Delightful!!!!

Thanks happy you like the work. BTW they were shot with my Canon SD1100 point and shoot. I was traveling light and did not want to carry my Canon 40D. Below are a couple more from Baltimore.

You've hit the nail squarely on the head, LarryD. Shooting is a perfectly legitimate activity. Publishing. . . well, that's a different colored horse. Today's society being litigious to the extreme, no publisher worth their salt will accept a photo — particularly that of a child — that doesn't come with a model release. It's way too risky. Even if a photographer self-publishes to his/her online portfolio, the same rule applies.

I agree that asking permission results in the subjects behaving differently for the camera than they would before they knew the camera was pointed at them. Forgiveness, I find, is the better strategy. And being prepared to explain to anyone who asks what you're doing with the photo.

As sad as it makes me that the spontaneous joy of childhood goes un-captured, I long ago gave up photographing children who could be identified in a photo unless the parents were familiar with me and my work. It's just too risky and more hassle than I want in my life.

What a shame that we've come to this in our society: As a single man of 60, I'm supposed to completely ignore the existence of children for fear of being labeled as some kind of deviant. Sad and sickening at the same time. I blame it all on the Boomers who believe the world should be totally safe and that there's nothing but evil in the world. The world can be a dangerous place but it's not as bad as they portray it. I would venture a guess that there's more danger within families than out in the world. Interpret that any way you want.