RE: Santa Barbara Soap

[petermarshall@xxxxxxxxx (Peter Marshall)]

> Unfortunately it does happen in the UK...at least in the city parks in
> Scotland anyway.
> There was a small article a couple of weeks ago in the British Journal 
> of
> Photography, about Aberdeen parks charging a not inconsiderable sum to
> wedding photographers for using the parks as a background. In Glasgow 
> parks
> I have been asked on a number of occasions by gardeners if I have 
> permission
> to take photographs.

I've never had this sort of problem with just photographing parks - 
although if I was setting up groups or other types of commercial 
photography I would not be surprised to be asked for a facility fee. Nor 
would I feel it unreasonable, as I pay tax for parks for the general use 
of the public and not as free studio space. Just another cost to pass on 
to the client in any case!

I do get hassled fairly regularly by private security men when 
photographing buildings etc, but at the moment in the UK you are generally 
within your rights if you are on the public highway. However it isn't 
always clear whether or not this is the case. Occasionally it has worked 
when I've told them to phone their supervisor to check or invited them to 
call the police, but usually by the time they get to me I have taken the 
picture I want in any case.  

Peter Marshall

On Fixing Shadows and elsewhere:
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~ds8s
Family Pictures, German Indications, London demonstrations & 
The Buildings of London etc: http://www.spelthorne.ac.uk/pm/