Ah, the classic “so what?”—a bold rhetorical shrug masquerading as deep insight. Look, the purpose of these articles isn’t to hand down ethical edicts from Mount Olympus; it’s to spark exactly this kind of friction-filled reflection. You’re absolutely right that ethics vary—but acknowledging that doesn’t make the conversation pointless. It makes it necessary. If everyone simply threw up their hands at subjectivity, we’d never have art, law, or, dare I say, street photography.

You mention “the Law” as the ultimate arbiter, but laws are reactive, not prescriptive—they follow societal debate, they don’t lead it. And while subjectivity is inevitable, pretending it’s tyranny to discuss the ethics of photographing strangers in public is a curious hill to die on. Reflection isn’t censorship, and accountability isn’t artistic oppression.

So yes, everyone has their own lens (pun intended), but if we stop examining what we do through those lenses, we risk turning art into solipsism. And let’s be real—if you’re offended by discussions of ethics in photography, maybe you’re not just “practicing a little” street photography. Maybe the camera isn’t the only thing you should be pointing outward.

I practice a little (not enough for my taste) street photography, and it is interesting to read or hear the negative comments that it generates. We often swim in the middle of subjectivity dressed in the appearance of objectivity. Each commentator considers his point of view to be legitimate, which, seen with a little hindsight, makes one smile, as if everyone’s ethics should apply to everyone (nothing wrong here?). What is imposed on everyone in street photography as in other fields is the common morality that is also called the Law.

There is no doubt that street photography has a bad press. This is because the human being is represented, and someone will always find something to complain about. That’s how it is. By refusing to take the risk to offend anyone, we end up doing nothing. In short, it’s the tyranny of subjectivity against everyone and in this little game, I’m not sure we have anything to gain.