Posts Tagged 'photographing children'

Jet Ski Photos Provoke Police Visit

Published October 28, 2009 Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment 3 Comments
Tags: , ,

jetski_low
Photo by Garry Chinchen

Garry Chinchen, a photographer in England, was approached by police this week for taking photos of jet skiers in South Wales. He was told if he continued he would be arrested for “breach of peace.” All told, the officers checked his images, phoned his employer and ran his name through a database – to which I have only one response, huh?!! Where is the outrage in England? They aren’t just trampling on photographers’ rights; there are apparently no rights to begin with. Apparently the whole incident was touched off by the fact that children were changing into wet suits on the lake’s shore, but Chinchen’s photos are clearly of the jet skis in the water – and not even very close up at that.

The police spokesperson’s statement said in part, “‘The officer carried out all the necessary checks on this person and no offences were disclosed. The photographer was appropriately advised regarding his conduct.” Luckily that was sorted out.

Article via Amateur Photographer

UK School Bans Photography

Published June 23, 2009 Photographers' Rights Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

sasha small
Photo by discarted

Has fear of photography gone too far? Officially, yes.

Last week a primary school in Devon in England prohibited parents from taking photos or videos at school events. The school cited concerns in child protection and image legislation, namely the Data Protection Act.

Thankfully, the country’s privacy watchdog has stepped in and told schools they are wrong to interpret the law this way. He suggested taking a “common sense approach,” which, come to think of it, would be nice way to approach life in general.

Articles via The Telegraph and The Daily Mail

Greek Photographer’s Case Dismissed

Published May 18, 2009 Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment , Street photography Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

The British Journal of Photography reports that the case against the Greek tourist who was arrested for taking a photo of a little girl on the subway in April was dismissed and can “return to Greece free.” (Does that mean he was detained in London for a month?) As we posted last week, Pericles Antoniou, 53, was on the subway with his family when he inadvertently took a photo of a young girl. Her mother went ballistic. Antoniou was arrested.

There aren’t many details about this story since it hasn’t been covered by any mainstream outlets as far as I can tell, which is shocking in itself – this is a huge civil rights violation, even in England which has a history of being extremely hostile to photographers.

Thanks to Byron.

Taking Photos of Little Girls Is Illegal in London

Published May 12, 2009 Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment , Street photography 6 Comments
Tags: , ,

556089197_4fcdf7f7bb
Photo by d.anny

A Greek photographer has been arrested – yes, arrested – for taking photos of a little girl on the London subway. According to the British Journal of Photography, when Pericles Antoniou inadvertently took photos of a young girl in April and her mother complained, he says he did the courteous thing and showed the mother the photos and then erased them all. The girl’s father wasn’t satisfied though, and demanded that police arrest Antoniou. He was charged with “public harassment” and causing “alarm and distress.”

As Antoniou writes in a letter to the Greek ambassador to Britain:

It is inconceivable for one to think, in the country where Bill Brandt, Marτin Parr, Killip were born and their works are based on street photography, that I had to be humiliated and accused of taking photos (!!!) while being in the Metro – subway. It is noted that in the National Portrait Gallery there is a photo exhibition currently which is about photos taken of people in streets!!!

His court date has been scheduled for May 18.

Check out the Facebook group that was created for Antoniou’s cause here.

Alert: Man Taking Photos of Kids!

Published April 30, 2009 Photographers' Rights Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

According to an article on the BBC news site, Glasgow police and school officials have their knickers in a bunch after a man was spotted photographing the football team at an elementary school. Apparently the man did not approach any of the students; he was just seen taking photos. Police are now on alert and have stepped up patrols of the school and are trying to track him down from the description they have. (“He was described as a white male, around 50-60 years old, approximately 5ft 10ins tall, with white, greying hair. He was wearing a brown jacket, khaki trousers, a white shirt and walking boots.” Gee, that sounds like just about 1/4 of Scotland.)   

On the one hand, it’s alarming to think a pedophile is stalking an elementary school, and I’m all for protecting children. On the other, what if he just saw a good photo opportunity of some kids playing football? Is that really so wrong? Is this the sort of melodramatic, fear-mongering, hyper-intense society we can expect to live in from now on? I guess so.

Article from the BBC

Man Takes Photo of Kid, Gets Visit From Police

Published April 23, 2009 Photographers' Rights 1 Comment
Tags: , , ,

The most ridiculous stories involving photography and children always seem to come out of the UK. ePHOTOzine reports that a 69-year-old man took a photo of a child who was vandalizing trees and got a visit from the police as a result.

Geoffrey Massey, of Somersham in East England, recalls:

When the child realised I was taking his picture he turned round and told me that I can’t do that and that he would tell someone what I did. Well later that day the lady that child-minds him came round and told me she would report me as I’m not allowed to take pictures of children without consent from their parents.

The officer was talking to me and said I don’t care if you’re a professional photographer or not you can’t take a picture of a child without written consent of the parent.

Never mind that it was the children who were committing an illegal activity in the first place; it’s those precious parents who emphasize their childrens’ personal happiness and individual rights over their moral and societal obligations.

Massey says the incident has put him off taking pictures, but we think that’s a little extreme. C’mon, Geoff, you can’t let one snot-nosed kid ruin it all for you.

Article via ePHOTOzine

Photographing Children – Rights vs. Restrictions

Published November 15, 2008 Photographers' Rights , Street photography 2 Comments
Tags: , ,

nicole and jordan

Photo by discarted

The Australia Council (the arts arm of the Australian government) is considering new rules that would require photographers to get the permission of parents when shooting any children under the age of 15. The World Today reports that, while new rules would help protect children in predatory or inappropriate situations, it would ultimately stifle street and documentary photographers.

Sandy Edwards, a photographer in Sydney, says:

Think of photographers such Max Dupain who has been photographing in the public domain. … It is just unreasonable to expect that once the photographer gets back to the dark room, processes the work or gets back to the computer, that that image can actually be OK’d by somebody who is a stranger in the photograph.

And Ken Duncan of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers talked about too much regulation in general:

At three levels – you’ve got federal restrictions, you’ve got state restrictions and you’ve got local restrictions. I mean if you actually pull out a camera and try to put it on a tripod to take photographs of Sydney Harbour for example or the Sydney Opera House, they come along and confiscate your gear or say that you need to have a permit that you pay $550 or something a day. You know, it is just stupidity.

To hear the full report, go here.

Dad Called Pervert, Told to Stop Snapping His Kids

Published July 17, 2008 Photographers' Rights Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

Photo by discarted

When do you know that our topsy-turvy PC world has gone too far? When a dad is told to stop taking photos of his own children at a fairgrounds.

Gary Clutchey was at the Wolverhampton Show in England — with his wife — taking photos of his two sons when a fair worker told him he had to stop, the Telegraph reported. He countered that he was only taking photos of his own children, but then another parent chimed in, saying he could be putting the pictures up on the internet and called him a pervert.

Clatchy’s wife said she was “annoyed, extremely upset and embarrassed,” noting that it’s a sad state of affairs when “every man with a camera enjoying a Sunday afternoon out in the park with his children is automatically assumed to be a pervert.”

Fairground officials say it’s policy to question anyone taking photos of the rides to determine if they have children there. When Clatchy asked police to weigh in, they said what he was doing was legal but “that’s the way society is these days.”

If that’s the case, society is depressingly paranoid, rigid and uptight.

Article from the Telegraph.

TOTH to Ben.

Spam Blocked

1,138,968 spam blocked by Akismet