Comments on: Downtown LA: Not Camera-Friendly

By: LA Port Police Bust Leisurely Sail «

LA Port Police Bust Leisurely Sail « — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:48:04 +0000

[...] Whether on land or at sea, LA photographer Bryan Villarin has a knack for arousing suspicion. We posted about his encounter with private building security in downtown LA last July. [...]

By: LA Port Police Bust Leisurely Sail «

LA Port Police Bust Leisurely Sail « — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:38:03 +0000

[...] Whether on land or at sea, LA photographer Bryan Villarin has a knack for arousing suspicion. We posted about his encounter with private building security in downtown LA last July. [...]

By: Photographers Meet, Shoot «

Photographers Meet, Shoot « — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:41:22 +0000

[...] The second-annual ShootDowntown Meetup is happening this Saturday, October 4. The idea is for photographers to gather, shoot and talk shop while exploring downtown architecture and street life. The last event in December attracted 16 photographers so we wondered how well that went seeing as downtown is notoriously camera unfriendly. [...]

By: Angelo

Angelo — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:01:20 +0000

small nit WW

Property lines do not extend to include the entirety of sidewalks. Sidewalks, from the curb to a private property line, are public space. In fact that is exactly why you very often see brass plates embedded in the sidewalk to demarcate the boundaries of a leasehold.

By: babydiscarted

babydiscarted — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:45:32 +0000

No problem, no toes stepped on – just thought maybe should explain since it seemed like I was clueless or something when I was trying to be sarcastic! Any additional info on rights and rulings is always helpful, and it’s good to get the word out.

By: Wandering Waterman

Wandering Waterman — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:22:27 +0000

Sorry if I stepped on some toes, wasn’t intended, was trying to be helpful, since I used to be a photographer and had to deal with that sort of harassment constantly. I figured since Lawson had cited a ruling I would simply fill it out , just so that readers might know their full rights. My apologies babydiscarted…

By: babydiscarted

babydiscarted — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:20:46 +0000

Yes, we know full well about the rights of photographers to take photos from public streets! That’s what this blog & group are dedicated to … it was a touch of sarcasm that apparently didn’t come through. Thanks for your comments.

By: Wandering Waterman

Wandering Waterman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:59:09 +0000

Joel Lawson is correct, though here’s the hook. “the right to photograph a building visible from PUBLIC space…” This is where building owners get us. Their property lines run all the way up to the street, and include the sidewalks, so they’re within their rights to prohibit photographers from taking photos on their property. You wouldn’t want someone coming onto your lawn and taking photos of your house, would you? That’s trespassing. Now, the way around this is to take the photo while standing on PUBLIC property i.e. the street, then they can’t say a thing and you’re well within your rights. They can call the police, but since the building is visible from public space, then they can’t do anything about it.
You can quote:

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum v. Gentile Prods., 134 F.3d 749 (6th Cir. Ohio 1998)

Have fun, and remember your rights!

By: Joel Lawson

Joel Lawson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:56:52 +0000

The right to photograph a building visible from public space is specifically protected in US copyright law. That’s right: written US law specifically knocks down these absurd claims we hear sometimes from security guards, shop owners, and others that their building cannot be photographed:

“The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place.” [17 U.S.C. 120 (a)]

By: Bryan Villarin

Bryan Villarin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:20:04 +0000

@Angelo:

Sorry man, I mentioned in my post that I really had to leave anyway.

I’ll be dedicating time to challenge this further soon enough. Seriously. I’m pretty sure Shawn and others will help. Seeing that you’re in LA, too, I hope I see you soon, yeah?