Photography at Public Events, Model Releases and Where YOU Stand!

I was asked recently where photographers
stand with regards to taking photographs in public
and at events like parties, concerts, festivals and carnivals.

I was asked on Facebook recently where photographers stand with regards to taking photographs in public and at events like parties, concerts, festivals and carnivals, and whether or not you need a Model Release. 

Basically, you do not need a release form if you are not selling the photos. If it is a public event, you do not need permission to photograph there either, unless it is a private event and unsolicited photography is specifically prohibited by the event organisers under privacy and private property laws. You can post photos for sale editorially without permission, and to your social media, but not for sale commercially. 

One could argue that if someone is willing to pose for a photo they are giving their "implied consent" but I would ask them if they were ok with it, just to be polite. A model release gives you permission from the model for you to make commercial gain from the photos and also releases you from any legal implications like royalties, privacy and copyrights (of the model); they basically sign the intellectual property rights over to you and agree not to sue you later for it. You do not need a release for everyone at a public event, that would be ridiculous, unless everyone has agreed and has arranged to be there as a model in advance. If you went around everyone at the party asking them to sign a release form giving you permission to sell photos of them forever, they would probably tell you to bog off. However, if you want to sell the photos commercially, you WILL need a signed Model Release form for EVERYONE in the photos that you want to sell !

You can take photos of a carnival for example, and post the photos on social media and you don't need anyone's consent because it is in public. The same way you can take a photo of a busy street with people in and share the photos and you do not need permission from everyone in the photo. What you cannot do is sell the photos for financial gain and without permission unless it is for editorial (newsworthy/educational) purposes. The same is true for any trademarks or logos in the photo, shops and storefront names, cars and registration plates. Note: Individuals can request not to be photographed under privacy laws and you would need to be aware and respectful of any requests of that nature.

You also need to be a bit careful about using the photos for advertising your business too. It is ok to say, "Here are some photos I took at... etc." But you would need permission before using them for product packaging or in a logo design. Since events like ComicCon and Carnivals are on public display, and are newsworthy, it would be ok to sell the images to newspapers or to upload them for editorial use, but not as stock photographs without a signed release.

This is by no means an extensive guide and you will need to read up on the actual laws regarding copyrights, privay and photography, but I hope this helps clear up some of the doubt and ambivalence photographers sometimes have around photographing events or anything in public.  

Have fun and enjoy the event - and be respectful of others privacy - is my advice.




 Matt Blythe

http://www.innervision.org.uk

Shanklin Chine Harvest Moon - SPECIAL OFFER - Limited Edition Print

"Shanklin Chine Harvest Moon" Limited Edition Print on Canvas - ONLY £20.00.

As a thank you for all the interest and likes on my photograph of Shanklin Chine on the Isle of Wight, taken during the September Harvest Full Moon, for the whole of the month of October 2018, I am offering to print this image onto Canvas and send it to you for ONLY £20 (30x 20cm approx. A4 - includes postage)!

To take advantage of this offer simply click the link to find out more. Larger sizes (60x40cm and 90x60cm) also available. Limited time offer. Available while stocks last.

 Click here to Order

Offer Only Available through October 2018.

 

Copyrights Matt Blythe, 2018.

How to Shoot Event Photography Using On-Camera Flash

Click to Enlarge

One of my favourite photos from last Fridays shoot at my niece's cousin's 18th birthday party, captures the fun atmosphere perfectly! To take indoor party shots like this candidly, you need to know your flash's "distance range" (how far the flash is effective) for the strength of the flash you are using and make sure the camera's aperture matches up and is set accordingly for the exposure you want. In this case, the flash was good from 6 feet to about 25 feet and the aperture was set to between f5.6 and f8.0 depending how close the subject was to the camera. If the subject was less than 10 feet away I was at f8 and further away than 10 feet I opened the aperture to f5.6 to let in more light. Further away than 25 feet required me to increase the ISO by up to one stop. ISO was set to 100 most of the time. 

Click to Enlarge

The shutter speed is not really important because at close distance the flash "freezes" the motion and the subject is sharp even with longer shutter speeds. If you want a sharp background, stay within cameras flash "sync speed" (usually 1/200th second or slower - faster causes shadows in the image) and if you want movement in the background with warmer/softer/more saturated colours, set your shutter speed to between 1/25 to 1/2 second; the subject in the foreground will still be sharp due to the fast flash burst.

Finally, know your camera and the settings you are going to use well, by testing them on different subjects in advance of the shoot, because in the moment people will be willing to stop what they are doing and pose for about 3 seconds before they stop smiling and want to continue what they we're doing! During that time you will need to raise your camera with the correct settings, compose your shot, focus and release the shutter. Most shots will not be candid if you need to recompose, adjust you settings and take another shot. This entire shoot was taken with an old school high voltage hot-shoe flash and adapter to make it safe for modern DSLR cameras, with a flash recycle time of about two seconds and with the following settings: 1/25 sec, ISO100 to 200, f5.6 to f8 on manual throughout with the AF set to either centre point or matrix focussing. Also note, the flash was only average strength and pointed directly at the subject. Using a modern, stronger flash, might require you to bounce the flash from the ceiling (if it is low enough) or to diffuse the light in some way, to give a softer light. Keep in mind though bouncing the flash will effectively double the distance from the flash to the subject and you will need to set your exposure accordingly. The flash strength is usually adjustable on modern on-camera flashes, although in this case it was not. 

Just FYI I took about 150 photos of which about 120 were worth publishing. Not a bad hit rate! Click the images to enlarge...

You can see the entire shoot on my Inner Vision Photography Page |
https://www.facebook.com/innervisionproductions




 
Copyrights Matt Blythe, 2018.