Legality of Taking Photos - Explained

[photong]

while it may or may not be illegal. i think if you're going to take photos of a building (on perpose though. im not talking about accidental. on their property or not.) you should ask. it could be a private business, or governmental and you don't know it. they may have policies in place for this sort of thing.

 

[aghastpumpkin]

Lensmeister - little point you directing people to a document which is the equivalent of a very large book.
You'd be best off finding the relevant passage and quoting it.
As far as I am informed, it is Illegal to take pictures of children without parental consent. It is also immoral to take pictures of peoples houses and personal property.
There is, of course, a certain amount of leeway.

 

[Matty-Bass]

In Canada, I think, and probably in the US, it is illegal to take picture of minors without parental consent. I know at my school, when we register for next semester, there are like 5 or 6 different forms about being in or sharing media with anyone (being in pictures, having a painting or something in the hallway) and I assume that there's a strict law. It's also so there are no gaps someone could file a lawsuit in. People these days look everywhere to file a lawsuit.

 

[aghastpumpkin]

People sue if they get a mouldy chip at Maccy Ds.
Artemis - you shwoed me your magazine the other day with information regarding photography in other countries? Did that have anything about legality?

My brother went to The Gambia in Africa, where there is a strict law that no person may ever take photographic evidence of Memorials, National Monuments or suchlike. upon obtaining a picture of their National Monument, a large group of Gambia natives got very angry and demanded the negatives were destroyed.
They don't want Westerners publicising their National Identity, so to speak. They want it kept private.

 

[Rob]

As far as I am informed, it is Illegal to take pictures of children without parental consent. It is also immoral to take pictures of peoples houses and personal property. There is, of course, a certain amount of leeway.

There aren't any laws against photographing children in public without consent, however, you've got the parents to contend with and it's not something I would attempt to do on the sly! Also, you are not easily going to sell any to image libraries without some kind of release.

I take loads of pictures of kids doing activities like feeding the ducks at the park. You wouldn't catch me hanging around a playground because of the obvious implication, but you couldn't be arrested for it (you'd be more likely to get beaten up in London!).

I think you're being a bit OTT with the word "immoral" to describe taking pictures of people's houses and property. There's very little which is actually public in the UK and taking pictures of individually or corporately owned properties - offices, houses, cars, whatever is about as average as you can get. It's nice to ask of course, but, it isn't exactly a requirement - it is after all, normally a compliment.

We all see things every day and it's our own responsibility to make judgements about what is morally acceptable and what is not - the law is concerned with protection, not morality. We could all make money taking pictures of celebrities making arses of themselves or whatever - if you don't like it, don't buy it or do it! It's a not a free country, but there's a good deal of flexibility here.