather dislike posing for a stranger.

I always take pictures of couples on vacation, I am sort of a honorary Walt Disney World Photographer...I have taken so many pictures of families and couple there.....and everyone is very grateful to get that shot with the entire party in it!

On a side note. What about taking pictures of strangers? I like to do portraits of the average person. Would this be considered rude ?

How do you ask if its OK to take a picture of someone in Japanese?

Specifically is it OK to take or ask to take a picture of Geisha?

I would not want to offend....

Asking is best, of course.
I don't think many will agree and they might think it's a little weird to them.
As for geisha, you'd be extremely lucky of you get to see one, let alone get close enough to ask to pose for a photo. Most of those you see in Kyoto may be ordinary people trying on kimono. From what I've hear, geisha travel from A to B and don't stroll around much.

Whatever country I go to, I just hold up my camera and ask "Photo okay?" I love photographing strangers for my personal album.

But you can also say "Shashin o tottemo iidesuka? (May I take a photo?)"

If you have plans to exibit that somewhere including the internet social networking like facebook, and especially if it's within Japan, you are supposed to ask about that too. Nowadays that the internet is available to any person in the whole wide world, people are very sensitive about their "privacy."

I recently had a photo taken when I was enjoying a snack at a cafe, and in a very relaxed manner the guy said he might be exibiting it somewhere. I asked "Okay, and where?" and the guy said something like "I don't know, but maybe it will show up on an amateur exibition one day." If anyone sees a photo of a woman eating a pastry, that might be me.

Just you wait, Uco. I can see the newspaper headline now: "Photo of cake-eating woman sells for 1 billion yen at top art auction."

Let's hope you get a fee ;0)

Winter Visitor, the photographer was an elderly gentleman, so I hope he writes something about it on his will...