Friday 15 June 2018

GDPR, Prohibited Photography - why all the hate?

GDPR, Prohibited Photography - why all the hate?

Seriously, what is going on with the perception of photography at the moment and going back a few years? I see this change in perception of photographers and photography towards something of a threat. I don't recall having read anything in conjunction with any terror events that they were keen photographers and did recon with anything more than a mobile phone, certainly not professional grade equipment such as a dSLR and big white Canon L lenses. For some reason people have developed this intense need to be "private" wherever they go, even in public places. I'm worried. Photography and documentary street photography is an integral part to have a record of everyday history, as well as capturing historic events and without it, or a reduction of it, will result in something of a historic blank canvas - we can't have that! 


At THIS end of school celebration I was NOT informed about
any prohibition against photography, and obviously they are
all posing for photographs... I'm sure all parents and relatives
take pictures for posterity, sharing it here there and everywhere
like one SHOULD do! Out of courtesy rather then necessity
I've blurred the children in the image. 
Going to the kids' end of school celebration this year and having been to a few (at least 15) this was the first time that I heard at one of them (not the one pictured in this post) that photography wasn't allowed of anything bar ONLY your own child. I have no interest in other kids more than that they are classmates, they are there and therefore part of that moment and setting so to exclude them will not just be difficult but also paint an inaccurate picture of the moment. 

I don't mind my children or myself ending up on someone else's camera, as long as there are no malicious intent. Anyway I have no malicious intentions and I do consider myself a protector of this art, industry and profession that is photography so there are very few situations where I agree with photography prohibition - so smile peeps when I take your picture, don't get angry, take is as a compliment and remember the importance of it all. Pervs and people with bad intentions are always going to try and do what they set out to do, probably sneakily and prohibition of photography won't matter to them. 

So how is GDPR going to affect me? I believe that I'm exempt as I'm either taking images and video for artistic reasons, for journalistic (editorial) purposes or purely private purposes. Of course I also do it for commercial purposes, but in those circumstances I exercise full control of the situation/setting/subject and ensure that the imagery is fully released - which is also a criteria to be able to license it for commercial purposes through my agents and/or stock libraries.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting. Some people aren't paranoid and just need to be friendly and eventually ignore them. People snap away with mobile phones all the time but sometimes whenever they see a professional camera alarm bells go off...why is that?!

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