Can I Take Pix At Heathrow, Paddington, Etc.?

[wgerrard]

I leave for 8 days in London in a few days and I'm curious about taking pictures at airports (Heathrow), rail stations (Paddington and Kings Cross) and Tube stations.

Can any Londoners around here comment on the current state of play re: photographers and those locations? This is a pleasure trip and I'm not interested in hassling with overzealous folks even if they're wrong. I do have more sense than to point a camera at a cop or an obvious security situation.

 

[FrozenInTime]

I was down on business last week and took a few picture at Kings Cross without any hassle at all.
I even asked a platform supervisor if he would mind stepping to the side while I put the camera on a barrier to take a few long exposure motion blur shots with my Hassy SWC. I also took a few at tube stations without problems.

At LHR I can't see any problems - as long as you don't take anything in the queues for security checks etc.

There was recently a official response to the petition on photographers rights from No. 10 Downing street: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20750

On 16 February 2009, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 (Commencement No.2) Order 2009 brought in to force section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000
(inserted by section 76 of the CTA 2008), offences relating to information about members of the armed forces etc.

Section 58A makes it an offence to publish, communicate, elicit or attempt to elicit information about any of such persons which is of a kind
likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Contrary to some media and public misconception, section 58A does not make it illegal to photograph a police officer,
military personnel or member of the intelligence services.

On the 18 August 2009, the Home Office published the following information via its website to clarify photography in relation to section 58A.

Photography and Section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000

The offence concerns information about persons who are or have been at the front line of counter-terrorism operations, namely the police,
the armed forces and members of the security and intelligence agencies.

An officer making an arrest under section 58A must reasonably suspect that the information is of a kind likely to be useful to a person
committing or preparing an act of terrorism. An example might be gathering information about the person’s house, car, routes to work and other movements.

Reasonable excuse under section 58A

It is a statutory defence for a person to prove that they had a reasonable excuse for eliciting, publishing or communicating the relevant information.
Legitimate journalistic activity (such as covering a demonstration for a newspaper) is likely to constitute such an excuse.
Similarly, an innocent tourist or other sight-seer taking a photograph of a police officer is likely to have a reasonable excuse.

 

[wgerrard]

Thanks, that's good to know. I'd read about the petition on photographers' rights and the response, but had not seen text of it, so thanks for that, too.

 

[kully]

Hello Bill,

Paddington and just about anywhere will be fine. Heathrow airport has signs where photography is forbidden (passport control is one area, security check is another), but feel free to snap away wherever else you like.

Don't believe the hype about people getting slapped to the ground and their cameras torn in two by police officers before being bounced from your bonce... I've only had trouble twice in England - once was when I took a snap of a couple of lads who were secretly gay and another of a lady who was secretly gay.

If you're in London coming Sunday (a week today), we're having a little meet and spending the day walking around London.

 

[sircarl]

A few months ago I was stopped by a guard from taking photos in Charing Cross station. He said it was an anti-terrorist measure. I checked at the information desk, and a supervisor came over and said that was indeed the rule. But he also said it was all right to take tourist-type photos of friends at the station. I never did figure it out, so I left.

 

[victoriapio]

I was in London last year and at Victoria Station I had taken hundreds of photos when I was approached by station security. They asked that I not take pictures for security reasons. I was ready to walk back to the hotel anyway so I told them no problem and left. I told them I was a tourist from Texas and that seemed to ease things a bit.

 

[MartinP]

Similarly, an innocent tourist or other sight-seer taking a photograph of a police officer is likely to have a reasonable excuse.


Hmm, innocent tourists eh ?That's what they all say y'know.
Actually, if the OP has anything nasty happen to him, perhaps he could let Roger Hicks know in the thread he is running on mild torture as an aid-and-encouragement to camera-designers.

More seriously, I don't live in the UK anymore, but am another person who has had no trouble in the locations mentioned during visits.

 

[andrewmore]

Network Rail

Network Rail

If you go to www.networkrail.co.uk and enter photography in the search box you will find as the first entry useful advice. The stations mentioned in the original query are managed by Network Rail and photography shouldn't be a problem, although they do rather entertainlingly suggest you print out their rules for you to have with you will probably know more about photography than their staff. The section about 'extra eyes and ears' is interesting and appears to follows the same logic that London Underground now uses about official buskers - the more photographers and buskers around, the less crime there will be. Many train stations have and indeed welcome 'trainspotters' as these eccentric but harmless creatures do bring in income in terms of tickets and refreshment sales - trainspotters are usually armed with cameras and nobody seems to bother them. London Underground has different rules about photography and their web-site should be consulted - tourist type photography (unless you are using flash or getting in the way) seems to be tolerated though. For airport photgraphy see the web site for the airport or ring their general number and ask for the security controller at the relevnt terminal - these bods are most helpful (for example in getting x-ray sensitive film through security).

Regards

Andrew More

 

[mike kim]

I've taken many photos in tube and train stations in London without any problem. I would be more careful at the airport though.

 

[rogerchristian]

It appears that if you can find somebody who looks like they may know, it can't hurt to politely ask if there are any problem areas. You get the powers on your side, and can say you asked xxx about it before starting.

It s amazing that in this day, when anything can be photographed on the sly anywhere, that they bother any more. Hard to argue with 100,000,000, conservatively, camera phones!

 

[Rob-F]

Don't believe the hype about people getting slapped to the ground and their cameras torn in two by police officers before being bounced from your bonce... I've only had trouble twice in England - once was when I took a snap of a couple of lads who were secretly gay and another of a lady who was secretly gay.

If it was such a big secret, why did they tell you? It could not have been much of a secret!

 

[kully]

🙂 They told me when I asked why they wanted me to delete the photo. I cut out the negative and posted it to them.