He had no right at all, Zuzana, in my mind... you know how I feel about THESE types... want me to come over and kick his butt?  lol   I would, you know... man, that burns me... I'd find out what company he actually works for, and speak with his supervisor, if I was you, (that is if you don't want me to kick his butt!  lol)   other than him, this is a great pic - super sky... RB

I believe it has no sense to be not allowed to take pictures in a place like this....personally I've experienced too many times something similiar in Milan, and sadly I must say that it's becoming hard to be a photographer in too many situations living in a city.... anyway you've taken a great pictures despite of him, the contrasting red and grey tones with the green on the right work beautifully in this great composition. well done Zuzana....the next time say him "Cheers", take a picture of his face , smile to him ....and run.....Cheers. Bruno

Great shot...but it saddens me to see a Pizza Hut and TGIF Fridays in England!  We Americans just can seem to leave a country alone.  Arghhh.

I had problems like yours here in Spain, Zuzana. There ara a lot of city locations where it's not allowed to take pictures (don't know exactly why).
On the other hand, unfortunately shopping malls are practically the same wherever you go: America, England, Spain, ... We are invaded by franchises and multinationals.
Pd: The photography is excellent, as usual. Juan.

Nice Bold shot Suzana! I agree that security is getting out of hand but the guards are only doing their job. These mini complexes along with places like Canary Wharf are in fact private land with public access, as opposed to public land. Canary Wharf are very accommodating to photographers, if you call their press office 020 7418 2345, they will issue with a permit at no cost - unless you are a pro and intend selling the images - in which case they will charge. Not only will security leave you alone, they will actually allow you access to some area's not normally allowed by the public - if you are nice to them. The same goes for many shopping centres and other non public places.

Looking at that sky, I hope you had a brolly with you - Cheers, Peter.

Brilliant.  You never know perhaps international terrorists reguarly search through these pages .... you know how hard it must be in the murky world of target surveilance.  You know how it goes,  you take some shots,  process them and then send the of to the Afghan Terror Training camps press office only for them to be returned with complaints of over sharpening,  blown highlights or wonky horizons.  We have all seen the hollywood almost Spielberg quality of Osama Bin Laden's broadcasts tapes.  As photographers we have to understand todays crooks want more.  They are past simply typing a place's name into the google image search engine and bringing up 101 shots,  from every angle including deeds and blueprints.  They are looking for moody skys,  vanishing points and good lightings.  The security guys are merely doing their job by harassing photographers.... yes believe me.... there has not been a single attrocity carried out by Photography Extrememist this century and that my friends is down to these guys doing there jobs so pro-actively.

Just last month my wife and I went shopping to Kingston, Surrey.  We parked at the top of a multi-storey car park.  I decided to take a couple of shots from up there.  We then walked down the stairs only to be greeted my a vigilant security guard who came barging up to us only to reel back when he realised that I am a rather large fellow.  "What are you taking photo's of?" he barked.  I politely told him that we were just getting some shots of the view.  Simple eh....?  His reply (priceless) "Well that's what they all say!".  I enquired who to which he said "Al Qaeda.  I see a lot of them.".   What's really strange is I am from an Irish family but never once through my life have I been accused of being an IRA,  yet weekly I come under scrutiny of being a middle east terrorist.

I feel so sorry for Muslims who become marginalised due to the grotesque action of heartless killers who commit attrocities "in there name".  However I can assure you all as photographers we feel your pain.  

The worst thing you can ever do is to allow terrorist to restrict your liberty.  Unfortunately in Britain the crooks job is done for them by ill educated security guards and law makers.

Cheers, J.

Well.. How can I  follow Jamie...  I think the worlds going mad, What gets me is, I cant film my kid Ice skating, playing, football, school plays and the list goes on... But when we are out and about  they can folow us where they  like with  their cameras.. Our cheif policeman was heard to say if he had it his way there would be a camera on every street corner. So who knows what will happen... There is a saying " if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about"  But I wonder what Pizza Hut has done wrong. because they seem to be worrying about something... you give'em hell Zuzana.. Take care Mark

Wow .... thank goodness i dont live in the first world countries .... I never get stopped, ever!  Mind you i think it might be because we have some serious crime issues that our policeman havent got time to worry about the likes of me  ... plus i think i could photograph them accepting bribes so they stay away from me ....lol!  The ships that ran aground a couple of weeks ago, had security guards ... they didnt try to stop us photographing it ... just stopping us from getting too close ... they said it wasnt secure ... so i told him i was photographing it for a magazine (it wasnt really a lie .. i posted it on this site!!) ... anyway he was so chuffed because i heard him tell his mate ... hey, i am going to be in You (a local gossip mag)!  It really put a smile on my face!  Having said all that, I must admit when i visited London a couple of years aga .... it really felt like Big Brother was watching You!!!  Go give them stick, Zuzana   ... otherwise before you know it , you will never be allowed to photograph anything!  Cheers JO

I know just what you mean Zuzana.  I was photographing some great reflective building, the O2 phones building, in Leeds on Thursday and was stopped by two security guards who demanded I delete my pictures.  I mean, its a reflective building, you can't even see inside!  I lost about 20 pictures just for the sake of keeping the peace.  They worked a lot better when they were in the Full Monty!  Steve.  PS.  Everyone boycott O2 phones! lol!

