Q&A: If I am shooting in a public place, what are my rights?
Q: If I am shooting in a public place, what are my rights? I’ve had a few situations in the last few years where law enforcement has asked me to move from a location. I don’t want to cause problems, but shouldn’t I have a right to stay? — Pete J. from LA.
A: You have the right to shoot in public places, since privacy is not expected by law in those circumstances. However, it’s wise you generally respect people not wanting their photo taken for safety reasons (someone getting very angry at you).
Security officers have no say in the matter if it is a public place, although you may be approached and asked to stop. That stems from security not knowing their bounds as opposed to the actual law itself.
There have several instances where this has happened. For example, a student shooting outside of VA Medical Center was asked to delete her photos that she had taken even though she was perfectly within her rights to shoot them.
“Mariam Jukaku, 24, of Michigan, said the officers also photocopied her university ID and driver’s license and asked if she was a U.S. citizen. She wonders if her appearance played a part in how the incident was handled.
Jukaku, a U.S. citizen of Indian descent, said she is Muslim and wears a head scarf.
“I got actually kind of annoyed. I felt that the question had no relevance,” she said of being asked about her citizenship. “That’s when I started wondering, ‘Maybe someone who didn’t look like me might be treated differently.’ ”
If shooting a federal building, you have to be outside the property boundaries, but can still shoot it.
If you read that link you’ll see that security officials said that they had to question the photography because these are “challenging times.”
However, you really have to question whether or not their encroachment on photography rights actually makes us any safer, or just lends to an illusion of security that only hurts citizens.
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