may be a good notice for UK street photographers (remembering the mishap of Bob Patefield)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1003/10031003ukgovstatement.asp

On the very next day a photographer is successfully pursued in the courts over the publication in Germany of an image of Kate Middleton playing tennis though of course the Royals have been afforded a special protection in this regard. I cannot help but feel that in the end the more that everyone gets paranoid about this privacy law the more they are burying themselves with it! My favourite saying is "just because you are paranoid it doesn't mean they are not after you"

Most of us here I think are that are shooting street are about taking images that ultimately are not aimed at a commercial market if I am speaking incorrectly about your motives then I apologise but I can talk for myself & safely say that there is no commercial aim in my image making. So I have no fear about being challenged by individuals or groups about what I take. I am recording a scene nothing more nothing less. So I do not worry!

Taking the picture of the small child in Trafalgar Square his father challenged me told me he was going to sue me & I just laughed because there is no law that says I cannot take photos & there is no law that says I cannot take photos of children. In fact I have a disclosure document that says I have no criminal record or for that matter any criminal record that suggests I am a Peadophile. And further more in my country the law says I am innocent until proven guilty! Unfortunately people seem to forget that.

Therefore I refuse to be caught in this maelstrom of debate about the restrictions of photographers because while I live within the law I have nothing to fear. I am not a pap' I am not a criminal I am not a terrorist I am a photographer. Those of you out there who are scared start to look at why you are scared & you will begin to realise none of it holds water.

I will continue to shoot in London as I have always done I will continue to be challenged by some as I have always done I will continue to ply my art & I refuse to bow to tittle tattle & conjecture because until there is a law that says I cannot take photos I am within my rights to continue unfettered by others or for that matter unfettered by a figment of mine or others imagination to do what I want to within the confines of the law.

The fact that borough councils schools & other bodies have prevented photography around children is not in my control it is though within my right to state that this is a sad & seriously poor state of affairs that unfortunately is unavoidable. Life in the 21st century is restricted by extremes. And in the end the hysteria & fear is fed by the tabloids by the very media that relies on photographers to feed their stories. I rest my case!

Hi guys.

At the end of the day we all have our 'inalienable sovereign rights' so, you are free to do anything you like, so long as you don't cause another harm with your actions. Anything a 'minister' says is of little consequence to me.

Next time you have a police officer asking you for details, just politely ask a couple of questions.....

1. If I give you a name, might you use it against me?

2. Do you have an oath of office? -- Is it with you today?

Then just tell them that you are a sovereign, flesh and blood (wo)man and that you don't consent to anything they offer you.

If that doesn't work you can always practice you meditation in the cell ;^)

Things are moving on nicely for me at the moment. The police have tried to blacken my name by talking about 'antisocial or indecent' in relation to 'the way I was taking photos'. The really funny bit is it wasn't me they were accusing of that at the time. It was my friend (unfounded of course), but since I was naughty and wouldn't cough up my details it suddenly became me who was 'the accused'. EXIF data shows that I took 5 pics in 4 mins and then the police started with us. They are claiming we continued to take pictures (as if to provoke them) after that, but no more shots were taken. That's why it's important to video these encounters, because it seems that certain police officers have a bad memory when it comes to such matters.

It's been a very enlightening experience.

B