Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Allow me to suggest a change of focal point....Isn't the real question here 'why are we shooting strangers on the street and in public places? instead of 'is it legal to shoot strangers on the street and in public places?' We all see - assuming that we have any sort of sight at all - fat men and women in tight pants, young people in love, homeless people in rags, rich looking people passing poor people, distracted people, etc. etc. We know what these people look like because we have seen thousands of photos of them. So why take another? Street photography, to be meaningful, has to be something more than simply a nicely composed photo taken of a 'street scene:' It has to have an element of ambiguity, perhaps a touch of irony. In short, it has to tell us something we don't know, take us some place we haven't been. Even if that some place is simply a fascinating arrangement of elements. Think about the images you've seen shot by the "greats" of street photography, and I believe you'll know what I'm saying. So the question then, might be 'why am I taking this photo?' rather than 'am I going to be arrested for taking it?' - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Tim Atherton Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 1:01 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: RE: [Leica] Asking permission, KISS & the decisive moment > I've heard that there's law like this in Quebec and in France. I just > came from shooting the Canada Grand Prix, and I did lots of people shots > with neither permission nor hassle, though I'll admit I wasn't so bold > as I am on the streets of New York. I'm not particularly unruly, but in > New York I know for a fact that my work is considered protected speech > under the First Amendment. Elsewhere I display my friendly side a little > more openly and no one seems to care. > > Gilbert Hi Gilbert - the Quebec Constitution has a Right to Privacy in it (unlike the rest of Canada), which means that in practice it is balanced against the other rights of the Press and Expression. There was one major case. A Street Photographer had taken pictures of an neighbourhood in Quebec, which included pictures of a young woman (sitting on some steps I think). These photographs were later used in a publication illustrating a story about that neighbourhood. The woman objected and the case eventually went to the Supreme Court of Canada. They found in favour of the woman (this being Canada, damages were minimal...) thought there were a couple of strong dissenting opinions. The Supreme Court also set out guidelines for use of images in publications. An obviously identifiable person must give there permission if the image is published, unless (my words here, I don't have the decision at hand anymore) the person is guidelines associated with a news story - biker boss leaves courthouse, politician announces resignation etc. Or a crowd/general scene where the person is only a minor part of the picture. BUT, a photo of a girl struggling with her umbrella in the wind to illustrate a generic story on unseasonally high winds and rain (a newspaper staple!) could not be used without her permission - getting the drift here? SO - there is nothing to say you can't take the photographs. You just can't publish them without the persons permission unless they are "newsworthy". I think this would also include exhibiting them in an exhibition - so, as in France, it could dampen "street photography (there was a news story from France recently about a well known photographer who photographed in his native France for many years - don't recall who right now - whose major exhibition had to be cancelled because many of the shots were taken without permission. Now, most people probably don't even know or care. And even then, most would bother to sue - and damages are unlikely to be high unless you totally misrepresent the person. Sooo - maybe it's a cost of doing business! tim - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html