Photographers’ rights: time to make a stand
Apologies for cross-posting but given the importance of the issue, I thought it best to reproduce the whole post from stephenpritchard.com rather than just link to it.
It seems to be increasingly difficult for working photographers and video makers to work freely in public places in the UK. A minority of police officers and other officials seem to believe that public order and anti-terrorism legislation can be used to prevent anyone taking pictures or video, without any real evidence of a threat to public safety. For some reason, professional photographers and photo or video journalists, as well as keen amateurs, seem to be at the sharp end of officials’ displeasure.
For a particularly extreme example, see Henry Porter’s piece in the Guardian following allegations of mis-treatment made by Kent amateur photographer Alex Turner.
Experiences, such as those reported by Turner, appear to be increasingly common. And there are serious implications for professional photographers who need to work in public places.
It is doubtful that the legislation cited to Turner, and used elsewhere against photographers, is meant to operate in this way. It is also strange to see so much attention being focused on professionals or people with professional-looking kit, when so many members of the public carry and use simple digital cameras or camera phones. It would have to be an extreme double bluff for those with nefarious intentions to go to the trouble of carrying complex, bulky and above all highly obvious professional equipment to capture images that might assist them in planning crimes, given the capabilities of a £50 pocket compact.
Whether or not Turner was sensible (rather than within his rights) not to identify himself to the officials in Kent is a mute point. Working journalists should — and usually do — carry recognised ID, either in the form of employers’ identification cards or the UK national press card (available, for example, through the NUJ or for video crews, BECTU). Professionals working at demonstration and other public order events often wear their press card where it is clearly on view to police and other officials.
Citizen journalists, bloggers and others who are not eligible for a staff or union card are in a more difficult position, as are amateurs and students. But there are a few guidelines that can help take the heat out of most day-to-day situations:
Meanwhile, groups such as the NUJ, BECTU, and CPBF and the British Journal of Photography are actively working to raise awareness of the law and also for legislative change. Click here to contribute to the BJP’s online campaign on Flickr.
