Psergel Loc: New Mexico

A marvelously symbiotic relationship!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

One of the best: http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

Just search for "photography and the law" (without the quotes). There are quite a few articles available.
--Bob

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

Be careful as this one is dated 2006.

PinUpPro Loc: Santa Ana, CA

A friend of mind has a release form on her iPhone. She asks the subject to sign it right then and there.

mort Loc: california

my wife makes hers and some of my clothing , which is very colorful and
interesting . people take photos all the time , and a few times we have been asked to sign a release . if we sign a release , can our photos be used in any
way the photographer desires , such as in advertising or with a derogatory
caption ?

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

Depends on the wording in the release. Read it carefully.

Wahawk Loc: NE IA

In MOST cases, YES! UNLESS it is a very specific release. MOST Model Release forms are VERY generic and cover almost all possible uses. Some have space for listing specific uses or exclusions. Use your phone to snap a pic of the release each time you are asked to sign, then you have evidence of what you signed!

deneke

Folks,

This brings up a good point about where we are blocked from shooting , or from just using tripods in some interior places, particularly cathedrals in Europe and Canada. Some allow only hand hold cams. This policy arises from two issues: public safety as dictated from owners' insurances policies from people being awed by what they're looking at that many trip over the legs of tripods and bring suit against the owners of the building they are in. The other issue is that seasoned shooters compromise the revenue from the sales potential of postcards which can be huge. At St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, I had my tripod confiscated by the Vatican's police, but it was "released" two days later. This taught me to use beanbag supports on the seat and pew backs for my cams inside of public places, or even the edges of "roll" down car windows. In Italy and England black robbed clerics roam the aisles in big churches all day long.

DENEKE~

blackest Loc: Ireland

A guy I know has a black police style waistcoat(the main customers are police) on the back he has a patch which simply says photographer.

Because of the look of it, he doesn't get hassle and everybody just assumes he is a pro working. It's all about fitting in.

I knew someone else who worked at race meetings he found he could go anywhere carrying a bucket :) (he wasn't a photographer but he got more access that way.

dat2ra Loc: Sacramento

Legally, you do not need permission to take someone's photo if you and they are on public property--the precedent is that there is no presumption of privacy. E.g. if you are on the sidewalk and they are crossing the street. And you may shoot from private property (such as through a house window) to public property (again, there is no assumption of privacy). However, you may not legally shoot from public property onto private, such as from the sidewalk into someone's yard, such as paparazzi do). it is not illegal, but you can be sued and lose.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

If shooting for yourself or for publication and not for inclusion in an advertisement, as long as your subject is in a public space, it is a 1st Amendment issue - Freedom of the Press. And that does not mean that you have to be a credentialed news photographer, you can be free lance, and never have been published. This is why the paparazzi get away with so much. It is possible that someone will sue anyway, they can sue for almost any reason, but it does mean they are very very unlikely to win.

I would be very careful about photographing young children without discussing it with their parents, however, as everyone is now paranoid.

Also, photographing the police in action can get you into difficulty, particularly at a demonstration. A lot of people attempting to use their camera at Occupy events found this out the hard way. Again, the photographer is in the right photographing these events, but that doesn't do you much good if you are in jail and your camera has been confiscated. The police make up their own rules and it is very difficult to get them reversed in court. It's still a 1st Amendment issue, but you may have to take it all the way to the Supreme Court!

If you smile, stop photographing if asked, and don't get pushy, you will probably never be hassled.

beverett Loc: los angeles

Not so. If it's "art" or "news" you can sell it, post it, whatever. You need releases only if an image is used for promotion--as in advertising.

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

I appreciate all these lay people giving free legal advice. Free legal advice from lay people could get you in a whole bunch of problems.


Maybe the OP should contact an Attorney to get the correct information in their venue

amehta Loc: Boston

Paid legal advice from an attorney is equally useless, because they won't tell you anything until you have a very specific case. :-D

beverett Loc: los angeles

Most lawyers won't know squat about this. I know because I'm married to one. The best advice on these matters will come from news photographers, stock photographers and those who sell their images at art shows.