I'm experiencing a frustrating trend in my photography. It seems that people are attempting to make more subjects unavailable for photography. Often times, I'll be shooting a photograph of a building and within seconds someone is demanding to know what I'm doing. Here are a few examples:

I was attracted to this image because of the reflection of the clouds in the windows of this office building. Within seconds of releasing the shutter, an employee from the office quickly approached me. I pointed out the clouds and the reflections. The employee was not impressed and demanded that I get off the property. So, I moved a few steps back to the public sidewalk where I am free to shoot all the photos I want. Thankfully, I still live in a free country!

Cloud reflections I wanted to capture an image of this attractive neon sign in Tinley Park. After capturing the image, the manager of the restaurant quickly approached me and was clearly very angry. I pointed out that I found the signage to be an interesting subject and that I was compiling a collection of night photographs from my Chicago suburb. He said that customers would be hesitant to visit the restaurant if they saw me taking photographs. Interestingly, there wasn't a single customer in the restaurant! Once again, it was easy for me to move just a short distance before I  was standing on public property where the manager had no right to restrict my photography.

Outriggers Fish House For the most part, I had no problems shooting pictures at the Illinois State Fair. The only exception was while shooting in the carnival game area. After capturing this image of a wall of balloons, I was told that no further pictures would be allowed in that area of the Fair. I suspect there was concern that I might document some of the practices that make it difficult for customers to win those games! The good news is that photography was allowed throughout all of the rest of the massive Fair.

Balloons on the wall

I was shooting some closeups of Spring flowers one Sunday morning in the parkway of an industrial park. To my surprise, a car pulled up next to me as I was capturing this photograph. My camera was secured on a tripod and the Nikon 105VR lens was just a short distance from the branches of the tree. The driver indicated that he owned one of the buildings in the park. He wanted to know what I was shooting. Clearly, I was taking pictures of the flowers (from just a few feet off the curb of the public road). He accepted that explanation and allowed me to finish the shoot.

Pear tree blossoms

Fortunately, not all of my shoots involve irate owners. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped to take a photo of an auto repair shop off Route 66 in Joliet. After taking the first picture, the owner quickly approached me. When I explained how the old cars and signage attracted my attention as I was driving by, the owner was flattered and told me that several other photographers have taken similar photos of the site. She told me to shoot all the pictures that I wanted and even gave me a new baseball cap with the Dick's logo on it!

Dick's Towing

After being approached numerous times, I have employed some new strategies to ensure that I get the shot.

First, I try to get permission. Before shooting some pictures of my local library, I secured a media pass from the Village. This gave me free access to shoot whatever I wanted at the library one afternoon. 

Orland Park Public Library I was interested in taking some pictures inside of a local lamp store. Of course, I approached the owner and asked if that would be OK. He welcomed me into the store and granted permission for me to shoot as long as I wished.

Benko Lamps

A priest of a local church granted permission for me to shoot photos of the interior of the building. While I was taking pictures, he left the site completely and trusted me to turn off the lights and close the doors behind me!

Light on pews

Most times, I just shoot and answer questions later. First, I look at the scene and determine exactly what spot I will be shooting from. Then, I select a lens and attach it to the camera. I preset the camera so that only minimal adjustment will need to be made once I get to the spot. Finally, I move to the spot and start shooting very quickly. After my first few shots, I continue to work the scene until I get approached. By the time I get approached, if I'm approached at all, I usually have the shot(s) stored on my memory card.

After shooting several images at the Grainger Library at the University of Illinois, I was approached by a librarian and informed that photography is not allowed in the building. I quickly complied by putting my camera away, but not before capturing this image:

Whimsical staircase I had the same experience at the Main Library on campus:

Main Library Not that this is the greatest photograph in the world, but it is an example of another technique that I use to capture images very quickly. I preset the camera and captured this picture from my car window in just seconds:

Dollar General My most common technique is to shoot in public locations. For example, photography is allowed and encouraged at the Brookfield Zoo. The Zoo even hosts an annual photography contest. Photography is allowed in most government buildings and in the state and national parks. It can be a relief to shoot in places where photography is allowed.