Photographers Rights

Knowing your photographers rights when you're out taking pictures is essential. Many people don't know photography laws. The changes that have occurred in the world recently has some people confused.

These days security guards and police offices are vigilant when it comes to being on the look out for suspected terrorists. They are told to look out for people who seem to be suspicious. Unfortunately, sometimes photographers fall into this category. Taking pictures on the street is seen by some as threatening activity. People may suspect you of casing an area.

Don't let this scare you off. It is your right to take pictures in public. It is important to know your rights as a photographer so if you are confronted by someone for taking pictures you can confidently tell them what your rights are. Here is a brief overview of some of your basic rights.

You can take a pictures of people in public places even without their consent. That includes anyone on the street even children and law enforcement officers.

You can take pictures of public and private buildings. You can even take pictures into the windows of buildings. You can't take pictures of some government buildings. Military bases would be an example of this.

No one, including police, is allowed to confiscate your camera without a court order. If they threaten you, you can bring charges up against them.

If someone challenges you explain to them respectfully that it is your right to take pictures in a public place. Be sure to get the name of the person who is harassing you. If they continue to do so ask to take to their supervisor. If it continues you may have to get the police involved. Remember that they have no right to take your camera away or demand that you erase pictures from it. You can press charges against them if they threaten you.

If you are told you can't take pictures in a public place you should let people know about the attempted violation of your rights. If you have a blog write about it. You can also contact the media and let them know about the story. That is the best way to make sure everyone knows photographers rights.

If you want to know more about photography laws check out this PDF that lists your rights in more detail. You can find it at this website.

Do you live outside of the United States? If so you may want to look at these websites to find out about photography laws in your country.

United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand
Canada