Street photography

I was watching a programme called "The Genius of Photography"on BBC today. It gave me an insight into photography back in the old days. I loved all those black and white photos. It told me that I need to look at photography to capture life around me, how things are, how the world looks like. That's a good tip that I can use.

But there is a catch - I cant do street photography without getting into trouble. Just yesterday, I took my camera to work so that I could take a few shots around my office. I took my camera out in the evening and before I could take a picture, a security guard came to me and told me I could not take a picture without a pass. What? I was clicking pictures of a building and I got told off. What if I try to take a few pictures of people on the street? I am sure they will report me or take my film or my memory card. 

The reason why people do that is not important to me. I just am not comfortable with the fact that I cannot just go out there and capture the scenes that I like. I guess I live in a different time now and I might need a license to own a camera one day.