Your caution is understandable and warranted. The atmosphere these days with the image of pedophiles lurking around every corner makes taking pics of any youth potentially hazardous. For instance, my most harrowing experience occurred at a playground my 8 year old grandson & I stopped at after an owl hunt. I wanted to get some extreme close ups of the bronze statues of children on display he wanted to play on the equipment. I sent him on with the assurance I would soon catch up. The equipment was in view. Four or five minutes later I walked over to where he should be and couldn't see him. Looked everywhere and no sign of him. PANIC! Walked to the nearest rest room, inside a grandpa and a four+/- year old were washing hands, one glance showed no one else in the tiny room, turned back out. My camera with 400mm f/4 was over my shoulder. Grandpa was "on me" in a flash, shouting about being a pedophile with a camera in a rest room! He followed shouting at me across the park as I in a greater panic (WHERE IS MY BOY1) headed back to the play area. His verbal attack escalated till I whirled around and advanced on him wanting to flatten him! I realized I don't have time for this and headed back to search again. Bellowed for my GS who popped out from under the equipment where he and others were playing "hide & seek." RELIEF! My accuser apologized but the experience leaves me wary of playgrounds while carrying a camera now. He was obviously not familiar with camera equipment, a 400mm in a 12' x 15' room? There have been other wary looks from others while photographing my grandson at play with other kids in parks, sigh what has happened to our society! I can't summon the courage to try "street photography" YIKES!

I think I found a way that makes me feel safer about this.

I'm sending the following to the minister of the church where I have been requested to take photos:
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Dear Minister #####,

Some “Church ladies” have requested that I take photos at this week end’s 200th annaversery event. In this environment of hyper litigation I think there might be danger of being sued if a take a photo of someone who does not want to be photographed.

My understanding of the law is that if it’s a public forum I’m safe taking photos but if it’s not public it’s not clear what the law is. I think that I would be in a much safer legal position if I could produce an e-mail from YOU requesting that I take photos of the events at YOUR church events this week end. A word of mouth request request from a church lady would not provide me the same protection.

Please email me a written request to take photos at this weekend's events. I’m particularly worried about taking photos of children. I don’t want to chase every child's parent down to get them them to sign a waver.

Thank you,

Dave
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If for any reason the minister does not send me the letter I requested, I'll not take the photos.
If I do get the email I requested, I'll provide a thumb drive to the church with the images and let them do what ever they want to do with them.

I think the line is drawn between taking the picture (O.K.) and posting it on the internet (not O>K>); If you take your children out in public, neither you nor the child has any expectation of privacy.
But you and the child probably do have an expectation that the child's image will not be made available to everyone. I'm a retired lawyer who practiced criminal defense law so nobody should take what I've said as a basis upon which to act. I'm relying on memory from a first year law school class in torts more than fifty years ago.

The fact that you mention an "angelic looking" boy and a "pretty" wife give me pause. Did you take any pictures of elderly or disabled attendees? Are you really that selective in your choice of subjects? As the "authorized" photographer for a church I attended many years ago, my responsibility was to photograph a significant sampling of the attendees. I NEVER took pictures of prayer sessions. If I took pictures of children, it was with the family or a responsible adult. One young teen was particularly "inappropriate" in the way she dressed and acted in church. I never took her picture, even with her mother, and I told the pastor why. One of the parishioners, an elder and member of the board of directors of the church, was a retired judge. I made it a point to give him a contact sheet of my pictures; he asked for an enlarged print of one shot and said the picture was "borderline" whereupon I went home and destroyed the negative. The only time releases were required was when one of my shots of an entire family was used as on the cover of the annual report. Nobody ever objected to my photographic methods or results.

I was at church picnic this past Sunday. I had my camera and a couple good lenses. I used my 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens hand held, and got several candid shots of interesting looking people. At one point they asked the children to come up and join the minister in prayer. One angelic looking boy of about 12 years was participating in the service. I zoomed in tight with my 300mm lens and got a surprisingly good photo of him. I have no idea who this kid is or who his parents are.

A little voice in my head is warning me not to post this kids photo on the Internet because I could get in trouble. Is the voice correct?

I feel safe posting a photo of the minister and think it's an interesting picture. He one of several minister who did a bit of preaching this past Sunday. I don't know him and did not get his permission to post his photo. I'm not making any money on these photos.

If I'm breaking any laws, please let me know.

I was at church picnic this past Sunday. I had my camera and a couple good lenses. I used my 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens hand held, and got several candid shots of interesting looking people. At one point they asked the children to come up and join the minister in prayer. One angelic looking boy of about 12 years was participating in the service. I zoomed in tight with my 300mm lens and got a surprisingly good photo of him. I have no idea who this kid is or who his parents are.

A little voice in my head is warning me not to post this kids photo on the Internet because I could get in trouble. Is the voice correct?

I feel safe posting a photo of the minister and think it's an interesting picture. He one of several minister who did a bit of preaching this past Sunday. I don't know him and did not get his permission to post his photo. I'm not making any money on these photos.

If I'm breaking any laws, please let me know.