Is it cool for me to take pictures of parked cars?

33 comments

1. As long as you aren’t too blatant about it, odds are nobody will care.

2. Its legal. But youre going to look like a creeper. And don’t do it when the person is in the car, you’ll end up in a confrontation eventually.

3. If someone’s in the car at the time they might get upset, or if you’re like up close on the license plate or something.

4. I think it’s fine. If someone gives you shit, just compliment them on their nice ride.

5. If they’re unoccupied and out on a public street/parking and you’re not sneaking a pic from the window of the inside etc? Go crazy.

6. Its fine, theres nothing against it. Though if an owner does ask you to delete the photo or not take it, then you should oblige. If you are going to upload them somewhere, black out the license plate or anything identifying (I.E. contact numbers)

7. Yup.

   I’ve had a couple picture worthy cars myself, and it always made me.happy when I caught someone snapping a pic of them.

8. Broadly speaking, [anything and anyone that’s plainly visible in public spaces can be photographed](https://www.acludc.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-if-stopped-photographing-public). But to avoid trouble you should be quick about it and never do it while anyone’s in the car you’re trying to photograph. You should also keep in mind that lots of locations aren’t public: a mall’s parking garage, for instance, could owned by the mall and therefore not public.

   If you publish, post, or otherwise distribute the photos, as a courtesy you should obscure the license plate and any other potential identifiers like bumper stickers

9. Should be ok but if you post them online I recommend blurring/blacking out the license plate if it’s in the photo. Or avoid the license plate altogether.

10. Photography is considered to be a first amendment right. If it’s in public, not even cops can stop you.

11. Just follow these 3 simple reasons and literally no somewhat reasonable person would care.

    1. Don’t take a picture of the car in a way the license plate is showing.

    2. Don’t get super close to the car or touch it while taking the picture.

    3. Don’t take a picture of the car while the driver is in it. (This is probably the most flexible one, like someone driving a Ferrari probably wouldn’t care but a guy driving a car that he thinks is relatively normal might get upset that you’re taking pictures of him.

12. Define “cool”

    Is it legal? Yes, you can take a photo of anything if it’s in a public place or a place where photography is not expressly forbidden.

    Is it not a faux pas? Maybe. If you don’t get the owner’s permission, they may confront you about it

13. I’ve had tons of pictures taken of my cars and have done the same when I take trips places.
    If it’s parked, and easily accessible in a public place, go for it. Don’t trespass to get to it.
    If it’s moving or otherwise occupied, and is an exotic or a car that has a decent sized fan base or following, such as a DeLorean, AE86, or restored classic muscle car, go for it, the owner is used to it. If it’s a car that is normal in its environment but rare to you, just wave and point to your camera/phone to ask permission. I’ve done this in the U.S., Japan, Europe, and Australia, and it’s always worked. Just be respectful and most car enthusiasts will actually be flattered you’re taking a pic.

14. There is no expectation of privacy in the public space. Period. This has been confirmed by multiple court rulings. You can take pictures of anything you want to in the public space.

15. Don’t sit or lean on someone’s car to take a photo, and ask permission if the car is occupied or the owner is present. As long as you don’t go out of your way to be a douchebag, you should be fine.

16. It’s legal, and if it’s a neato or unusual car, the person will likely understand why you’re taking a picture.

    I have a ’57 Chevy and a ’79 AMC Spirit and both get photographed regularly while I’m driving — the former because it’s a cool classic and the latter because people don’t know WTF it is and want to post it on r/whatisthiscar, r/namethatcar, or elsewhere.

    OTOH, if someone were taking pictures of my beige Camry, that’d seem odd.

17. I’ve done it several times. If an adult is in the car and I still really want the picture I’ll ask if it’s OK.

18. I think most people that own interesting cars are happy that you think their car is cool. If you post it online, blur out the plate to be safe.

    Anecdotally- my dad has a couple of interesting/ cool cars and he doesn’t mind people taking pictures of them at all.

    EDIT: Don’t touch the car to take a picture of it- that will bother most people.

19. I’d either censor the license plate or take the picture from an angle where it doesn’t show. And make sure there’s no one around or you’ll look suspicious.

    Best idea though is to wait for a cruise night or other car show where people expect pictures of their cars to be taken.

20. Like others said it’s ok. If someone is In the car or they are near it, strike up a conversation and then ask if you can take a picture of it. “Hey i really like your car, do you mind if I take a picture of it?”

21. Perfectly fine as long as no one is in the car. Any inanimate object out in public is generally fair game for a photo unless explicitly stated otherwise.

22. As long as you don’t touch/sit on/ include license plates in the picture you should be good.

23. Anything you can see in public view is okay to photograph.

    I travel quite a bit across country, and I regularly exit a store to see people posing for pictures with my vehicle.

24. If they’re in public places, taking photos is free game.

25. Yeah I do it all the time. Saw a sick Cobra the other day.

    But if you want to post online maybe cover up the license plate.

26. There is no expectation of privacy in public. If the car is in public or visible from a public place then it’s fair game.

    This is the fundamental law that allows paparazzi to exist. You can photograph anyone or anything in public.

    This is why Google maps can photograph everything on the street and upload it.

27. I used to drive a scooter and I can’t tell you how many times I walked up to see someone sitting on it and posing while someone else took a picture.

28. I wouldn’t lurk too long and it might depend where you are when you are hanging out taking photos of cars.

    As others said, try not to include the plates, or blur or remove that part from the only copies.

29. I think most car owners would be stoked that you think their car is cool. As others have stated. No license plates. That will be considered very not ok.

30. I do it. As long as you’re not fawning too much over it people probably won’t be weirded out. I actually got to volunteer at a classic car gig a few years back and took pics of some of the cars in the lot.

31. I’d be thrilled if someone took a photo of my 2012 hyundai

32. You can take a picture of anything/anyone you want in public.

33. Yes, if anyone asks just tell them your a contractor for the FBI and you need to “gather” their license for a database……but nothing bad will happen….its just b/c