Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/13

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Subject: [Leica] US street shooting laws.....
From: Five Senses Productions <fls@5senses.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 10:03:08 -0700

I have some questions about the laws regarding "street shooting"
here in the US. 

I did not know you needed releases or signatures if it was for a news
feature.  What if you take a photo of a crowd scene and there are 20
people clearly identifiable in your photo.....do you need 20 releases?
What if 15 consented and 5 did not......would you not be able to publish
the photo or could you just blur out the faces of the 5 who did not
consent?

Do I, as a photographer but not a journalist, have the same rights to
take photos of people on the street as you press people do?  Can I tell
a policeman at an accident scene that I am a photographer and that I
have the right to be there to document the scene?  Will he ask me for 
a press pass?  Can you only get a press pass if you work for a large
magazine or newspaper?  What about us small-time publishers doing
work on the web.........if I wanted to start a digital news magazine on
the web, how would I prove to authorities that I was a bonified news
photographer?  Would I need to, or do ALL people with cameras have
the same rights?

What about property rights?  If I take a photo of a person in a public park,
do I need a release from the park if I want to sell the photo one day?  How
about a shot where the subject is standing in front of someone's house, but
on the sidewalk......do I need a property release from the house owner?  Only
if the house is identifiable or if the house number shows?

If I am shooting one of my models in a public mall or shopping center and
other
people are in the background, do I need their releases?  Only if they are 
easily recognized?

I have so many questions, I better stop now.....Are there any good, DETAILED
books that explain the technicalities of photographic law?  








Francesco Sanfilippo,
Five Senses Productions
webmaster@5senses.com


http://www.5senses.com/