Street Photography Laws

The newest category of photography I have dived into is street photography. Street photography consists of taking pictures of urban architecture, people, and objects in interesting situations or lighting. However, there are a slew of laws surrounding what you can and cannot take pictures of in any given location.


Every photographer has the right to take any picture they want in a public setting, within reason of consideration of ethics and private property. Public property is public, and we all pay taxes for it, so every photographer has the right to shoot any scene in a public space. Private property is another story as once you set foot on property owned by an individual or organization, you are subject to the rules and regulations that they set. If you walk into a mall, restaurant, or amusement park and an employee states that you are not allowed to take photographs, you are legally required to not use your camera.


Obviously, you need to do your homework before traveling somewhere so you can be aware of your rights and what rules are in place where you are going. Street photography laws are different in almost every state but the right to photograph in public spaces and copyrights to your images are consistent under “Freedom of Panorama.”


Some public spaces may have regulations surrounding the use of flash, disturbing the flow of traffic, or causing safety hazards. Again, do your homework as these regulations are specific to every state and country. Some buildings or spaces are protected such as the Eiffel Tower at night because the light show is protected. The worst thing you can do is get yourself arrested in Budapest for photographing a police officer without a permit!


If someone approaches you asking what you are doing or to remove the image, be honest and courteous and tell them who you are and what you are doing. If they insist then you can remove the photo to avoid any potential conflict, but they cannot legally force you to do this. No image is worth an altercation in my opinion.


If taken in a public area, the copyright of the image is yours and you can display the image however you want, unless it is for commercial purposes. In that case, you will need a model release for any identifiable person in your future advertisement or promotional material.


Make sure you read up on your rights and restrictions before you go out to shoot. Street photography is intimidating enough, so do not make things harder for yourself by breaking the rules and displaying poor ethics.

Sources:
https://expertphotography.com/street-photography-laws/
http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf