I Don't Take As Many Photographs As I'd Like To...
And probably should address matters.
However, some time ago on another Blog entry I mentioned being told by a trolley pusher at a Supermarket to stop taking photo's. We discussed who has the right to ask you not to take an image.
Where are you allowed to take photo's? What can be considered private or public land? Is any allowance to be made in the light of terrorism and does the taking of an image compromise public safety? Or are we going "Over The Top?" I'm liable to suggest that we are. At a time where the UK is said to have more close circuit TV watching our every move than many other countries across the World including the USA.
In my own incident I was told to stop but not delete the images or have the camera confiscated or be marched off somewhere and if I had not said that I would stop I wonder if any of these options would've come into play. If they were legal. With a decent camera, all you do is move off the land, if private and take the image from public land using a zoom lens.
There always has been(possibly)a grey area where a member of public could stray into a picture and permission is kind of required of that person but isn't that more if the image is to be published in some way? Of course photo's in the public arena has been muddied by the debate that children are at risk from paedophiles but I'd temper that by saying the real "nasty" side of that does not involve a chance image one might catch in public where a child is riding a bike or walking. Singing at the school in a Christmas Concert. A little commonsense is required. The bad stuff will be hidden from the mass public.
Well, I was listening to BBC Radio 4 today and the programme iPM concentrates on matters attaining to the web and blogs in particular. Most programmes are available to be heard online for 7 days after airing.
Someone had contacted the programme about being stopped in the street whilst taking photographs.
The blog of the programme asked the following...
"So is this a golden age for British street photography? Not according to the amateur photographers and bloggers who have been setting the, er, photosphere alight with stories of detentions, cautions and forced deletion's of their pictures by police officers, PCSOs and wardens.
Labour MP Austin Mitchell filed an Early Day Motion last month condemning police actions that prevent lawful street photography and calling for clarification of the law. It's attracted over 150 signatures in the Commons.
Photography in public places is perfectly legal, but anti-terrorism and child protection legislation have muddied the waters somewhat and according to what is and isn't allowed."
iPM Blog Link
So it will be interesting to see whether the law and how it's interpreted will possibly change in the coming months and whether any actual changes are required. It may all come down to over zealous officials having to be a little less officious.
Austin who has had a long career in television before becoming an MP admitted to having got into photography in a big way and always has a camera on his person, that two security people had approached him when he was taking photo's of a beach and attempted to stop him.
Austin Mitchell MP
News Story
However, some time ago on another Blog entry I mentioned being told by a trolley pusher at a Supermarket to stop taking photo's. We discussed who has the right to ask you not to take an image.
Where are you allowed to take photo's? What can be considered private or public land? Is any allowance to be made in the light of terrorism and does the taking of an image compromise public safety? Or are we going "Over The Top?" I'm liable to suggest that we are. At a time where the UK is said to have more close circuit TV watching our every move than many other countries across the World including the USA.
In my own incident I was told to stop but not delete the images or have the camera confiscated or be marched off somewhere and if I had not said that I would stop I wonder if any of these options would've come into play. If they were legal. With a decent camera, all you do is move off the land, if private and take the image from public land using a zoom lens.
There always has been(possibly)a grey area where a member of public could stray into a picture and permission is kind of required of that person but isn't that more if the image is to be published in some way? Of course photo's in the public arena has been muddied by the debate that children are at risk from paedophiles but I'd temper that by saying the real "nasty" side of that does not involve a chance image one might catch in public where a child is riding a bike or walking. Singing at the school in a Christmas Concert. A little commonsense is required. The bad stuff will be hidden from the mass public.
Well, I was listening to BBC Radio 4 today and the programme iPM concentrates on matters attaining to the web and blogs in particular. Most programmes are available to be heard online for 7 days after airing.
Someone had contacted the programme about being stopped in the street whilst taking photographs.
The blog of the programme asked the following...
"So is this a golden age for British street photography? Not according to the amateur photographers and bloggers who have been setting the, er, photosphere alight with stories of detentions, cautions and forced deletion's of their pictures by police officers, PCSOs and wardens.
Labour MP Austin Mitchell filed an Early Day Motion last month condemning police actions that prevent lawful street photography and calling for clarification of the law. It's attracted over 150 signatures in the Commons.
Photography in public places is perfectly legal, but anti-terrorism and child protection legislation have muddied the waters somewhat and according to what is and isn't allowed."
iPM Blog Link
So it will be interesting to see whether the law and how it's interpreted will possibly change in the coming months and whether any actual changes are required. It may all come down to over zealous officials having to be a little less officious.
Austin who has had a long career in television before becoming an MP admitted to having got into photography in a big way and always has a camera on his person, that two security people had approached him when he was taking photo's of a beach and attempted to stop him.
Austin Mitchell MP
News Story
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 1:36 am
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