Your camera is not a weapon, but sometimes it may feel that way to people.

Recently, I learned twice on the same day that a photo I thought would be o.k. to post on my blog wasn’t o.k. with the person photographed.

I thought a lot about the issue and came up with three tips that will help me mind my photography manners. Perhaps they can help you as well.

1. Remember that some photos simply need to remain private.

A good example is most photos taken at work. Often coworkers don’t want to be brought into a person’s private life, and a personal blog or social networking site page certainly belongs in the category of “private life.”

2. Be sensitive to people’s sensitivities.

If you know someone has a particular sensitivity, it’s probably not a good idea to post a photo that could in ANY way tread on this sensitivity. That seems obvious, but this is the one that I seem to have the most trouble with.

3. If someone asks you to remove a photo from your blog, etc., do it and apologize to the person.

It may “sting” a little. It may necessitate your rewriting the post — or removing it entirely. But losing a friend over a photo on the Internet just isn’t worth it.

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Rebecca blogs at Ramblings by Reba.