Is it rude to take pictures of someone else's house and post them online? Assuming I have taken the images without breaking the law, trespassing. It seems like a no brainer, but if people wanted images of their work on a forum they would post them themselves right? So what do people here think?

Ask if you can.

Keep the pictures tight and don't show enough to breach privacy or security concerns, including metadata.

R Scott wrote:Ask if you can.

Keep the pictures tight and don't show enough to breach privacy or security concerns, including metadata.

I like R Scott's answer.

Here at wheaton laboratories, we ask that people use discretion when posting, including disabling GPS location, and not showing telltale landmarks, street signs or such.

I've posted one picture of a neighbor's property simply because I needed a comparison, and I didn't think much of it until I saw this thread. I'm certain no one could ID the place unless they had been there first, I wouldn't have posted it otherwise.

It may be rude, but thanks to Google maps there's probably already a picture of that space on the internet.

I think as long as you aren't creepily documenting their every action or peering behind obvious privacy screens you aren't doing anything wrong, especially if you are posting something complimentary.

One thing I would make certain of is that they, or especially their children, are not visible in the photo. A property is one thing, people are an entirely different matter. Whenever you publish a photo of people it is safest when you have a signed 'Model Release Form'. Publishing pictures of children, with a known (or searchable) location is considered a real no-no on the web - too many weirdos out there.

Everybody is entitled to a degree of privacy. Anything that compromises that right is not 'fair usage'.

As was mentioned above, try to ask for permission before even taking the picture. I know people who would get extremely upset if they saw some stranger taking pictures of their home/property. Some of them may have legitimate concerns, while others would just feel that their privacy was being invaded.

Often, somebody's pride in their property would be increased if you explained that you would like to share this image with your friends online. They may 'break down' and start telling you details about what they have done, thus making your pictures even more valuable to our community.

My situation is somewhere in the cracks I'm afraid. I was driving in a rural area and spotted a really interesting home and snapped some shots as I drove by. It was not particularly close to the road, and had no fences or visual obstructions. I was not in a position to stop, and being a nervous type I am not sure I would be comfortable even approaching such a rural home, set back from the road.( I am a city slicker, driving a city car, in a very unfamiliar place)

The photos are more than a year old now, and I do not remember what exact road I was on, just the general vicinity. When I took the pictures my first thought was I would post them online and try to fish for the owner to get their comments, but decided not to do that after thinking about it. I thought there would be more people out there who would feel violated than people who would be flattered by finding a photo of their stuff.

If I did not live so far away from the area I would attempt to find it again and catch the owner out and try to approach, like you suggest john. I bet this person would be excited to know their house was that interesting to others.