Explore by type

Explore by location

Explore further

Photographers rights in the UK

Disclaimer: The information posted here originates from an app that has since been discontinued on The App Store. The following information is provided with no guarantee of accuracy, and does not represent a legal opinion. If you are in any doubt, consult a solicitor.

General Rules

You can take photos in public places or in places where you have permission to do so. You can also take photos where there is no statute or ordinance which prohibits doing so. Such places include but are not exclusive to; airports, ferry terminals, ports, prisons, places of government.

Public Places

You can take photos:

  1. in streets
  2. in public parks
  3. in sidewalks

BUT, you cannot take photographs in connection with any business, profession or employment in:

  1. Trafalgar Square
  2. Parliament Square
  3. Royal Parks

You need permission from the Greater London Authority in order to be able to take photographs there. Tourist photos in these squares and parks in London are allowed.

Free Passages

It is a criminal offence to obstruct a free passage, such as:

  1. highways
  2. footways
  3. roads
  4. cycle paths

Be sure that you do not decide to put your tripod in a busy street, or in the middle of a road because you could be obstructing free passage.

Private Places

If you are not in the premisses of a property owner, the you can take a photograph. However, for reasons of National Security you can be prohibited of taking photos of that property.

If you are in the premisses of the property owner, then you should honour their will. If you are told to not take photos then you should not take them. If you do, that could be “trespass”, regardless of any damage to the property.

The property owner can impose on you conditions they wish while you are in the premises. If you do not honour the will of the property, they or their agents can use “reasonable force” to prevent you from taking photos.

If you have permission of the property owner to take photos in their premises, then you can do so.

Property owners cannot prohibit people to take photos about their property from different locations, outside the premises (only in cases of National Security).

Security guards & employees

As a general rule, no one can stop you from taking a photo for “security reasons”. However, they can keep you away from certain areas because you are or might be “impeding activities or endangering safety”.

Even if they keep you away from a certain area for “impeding their activities or endangering safety”, they cannot prohibit you from taking a photo from another location, unless it is prohibited in that location.

As a general rule, you cannot be detained unless you have committed a crime in their presence and could be seen as being unlawfully detained.

Confiscation & erasing of SD cards, films & cameras

Security guards & employees of organisations or property owners have NO right to confiscate your SD card or your camera. They cannot erase your SD card. If they do, they could be committing an offence or crime; for example “destroying evidence”.

Law enforcement (police) may have authority to seize your SD cards or film when making an arrest for potentially “having suspicious articles” in accordance with the Terrorism Act. However, if that is not the case, they would need to obtain a court order/warrant to do so.

Your conduct

In order to have power on your side…

  1. you have to be polite
  2. you must not get aggressive
  3. you must avoid violence at all costs

If you want to be safe while taking photos, you should carry business cards, have a portfolio/website easily available or have other evidence to explain your hobby.

Laws and further reading