Happened to me last night, first time in nearly 25 years!

I was on a pedestrian bridge, which led to a multi story car park & was taking some timmed exposure shots of snow/street lights below.

Security told me I was causing a obstruction, to be fair, I was using a tripod, but it was late on a Sunday night (10pm) & not a single person about apart from me & the 3 other security guards 😉

So without giving them any grief, I said fine & packed up and moved, as I did so, they then told me that photography was banned at this spot & they wanted the sd card from my camera!

Has anyone else been stopped from taking photographs, for whatever reason?

You didn’t give the card, did you?

You can take a photo of anything anytime when you are on public land

What on earth are ‘security’? If you mean parking attendants, you ignore tham. If they are real plod you ask for what offence they believe you are committing. Don’t give up the photies, though. They have no right to them.

Were you on private property, or in a public area?

If the former, all they can do is ask you to leave. They have absolutely no power or right to take your SD card. I would have laughed at them.

i’ve been asked not to take pics of a building or something, whilst standing in a public area. I just tell whoever it is to stop being so silly. And that if they touch me at all, I’ll have them done for assault. They back off then. And I carry on taking pics.

I’ve had coppers tell me to stop taking pics too; again I’ve ignored them. Never bin nicked for taking pics.

As a photographer, you have a surprising amount of rights in this country. Many people get intimidated by security guards though.

In Canary Wharf, near me, loads of tourists snap pics of each other, but pull out a ‘professional looking’ cam, and security get a bit funny. Photo permits are available mind, with the condition that the pics aren’t used for commercial gain. I don’t think they can actually sue anyone for doing otherwise, mind; I know of loads of people that have sold pics taken there.

Amateur Photographer magazine has been running a campaign for a while now (search for “I’m a photographer, not a terrorist” on Google). they gave out a handy little lens cleaning cloth a while ago with extracts of the law regarding photography printed on it, the idea being that you can show it to any jobsworth tossers like that who try to interefere.

They’ve got no right to take the card or force you to delete images. In fact, unless you’re on private land, they’ve got no right to ask you to leave unless you’re causing a public nuisance.

if they were private security I’d have told them to let me go or to call the police and that if they tried to detain me I’d be suing them.

Problem is, people like security guards (and police) often have very little understanding of the Law regarding photography. They may be asked to stop people taking pics of a building or whatever, but then the little bit of power goes to their heads and they think they’ve got the ‘right’ to confiscate equipment/delete images.

As Crazy Legs says; it’s useful to have an understanding of the Law, and copies of it to show people who may be concerned.

Having an NUJ card was quite useful at times. 😉

As said above you can take pictures of anything you like in a public place, you do sometimes need permission from a local authority ( the City of London for instance) to use a tripod in case you cause an obstruction but private security guards have no right whatsoever to question you or try to give you orders, just tell them they are just a member of the public like anybody else, if they continue to harass you just call the police.

As for taking your SD car this is a right the police dont even have as your photos are your intellectual property, just tell them to bog off, I have numerous times over the years.

Problem is, people like security guards (and police) often have very little understanding of the Law regarding photography

Fixed that for you.

As said above you can take pictures of anything you like in a public place

I think there are some limitations – front of court buildings is one of the places you can be stopped from taking photo’s, I think….could be wrong though.

Yeah – I’m a photographer not a terrorist is a good site.

If you look for this kind of thing on Youtube there’s loads of jobsworth security guards, PCSO’s & even Police Officer’s getting heavy handed with photographers.

Keep meaning to buy some of the “I’m a photographer…” badges for my camera bag, but always fogetting.

Oh, and I’ve never been asked to stop taking pics, but suspect it’s only a matter of time.

Problem is, people like security guards (and police) often have very little understanding of the Law regarding photography

Fixed it properly.

Problem is, people like security guards (and police) often have very little understanding of the Law regarding photography

Fixed that for you.

Thanks ScottChegg! 😀

You’re right actually; speshly in the case of security guards. But even the police often have little idea about what the Law actually says. The anti-terror thing a couple of years ago caused so much confusion (section 44?) that some people are actually suing the police now. Ridiculous situation, but basically caused by lack of training and explanation of what the Law meant. PCSOs were the worst for this.