Bob, Bruno, Rebecca, Juan, Peter, Jamie, Mark, Jo and Steve - thanks guys for your views, I really appreciate them. It's great to find out that other people have had similar experience. But what should one do if an angry security guard stops you from taking photos or worse..... demand that you delete the ones you already took? Have they got the right to make you delete your images?

Hi Zuzana - apologies for the typo earlier - there is a new section in the mag explaining your rights , well worth the read. Basically nobody has the right to demand you delete your images, not even the Police, they can ask you to, but it is your decision.

I have to confess that I have never had the angry security guard or Policeman really go to town on me personally, I usually take time to obtain the correct permissions to shoot. I was stopped on a few occasions in the centre of Oxford in the early hours last summer, this was by the Police and they were more concerned that I was a Burglar than a photographer, once I engaged in conversation and showed the a few of my shots, they were more than happy, it has reached the stage that if they know where I am shooting the will actually bring me a Coffee and Egg McMuffin [just so long as I pay].

Zuzana, you will always get the odd jobsworth but don't let it put you off, also don't believe that you have a God given right to take photographs of whatever and wherever, none of us do, spend a little time in understanding what is allowed and what is not.

I cringe when I hear people say "Give them Hell" "Give them Stick" "Stand up for your Rights" the fact is that Photography has always been restricted, on private land you have no rights other than those granted by the land-owner, there is a World of difference between public land and land with public access!

Stick with it Zuzana, you're worth it!
Cheers, Peter.

I'm sorry to hear about your otherwise Imperial entanglements Zuzana; it seems to me that Peter has some sound advice to give.
It is a shame however that these restrictions are so severe and the way in which we as Photographers are handled, there are diplomatic ways of handling each instance I feel.
I presume if all security guards/police etc would be more polite and informed us of the reasons as to why we could not take photographs, then I am sure we all would respect the situation and be more accommodating?
As Peter says "stick with it"!
Best wishes
Dave

Ps - Great capture as always Zuzana, even under pressure I might add, lol.
Best Regards
Dave

I am sorry to read about your experience Zuzana and having followed through all the comments above I can see that your questions have been very adequately answered. It is a growing problem that powers are being given to an ever wider range of minor officials that interfere with our personal liberties and privacy. Protests such as yours are extremely valuable and hopefully if we all take every opportunity to raise awareness the trend can be reversed by politicians. They do have to take some notice of us at elections if not at other times. Brilliant capture under trying circumstances. Charles.

Peter, Dave and Charles - many thanks for your comments and views, I really appreciate this.
Peter - thanks for all your explanation and output, it has been a great help. Just one question. If lets say I was taking these shots from a public pavement, therefore not standing on a private land, do I still need a permition to shoot places like that and does any guard has a right to stop me? I am just a little concious of the fact that if I decide to photograph places like pizza hut or mc donalds, I may have to think of getting a permission first. What are your thoughts on this?

Hi Zuzana,
Before I forget, you can download a very brief PDF guide to UK Law - http://www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf it's quite useful to print off and keep in your bag.

To try and answer your question...if you are taking pictures from a public pavement, then you should be OK most of the time, even then there can be some restrictions depending on the building. The difficulty is in knowing when you are on a public pavement, if I use Canary wharf as an example, the entire complex is in fact privately owned, all of the roads, pavements, courtyards etc. are all private. If you drive into Canary wharf there is a security checkpoint both in and out, once you cross the checkpoint you are on private land until you leave the site. Therefore wherever you are within it, inside a building or outside, you are restricted to the land owners own conditions, the same goes for shopping centres, fast food outlets etc.. If however you set up across the street with a long telephoto where you are actually on public land, you should be OK in most cases.

As a very rough rule of thumb, if access to anywhere is gated so that it can be closed for public access at any point, then it is probably private land with public access, such as Canary Wharf, Bluewater, Metro Centre etc. If there are no gates and you would normally have 24 hr access, then it is probably public land, such as a local High Street. Also if there is a disclaimer notice in a car park stating that you leave your car and contents at your own risk, you are most probably on private land.

These days I always carry a box of photography business cards with me when out shooting just in case I am approached, which is very rarely as I am usually out shooting at sunrise when most are still tucked up in bed. On these few occasions I have ended up having a rather pleasant conversation, handed out a business card or two, given some photography advice, usually on what camera to buy and then been allowed to continue. I find it best to just be friendly and open with people, don't be defensive and don't take the high ground. I recently did a project in some old Railway shed's in Swindon which are soon to be demolished, I turned up wearing safety boots, high vis vest and a white safety helmet, I had no permission to be there but was escorted around the area by one very friendly security guard who was fascinated in what I was doing but never once asked me why, he even opened up some of the locked buildings and let me inside, after roughly two hours I left - he just assumed I was meant to be there. If he had turfed me out, I would have asked whom to contact for permission and returned. If I couldn't get permission I would have just found something else to photograph.

