Hey again Neil :)

"Funny how if you just put in a little effort up front connecting with the world you're trying to capture on film, you'll find those who will welcome you in to it. "

so right!!! and connecting is the main issue here, if you're wanting to take a photo of something, it means that something about you felt a connection to the subject, with people it's obvious how one can and should see if the connection goes both ways, sometimes it's simply an eye contact and sometimes it takes more than that, one needs to decide if the "effort" is really an effort!!!
if you want to go inside a private house (with or witout a camera) you need to talk to the people who live there.
if you want to shoot a plane in the museum from behind the ropes line you need to have a permission to do it.
it's as simple as that....
trying to fight these simple things is childish and will get you nowhere....
nice for you for having the patient to wait untill he gets his common sense back! :)

Hey Greg,

"Does public being in a public space NOT make you public property?"

No, it makes you social property. Participating in the unspoken agreements that make living shoulder to shoulder with thousands/millions/billions of other humans possible. Very few of these agreements are laws that will put you in jail. They're more powerful than that.

For the most part you ARE free to take any photo you want in a public venue. What's at issue is SHOULD you.
You do have the freedom to do what you want across a much broader spectrum of behaviour than we typically practice. Question is will you? And if so, will you complain or rail against the consequences?

I've been taking photographs for fun for 35 years (public spaces, private spaces, emotional spaces) and not once have I been harshly told or asked not to take the picture. I've not offended anyone in that process because I took the time to assess my situation and when necessary made a point of inviting the subject to participate.

It's all a dance. It can be eloquent and graceful or clumsy and full of stepped on toes. It's completely up to us.

Hi Greg,
"Does public being in a public space NOT make you public property? isnt that why different laws govern public and private space?"
NO IT'S NOT!!!!
i'm not a lawyer (no thank you :) but due to my work in the Film/TV industry i can tell you that whenever we're shooting outside on the streets (documentry or not) it's the production responsibility to acknowledge the people that they're going to be inside the shot and after they say it's o.k with them, they're being signed on Release Forms which are made by lawyers, if they do not wish to be in the frame we ask them nicely to move to a different table in the case of restaurants/coffee shops, sometimes the production is even paying for their deserts to make the transition smoother , if it's on the street passer-by are usually moving aside by themselves if they do not wish to be in the frame or simply stand so close infront of the camera that we need to help them let go of their Hollywood dreams.... :)
and i'll tell you where and when are we free to shoot, we are Free to that whenever we are approaching the situation same as we wish to be approached if/when the situation is happening to us or to our Loved ones!!!!
- with Respect and Tolerance and without one's crossing our lines, if a Photographer wants to take a shot of us crying because it'll make a great Photo, but has no commpassion in his Heart for what made us crying in the first place, we'll be pissed off for a good reason, if you carry that thought in your Heart when you're the Photographer this point of view will bring you to your subject with such a Beautiful Compassion and Love in your Heart and the people will sense it, they will feel comfortable and safe, they'll know you have no bad intentions and they'll let you take their Photo!
if you do the same in a private space and approach with a smile of your face the chances are that the one who's giving the permission to shoot will give it to you!
if one walks inside with no respect (and i'm not saying you do) and simply because he's holding a camera thinks he owns the world, he's got another thing coming! and he needs to change his attitude and perspective.
we can only change ourselves when the outcome doesn't fit anymore and pushing us away from what we wish to achieve, (and i'm not only talking about Photography....) so instead of blaming the world we should all take a good long look on ourselves and in ourselves!

Love Approach.....