legal advice *please*

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dionbee93

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Dion Bee
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Hi guys,
We (my family) own a piece of land and i was there taking photos yesterday, when the guy that lives next door started shouting abuse at me, asking what was my problem and why i was taking photos etc.
I didn't say anything back but i just want to know:

Is it legal to shoot a photo of his land/house if im standing on my own land?

because he said he would report me if he found any photos of his house or land on my camera, of course i havent got any, but i wanted to shoot some stuff that would have his house/land in the frame.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dion!

Edit: I always thought that it was legal to shoot anything if you were stood on public or private ground (owned by yourself)
Thanks
 
dionbee93 said:
Edit: I always thought that it was legal to shoot anything if you were stood on public or private ground (owned by yourself)
Thanks
Click to expand...

yes it is. Carry on. I'd go back with a tripod, a picnic chair and a box of sandwiches and settle down for the day. The local loon will have a coronary - job done.
 
Thanks for that, its just that i didn't say anything because i wan't sure if i could.
Is it the same with shooting people then?

Dion!
 
If he wants to buy some tin foil hats of me to help with his paranoia problems I'll be happy to help, for a price.
 
If that was the case, then surely a lot of landscape togs would be sued for their images of other peoples land?
What a grump he sounds :D
 
cheers, Sorry to keep asking questions, but, is it legal then, to shoot at his house (e.g. on purpose? or just in frame or accidentally?

Thanks,

Dion!
 
I'd be inclined to look upon it as an opportunity to wind him up:D.
 
It's legal to shoot people without their permission (think street photography) as long as you're careful what's it's used for.
It's legal to shoot buildings - there's been a long running thread on here about taking photos of National Trust buildings and the consensus was that it's fine as long as you're not on their land.

Google have just won their case that the Street View images are legal and do not constitute a a problem under privacy or data protection laws.

If you were going to be building on the land you'd need photos of the area around the plot as part of your planning permissions.



Rather than wind him up, why don't you find out what his problem was? Does he know that you own the land you were on?
If you can't talk him round.... then it's the time to break out the tripod and deckchair as suggested above!
 
Tell him that you have set up a camouflaged time lapse camera to protect your land to show any one on it. and that it will also give protection to his property.

Might just blow a fuze.....:gag:
 
I'd advise you don't wind him up, thats not going to help the situation, if he comes out, calmly explain what your doing is legal and that your on your own land, explain why your shooting pics (yes I know you don't have to) but he just may understand if you take the trouble to explain(and it'll look good if it goes to court).
The last thing you wan't is a really p****d off neighbour, after all you have to live by him, why make life difficult. Wayne
 
My half-brother is 12 years older than me and doesn't use the t'Internet. Visiting for lunch five years ago, I took some snaps around his home and put them on a webpage for my sister to see. My half-brother was furious! Through my sister and sister-in-law I spent a lot of time trying to allay his fears (the page had been removed by then), apparently unsuccessfully as I've not seen or spoken to him since.

We all have real and irrational fears. When we come across them in others we can meet a brick wall. Push too hard and the wall will collapse, perhaps harming ourselves.
 
Hmmmm and how is he going to see what you have taken on your camera?

He has no right to see your pics without a court order and if he took so much as a step towards you then threatening behaviour under Offences Against the Persons Act here we come.

Don't try to wind him up but don't run away either. Be polite and tell him that you are pefectly entitled to take any pictures you want from your own land but you understand his (albeit irrational wishes) and you will do your best to take them into account.

Then just carry on and do what you like. :)

If that doesn't work we can get all the wildlife togs with lenses like bazookas round and watch him implode :) (Joking!)

What's he up to that he's so paranoid?
 
While you're entirely within your right to take photos as you have described, I would not deliberately do it to wind him up as some have suggested, even tongue in cheek.

As to his reaction, I suppose it kind of depends what you were shooting! If you were standing there pointing a long telephoto lens at his wife in the bathroom, he may have valid cause for complaint! :lol::nuts:

On the other hand, incidentally showing part of his house or field is hardly worth getting a head of steam up over.
 
As far as the law is concerned I think you only have to worry about invasion of privacy (taking pictures of his wife in the bathroom :lol:) and harassment.

It doesn't sound like you're doing either as you're worried about just getting his house in the frame.

I'd also get my deckchair out with tripod have have a relaxing afternoon. Some people are a bit :cuckoo:
 
Furtim said:
If you were standing there pointing a long telephoto lens at his wife in the bathroom, he may have valid cause for complaint!
Click to expand...

So that's why I got filled in last week...
 
dionbee93 said:
cheers, Sorry to keep asking questions, but, is it legal then, to shoot at his house (e.g. on purpose? or just in frame or accidentally?

Thanks,

Dion!
Click to expand...

Only with the camera.
 
dionbee93 said:
Hi guys,
We (my family) own a piece of land and i was there taking photos yesterday, when the guy that lives next door started shouting abuse at me, asking what was my problem and why i was taking photos etc.
Click to expand...

What sort of relationship did you have with this neighbour prior to the incident you described?
 
hi thanks, to all who have responded, we don't live on this piece of land, we are wanting planning permission on it, and he really doesn't like that.

I've just been there now to take some photos of a teperaph pole thats near our gate (as we wish to have it removed) and he came up to me and followed me around (on his side of the fence) and, when i took a photo of the entrance of the gate, which also has a path to his house he started taking photos of me with his compact. (I'm 16, is that legal?)

I really don't know what his problem was, and i have no photos of his house atall!

Rant over,

Thanks,

Dion!
 
dionbee93 said:
hi thanks, to all who have responded, we don't live on this piece of land, we are wanting planning permission on it, and he really doesn't like that.

I've just been there now to take some photos of a teperaph pole thats near our gate (as we wish to have it removed) and he came up to me and followed me around (on his side of the fence) and, when i took a photo of the entrance of the gate, which also has a path to his house he started taking photos of me with his compact. (I'm 16, is that legal?)

I really don't know what his problem was, and i have no photos of his house atall!

Rant over,

Thanks,

Dion!
Click to expand...

Of course it's legal. It works both ways. I hope you got some shots of him too?
 
Bill Roberts said:
Of course it's legal. It works both ways. I hope you got some shots of him too?
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yes, of couse, i just thought that i might be underage for him to ttake pics of me, I only took some of him after he started to take some of me, just so i had proof.

Thanks,

Dion!
 
dionbee93 said:
yes, of couse, i just thought that i might be underage for him to ttake pics of me, I only took some of him after he started to take some of me, just so i had proof.

Thanks,

Dion!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about it Dion. There are some strange people out there, but in reality he probably didn't know who you were or what you were up to. And people can be a bit too paranoid about photography at times. Just don't give in though, you're not doing anything wrong at all.

cheers
Bill
 
Bill Roberts said:
I wouldn't worry about it Dion. There are some strange people out there, but in reality he probably didn't know who you were or what you were up to. And people can be a bit too paranoid about photography at times. Just don't give in though, you're not doing anything wrong at all.

cheers
Bill
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hi, i dont care that he has a photo of me, its just that i want to know if its legal or not, becase he reports us for anything, even me learning to drive around the field with my dad - (he reported me for making eccessive noise) in the afternoon!
He knows exactly who i am, and how old i am, because i'm in school with his kids.

Thanks,

Dion!
 
Sounds like he's just got a screw loose, best off leaving well alone.
 
Yes it's still legal for him to take pics of you. There is no age limit.

Just take care and stay polite and you should be OK, have you told your Dad?
 
The real reason he is taking this attitude I suspect is that you are seeking planning permission to erect some form of building is my guess. So in his mind he is going to do everything possible to stop the plans being passed.
For some reason in his mind he thinks that your taking of these photos is grounds to stop the plans being passed.

As others have said there is nothing to stop you taking those photos as long as you are on your own land. I would suggest however that you wait until that person goes out before you take them, then he would be none the wiser and not give him cause to create
more trouble.

Realspeed
 
Dionbee93 maybe we should arrange to have a togs meet at your place could you imagine 30-50 togs taking photos across your land. The guy would have a hissy fit:p
 
The "piece of land" description gave me the impression it was more that just a building plot, I agree if he is going to be an immediate neighbour no point in falling out with him.

Neighbours, had my share of bad ones...............another thread perhaps:)
 
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