Can I shoot here?!

[lmelanie]

Hi all,
I've been browsing this forum for a while but havent made that many posts. i didnt know if this was the right place to post this question but here it goes:

I'm doing my first fashion editorial for my portfolio this saturday. I have a team together and I am shooting next to this abandoned building in DC. The land is part of the National Park and I was wondering if I would get in any trouble shooting there. No one is making money on this job, its just strictly for our portfolios so I dont really think there will be a problem but I was just curious?


I checked the Dept of the Interior website and they said you only need a permit if its for advertising purposes..


Thanks again!

 

[fotogenik]

Not totally sure of an exact answer here but one way this could be read is that you are advertising yourself. Not saying that is the way it would be interpreted by it is possible.

 

[darich]

Money making or not, the building and land will be owned by someone. It is entirely at their discretion whether you are allowed to shoot there or not.
If the building is also abandoned as you say it is then presumably, it's fenced off or locked up. So by entering to take images, (again, regardless of whether you're making money or not) you would almost definitely be trespassing.
In fact, as I'm typing, you'd be trespassing even if there wasn't a fence since you don't own it.

If the land is national park then i presume it's public - that being the case you could be moved on because you are blocking the public from accessing that area.

Whether you want to risk it is your shout, but the owner, if he/she finds out, would be within their rights to phone the police.

 

[THORHAMMER]

portfolio work can be classified as art/hobby work regardless of your equipment, but they might need a permit if you are going to run lights / strobes , tripods etc...

check with the visitors office, see if you can use that stuff for a "quick" shoot. They prob wont have any problems with it, worst case you can handhold with a bracket flash and use a seperate flash , should look fine unless your shooting a whole group at once... then your going to have some issues lighting them...

Just make sure your always standing on public prop of some kind, and youll be fine.. worst they can do is ask you to move along, and then youll allready have your shots..

 

[Jeff Canes]

You may need a permit

http://www.blm.gov/nhp/what/commercial/filming/permit.html

per BLM.gov

Still Photography
Most professional and amateur photographers are allowed to take still photographs on public lands without a permit or the payment of any fees. Public land visitors and recreational, professional and amateur photographers do NOT need a permit to take still photographs unless the still photography will:

• Use models, sets or props that are not part of the site’s natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities;
• Take place where members of the public are generally not allowed; or
• Take place at a location where additional administrative costs are likely.

 

[lmelanie]

thanks everyone for your responses..I'm not going into the building Im just shooting around it and its sort of like a picnic sort of area with tennis courts and trees and such. The building is just sort of in the background of the shots. There isnt a fence or anything like that and there are no signs on the building saying anything about no trespassing. I'm pretty much going to wing it and if I get questioned I'll just tell them its for out portfolios I guess..


Hopefully we will all be ok..


the only things set up are the clothes on a table and stuff like that. and my camera bags and things like that... its a fairly out of the way place so Im hoping no one comes around but we arent causing any problems..

:mrgreen: