Know Your Rights: Photography In Public

[cdnvic]

Nearly every modern phone has a camera attached to it and subsequently more and more people are taking photos in public places than ever before. The shot might be as simple as snapping a picture of a parade or as tricky as recording video of a riot. Regardless of the reasons, the rules for photographing in public places are the same.

For the most part, your right to take photographs and video in public places in the United States is protected under the First Amendment under free speech. This includes snapping pictures of your favorite monument when you're on vacation or taking part in a little citizen journalism. It's not as cut and dry as you may think and it's good to know your rights and the caveats that come with them.

The General Rule: If You Can See It You Can Shoot It

Your basic right is actually pretty simple: if you're in a public place and you can see it, you can shoot it. This means as long as you're in a public location you can legally take almost any picture. However, if you're using a telephoto lens, parabolic microphone, or hidden camera to get a shot of a private property when you're standing on public property you might have an issue. So, what constitutes a public place?

Full story: http://lifehacker.com/5912250/know-your-rights-photography-in-public?tag=know-your-rights

[Goshawk]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

Everyone takes pics of planes in airports (public) all over the world with no problems at all. What were they afraid of on this occasion i wonder..

[justcruisin]

Agreed.

But has Thailand enacted similar laws to the 7th amendment pertaining to photography?

I for one hate the paparazzi following me

[cdnvic]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

Everyone takes pics of planes in airports (public) all over the world with no problems at all. What were they afraid of on this occasion i wonder..

Airports are a place you have to be careful of as many have military uses as well. Remember the British plane spotters that got in all that trouble in Greece a few years back?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1697862.stm

[Goshawk]

Airports are a place you have to be careful of as many have military uses as well. Remember the British plane spotters that got in all that trouble in Greece a few years back?

yeah but i simply took a pic of the planes wing & engine i was on, then off, then back on again once they'd 'fixed' it.. The guards actually looked at the pics & saw thats all they were, made no difference, 'delete' they ordered. Seemed a bit peculiar at the time.

I've since googled this subject & apparently there's no restrictions of photography at Dubai Airport, or virtually any other. Flikr among other sites is full of snaps of interior, exterior, apron etc.. Also since the incident, been back many times even filming the parked planes i'm about to board through the departure lounge windows (as countless others do all over the world). No bother at all.

[kotsak]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

Everyone takes pics of planes in airports (public) all over the world with no problems at all. What were they afraid of on this occasion i wonder..

Airports are a place you have to be careful of as many have military uses as well. Remember the British plane spotters that got in all that trouble in Greece a few years back?

http://news.bbc.co.u...ews/1697862.stm

No wonder there are no Google street view images from Suvarnabhumi International Airport :>

[BangkokImages]

Great subject!

Many malls and other public places are restricting photography where they haven't before. Anywhere children play can be a minefield.

And there's the related subject of what you do with the picture. It might be legal to take the image, but that same image could get you sued if you tried to publish it, or publish it in a certain venue, or if for profit, or maliciously... it's getting very complicated and it's a subject which is constantly evolving.

In Thailand.. wow.. so many changes. You really need to pay attention to the reactions of people around you when you point your camera, many are becoming very hostile and/or suspicious towards anyone with a camera. Especially foriengers.

I've developed methods I'll deploy depending on the circumstances, and these methods have turned into a small bag of tricks depending..

If in doubt ask, but unless you're asking a lawyer who is experienced with the subject and keeps current you're taking your chances. And of course you'll always get 4-5 different people who disagree with any given take..

[Jawnie]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

Everyone takes pics of planes in airports (public) all over the world with no problems at all. What were they afraid of on this occasion i wonder..

As mentioned before, airports are tricky places for photography because of security for both people and equipment. Certainly any authority at an airport could order you to stop photography. At that point, you'd need to make your own evaluation of the value of what you are photographing. For example, a photo of a damaged engine or wing could be a huge source of liability for the airport operator even if it's just a snapshot for you. Suppose that plane crashed later and you've got the evidence of faulty equipment. Some authorities would welcome the information, some might not.

Or, you might accidentally photograph a truly unsafe condition or an illegal act by an airport employee or government official, something that has great benefit to the public.

You'd have to weigh the value of disregarding a direct order from airport officials and also regarding what lengths you are willing to go to preserve the photographs, ie., will they need to prey them from your dead, cold fingers?

You probably could have bodily resisted giving up the photos in Dubai, but you would have missed your plane and probably been arrested. And, in court, you probably be found guilty of illegal photography, especially if it is posted at the airport. I'd think airport official have wide discretion in this regard - you'd have to overcome that from the very start.

[Goshawk]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

a photo of a damaged engine or wing could be a huge source of liability for the airport operator even if it's just a snapshot for you. Suppose that plane crashed later and you've got the evidence of faulty equipment. Some authorities would welcome the information

yeah, that's kinda what i've thought ever since... protecting themselves in case something happened with the plane.

[BangkokImages]

Strange experience i had once..

I'm sitting on board an Emirates A380 at Dubai airport, waiting for the doors to close followed by pushback & then takeoff. One & half hours later - still sat waiting for pushback.

Captain then tells us, 'problem with aircraft, everyone disembark, wait in airport while we attempt to fix it'.

On leaving the plane i snap with my phone a group of guys stood around one the engines, its cover of with some 'fluid' dripping from it onto the concrete below.

Once back inside the departure lounge, i'm swooped on by airport security demanding to see my phone who then make me delete the photo's i've just taken.

If i refused, could have been arrested? detained? who knows..?! Needless to say i complied and deleted the pics.

a photo of a damaged engine or wing could be a huge source of liability for the airport operator even if it's just a snapshot for you. Suppose that plane crashed later and you've got the evidence of faulty equipment. Some authorities would welcome the information

yeah, that's kinda what i've thought ever since... protecting themselves in case something happened with the plane.

I'm sure most businesses, police, etc, would rather not have cameras of any type allowed, but this doesn't necessarily give them the authority to restrict photography/video in a public place such as an airport. I'd guess that one out of a hundred "authorities" who have told me I can't take a picture actually don't have the authority to do so. Most are abusing whatever position they hold.

In an airport the only authorites I'm aware of who has such authority, would be the captain who controls inside his plane only, and the official airport security and even then they should be able to refer to you some refererence granting their authority. Not even the customs officials have this authority even if you're directly filming them, nor screeners, ticket agents, etc.. Many employees just tell you not to take pictures because to them it seems like a good idea, not because they have the right.

But of course, you need to weigh "rights" vs. the reality of abuse by authorities in any given country. Most fo the time it's just not worth it.

Personally I feel individual citizens should have the right to control the use of their image. If anyone asks me to not use their image then I won't. But I won't necessarily ask permission either if it's in a public place. Usually eye contact and observing their expression is enough to know if they're seriously opposed. That should be enough for any photographer.

In Thailand I've got hundreds of examples from the security forces in the deep south to the poppy and citris growers hidden away up north.

More and more business owners tell you no photography. I've had them tell me this when photographing a new television model, a computer, or camera.. since it's their business, even if open to the public, this is their right. But often a white lie will get you permission.. such as you're planning on buying a new "fill in the blank" and you want to send the image to your wife for approval to make sure it's the one she wants.. being creative really helps.

If you do take pictures in restricted areas, and you know the most they'll do if you grab a few is ask you to delete the images.. then a good image recovery software can recover any deleted image.. or any image on a recently formatted card. In areas like the deep south learning to switch cards as they approach and place the desired card in a safe place (I've found an open can of coke is a great place to drop a valuable card when you must have the images)..

Sometimes it's like a game, but other times it's a very serious business.

[Goshawk]

But of course, you need to weigh "rights" vs. the reality of abuse by authorities in any given country. Most fo the time it's just not worth it.

precisely why i gave in.. i was due back on this aircraft within an hour or two, but knew that if i declared it my 'right' to take any photo's of a plane of which i will be onboard (and to be honest, was a little concerned re: the engine incident i've outlined above) they would most probably abuse their power, detain me & i would miss my connection - and that was not gonna happen.

[impulse]

In Illinois, recording law enforcement officers without their consent is considered a serious crime — or at least the authorities choose to interpret an old eavesdropping statute that way. According to WBBH, 12 other states have a similar interpretation of the law, including Florida, Massachusetts, and Maryland.

Source:http://www.theblaze....filming-police/

More info in rebuttal:

http://www.aclu.org/...graphing-police

You can assert your rights all the way to the Supreme Court, spending lots of time behind bars and in courtrooms and waving goodbye to your life savings on lawyers. You may eventually prevail, but at what cost to you and your family?

That's in the USA. I have no clue what the rules are in Thailand.

Oh yeah, one more:

http://www.lazygranch.com/fg.htm

Outdoors, plainly visible while standing on public property- I won't be snapping any pics here, either...

Edited May 28, 2012 by impulse

[endure]

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/538802/hands-off-photographers-police-tell-security

[Kan Win]

I have no clue what the rules are in Thailand.

Could the the OP's, (cdnvic ) please explain in simple terms, as I have no clue as well .

I photo Thailand as I see it and post me photos on pbase.com/win13.

Win