Project: Public events, public spaces

I’ve been concerned about the implications of taking images of people without their permission, so I’ve looked into it to a degree. There are several sites which discuss the topic, with the following being notable ones:

Urban 75 looks at various aspects of Photographers’ rights:

http://www.urban75.org/photos/photographers-rights-street-shooting.html as does Stirlyn:

http://stirlyn.co.uk/photography-laws-copyright-and-trespass/ - I followed the link to Simon Moran and downloaded his pdf on the issues (included in my course documents). The bottom line is that there is no problem taking images of people, provided there’s no trespass, no harassment and no obstruction. Obviously there are exceptions (many areas may be considered public (shopping malls etc.) but are in fact private property) so permission may be required to photograph in these locations. Protection measures are also put in place for the photographing of children, so planning to take photographs of sporting events or other activities needs to be looked into regarding the local child protection policies. Generally there’s no law against taking peoples’ photographs, so let’s get to it.

· Timing is important – you don’t want to be too early or too late for specific events. The time of day / type of weather may be important.

· Any restrictions in the equipment needs to be considered –

o Is a tripod practical?

o Will additional lighting be required?

o Is flash photography allowed?

o How much equipment can you reasonably carry?

· Any requirements to allow access need to be looked into – some terrain may require specific clothing, contingency plans in case of accident etc.; Access to property may be required so consider the legal aspects and obtain necessary permissions for access and photography. Research the event / situation to find out as much as possible beforehand.

· Reviewing the project as it progresses will tell you whether you’ve got the images you’re chasing, or whether you need to look further. On larger projects this can be done at home using the computer, but on single day projects, the camera display is an invaluable tool.

· The technique used for the type of photography needs to be considered – the camera’s potential with variable aperture an shutter speed, ISO, interchangeable lenses etc. should be considered.

· Post production, using computer software, may be used for many applications, but it needs to be done with consideration to the remit and suitability of the subject.