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I make a point of taking street photos without asking the permission of my subjects. This is legal. When people are in public they do not have an expectation of privacy, and the laws in Canada and the U.S. (and most places I presume) allow photography in public spaces without a subject's permission.

I shoot this way because I want to document the life of a city accurately and people often change their behaviour if they know they're being photographed.

After I take a photo of a person, if they notice me having done so, I always smile to reassure them my motives are artistic and benign. If they engage me with a question like, "Why are you taking my picture?" I explain that I'm not, that I'm actually taking a photograph of city life and they happen to be in it. This is another reason I don't ask for permission; it's often impossible to do so when capturing a scene, because street scenes usually involve so many people. "OK, everyone stop! You all OK if I click the shutter now?"

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. This photo was taken during NHL hockey playoffs. These kids asked me what I was doing with three cameras (they were small) hanging around my neck. I said, "Taking pictures of all the excitement," and raised a camera to my eye. They mugged and I took their picture. Not candid at all, but a great picture that captured the mood on the street.

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