File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Okay /p/ so today I managed to come upon the evacuation of a local walmart, presumably due to bomb threat, I had my camera with me and got some decent shots (crappy weather + no IS telephoto...) after a while the employees were allowed back in so I was able to get close enough to get some shots of police officers etc.
Now comes the part I need some help with, I've got no clue about photographic rights (mine, the subject [police and civilian], etc) what kind of roadblocks will I encounter If I try to get some photos published in a local paper (I was the only one there with a camera!)?

tl;dr what are my and my subjects rights when photographing something like a local event (ie walmart evacuation)if I want to get pictures published in a paper?

pic not one of the ones i'll submit
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D50Camera SoftwareVer.1.00Maximum Lens Aperturef/4.0Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern824Focal Length (35mm Equiv)117 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:12:28 18:17:00Exposure Time1/5 secF-Numberf/5.6Exposure ProgramAperture PriorityExposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceCloudy WeatherFlashNo FlashFocal Length78.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width3008Image Height2000RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknownISO Speed Used200Image QualityFINEWhite BalanceCLOUDYImage SharpeningAUTOFocus ModeMANUALFlash SettingNORMALFlash Compensation0.0 EVISO Speed Requested200Flash Bracket Compensation0.0 EVAE Bracket Compensation0.0 EVTone CompensationAUTOLens TypeNikon D SeriesLens Range70.0 - 300.0 mm; f/4.0 - f/5.6Auto FocusCenterShooting/Bracketing ModeSingle Frame/OffColor ModeLandscape sRGBLighting TypeNATURALNoise ReductionOFFCamera Actuations6811Image OptimizationVIVIDSaturation 2ENHANCED
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
also the paper will probably handle it if they decide to publish them.
>> Anonymous
Photographing without permission

In the United States, anything visible ("in plain view") from a public area can be legally photographed. This includes buildings and facilities, people, signage, notices and images. It is not uncommon for security personnel to use intimidation or other tactics to attempt to stop the photographer from photographing their facilities (trying to prevent, e.g., industrial espionage); however, there is no legal precedent to prevent the photographer so long as the image being photographed is in plain view from a public area. [1]

In recent years, some building owners have claimed a copyright on the appearance of their building; such landmarks as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh's PPG Place, etc. United States copyright law, however, explicitly exempts the appearance of standing buildings from copyright protection. See United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, ยง 120.a.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography#Legal_considerations
>> Anonymous
You could have shot 1/50... not 1/5...

focus errors or blur are a lot worse than noise/grain
>> Anonymous
Also the glass possibly can't stop down to 5.6 already @ 78mm...
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
Also i'd quite like to see what photos you have that could possibly warrant being published as this doesnt exactly sound like an interesting event.
>> Anonymous
>>105460
This is true.

A little clarification is needed for usage. You can use any photo taken of an event in plain view for editorial purposes without the permission of the property owner. Editorial basically means any use in which the photo isn't being used to sell or endorse something. It would include newspaper, magazine, and online news articles. Copyrighted buildings, logos, symbols, etc, are also free game for editorial use because it's considered "fair use"

Commercial use, which is when your photo will be used to sell or endorse something, requires permission from property owners and any person who is readily identifiable in the photo. Commercial use would include newspaper ads, stock photo or clip art collections, magazine covers (in most circumstances), etc.

Basically, your rights are to take any photo of anything in plain public view. You may sell the photo for editorial use with or without permission, but you need permission for commercial use. Your subjects have the right to be protected from photography in private places (bathrooms, dressing rooms, their own home, etc) and the right to control commercial use of any photo in which they are identifiable. They can't control editorial use and can't control a photo that they're in but in which they aren't identifiable (such as the back of their head, where there is no way to prove that it's really them).
>> Blackadder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
If you don't email them to the paper soon they will be worthless.

You'll probably be offered named credit only as a newbie. If it's a big story or there is an outlet offering it you might get $100 or something for a submission they use. Unless you go through an agency or you are a seasoned pro you'll never get a good deal generally.
>> Anonymous !dMYYvF5Blo
>>105460

Pittsburgh FTW
Interesting that building can be copyrighted, not sure how that can stop a newspaper though... since its not blueprints, etc.
Good to know.