Legalities of photographing a car accident?

[reg]

Hi Mike - you'll get more responses directly to you by starting a new thread but either way - what happened, in as painful and boring of detail you can manage? What were you taking a picture of etc etc.

 

[Mike A.]

I was taking pictures of just walking down the street 5 houses from home. picture shows of cars the postal carrier and everything else down the street. the postal worker was on public property.

 

[Mike A.]

reg,
sorry it took so long for this......i had a stroke so it takes too long to do this. so the wife helps a lot....all? but i,m feeling much better now!

 

[reg]

It's ok - well if the fine is based on just you taking pictures (you don't LOOK like you'd be beating up on any cops) then you should be able to beat it. If the postal carrier was on public property, then nothing was wrong with you taking their picture.

 

[Mike A.]

reg,

will keep you and all informed on what will happen in my case. i,m not giving up just yet!!!

 

[Bifurcator]

It may depend on the judge and stuff too. Some courts are how shall we say it, doing a little more than upholding and ruling on, the law.

 

[sparrow]

I find it sad that so many photographers here are up in arms about their rights to photograph whatever they please, and yet will not grant people the right not to be photographed. Is it so important that we get the image we want, regardless of the hurt it does to others?

Reg, you seem to jump on the slightest hint of copyright infringement, but you don't seem to respect the most precious copyright we have, that of our own image, to be used as we see fit, not up to the whims of others.

Respecting other's rights is as important as maintaining your own, and sometimes, in my opinion, more so. Especially when that person is not in a position to speak for themselves.

Regards, Chris.

 

[prodigy2k7]

I see it as if your in a public place. You are visible from other peoples view. Why not take a picture, its the same thing anyone else can seem. You just now have a record of it instead of forgetting it...

 

[usayit]

I find it sad that so many photographers here are up in arms about their rights to photograph whatever they please, and yet will not grant people the right not to be photographed. Is it so important that we get the image we want, regardless of the hurt it does to others?

Reg, you seem to jump on the slightest hint of copyright infringement, but you don't seem to respect the most precious copyright we have, that of our own image, to be used as we see fit, not up to the whims of others.

Respecting other's rights is as important as maintaining your own, and sometimes, in my opinion, more so. Especially when that person is not in a position to speak for themselves.

Regards, Chris.

In a way, I understand where you are coming from (I'm a little camera shy too) but your are mixing up very two distinct things; Rights (legal) and Consideration (ethics, moral, and personal feelings). Two entirely different things. In a society of laws/legalities, written law is all that counts. Consideration varies so much from person to person and people to people there is no way to enforce one idea of right/wrong without violating others idea of right or wrong. In fact, this is exactly what happens in societies heavily geared towards a theological or one person's/group's ideals.

One might consider being stared at or seen as a violation of their "right". If that was written to law, 1/2 of the population would be in violation when some hot woman in a skimpy skirt walked the street. The woman is enforcing their "right" to dress provocatively and enforcing their "right" not have people stare. This is at the expense of the right of those around them to take notice at whatever they see in public (mental picture). The other side of the coin is a society that deems provocative dress as a violation of their rights.... the solution is to cover head to toe with force. That same society took it even further and made it illegal to even paint a picture with a person as a subject. That same society burned hundreds of years of film documented history because they too captured human life. Now I'm not saying that is right/wrong (Its not my place to judge) but it isn't a society I would like to live under.

btw..The legal term "copyright" in your post is used incorrectly.

You have every right not to be photographed... the answer is simply... stay out of a public place.

 

[patrickt]

"You have every right not to be photographed... the answer is simply... stay out of a public place."

What a wonderfully self-centered view.

 

[Village Idiot]

"You have every right not to be photographed... the answer is simply... stay out of a public place."

What a wonderfully self-centered view.

What a wonderfully legal view.

 

[Bifurcator]

You have every right not to be hit by a car. Simple, stay out of the road.

You have every right not to be exposed to half naked people. Simply say off the beach and out of pool areas.

You have every right not to have to smell tobacco smoke. Simply stay out of bars and dance clubs!

You have every right to not have to smell burning kangaroo meat. Simply stay out of McDonalds.

You have every right not to be exposed to these opinions. Simply don't read this thread.

 

[Village Idiot]

Your McDonalds burn the Kanagroo?

 

[usayit]

Funny.. I always thought McD's burned varmin....

 

[Easy_Target]

You have every right not to be photographed... the answer is simply... stay out of a public place.

BINGO.

Even if they were to ban photography (God forbid) in public places, you'd STILL be captured on film/digitally by going out. How you ask? Notice that security camera mounted to the ceiling? Those cameras perched on banks? Those still capture your image.

"You have every right not to be photographed... the answer is simply... stay out of a public place."

What a wonderfully self-centered view.

It's not self centered if he's right. It's like someone who is offended by a store that sells comic books and will go into a fit of rage murdering anyone in sight if they see a comic book. What will the law say? Don't go anywhere where there are comic books.

You have every right not to be hit by a car. Simple, stay out of the road.

You have every right not to be exposed to half naked people. Simply say off the beach and out of pool areas.

You have every right not to have to smell tobacco smoke. Simply stay out of bars and dance clubs!

You have every right to not have to smell burning kangaroo meat. Simply stay out of McDonalds.

You have every right not to be exposed to these opinions. Simply don't read this thread.

Truth.

Kangaroo? I want to try a roo burger