Is this the end of photography in public?
Sky News had a story the other day about a bus spotter finally hanging his hat on his hobby after being questioned by police repeatedly for taking photos. This caught my eye after another news item on the BBC in April reported a man was stopped and ordered to delete all his photos when he started snapping away at the turning on of Christmas lights in Ipswich.
The news has definitely had an increase in reports of innocent amateur photographers being stopped and interrogated. In a way, the rise in suspicion is understandable with the heightened terrorist threat and rise of reports on paedophiles, but it seems that the police do not even know the ins and outs of a photographers rights. It is, in fact, not illegal to take photos in public or of the public in a public place. Yes, you do have to have some sense of consideration and if someone objects it's only polite to delete the photo, but it is not an arrestable offence. What I object to is when unsuspecting photographers are targeted by the authorities and officials purely because they own an SLR over those with compact and phone cameras. What should be an enjoyable and innocent hobby is beginning to become awkward and fraught with accusations of criminal activity. So, with this in mind, I decided to do a quick search to see if there were any guidelines for us photo addicts so as o limit the instances of being stopped and searched. Seems it's a hot topic. I found tons. Some of the better ones I found were:
The news has definitely had an increase in reports of innocent amateur photographers being stopped and interrogated. In a way, the rise in suspicion is understandable with the heightened terrorist threat and rise of reports on paedophiles, but it seems that the police do not even know the ins and outs of a photographers rights. It is, in fact, not illegal to take photos in public or of the public in a public place. Yes, you do have to have some sense of consideration and if someone objects it's only polite to delete the photo, but it is not an arrestable offence. What I object to is when unsuspecting photographers are targeted by the authorities and officials purely because they own an SLR over those with compact and phone cameras. What should be an enjoyable and innocent hobby is beginning to become awkward and fraught with accusations of criminal activity. So, with this in mind, I decided to do a quick search to see if there were any guidelines for us photo addicts so as o limit the instances of being stopped and searched. Seems it's a hot topic. I found tons. Some of the better ones I found were:
- The ten legal commandments of photography
An article on what you can and can't do when taking photos in public, and what to do if you are stopped. - Street photography - rights and legal issues
Forum post - Amateur Photographer magazine
Rights group Liberty issues stop and search tips
- BBC News - Innocent photographer or terrorist?
- Sky News - Bus spotter labelled paedophile
- The Times - Street photographers fear for their art amid a climate of suspicion
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