Street photography in Europe - is law that strict?

[Rolleiflexible]

I'm a New Yorker all my life. I'm friendly. Always helpful to tourists, especially when they need someone to take their picture and are lost. The thing is New Yorkers are always busy running someplace, so that may come off as not friendly. But I've always noticed that they go out of their way to be helpful. I think we've gotten a bad rap. I'm first going to Paris and London so I'll tell you who's more friendly when I get back.

I lived and worked in Manhattan for nearly my entire adult life. New Yorkers are busy, but rarely rude. I've visited Paris over a dozen times, and have found Parisians invariably courteous, and usually kind.

The problem in both places is language. Neither New Yorkers nor Parisians are any good with foreign tongues. I speak French, and I have no problem communicating or mingling in France. But I have seen people from other countries (Americans, English and Germans especially) expecting to be understood in their native tongues, or "speaking" unintelligible French, and that elicits a frosty reply from the locals, and exasperation from the visitors.

 

[Arthurwg]

In Paris, be careful photographing older, well-to-do gents with much younger women. That can cause trouble.

 

[foc]

. But I have seen people from other countries (Americans, English and Germans especially) expecting to be understood in their native tongues, or "speaking" unintelligible French, and that elicits a frosty reply from the locals, and exasperation from the visitors.

In any country in the world, try and speak a few words of the language correctly. It can make all the difference.

Otherwise, the visitor can appear arrogant and ignorant.

A little courtesy can go a long way.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

In any country in the world, try and speak a few words of the language correctly. It can make all the difference.

Otherwise, the visitor can appear arrogant and ignorant.

A little courtesy can go a long way.

A Chara, Agreed! But there is a big difference between a goodwill gesture in broken language, and rattling off bad high-school French decades later and being surprised when it is met with incomprehension. "They were just pretending not to understand me!" is a common refrain.

When I am in Paris, people usually assume I am Canadian because bien sûr Americans don't speak French, and my accent is weird enough to be mistaken for Québecois.

(foc: Please pay my respects to BillyBob over in Drumcliff for me. I did graduate studies in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity ages ago, when the pterodactyls were still roosting in the treetops.)

 

[Sirius Glass]

I start off asking in the local language the best I can if they speak English, and usually somehow we manage to communicate well enough. It is always better to start with "Hello" in the local language first rather than first launching into any questions.

 

[foc]

(foc: Please pay my respects to BillyBob over in Drumcliff for me. I did graduate studies in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity ages ago, when the pterodactyls were still roosting in the treetops.)

Of course I will. Do you by any chance have BillyBob's surname?

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Of course I will. Do you by any chance have BillyBob's surname?

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Yeah. That’s it. Cold-eyed bugger.