Rules for shooting photos in public
Apr. 28th, 2008 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracodraconisUSA Today's Kim Komando provides some rule-of-thumb answers to what can and cannot be shot in public (your mileage may vary. Check your local laws to be sure). I've summarized them here but you can get more details from the article.
1) It is generally legal to take photos in public provided you are not obstructing people.
2) It is generally legal to photograph people in public (like in a park), but not in public places were they have a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as a public washroom).
3) It is generally legal to take pictures of private places (like the outside of a person's house) without permission if it is visible from a public space.
4) That said, photographing the inside of a person's house, even if visible from a public space, may not be so kosher because it violates their reasonable expectation of privacy.
5) Some government-controlled spaces (military installations, nuclear facilities, court houses, etc.) may ban photography.
6) You may legally photograph the scene of an accident but be sure not to obstruct emergency workers.
7) If you sell those photos to a news agency you generally do not need to obtain written consent.
8) If you sell photos of people taken in a public space to a commercial establishment, such as a stock photo company, you should (and may even require) written consent (a model release form) of anyone uniquely identifiable in the photo.
9) Note that some "public spaces", like supermarkets, are actually private spaces that are open to the public so you should only photograph there after either obtaining permission or finding out what rules they may have in place.
10) Amateur sports can generally be photographed without consent, but not if the sports league specifically bans it so it's safest to ask first.
11) Professional sports may have strict limits on whether or not photography is allowed and may limit the type of photography so check first.
In all cases, when in doubt, ask. Even if it is legally permissible it is best to stop shooting if someone is giving you a hard time about it.
1) It is generally legal to take photos in public provided you are not obstructing people.
2) It is generally legal to photograph people in public (like in a park), but not in public places were they have a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as a public washroom).
3) It is generally legal to take pictures of private places (like the outside of a person's house) without permission if it is visible from a public space.
4) That said, photographing the inside of a person's house, even if visible from a public space, may not be so kosher because it violates their reasonable expectation of privacy.
5) Some government-controlled spaces (military installations, nuclear facilities, court houses, etc.) may ban photography.
6) You may legally photograph the scene of an accident but be sure not to obstruct emergency workers.
7) If you sell those photos to a news agency you generally do not need to obtain written consent.
8) If you sell photos of people taken in a public space to a commercial establishment, such as a stock photo company, you should (and may even require) written consent (a model release form) of anyone uniquely identifiable in the photo.
9) Note that some "public spaces", like supermarkets, are actually private spaces that are open to the public so you should only photograph there after either obtaining permission or finding out what rules they may have in place.
10) Amateur sports can generally be photographed without consent, but not if the sports league specifically bans it so it's safest to ask first.
11) Professional sports may have strict limits on whether or not photography is allowed and may limit the type of photography so check first.
In all cases, when in doubt, ask. Even if it is legally permissible it is best to stop shooting if someone is giving you a hard time about it.