photographing in Paris?

In these days, filmfan, amongst the more politically correct, the proper way to characterize individuals in the status you've named is this: a person who is in some country other than that of their native birth, has no legally binding relationship with a person from the, shall we say "host" country, that would thereby enable their status in the host country as comporting with applicable law, but yet who maintains their "residence" in that host country, notwithstanding the absence of credentials certifying the legitimacy of their residence there in. :D :D or, as some say in the US might say: "they are "undocumented Demorats" LOL
 
Paris...

Paris...

Two words... Shoot away.

It is similar to shooting in Tokyo, New York, Barcelona or Toronto, people are oblivious to cameras.
 
L Collins said:
Whilein most cases the right to control such use involves the possibility for an individual to refuse publication of his or her image, it also covers the individual’s right to object to the recording, conservation and reproduction of the image by another person.

With that in mind, as a general rule, it is illegal to take pictures of persons in public places in France without their express permission.
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With all due respect, I believe the right to one's image (droit à l'image) is the right to object any use of his or her image, mostly commercial uses and abusive uses. In other words, you can take pictures in public places, keep them, and, in some cases, even publish them without consent. But it's not a good idea to sell them.

The article 9 of the French Civil Code, with which juges (not lawmakers) have invented the right that all photographers hate, is actually about the respect to one's private life. The fact the right can be claimed for a picture taken in a public place should suggest a privacy in a broader sense. However, the application of the article (on the publication without consent) in France is now (since 2009) offset by the article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is about the freedom of expression.

My advice is to be confident, smart and polite.

For those who can read French, more information can be found:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_%C3%A0_l%27image_des_personnes_en_France
http://www.courdecassation.fr/publi...ion_2009_2866/no_709_3264/jurisprudence_3266/
 
candidcameraman said:
...It is similar to shooting in Tokyo, New York, Barcelona or Toronto, people are oblivious to cameras.
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Photographing people is generally not a problem in Paris, but it's simply not true that it's as problem-free as in Tokyo (or Bangkok), where most people really don't mind being photographed. One needs to be somewhat circumspect in Paris and it's somewhat harder to photograph people close up in an way that imparts a sens of immediacy: people in the street will often veer or look away when you photogarph them. Two experiences in a café where I usually have breakfast in the rue des Petits Carreaux: one man came up to me and said that he didn't mind my taking his picture but wanted a copy and gave me his address, and a pretty waitress came over with a sour look saying that another customer had told her that I was taking pictures of her and wanted to know if it was true; i told her that I was taking pictures of the café when she walked into the frame. It was true, but she walked away still with a sour look.

—Mitch/Potomac, MD
Paris au rythme de Basquiat and Other Poems [download link for book project]
 
L Collins said:
Wow! Those are the French National Police. You're lucky they didn't break that camera over your head. In my experience, you NEVER point a camera at them.
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It is apparently illegal to photograph the police in France, just as it is illegal to exhibit somebody's "image" without their consent. The police really don't mind, unless they're really in the middle of an operation. It happened to me a few times, and they never appeared to want to "break that camera over my head", they just gave me a clear warning.

I did notice that expats feel offended/surprised by their (the locals') request to stop photographing, and in turn, whether they're police or not, they get irritated by the seeming arrogance of the expat ("why, I have the right!" -- unfortunately, no). Different countries, different customs, different laws...

This is where the perceived "crankiness of the French" comes in: the French love to argue and they have an opinion about you-name-it, but they do not tend to be aggressive about it. The candor is perceived as aggressive by foreigners, who only express themselves openly when their emotions run high (it's either "that's a-mazing!" or "that's effin' bull...") Boilerplate qualifier: in general.

Anyway, general sentiment towards public photography is pretty easy going. Unlike, say, the one found in London.

One easy rule to remember: courtesy. Do your stuff in a courteous manner, you'll be treated the same. There are no flash-point "zero tolerance" attitudes as commonly found in the U.S. If you don't abuse this freedom of "laissez-faire", they will let you "laisser faire". :)
 
Michiel Fokkema said:
Haha, get arrested! You're funny.
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Rogier said:
No its not the USA
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Its just that I read so much about the police's negative attitude towards harmless tourist photographers in the UK and in the mix with it the fact that I did not travel outside of Germany for several years :)bang: ) that made me wonder.

So in general it is pretty much similar to the situation overhere and I prepare myself for more people maybe asking what I do or arguing.
Apart from that I don't even think that there will be much time, because I will attent a conference there.
 
In around four decades of shooting there, I have had precisely ONE problem in Paris. Twenty-five or thirty years ago I was shooting the Arc de Triomphe on 4x5 inch with a tripod. A policeman was watching me. When I'd finished, he strolled over and told me that I really ought to get a permit to use the tripod. When I tried, various bureaucrats looked at me as if I was crazy. Technically, yes, they said, I should have a permit, but as they'd never issued one, they didn't know how...

Since then I've used a tripod lots and never been hassled. True, I don't shove my cameras in unwilling subjects' faces, but then, why would I?

Cheers,

R.
 
I have lived in Paris for eleven years. Just relax. If anybody asks, just say that your photos are not for commercial use. French law regarding "droit à l'image" is indeed strict. But it mainly refers to images that are published. I take pictures of cops all the time, including the kind pictured above (those are actually Gendarmes Mobiles, not CRS which is the riot division of the National Police). Just dress normally, act polite and move along if you are asked to stop. Avoid close-ups of children, women breastfeeding... the usual!
 
filmfan said:
What a PC world we live in! Can't say anything anymore...
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- Yeah, look at that broad with the retard.
- That woman's son has Down's Syndrome.
- Yeah, that's what I meant.
- Did you?
- A guy can't speak without getting his chops busted these days.
- I was not busting anything.
- Go get your cranberry juice.
- What do you mean?
- You know whaddameant, no? So cranky.
 
Paris is a good place for street
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I was in Paris for a week way back in 2008. Enjoyed shooting there. The only 2 photo related incidents was, first, in La Defense when some guy was trying to grab my friggin' camera.

Then there was another moment when some Asian woman, evidently a local, saw me walking around Gare du Nord with the camera around my neck and warned me about thieves.

By all means, shoot away in Paris, but do be careful about your personal safety. And doubtless, like in most other big cities, there would be areas to be extra vigilant. The thing is, even in the Louvre Museum there are thieves. Just the other day, the staff there shut the joint down in protest against the invasion of thieves.
 
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