Your Right To Take Pictures (in the USA)

This article is in USATODAY today:

http://www.usatoday.co​m …5-12-29-camera-laws_x.htm

It talks about the rights that individuals have, even on private property. It has four links to other content that discusses this, including some legal lingo.

A very interesting and important read for photographers.

Have Fun,

Hmmm, interesting. There was a time when I was at my wife's office, in the parking lot, taking pictures of a sandpiper by a pond beside the parking lot, when a security guard came up to me and told me that I wasn't allowed to take pictures there. I was told that I needed to get permission first before taking pictures. Although my wife works for a privately owned company and the buildings themselves are limited access (you need a card key to get in or the receptionist has to ring you in), the parking lot is open access to the public (no gates, walls or fences). So, if I read the article correctly, that security guard had no right to hassle me about my taking pictures there, right?

I read the article, but not (yet) the links, and I read it the same way.

Have Fun,

Hi new guy here.


I found this awhile back when looking into the rights of photographers.

http://www.krages.com/​phoright.htm

I printed out the PDF file and stuck it in my camera bag for reference.


HTH,
Mike

Isn't the Bill of Rights an amazing document! The article is a concise, albeit basic, distillation of our rights as photographers. Most people get intimidated when confronted by security guards or such, let alone police. Often times police will demand the camera or media threatening to arrest if it's not handed over...this is unconstitutional, as well as illegal. The reality is that few know it and fewer still have the resources to take remedial action.

Good read nonetheless...thanks!

I would still think that it's private property, so maybe the security guard's message should have been "You're Trespassing."

MWhite wrote:
Hi new guy here.

I found this awhile back when looking into the rights of photographers.

http://www.krages.com/​phoright.htm

I printed out the PDF file and stuck it in my camera bag for reference.

HTH,
Mike

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I hope you will learn a lot here and have some fun along the way.

That is an outstanding idea - Thanks! (reference - doesn't that translate to "Waving in some moron's face?")

Have Fun,

good to know.

There's a another website devoted to this topic at: http://www.freedomtoph​otograph.com/

I would concur if there was a sign that said "No trespassing" sign but there wasn't any and, as stated ealier, the parking area is a public access area. Anybody can drive into or through the parking area without the need to get permission ahead of time.

Thanks for the welcome!

Exactly!

Mike

I don't believe that private property needs a No Trespassing sign. And a Mall is a public access area, yet is still private property and they can stop you from taking pictures.

Note that I haven't read the articles, and I'm not basing this on photographer's rights, just stuff I've heard.

i didnt read the articals either,
i think that if your taking pictures of some one else or someones kids or some thing like that and they stop you, thats fine, however just taking pictures of stuff should be ok... they should be able to ask you what your doing but not stop you... when i went to mexico city last easter, i was taking pictures in the mall and the security gaurd made me delete my pictures he said if i didnt he would take my stuff away and i would NEVER get it back... all i was doing was taking pictures of a cool car that was cheep there.

Wow - Great stuff.

As I read the article, shots on private property that is freely open to the public is fair game unless the subjects have an implied privacy that you violate. The pictures in a mall are a good example. Everything is fair game unless someone is looking at the teddy that he bought for his mistress and you photograph it. <grin>

I had an interesting situation. I primarily shoot cars. I go to many races and shoot professional series and I was hassled by Roush Racing not to publish or sell any images of their cars as they informed me that the paint schemes are copyrighted and I could only shoot them for my personal enjoyment.

I was in a public place and they can't possibly expect privacy. Just the opposite, race cars are rolling billboards for their sponsors.

Comments?

John Moore

here where i live the owner of the 49ers has a ranch and he hates people going to take pictures of his zebras and camels and stuff like that, the minute you step on the properity he kicks you off, well his security gaurd does, but when your on the road they dont do anything about it, i dont blame them for not wnating people on their properity but its a camel and zebra in snow, how cool is that