Unfortunately, in today’s world we must be very Vigilant of our surroundings, and what we are doing and where we are doing it. THE majority of the time, even 99% of the time when doing a review, or taking pictures for said review, it goes off without a hitch. However, unfortunately this is not always the case. I’m sure we could all tell our own story in this regards.
“Hey what are you doing?” & or “Hey who are you?, & why are you taking pictures of my building?” In many cases when this occurs the individual or individuals sometimes can be quite Confused, Angry, or downright upset, as everyone has a camera on their smartphone these days, and sometimes business owners or other individuals will have concern if they see you taking a picture of their building or something else.
First thing to remember is we are not employees of Google oh, I have heard several instances in the past of when put in situations such as this, someone responding and saying; “I am a Google Guide”, however we are not employees of Google, so I think it’s important that we point out that we are voluntary individuals trying to help other potential consumers of their business know how to find them and what to look for. In most cases I have found when I am kind and simply tell them I am a volunteer Google guide, and repeat the above aforementioned, that thing’s go over just fine.
However whether this has happened to you or not, it has happened to others, and I think it is important to address it. A lot of people I have spoken to do not know that they have rights that our Government has put in place concerning this very situation, that protects you from recording and or taking a picture of Public Places, unless of course there is signs saying no photography allowed, even then if it is a public location you are protected and have certain rights, however as you will read in the article the best thing to do if asked to not take pictures or leave the property, the best thing to do is just that. Later you can do your own research to find out if it is considered a public place.
Your basic right is actually pretty simple: if you’re in a public place and you can see it, you can shoot it. This means as long as you’re in a public location you can legally take almost any picture. However, if you’re using a telephoto lens, parabolic microphone, or hidden camera to get a shot of a private property when you’re standing on public property you might have an issue if someone on that property has an expectation of privacy. So, what constitutes a public place? Most places are obvious, a park, a street, a soccer field—these are unquestionably legal places to take pictures of anything happening. But what about all those Instagram photos of food you’ve taken inside a business? That’s a little different.
Generally if a private property is open to the public (like a restaurant, retail store, tourist areas, etc) you are allowed to take photographs and video unless it is expressly posted somewhere on the premise that you can’t. In most cases it’s okay to assume you’re allowed to take pictures and video in a shop that doesn’t expressly forbid it. However, if a property owner (or store employee) tells you to stop, you have to stop. More importantly, use good judgement and assess the situation and environment before snapping pictures.
I’m sure this topic has been touched on in the past but as I stated you can’t be too careful and it’s always important to know our rights, especially when our intent is to help the public at Large. Technology is wonderful but unfortunately people fear what they don’t understand and sometimes just explaining it in a very kind way and what you’re doing will take care of the situation, but as you were reading the article that is not always the case.
At any rate I hope this helps oh, the article is posted in the link below, have a wonderful weekend because you have deserved it oh, sometimes we can be our own worst critics, you rock, and are an awesome person tell yourself that every single day much love and respect your friend, and fellow local guide Nick
LINK BELOW