Clarify the laws surrounding photography in public places

[TrooperUK]

Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to post this but for anyone living in the UK, it might be of interest.

It's a petition to the Government to clarify the laws surrounding photography in public places.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/photographylaw/

Through history, we have documented the world around us, whether through written word, art or photography.
Photography in particular has provided fantastic insights into the past and present, and is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.
But today, it's becoming increasingly difficult to take photos of our surroundings, particularly in cities like London.
In recent years, the price divide between professional and consumer equipment has blurred, and it's quite common these days to see amateurs and hobbyists carrying around tripods, SLR cameras and a backpack full of equipment.
Yet, we are constantly harrassed by security guards and police officers in the name of preventing terrorism. They seem to be operating under a different interpretation of the law to the rest of us, believing that somehow the length of your lens, or size of your camera is relevant.
We would like clarification by the goverment on the law regarding photography of buildings and landmarks from public locations.

[Col_M]

As far as I understand it in the UK (i'm a Brit myself) there are no limits on what you can or can't photograph in a public place, if it is visible from a public place you can photograph it.

This is gets a bit tricky in places like London for example as certain areas are actually publically accessable like the area around the London eye but it is actually private property and the land owner can limit or ban photography. Outside the capital the same applies to shopping malls/centres or any other privately owned land.

MoD property, government buildings and sensitive areas can also be no photography zones.

It SEEMS pretty straightforward to me, what are the specific areas of the law that this petition is addressing? or to rephrase, what part of the law isn't clear? :)

[condyk]

Any clarification will just end up drawing attention to something most don't even think about and may actually make things worse. You can clarify the law quite easily yourself without creating an unnecessary fuss IMO. You can download a simple statement to that effect by doing a quick Google. I have yet to be hassled and I shoot regularly around London. I know the law. I know I am be allowed to shoot sometimes on private property. I know if you draw everyone's attention to this then those who own such locations will now doubt start thinking about why they should allow me. at the moment most don't really care.