Someone asked me about GDPR and Field Target, it’s pretty simple really.
Firstly, all events I’ve been to are public and as such any pictures I take doesn’t impact on your rights or freedoms, it’s a public place, it’s exactly the same as street photography. There is no law that prohibits a photographer taking pictures in public of anyone, including children, more on that later.
Second, historically pictures have been taken at all field target events since it started and those pictures have all been published, so you would have reasonable exceptions that photographs will continue to be taken and published.
Thirdly, as a photographer I have a balanced test for legitimate interests to be taking pictures, one my lawyer tells me would stand up in a court of law. I run a news site and have published 10,000+ pictures that have brought people into the sport and supported it for the last 5yrs, there can be no doubt about that.
Forth, people know me and know that I don’t hassle shooters, I stand back and never get in people’s faces, if I can see someone is struggling, I move on, I show respect because in about 2hrs I’ll be shooting too.
It’s all about proving Legitimate Interests when in public places, for most if not all shoots you give your consent when signing in and up for the event and remember, it’s a public event, there is NO law against taking pictures in public places, none.
As a photographer, I have my own ethics on what’s OK and what isn’t.
1. I don’t hassle people or get in their way. If I spot they are struggling I move on.
2. I don’t take pictures of anyone under 18 without the permission of an adult/guardian.
3. If someone asked me to NOT take a picture I wouldn’t, this has only happened once and it was a request by the shooter while doing disciplines, I simply said no problem.
4. I don’t take unkind pictures, pictures of people in vulnerable positions or pictures that make people look bad.
5. I don’t SD Card dump, I spend hours going through my pictures, editing to find the best pictures that make the sport and myself look good.
I’ve never had anyone refuse or request not to be photographed, everyone supports what I’m doing and in return, I’ve never charged anyone that’s taken or downloaded one of my pictures and I’ve no plans to charge anyone in the future either. I see my pictures as a service to promote the sport and our shooters, a celebration.
Lots of people don’t understand GDPR and perhaps I’m one of the few people that have actually read all the documents, and as a member of AOP (https://www.the-aop.org/) I know what the law is and now so do you.
