What do you want to know about photographic law? If you've got quesions you want answered or specific topics you want covered please post them in this thread, I'll be taking note.

Thanks,

Rach @ DCM

rachaeldcruze@fuurenet.co.uk

Hi rach,

DCM published a fairly comprehensive guide to the law Vs photography just a couple of months ago.

It seems to me that the country is now dominated by jumped up security guards and policemen/women that don't know the law regarding photography. Whats's allowed / acceptable and what isnt. It's all well and good to be able to quote "the law" when confronted in these instances but people being marched off, told to delete thier pics,  given random "stop and search" searches etc has got to stop. Until those who are paid to and expected to uphold the law properly understand the "rules" what hope do photographers have.

This country has lost the plot. Seriously it has. It needs to stop now and under the existing rules "of the land" it can and should. We need to hear less of photographers being persecuted for going about thier legitimate right (within the law) and more about security guards/ police released from service for blatant abuse and lack of understanding of thier roles and responsibilities under UK law.

Andrew

Thought this had been given quite an airing on Big Bill from Sheffy's thread, 2 Consecutive Days. Andy's (Veggiosage) input is pretty clear and concise.

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FACES,STREET,PROTEST & CANDID
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Actually rach this whole subject just makes me so cross now. Anybody with a camera is now classed as either a potential terorist or paedophile. When will it end. If I want to blow up whtaever or have pics of children who says I need , or for gods sake, would want a great big conspicuous camera with tripod etc. when will this C*** end. Cant photograph your children in a school play etc. I'll eat my desk is in a year or so we if arnt even allowed to photo our own children for fear of what we / others may do with the picures. Change a nappy, in 5 years no way that will be allowed , we'll have to call in a registered nappy changer to make sure all's above board. It's a;; rubish it really is.

adams1:

Actually rach this whole subject just makes me so cross now. Anybody with a camera is now classed as either a potential terorist or paedophile. When will it end. If I want to blow up whtaever or have pics of children who says I need , or for gods sake, would want a great big conspicuous camera with tripod etc. when will this C*** end. Cant photograph your children in a school play etc. I'll eat my desk is in a year or so we if arnt even allowed to photo our own children for fear of what we / others may do with the picures. Change a nappy, in 5 years no way that will be allowed , we'll have to call in a registered nappy changer to make sure all's above board. It's a;; rubish it really is.

You obvoiusly don't read what's posted on this Forum!

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FACES,STREET,PROTEST & CANDID
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Hello Rachael,

I would be interested to know what your legal beagles would recommend as a photographers course of actions if they were detained and taken to a police station for taking photographs, other than to keep a civil tongue in their head, stay calm and retain their dignity.

I have never had any real problems when out and about myself, I have been questioned quite a few times but have always been allowed to carry on thus far. I would however be interested to know what to do in the event that my good looks, charm and wit finally run out.

For any interested, here is a link to a brief but useful guide to the Law and Photography, although published in 2004 it is still up to date as far as I am aware:

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf

Cheers, Peter.

 

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Oh Lord, please help me to be the person that my dog thinks I am.

As regards this entire subject I think that basically 'Joe Public (is there a Joe'es?) just has to 'suck it' and take what comes because essentially one is in a no-win situation. If you are in the right and PC Plod say's you're wrong then you're wrong. Or at least until such time as you can prove you're right by which time it's usually too late and in the interim you've had a lot of grief. In the end you might receive an apology and in a few instances might just win some compensation. However, this compensation money will come out of the public purse and so in effect you've paid yourself and so you're still basically wrong. Seldom is an officer of the law reprimanded for how shall we put it, being out of line or acting a bit too enthusiastically, but probably never will this reprimand accurately reflect the degree to which the individual has been inconvenienced. It's one law for them and another for us I'm afraid, always has been and always will be and one has to accept that. There have been so many incidents over the past few years of the public v the police, few involving photographers I hastily add, where one really has to scratch one's head in absolute bewilderment of how the final judgment/decision was ever arrived at.

 

Great question Peter, thank you.

Can you answer this question. Has anyone ever been successfully prosecuted for taking pictures in a public place?  If so under what section of the law was the charge brought and what was the sentence/outcome?

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FACES,STREET,PROTEST & CANDID
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Hi Abers, somewhat unusual circumstances but HERE is a story about when a tog was successfully rosecuted for obstruction.