I’ve never been stopped from taking a picture, although I’ve had a security guard follow me about, and Canary Wharf security ask me for my permit – I didn’t have one and they didn’t stop me.

No one can confiscate any camera equipment (including memory cards) or make you delete images from your camera. Not even the police can legally do these things.

I carry around a print out of my rights I found on the internet – I’ll see if I can find the link. You might think about ordering one of these – photographers rights lens cloth

I was stopped once – by a dodgy looking group of black men just off Bourbon Street in New Orleans – I was trying to take a picture of a ‘jolly’ looking group of musicians coming down the street but I now think it may have been a funeral procession.
🙁

My friend was stopped by the police taking landscape photos up near Sellafield. A couple of police 4x4s turned up after about 10mins, reviewed the photos but asked him to delete them anyway.

I think there are some limitations – front of court buildings is one of the places you can be stopped from taking photo’s, I think….could be wrong though.

Well in theory you are not supposed to be able to identify a court building in a published photograph but I have only ever been told Id be breaking the law by doing this once by a copper. This was because I, along with several other photographers were not in the designated pen they had put up for us and we were told we had to take pictures from inside the pen and not from across the road where we were all stood on private land.

Right so Im allowed to break the law from in the pen but not from here then?

Ermmm…

In Caesar’s Palace, I was on a balcony with a nice view of the roulette tables below. Click-flash. “Hey! No photography!” Dunno why, jobsworths!

Photographer’s Rights PDF here:
http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographers-rights-v2/

Never been stopped myself, but I have felt sometimes that I couldn’t take photos without fear of causing trouble and left my camera in the bag like a total coward. 😳

A couple of police 4x4s turned up after about 10mins, reviewed the photos but asked him to delete them anyway.

In theory they should never ask you to delete photographs. If they do they are accusing you of a crime and then asking you to destroy evidence (which you can easily recover later on anyway).

Thanks for the links above, will give me some reading tonight 😉

I forgot to mention, I ignored their request for my SD card & just packed my kit & went.

Not sure if it was a private bridge to the carpark, but it looked just like any other public foot bridge over a road?

Was it the bridge over leith street in Edinburgh?

The reason you are not allowed to take pictures in a casino DezB is that they are protecting the privacy of the players.

There will be a huge amount of them that wouldn’t want the other half, boss, bank manager, parents etc to know they are there.

The reason you are not allowed to take pictures in a casino DezB is that they are protecting the privacy of the players.

And not forgetting that Casino hold huge amounts of cash and may not be too happy with people taking photos of their security arrangements!

FWIW I have taken photos in a Casino: a charity poker match that needed some publicity shots. We approached the casino management and got the all clear from them first though. They were happy enough, provided I limited the direction I pointed the camera in.

Was asked to stop taking photos on a platform in Amsterdam railway station once.

Also, last autumn I was taking photos of the trash in a park in Copenhagen following a big party and some dozy girl came up and asked me if I was taking photos of the people clearing it up. I said, no, and in any case, i would be within my rights to take photos of them if I wanted. She said, maybe it was legal, but it was not polite. I replied that it was not very polite to come up to a stranger and accuse them of doing something impolite 🙂 She went away.

Once from a Public Footpath. But just moved on, was’nt worth the hassle. Even though I was in the right.

I’m a freelance photographer and it has only happened a couple of times, surprisingly.

Been told to move on before by security guards, one on public land while photographing a building in Leeds. I told him what I was doing was perfectly legal…public pavement bla bla and he left me to it but just stood there watching me.

Once in a car park. I was on the top taking a few cityscapes. Nothing to do with work etc. I was stopped on the way out. The bloke told me in a perfectly civilized manor that if I wanted to take pictures from the car park I needed permission in the future.

As long as you are on public land no one has the right to stop you taking pictures. Legally you are allowed to take a picture of anyone or anything. However the police can stop you and request that you delete your images. They may use the anti terrorism act.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/16/police-delete-tourist-photos

I always try to be discrete, avoid confrontation by explaining what I am doing and why.

