Topic: Photographers Rights in the UK

[Nigel]

Apologies if this has been posted before. I was recounting to a friend how I was recently stopped by the British Nuclear Police (oh yes there is such a force) and she sent me this link. I've printed one and put it in my wallet, it looks handy.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/infobeautiful2/photographersrights_UK.pdf

Nigel

[Mojave]

Thats pretty cool. I wish there was something like that for California.

[calbisu]

That´s very cool indeed, the only flaw I can see is about recommended response to police officer:

 I AM AN AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PHOTOS FOR FUN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THEM?

First able I think it´s surrendering too early. Why should I show my pictures to the police officer? Which are the grounds for it?

Secondly if I am shooting analogue how do I show him/her the picture?? (unless it´s Polaroid...).

And if I am a proffesional, what happens? I do not have the right to shoot in public places?

Contest authority 

[Mojave]

Didnt see those parts. Good questions Carlos. The whole professional vs amateur thing has never made any sense to me. If people are worried about pros selling images for profit and they might not get their share, thats just lame. Amateur photogs sell images to magazines all the time if they get lucky with a shot so its really dumb to say just professional photogs cant take pics in certain areas. However, that is done all the time. In most of the gardens around here, if you are a professional photographer, you cant take pix but anybody else can. And I would like to know what the definition of a pro photog is anyway. For many contests, to be pro you have to be making 80 to 100% of your yearly income on photography. Do city officials define pro the same way? I'd be curious to know the answer to that. And what if you make sure you only make 79.9% of your yearly income from photography. Does that mean you can shoot anywhere you want? 

[Randy B]

Heres a link to one for the US if anyone is interested.

http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

By the way, whats a stop and search?  Can police just randomly search you in the UK just because they want to?

[LT]

By the way, whats a stop and search?  Can police just randomly search you in the UK just because they want to?

Pretty much - yes under terrorism legislation. They need to reasonably suspect a person of terrorist activities ... on the most part, that mean prior evidence.  But under current emergency powers (thanks to our well-loved royal family and their need for a party tomorrow), there is no need for evidence - just a hunch will do. you dont have to agree to the search, but then you will be arrested and detained in police custody for a formal search and questioning etc.

nasty stuff. Used to be the police's job to prove our guilt, now it seems it's our responsibility to prove our innocence.

[Randy B]

Wow, yeah i dont think we can just be searched in the US without a reason.  Although I imagine if the officer really wanted to they could come up with some kind of BS and do whatever they want. Hard to argue with a pissed of guy with a gun, taser and pepperspray.

This whole "threat of terrorism" is really giving "The Man" a great excuse to slowly take away our rights. As we all know, its impossible to commit a terrorist act until you have taken artsy black and white photos of public places