foto Priority

Last week in London you may have heard about a rally at Trafalgar Square, attended by 2000+ photographers in opposition of Section 44 of the Terrorist Act. It was basically a mass gathering in defense of street photography, not only by photographers but anyone who values visual imagery.

There was one brief, it was to

At 3pm on the dot everyone will take their cameras out and start photographing something interesting, this might be:
• The hundreds of other photographers
• A puzzled security guard trying to work out what’s going on
• Security Guards trying to stop someone from taking photographs
• Interesting architectural features

Many of you probably have been made aware of what has been going on here, but since the act was passed, photographers have been subjected to ridiculous scrutiny and harassment and misinterpretation of the laws by police.

Check out The official website for all the latest news and pics from the protest.

I think as photographers at any level we should be kept up to date and informed of what our rights are, we have pretty tough laws over here in Australia at the moment but will they start to go over the top!

For more info on your rights in NSW have a look here

Please feel free to share your stories on this subject, have you been ordered to delete your images, or walked out of the area by police or security guards?

"Jesus I Trust In You" - © Daniel Linnet

One of the most asked questions from aspiring and pro photographers alike is “What are my rights when photographing in public places, especially if photographing people candidly?” In other words, are you able to photograph a couple smooching in Hyde Park, and then use it in your online folio or for other purposes? The answer can often be a complex one, especially when you start considering common courtesy, etiquette and plain old morals.

A big thank you to Glenn Weinnert who found and posted this link on our Shots Flickr Group. It definitely answers a lot of questions.

“Created in response to objections to my Sydney Unposed project, it is written from a photographer’s perspective, with a focus on what rights shooters have (and don’t have) when it comes to candid photographs of people. Please note: as it is not an encyclopaedia on every possible aspect of photographic law, it does not attempt to address issues like anti-terrorist legislation, council photography permits or National Park commercial photo restrictions. The sole purpose of the following is to discuss legal issues which apply to people photography only.” – Andrew Nemeth BSc (Hons) LLB MTeac

Click here for ‘Australian street photography legal issues ‘

by Daniel Linnet