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MadPict
16-Feb-07, 22:40
There are a number of moves promoting the requirement of 'ID' cards to allow photographers to operate in a public place.

It is a fundamental right of a UK citizen to use a camera in a public place, indeed there is no right to privacy when in a public place.

These moves have developed from paranoia and only promote suspicion towards genuine people following their hobby or profession.

Petition (yes, another one...) http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography/?ref=photography

Rheghead
17-Feb-07, 00:20
ID to take a piccy? The world gets weirder by the day![evil]

Tugmistress
17-Feb-07, 13:29
Well i have certainly signed it, i know i don't make a living out of photography but i do earn a little pocket money from it and it is all taken in public places.

Rheghead
17-Feb-07, 17:57
Mind you, I have seen people voice their opinion that you need permission/police vetting/licence etc to photo a school play so 'owt is possible.

grumpyhippo
17-Feb-07, 18:09
Who will be allowed to take the photo that you would need to put on the ID that would allow you to take photos, and how long before somebody's selling you a permit to take photos to put on IDs to allow you take photos.
Then Gordon Brown will be able to tax the permits to take photos to put on IDs to allow you to take photos.

This will inevitable lead to a black market in permits to take photos to put on IDs to allow you take photos.

Is there no end to this (or my) stupidity!!!!!:lol: :lol:

Dusty
28-Feb-07, 08:58
I received this in an e-mail from a work collegue. I checked out the link and it is valid. I didn't know whether to post here or in the photography section but I thought I would put it here.
What does the org.think?

I thought this was a windup at first but believe it or not it is true.


WHAT NEXT ? !!!! This is yet another way to ' rule ' us in our day to day life - hey and try and imagine this ... all the American, Chinese, Japanese in fact any tourists here with their little cameras being told SORRY - CAN'T TAKE PHOTO'S IN PUBLIC !!!! WHAT ? ! ! ! ! ! ! ! - SO LET'S MAKE SURE THIS PETITION GETS THE SIGNATURES IT DESERVES - PLEASE SIGN IT FORWARD TO ALL YOUR UK CONTACTS - THANK YOU ! THIS IS GOING TO THE EXTREMES AND WE MUST STOP THIS IN IT'S TRACKS !

The UK Government are about to propose restrictions on photography in public places which could make street photography and documentary photography against the law.
There's a petition on the Downing St website against the Government's proposals to restrict the use of photography in public areas. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography/ Sign, and forward, if you are so inclined ....

There are a number of moves promoting the requirement of 'ID' cards to allow photographers to operate in a public place.
It is a fundamental right of a UK citizen to use a camera in a public place, indeed there is no right to privacy when in a public place. These moves have developed from paranoia and only promote suspicion towards genuine people following their hobby or profession.

Lucy
28-Feb-07, 09:24
I may be wrong as i haven't looked into this very far. I thought the restrictions were for commercial photograpers where the photo's may be put into news papers on TV etc., but it was still ok for the likes of me & you where the photo would be seen at home in private. i know there is a definite restriction on taking photo's of children under the age of 16years no matter where you are. If i am wrong it means we cannot even take snaps of nice buildings e.g. churches castles etc.

j4bberw0ck
28-Feb-07, 11:25
Relax. It's a misunderstanding at best, and a wind-up at worst. (http://www.phooto.co.uk/rights.shtml) I don't think even this excuse for a government is likely to try to implement anything as draconian - or as stupid - as a photography ban. How on earth would anyone police it, when every mobile phone has a camera in it, and digital cameras have increased camera ownership generally to unprecedented heights.

Another website (the one above is apparently by the author of the petition, who must be quite simple, really) mentions that some MP or other touched the subject in the HoC 12 - 18 months ago, saying that if ID cards were introduced that it would be necessary to ban photography in public places to prevent forgery of cards - he was pointing out another stupidity associated with ID cards. It seems to have grown legs from there.

Just shows you the value of the Government's petition website if they put garbage on it that doesn't even relate to the current legislative programme.

Dusty
28-Feb-07, 12:24
I know for certain that the security people at the petrochemicals factory where I work have twice apprehended photographers for photographing the site from the public road. In both cases the police were involved but I don't know what the eventual outcome was in either case.
The head of security subsequently issued a notice to all staff that the taking of photographs (from outwith the factory presumably as a permit is required within the factory) without permission from him was forbidden!
They must surely think that they have some basis in law for this action, probably something to do with prevention of terrorism.

Dusty.

j4bberw0ck
28-Feb-07, 14:09
Security personnel have no more right to apprehend or arrest you than I do. If they try they're probably guilty of an assault, since it differs fundamentally from the right of citizens' arrest as there's no crime. The only "public" places you can't photograph AFA I've been able to find out, are those protected by official legislation in which case there'll be prominent notices. The Government can pass orders restricting the right to photograph on other places as well - airports, Customs posts, Immigration posts, Police and Armed Forces premises, in which case they'll be signposted.

But the manager of the petrochemical plant can go boil his head unless he has such an order :lol: . They can ask you ever so nicely not to photograph, but they can't stop you or confiscate your camera equipment. Happy snapping! (Edit - as long as you're outside)

j4bberw0ck
28-Feb-07, 14:29
i know there is a definite restriction on taking photo's of children under the age of 16years no matter where you are.

