July 1st, 2009 | 
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by the security guard in front of this building. According to the photographer: Read the rest of this entry »
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Million Dollar Lawsuit Filed by photographer who was arrested for taking pics on the subway. Read the rest of this entry »
An Arkansas Department of Corrections officer barked at a photographer, demanded to see her pictures (illegal without a warrant) and told her that it was illegal to take pictures of inmates working in public (no such law). Is this how Arkansas Welcomes visitors to the Arkansas WELCOME Center?
According to the photographer:
At the Arkansas Welcome Center, (a public rest area) I got hassled by an Arkansas Department of Corrections officer because he thought I was taking photos of his inmates. WITH MY MACRO LENS. Idiot.
They apparently were on work release and were cleaning up the rest area, far in the distance of the stand of sunflowers I was shooting. I never would have even noticed them if he hadn’t called my attention to them, and frankly didn’t give a crap about them.
He asked to see the photos on my camera (I did not show them to him) and said that it was “highly illegal” to take photos of inmates, and that if I had any photos I was to delete them immediately.
I said “I’m trying to take a photo of this flower; do you mind?” and ignored him until he went away.
First of all she was not even taking pictures of the inmates but even if she was it would not have mattered. If they don’t want anyone taking pictures of their inmates then don’t expose them to the public. Anything in public view can be photographed from public space!
Based upon an article that appeared in Lux Living we published the following. We have since received an email from Stuyvesant town clarifying their position.
According to a spokesperson from Stuyvesant town:
Personal photography is permitted at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. After receiving a number of inquiries, we circled back with our staff to make sure everyone is clear on this.
Thanks and have a nice weekend.
THANK YOU for this resolution!!
Our original blog entry on the issue:
Stuyvesant town, an apartment complex in Lower Manhattan, NY, appears to be enforcing a new and unwritten policy banning photography of its property by the very same residents who pay rent to live there. Residents are no longer allowed to take pictures of their friends or relatives who come to visit them unless they go outside to another part of town. Read the rest of this entry »
The New Hampshire activist who was arrested because he was taking pictures inside a courthouse and jailed for 57 days because he then refused to identify himself, has been unconditionally released from jail:
Note the attempt by an officer to block his supporters from filming the event.
While this story is not about the photographer’s rights we have been covering on this site, nevertheless it is worth mentioning. In addition to having the right to take pictures photographers are concerned about their rights once the image has been taken and that includes copyright rights. A recent article in the New York Times entitled “Flickr as an Interior Decorating Tool” by Sonia Zjawinski encourages people to download pictures from Flickr, print them and frame the print as Wall Art. Sonia briefly addresses the copyright issue in the following paragraph:
And if you’re wondering about copyright issues (after all, these aren’t my photos), the photos are being used by me for my own, private, noncommercial use. I’m not selling these things and not charging admission to my apartment, so I think I’m in the clear.
She is not in the clear. Even if the photos are being used for “private, non-commercial use, the act of copying and printing them is a copyright infringement if the photographer has an “All Rights Reserved” license attached to them. Many photographers display their work on Flickr with the expectation that they may get inquiries from people who see it. They then direct the inquirer to another site, such as Zazzle, Redbubble, Imagekind, Deviant Art, Etsy, etc. where the photographer has prints, posters or wall art for sale. Unless the photographer posts the picture on Flickr with a “Creative Commons” license do not assume that it is free for use or distribution of any kind – even if only to a wall in your living room.
Photography Blog Editor Mark Goldstein was a victim of the latest British harassment campaign against tourists and photographers who dare take pictures of FAMOUS TOURIST SITES. According to the story which appears in photographyblog.com and Amateur Photographer Magazine: Read the rest of this entry »
A business that makes money selling aerial pictures of other people’s property has the nerve to complain that taking pictures of its storefront FROM PUBLIC PROPERTY constitutes an “invasion of privacy”. Read the rest of this entry »
This isn’t a story about photographer’s rights but we thought it worth a mention. Effective immediately Kodak has announced that it will no longer manufacture Kodachrome film.. Film? What’s that? You mean people still use it? Read the rest of this entry »
Who arrested them simply for asking for a badge number and TAKING PICTURES and then proceeded to inflict severe pain by choking them and stepping on their feet. Read the rest of this entry »
