Reading mode: Light Dark

Street Photography in France

Go to last post
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?
Click to expand...
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think... not quite. The "droit à l'image" thing deals with use of such images. IOW, if you photograph someone and print it but never publish or display it, it's OK. It's the publication and display that require permission.

The legislation is slightly bizarre, and there aren't that many precedents. France is like that; they tend to make draconian laws and the open them up with exceptions. (E.g. to prevent money laundering they made a law that slapped a 4% per annum property tax on all foreigners buying property in France... which you could get out of simply by providing some proof of identity to the authorities. It was framed as a blanket law that covered everyone, and the exceptions then exempted almost everyone.)

Personally, I've never had any trouble doing people photography in France.



Petteri
--
Me on photography: [ http://www.prime-junta.tk/ ]
Me on politics: [ http://p-on-p.blogspot.com/ ]
 
Hello Phil,

I don't think you'd have any problem taking pictures in the streets. Now, there is courtesy. If someone does not want to be on your images, well, then don't do them. I think the main point is whether you intend to sell the photos or not. If you do, there are certainly additional rules to follow. See the link below. There is a lot of information there (all in French...)

http://www.dolphin2001.net/photo/legis/droit/

Hope this helps.

--
Pierre-Alain
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
 
When I was in Paris, there are so many sites and so many people, it was impossible to take a photograph without someone in it. No one seemed to care, and I was never confronted.

I would simply shoot away unless told otherwise.
 
I tried to find something relevant on the web site to which you referred, but all I came up with is:

"Photographier dans les lieux publics " which is a book which has to be purchased (15 €).

But what I did find was a discussion of the muddy situation regarding the commercial use of photos of BUILDINGS:

link: "Le droit du propriétaire sur l'image de son bien"

If you got a really good shot of a café and sold it on your web site, you could find yourself in trouble :- )

pegasus
P-A said:
I don't think you'd have any problem taking pictures in the
streets. Now, there is courtesy. If someone does not want to be on
your images, well, then don't do them. I think the main point is
whether you intend to sell the photos or not. If you do, there are
certainly additional rules to follow. See the link below. There is
a lot of information there (all in French...)

http://www.dolphin2001.net/photo/legis/droit/

Hope this helps.

--
Pierre-Alain
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi Pegasus,

If you go down the page, there is a link called "L'autorisation de photographier" (Permission to photography) which points to a site that provides information regarding taking photos of people.

Regarding the real estate photos, a recent court decision made things easier for photographs in France, however being neither a professional photographer nor a layer I can't really comment more.

Cheers.

--
Pierre-Alain
pegasus1457 said:
But what I did find was a discussion of the muddy situation
regarding the commercial use of photos of BUILDINGS:

link: "Le droit du propriétaire sur l'image de son bien"

If you got a really good shot of a café and sold it on your web
site, you could find yourself in trouble :- )

pegasus
P-A said:
I don't think you'd have any problem taking pictures in the
streets. Now, there is courtesy. If someone does not want to be on
your images, well, then don't do them. I think the main point is
whether you intend to sell the photos or not. If you do, there are
certainly additional rules to follow. See the link below. There is
a lot of information there (all in French...)

http://www.dolphin2001.net/photo/legis/droit/

Hope this helps.

--
Pierre-Alain
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I lived in France for a couple of years, and I didn't find it any different than living in North America.

I'm not sure that I'd be all that happy if someone took my picture without my permission -- specifically, if the picture was of me.

The laws of France, as someone else said, tend to appear draconian -- part of that being the fact that the laws are drafted to appear draconian, and for non-Francophones, French is a authoritarian language compared to English.

Without knowning exactly the French Civil Code in this regard, I won't comment, but as I said, I took lots of pictures in France, and never had a problem.

The issue is more if people are treated as touristic sights, as opposed to people living their lives.
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
 
The photos will only be for my own use - unless I find something to fit the CSLR/CTF challenges.

Phil
Stephen J. Mak said:
I'm not sure that I'd be all that happy if someone took my picture
without my permission -- specifically, if the picture was of me.

The laws of France, as someone else said, tend to appear draconian
-- part of that being the fact that the laws are drafted to appear
draconian, and for non-Francophones, French is a authoritarian
language compared to English.

Without knowning exactly the French Civil Code in this regard, I
won't comment, but as I said, I took lots of pictures in France,
and never had a problem.

The issue is more if people are treated as touristic sights, as
opposed to people living their lives.
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
 
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
Phil,

I'm French, currently living in France and doing street photography.

As long as you do not plan to sell your pictures, you can feel pretty much free to do anything you want, as long as you show some respect to the people you are actually shooting.

If you plan to sell the pictures, I would advice you to get an autorisation from specific people that you are shooting (not a crowd, obviously). Also, remember that some locations are protected and you will have to get an authorisation to sell your pictures (Eiffel Tower in Paris is a good example).

Hope this helps.

Mel
 
no reselling, then you can take pictures of anyone unless someone tells you not to.

By the way, the laws are the same here and everywhere. If you take a picture where there is people and if you can identify these people on the pict (see their face enough), then you need a model release to sell the picture. That rule may not apply in some kind of journalism editorial but not sure.
PhilMarshall said:
Phil
Stephen J. Mak said:
I'm not sure that I'd be all that happy if someone took my picture
without my permission -- specifically, if the picture was of me.

The laws of France, as someone else said, tend to appear draconian
-- part of that being the fact that the laws are drafted to appear
draconian, and for non-Francophones, French is a authoritarian
language compared to English.

Without knowning exactly the French Civil Code in this regard, I
won't comment, but as I said, I took lots of pictures in France,
and never had a problem.

The issue is more if people are treated as touristic sights, as
opposed to people living their lives.
PhilMarshall said:
Is it right that you're not allowed to take photos of people
without their permission, even when in public places?

Thanks
Phil
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
...the photographer formerly known as ViewFinder...
http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/
http://www.whqttt.com
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/benwiart/main
Comments welcome :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top