Earl,
I hear ya’ man. It seems when people see the camera, they smell ‘money’. Litigation is a major pain in the backside and the only people who actually get paid are the lawyers. With all of this ‘electronic communication’ we have these days, instead of growing more tolerant of each other we get ‘bent’ easily over the slightest thing. As both a media professional and a human being I understand the right / desire of privacy and the right to perform one’s professional occupation. If you don’t want cameras on you to record a historical event, don’t make history. Yet, I do frown on both the persons who ‘put hands over lenses’ and those who intrude on personal space to be within arm’s reach. It’s a narrow line to balance on mind you, but unfortunately the responsibility of knowing the laws and restrictions falls primarily on those of us behind the camera.
