The UK Doesn’t Know Its Own Street Photography Laws? Quelle Surprise

Once upon a time, when I was a student, I was in a London park and nearby there was a camera club taking still-life photos on the grass. They were doing absolutely no harm to anyone.

But on this glorious sunny day, circa 2010, a cop car rolled through the park and stopped. To my surprise, the officer bowled straight over to the group of hobbyist photographers and basically told them they shouldn’t be taking photos in public. I was within earshot.

At the time, I was studying photographic law in the U.K. as part of my press photography training. So, I was well aware that there wasn’t a law prohibiting photography in public places. I had to say something, obviously.

So I trotted over to the police officer and I told him that the group of photographers had every right to take photos in a public space and they were doing no harm. I told him that I was a student of photographic law and that he should leave them alone.

The officer was taken aback and told me to go away, which I did. But then he immediately left the camera club alone, climbing back into his car and on his merry way.

And that’s it. That’s the end of my story. It was all a strange coincidence and I can’t say I’ve thought about it much until this week when the Home Office, the U.K. government department responsible for police and public safety, published a pamphlet aimed at asylum seekers suggesting it’s possible to get arrested for taking a photo of someone in a public space.

A screenshot of the booklet published by the U.K. Home Office.

I guess things haven’t changed all that much in 16 years: the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police still don’t understand their own laws. To be clear, just like in the U.S., there are basically no restrictions in the U.K. when it comes to taking pictures in public spaces, aside from inside courtrooms and a voyeurism law that came into effect in 2019 that covers the despicable act of upskirting.

Of course, taking photos of people in public, which is what the pamphlet is about, has always been a delicate and sensitive matter.

Over the course of my career as a press photographer, there were countless times when people shouted at me, telling me I wasn’t allowed to take their photo. Some of the most contentious encounters were with people I wasn’t even taking a photo of; they were just some random person who saw me with a camera and wanted a fight.

I know of some press photographers who will do as many jobs on their phone as possible to avoid getting any grief. That begs the question: why does carrying a proper camera make you a target?

All this is to say that it is definitely worth finding out the local laws on photographing in public wherever you are in the world, as they do vary from region to region.

You just never know when a presumptuous and ill-informed member of the public, security guard, or police officer will start giving you grief for taking a photo that you have every right to take.

Image creditsHeader photo by Matt Growcoot.