If you do get approached again Zuzana, just ask whom you need to contact and get the guards name, just be very polite, helpful and co-operate, the chances are you will be granted permission, I have never been denied personally. Most land owners are not anti photographer, they just like to know what is going on, they are largely concerned that you will injure yourself or someone else and they will end up being sued, the permission document they hand out to you will normally absolve them of any responsibility for your actions.

If you are stopped, there is usually a very good reason for it even though it may not be obvious at the time - Good luck Zuzana. Cheers, Peter.

Sorry to hear of your experience Zuzana, but it looks as though Peter's given you some great advice (thanks Peter - I found that very useful too!).  I've always found that a smile goes a long way, and if you ask permission and explain what you're doing, people are generally very nice.  Mind you, it doesn't sound as though this particular security guard was exactly open to the idea of a discussion - maybe he was protecting some dark secret about what goes on in the kitchens of TGIF or Pizza Hut?? Kind regards, Anna

Thank you very much Anna for your thoughts and many thanks Peter for your tips which I found really useful. I was probably very unlucky in this instance - you are right Anna, the guard was quite angry towards me and wasn't open to any discussions. He demanded to know why I was taking images of those two fast food restaurants (hmmm... I somehow don't think that he would have understood, I liked the colours of the buildings and the way they appeared so commercial lol) so I explained to him that I was taking the images for personal use. He wasn't too happy with the explanation though. I think that getting a permission is a great idea and I will certainly do so if I decide to go to take images in areas like e.g. London Docklands (thanks for the number Peter!). I am only a little worried that soon we may need to start getting permission to shoot everywhere we go.... I have to admit that it would have never occured to me to seek a permission to shoot the scene above - a couple of fast food restaurants.

Thanks again to you all guys for your valuable thoughts and input, I really appreciate these.

I keep meaning to carry an article I read about the law in my camera bag.....so that I can whip it out and seem all clever.....lol........it's happened to me twice now.......once he made me delete the photos ( which apparently they can't make you do ).......but I moved the switch in the wrong order so only deleted two photos.......it's crazy !!
Love the way your photo came out......great work !! Sally

Thanks for your comment Sally

Yes it's happened to me a couple of times Zuzanna. Before I took any photos of Mechaone's graffiti artwork I sort his permission. Copyright law's may have been infringed if I had not. He was only too pleased that I wanted to show his work to everyone. I also contacted both propriators of the establishments I wanted to get the photos from so it was ok. So by asking first you know where you stand in the long run if in dought. Rgds Alan.

Thanks Alan for your input, very much appreciated

Great replies to your posting, Zuzana. Glad you did post it as it's provided some great info within the replies. Cheers, Col.

An interesting discussion that's taken place here, I can't say I've ever been prevented from taking shots but there's always a first time! At least I'm now armed with some useful knowledge with regard to the law, thanks to Peter for the input. Anyway, you manage to get a great shot even when under pressure Zuzanna, love the vivid colours contrasting with the dark leaden sky, well spotted and captured. Rgds Paul

Thanks Colin and Paul - glad you found this useful

Probably an underpaid jobsworth who wanted to feel important!!!!!!!!!
There are a lot of articles in the magazines at the momment there was a particulally good one a while back in DC mag and I read somewhere that the NUJ are introducing a card for photographers to carry which I think states some of the Law on it. Maybe someone from Dcm can clarify this for you if they see this post.
Keep going Zuzana and dont be affraid of the big man if they call the police they have no power over you either and at the worst can only get you for causing a obstruction but they wont make you delete your photos.(I think thats right from what I read)
.
Chris

Thanks Chris for your view and comments. No worriew, I am not put off. Zuzana

Zuzana,

I don't think you were in the wrong at all to be annoyed.  Security guards may not want you to shoot photos there, but there is no excuse for attitude and rudeness.  
There is a stipulation in the law about what is counted as a public place.  It has something to do with the fact that if the public are allowed access and members of the public preside then that makes it a public place.  I'll have a look and see if I can find it somewhere.

The only time I've been approached was by a Minister when photographing a lit up church. Straight away we said we would stop if he had any issues with it.  He asked who we worked for as he thought we were doing it to sell the pictures. The only reason he was asking was because Sony had filmed his church at night and used it in a film without his permission and he wasn't pleased.  We swapped email addresses and I later sent him some pictures, which was fine by him.

Whatever you do, don't delete photo's.  Even the police cannot ask you to do that without a warrent from a judge.

My parting question:   If you were standing there with a compact or a cameraphone, do you think he would have stopped you?  I think we all know the answer.

Graeme