Sorry, I don't think you're right on that. No one has any special right to privacy or rights over their photographic image, unless harassment is involved, and children aren't excluded. The photographer owns the copyright to the image, not the "photographee". The fact that in these days of paranoia and people's general stupidity you risk being beaten to death if you so much point a camera at a child is just unfortunate and says a great deal about the state the country's in.

There's a good legal summary >>>here<<< (http://www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf) but it doesn't seem to mention children generally, unless I missed it skimming through.

Dusty
28-Feb-07, 16:51
[/QUOTE]There's a good legal summary >>>here<<< (http://www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf) but it doesn't seem to mention children generally, unless I missed it skimming through.[/QUOTE]

j4bberw0ck I agree with what you say. I wonder where that leaves local councils who charge for the taking of photographs in public parks.

I was once visited by the police having been spotted and reported to them for taking a picture for my Family History of a house I had lived in previously. They were OK about it though and I suppose it was good community policing being able to go back to the person who reported it and explain it was harmless.

Dusty.

George Brims
28-Feb-07, 21:33
If you go on holiday abroad, don't assume your rights in other countries are the same as in the UK. In France in particular, you can have your camera confiscated, and if you're still using film, returned to you without it, for taking a picture of a person without their permission.

j4bberw0ck
01-Mar-07, 00:10
I was once visited by the police having been spotted and reported to them for taking a picture for my Family History of a house I had lived in previously. They were OK about it though and I suppose it was good community policing being able to go back to the person who reported it and explain it was harmless.Dusty.

<sigh> wouldn't it be nice if people who'd just been burgled or threatened or suffered from vandalism in certain parts of the country (or from the "rant" thread on here, who'd just had a car dumped in their back yard in Caithness) could get the same "good community policing" response??? Sorry, off-topic I know, but it puts the fuss about photography into a certain perspective.

norscot
29-Mar-07, 15:17
I just got this response to the petition today:-

"The e-petition asking the Prime Minister to "Stop proposed restrictions regarding photography in public places" is on-going. This is a response in advance of the closing date from the Government.
Thank you for signing the petition on the Downing Street website calling for the Prime Minister to stop proposed restrictions on photography in public places.
This petition has already attracted over 60,000 signatures from people who obviously share your concern. Not surprisingly, the idea that the Government might be poised to restrict your ability to take photos has caused some puzzlement and even alarm.
We have therefore decided to respond to this petition before its closing date of August, in order to reassure people.
The Government appreciates that millions of people in this country enjoy photography. So we have checked carefully to see if any Government department was considering any proposal that might possibly lead to the sort of restrictions suggested by this petition. We have been assured this is not the case.
There may be cases where individual schools or other bodies believe it is necessary to have some restrictions on photography, for instance to protect children, but that would be a matter for local decisions.
In fact, Simon Taylor, who started the petition, has since made clear that he was not really referring to Government action or legislation. His main concern appears to be that photographic societies and other organisations may introduce voluntary ID cards for members to help them explain why they are taking photographs. Again, any such scheme would not involve the Government.
We hope this re-assures you and clears up the confusion."

Tom Cornwall
08-May-07, 19:04
If you go on holiday abroad, don't assume your rights in other countries are the same as in the UK. In France in particular, you can have your camera confiscated, and if you're still using film, returned to you without it, for taking a picture of a person without their permission.

We were visiting our son in Portugal a few years ago, and we were told exactly the same. What would they do with a digical nowadays???:)

MadPict
02-Feb-09, 00:26
Just as you thought things couldn't get more Big Brotherish...

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=836675

Kenn
02-Feb-09, 00:47
Makes sense that certain facilities should have restrictions imposed with regard to photography if it could pose a security risk although even I was suprised when I made a request to a very heavily armed security guard at an MOD establishment, the eyes went through the hairline,there was a long drawn in breath but I got a yes as long as I pointed the camera in certain directions only.
With regard to taking pictures of individuals in public places that would make them identifiable there's a simple answer, ask the person concerned and if necessary explain why you would like them in the shot.You might end up with a poser but at least you cause no offence!
Simple manners go a long way.

Mystical Potato Head
16-Feb-09, 00:30
Well it happened to me today,i was taking a photo of a large green building in Thurso when i was asked if i had permission to do so,in a very polite and non bolshi manner i might add,in fact we had a good little discussion about the history of said building.

I just find it all a bit sad that innocently photographing a building can cause a bit of a stir.
My brother was in Moscow a couple of years ago and has photographs of the Kremlin,Red Square etc which he took without having to evade the KGB.

North Light
16-Feb-09, 11:11
The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 which comes into force today brings some new potential problems for photographers.
This article from the British Journal of Photography explains.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=836646

This article is excellent and explains a photographers rights:-
http://www.urban75.org/photos/photographers-rights-and-the-law.html

An excellent document is the UK Photographers Rights Guide by Linda Macpherson, but this has not yet been updated to reflect the recent act
http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php/2004/11/19/uk_photographers_rights_guide#c5652.

MPH, if I am correct at guessing which large green building, as long as you are on public land, not in the grounds of the building you do not need permission, if you were in the grounds, as far as I understand you might need permission.

NL