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BPitW 9-10 June 2007.
My website My flickr

Perhaps I shouldn't say this too loud but I was fascinated by the number of times I read in the various articles contained within that link of the Police insisting on the deletion of images. Luckily for me, to date at least, I have never had to use image recovery software after accidentally deleting any images or perhaps worse still, having a card fail on me. However, having read in another thread about how good Zero Assumption was supposed to be I tried an experiment of using it in the attempt to recover 3 images that I had only just, and deliberately, deleted. Surprise, surprise, not only did it recover those three images but also images that I'd taken well over a year ago and that had obviously never been re-written over. Based on this, if I'm ever asked by the Police to delete images I won't be too concerned.

I read threads like this with great interest as some of you will know from previous threads that I am a serving Police Officer. In a lot of ways I can see both sides of the story, but I do agree that something needs to be done.

Greater awareness is what I think is required.....and less scare-mongering from the Government and press. The press will always sensationalise things - that's what sells papers and makes money for them after all. But it is unfortunately the naive and narrow-minded folk out there that believe everything they read or see in the media that often cause us problems such as this. Of course the press is essentially controlled by goverment too but that would be a whole new thread!

Part of the problem is though that the narrow-minded folk are not interested what 'rights' photographers have, they are only concerned about their own 'rights' and what interests them so raising awareness with the public is very difficult. Changing mindsets and prejudices is practically impossible.

Ignorance is no excuse on the part of the Police I know. However, when officers are not aware of the subject they often rely on what they will think is common sense - and there lies the problem. Those officers read the same newspapers and watch the same news feeds on TV as the rest of the public. Unfortunately, Police officers sometimes exert their own moral judgements onto circumstances and I appreciate that is wrong to do so. However, without raising awareness within the Police (and SIA for security guards etc) these judgements will continue.  To raise awareness within the Police, the direction would most likely have to come from the Government I'm afraid.

But let me say this.....if you want to come to my area when I'm on shift you wouldn't get hassled by me or my colleagues that's for sure (other than me asking for tips and guidance of course!).

Matt

PS - My views are just that, mine. I should point out that they are not necessarily the views of the Police in general or the Force that I work for. Just thought I best add that little disclaimer!

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My DCM Gallery

Kinda worrying starting point referring to "photographic law"... 
Various laws, rules and regulations may relate to photographers and photography, but as yet no photography law!

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Brian

Flickr Galleries

We used to have a somewhat different view over on this side, but now it's become clear that

"The price of tyranny is eternal paranoia".

We have not yet quite achieved the camera coverage that you have in London, as I understand it, but it's rare to be very far from a camera in any urban area.

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Swede
My Gallery

matty6380:

I read threads like this with great interest as some of you will know from previous threads that I am a serving Police Officer. In a lot of ways I can see both sides of the story, but I do agree that something needs to be done.

Greater awareness is what I think is required.....and less scare-mongering from the Government and press. The press will always sensationalise things - that's what sells papers and makes money for them after all. But it is unfortunately the naive and narrow-minded folk out there that believe everything they read or see in the media that often cause us problems such as this. Of course the press is essentially controlled by goverment too but that would be a whole new thread!

Part of the problem is though that the narrow-minded folk are not interested what 'rights' photographers have, they are only concerned about their own 'rights' and what interests them so raising awareness with the public is very difficult. Changing mindsets and prejudices is practically impossible.

Ignorance is no excuse on the part of the Police I know. However, when officers are not aware of the subject they often rely on what they will think is common sense - and there lies the problem. Those officers read the same newspapers and watch the same news feeds on TV as the rest of the public. Unfortunately, Police officers sometimes exert their own moral judgements onto circumstances and I appreciate that is wrong to do so. However, without raising awareness within the Police (and SIA for security guards etc) these judgements will continue.  To raise awareness within the Police, the direction would most likely have to come from the Government I'm afraid.

But let me say this.....if you want to come to my area when I'm on shift you wouldn't get hassled by me or my colleagues that's for sure (other than me asking for tips and guidance of course!).

Matt

PS - My views are just that, mine. I should point out that they are not necessarily the views of the Police in general or the Force that I work for. Just thought I best add that little disclaimer!

Thanks Matt - it's great to hear an 'inside' view on things.