At Edinburgh castle today

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jambogaz

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I was making a time lapse when a castle worker comes up to me and asks "Are the photos for your own personal use"? "your equipment looks quite advanced ,It's just if they are not I will have to ask you to stop".

I had a Canon 500d on a tripod :shrug:

Could she have stopped me?
I told her "I can take photos wherever I want ...."

Lady in Question........
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I'm guessing that the property is technically private, so yes they can ask you to stop. IIRC, the national trust let you take pics from their land but you cannot use them for commercial use.

I was there a while ago with a D200 and 80-200 and a tripod with no comments from anyone though:shrug:
 
Although there are many photos taken in and around the castle you have to remember there are British forces stationed there so it would depend where you were located at the time.
 
Edinburgh Castle is owned by the MOD and run by Historic Scotland. It's not a public place.
 
On the other hand, you have to ask yourself if this could have an adverse effect on tourism, should the lady in question, stop all visitors from taking pictures (or questioning them). Would she really, let us say, question a group of camera mad Japanese people (most of whom use expensive DSLRs), or would she be more likely to pick on a single person, outside the tourist season.
She clearly acted incorrectly, at a time when we need to attract more visitors to the UK (with their cameras), in order to help the economy.
 
Thing is ....I was not even in the castle so to speak, £14? not today thankyou. On the price list it says Explorer/member free ??
 
Was she being pleasant, or stand-offish? Not that it really matters, it's private property and I'm sure she would have had the right to ask you to stop if she had any basis for her allegation. That said, I might have asked her why using a DSLR means you'll be using the pics commercially. But that may have inflamed the situation.

I've found that quite often just being unfailingly polite means people are okay regardless of me using a DSLR, in certain museums I've even escaped filling in tedious forms just by being nice to the person behind the counter :)

Also I was in Princes St Gardens taking pics of the Castle at about 3 yesterday afternoon, TP backup may only have been a stones throw away! :lol:
 
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jambogaz said:
£14? not today thankyou. On the price list it says Explorer/member free ??
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If you are a member of Historic Scotland or have their 'Explorer' pass allowing entry to lots of HS properties, entry is free.

I would very much doubt the lady in question is there to upset or challenge visitors with cameras so you must have been doing something untoward to attract her attention?
 
No-one asked the OP to stop taking photographs. The woman - probably one of the Historic Scotland staff - just asked him if he was taking photographs for personal use, implying that commercial photography was restricted. He told her that "I can take photos wherever I want ....", which isn't the case at all.

It was probably the tripod that attracted her attention in the first place, but that's incidental. Most tourists don't use them in these situations and, from what I can gather, they're not prohibited anyway.

I don't think this woman was at fault and there's no suggestion that she was rude or confrontational, so why would this impact tourism?
 
admirable said:
If you are a member of Historic Scotland or have their 'Explorer' pass allowing entry to lots of HS properties, entry is free.

I would very much doubt the lady in question is there to upset or challenge visitors with cameras so you must have been doing something untoward to attract her attention?
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Oh yeh? I forgot to say I was taking photos in the nude:lol:

Don't be a :gag: admirable:bang:
 
admirable said:
If you are a member of Historic Scotland or have their 'Explorer' pass allowing entry to lots of HS properties, entry is free.
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Correct. I'm a member of HS and visit a lot of their properties. Most of their staff are friendly and helpful. It also gets you 50% discount at English Heritage sites during the first year, and free entry if you renew your membership. It's a good deal and I think it's reciprocal for people joining EH.
 
Why do all togs think they have a right to do this and that...and the end of the day these places have rules, usually set out to help the majority of the public and their workforces.

Just get over it, be polite and move on. I have many a picture from outside and inside the castle and have never been challenged but I am always discreet.

happy shooting. (sorry that was not aimed at you Ashley Cole)
 
Being perfectly honest with you, I can't see why you got defensive. She asked if you were taking photos for personal use or not, you could have answered quite simply "yes thank you" and let her get on her way. Why get agressive, telling her what you can and can't do?
You come across like you were itching for a challenge, rather than taking the easiest (and honest) route out.
And like others have said, your NOT allowed to take pictures where you like.
If you had spoken to me like that when asked, I would have told you to stop taking photos and moved you on straightaway.
It is one thing to stand up for your rights when someone is stopping you and they shouldn't, but completely another when they ask politely to stop if you might be doing something that your not, so could carry on.
 
Ok maybe I was wrong but when hundreds of people are taking photos and she decides to pick on me......most of the pics i took were facing away from the castle.
 
jambogaz said:
Ok maybe I was wrong but when hundreds of people are taking photos and she decides to pick on me......most of the pics i took were facing away from the castle.
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Well, if you were doing a time lapse, you would have set the tripod up and left it there for quite a while. That in itself is going to raise some suspicion. You would have been acting differently to the other togs, so you would stand out. She wasn't picking on you, she was doing her job!
 
As has been already mentioned, the castle is not a public place, and there are conditions of entry - which include no commercial photography without a licence.

The reason for this is quite simple - if you are using the castle to make money, they want a share of that which will be used to help preserve and enhance the castle for future generations.

The rather more tricky question (in my mind) is when you have a 'keen amateur' (which I guess many of us consider ourselves) who takes a picture (often one of many) on such a site and subsequently decides to sell a copy (perhaps using a site like RedBubble), or is contacted by a commercial organisation wanting to buy the rights having seen it on Flicker.

Technically, such a sale would be commercial use, and therefore prohibited under the terms of entry to most historic sites in the UK. But if the shots was taken without intent for commercial use?
 
I was under the impression the OP hadn't gone into the castle? if he/she is on a public street it's none of her business what he's doing.
 
The thread title is "At Edinburgh Castle Today". Most people would infer that the OP meant he was visiting the castle, but he posted again and said he wasn't "in the castle". The photographs suggest that he was on the Esplanade, the area outside the main gate where the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held. This is still part of the castle AFAIK, although you don't have to buy a ticket to enter it.
 
Has Markmywords taken over that thread? him and Tasavallan are never off it.
Good thread, if somewhat frustrating at times lol
Should try it on here too :bonk:
 
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