Several years ago out for a ride on the Sustrans route 43 out of Chippenham there’s a bridge crosses the Avon where a railway bridge used to cross, and sometimes the Fire Brigade use the old butress to practise rope rescue and the local secondary school kids absail down it, and on this occasion I had the camera and thought some shots of the kids using the bridge in such a fashion would be useful for Sustrans in their literature. Anyhoo, the teachers got really stroppy, saying it was infringing data protection and I had to get the permission of each individual child’s parent before I could take pictures. I told him that was total rubbish, I was in a public place and could photograph anything I wanted, but they just kept on being bolshey and were causing a scene, distracting the kids, so I stopped, not being able to get a natural shot. I took some from the other side of the river but the angle wasn’t anywhere near as good, sadly. Their attitude is very ingrained but totally bogus, even government ministers involved with data protection despair at the rubbish that’s put out in the guise of data protection. Shopping malls can stop you taking pics, because they’re effectively private property, but sneaky pics with a phone seem to be ok, generally.

Anyhoo, the teachers got really stroppy, saying it was infringing data protection and I had to get the permission of each individual child’s parent before I could take pictures. I told him that was total rubbish

+1 : much bollocks talked about “Data Protection”, see the earlier thread about nativity photos:
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/nativity-photos

Though if you were planning to use them in a commercial publication (i.e. Sustains literature) then you would ideally need a model release from those involved.

You can take a photo of anything anytime when you are on public land

yes you can, no question. However increasingly previously “public land” is now privatly owned by developers. This is causing a big problem in city centres. Manchester (where I am) has an area called Spinningfields, it was open public access so we could photo (in my case film) where ever we wanted. M’cr city council sold the area to a developer who grant public access across private land. They can however remove anyone they feel like. I guarantee if you pull out a pro looking camera they will be on you very quickly and remove you from their land.
The same is true of Liverpool city centre Liverpool One is private land, owned by the developer however when the council sold the land the developer had to agree to exactly the same access rights as were there previously.
In the OP’s post I suspect he may have been on private land, if the bridge was only there as access to the car park then it is most proberbly part of the car park, and therefor private property.
Count Zero, sorry I think you’re wrong. As far as I know under 16 are protected by some privacy law. You have to get individual permissions from every child, or the school can give permission on the parents behalf, but you can’t just snap a photo of a group of kids. Its a bit of a funny one, if you are doing a high street shot say and there is a school class on a day trip in the background it isn’t a problen, but if you specifically photo (film) them without permission then it is an issue.
Personally I’d be a bit cafeful taking shots that had random kids in, people can be really stupid and it only takes one phone call to plod and you can be looking at a ruined reputation….
I do find people in hi viz jackets seem to be quite ignorant of the facts and just like a fight…!

Worth watching plenty of other stuff online about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAY3nqv_JKE

Count Zero, sorry I think you’re wrong. As far as I know under 16 are protected by some privacy law. You have to get individual permissions from every child, or the school can give permission on the parents behalf, but you can’t just snap a photo of a group of kids.

Not according to that Photographer’s Rights advice. They have the same basic protection as adults (expectation of privacy) and they cannot be used as paid models. It explicitly says it is not illegal to photograph children in public, but warns you may get unwanted attention from the police.

I find it fascinating that any sane authority would assume that a terrorist would use large, bulky and obtrusive professional photo equipment to photograph a target when a tiny compact can do the same job quickly and easily, to the same resolutions and greater zoom.

The difficulty is that they have no right to stop you in a public place taking a photo of a publicly viewable thing, they have no right to delete stuff and they have no right to take your details, but if you don’t give them they can arrest you for obstruction. It’s a farce.

This idiocy over public things isn’t a new thing though. As far as I understand it, the BT tower wasn’t on maps for a long time as it was a strategically important communications and it wasn’t actually officially acknowledged until the mid 90s. The fact it is visible across half of London seems to have escaped the attention of the nutjobs who make decisions about these things.

I have had the Guardia Civil ask me not to take photos of them, which is a request I respect, not least beacause they carry guns, but also I think there is a question of security/terrorism here.
On the other hand I have had the police asking me to take their pictures and revelling in the publicity.

Strange!

🙂