General:
Since we have the right to pretty much look at and observe anything in this world, you would be forgiven to think you have the right to photograph it. Sadly this is most certainly NOT the case. Below is a list of just some of the places you cannot photograph without at least prior permission.
• Any railway premises, including station platforms and the London Underground.
• Parliament Square.
• Private property. Did you know that London's Canary Warf is private property? Shopping centers and airports are generally privately owned but allow public access. Strictly speaking you will require prior permission to photograph in these areas. However, given that holiday makers and young people out shopping will take pictures of each other, a certain 'tolerance' tends to be shown.
• Prisons.
• Certain Security premises.
• Many English Heritage and National Trust buildings.
• Most galleries, theatres, cinemas, museums and concerts also prohibit photography.
• Schools and Hospitals.
• Law courts.
Some places put a blanket prohibition on photography, some require you to have written permission for personal use and others will charge significant sums of money if you wish to sell your images.
People:
Modern camera phones and telephoto lenses today make it possible to photograph people without them knowing, in their homes or sunbathing in their gardens even. However they (or indeed we) are all protected by law.
Under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life, their home and correspondence. Interpretation of this can be 'fuzzy' and sometimes comes down to the understanding of previous legal descisions and the facts specific to each individual case. To go into every detail of the act and cases to date is beyond my expertise, but hopefully the bullet points below will provide a basic understanding and help you stay out of trouble.
• It is important to understand that even rather mundane photographs, taken in a public place may still breach a person's right to privacy.
• A photograph of someone in their own home, taken with a telephoto lens from a public place will be a breach of that person's right to privacy.
• Children are given special protection so tread very carefully here!
• If you have doubts, ask permission.
Confiscation & deletion:
Your camera and its contents are private property and belong to you. A security guard, shop assistant or member of the public has no right to take your camera from you or insist you delete your images (or forcibly delete them themselves). Only the police can confiscate your camera in the process of an arrest or if they have a court order to do so. However they cannot delete your images as that would be damaging evidence.
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