Hi all,
I have a question regarding the rights to shoot at urban buildings (ie. shopping malls, condos, etc).
I had a look thru the newbie articles, in particular this one:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/arti...s-singapore-governing-photography-public.html
So, while its pretty clear that there are no specific laws against photography in public, the specific question i have in mind is:
Do building managements (security guards & such) have legal basis to prevent photographers from shooting their property whilst standing in public spaces (ie. public road, pavement sidewalk, etc)
If we were inside their property, trying to photograph their interiors, then logically they would have every legal right to deny us from shooting.
Let me list a few of the experiences I've had so far, to illustrate:
1) Joo Chiat: I was doing a short urban walkabout shoot, shooting mainly the unique heritage shophouses there. And there was this security guard from Joo Chiat complex who practically shadowed me all the way as I walking & shooting the shophouses from the public pavement sidewalk. When I turned around to snap a shot of Joo Chiat complex, he came rushing up to me, saying I cannot take pictures.
2) Maju Mall @ Serangoon Gardens: I happened to visit Serangoon Gardens once, and was quite amazed at the transformation. In particular the new Maju Mall which replaced the older building I remembered. The architecture was rather stunning with the green concept & all, so I whipped out my compact (not even my dslr) & took a series of shots from the public roadside. Once again ... the resident security guard came rushing up, saying the building management does not allow photos of the building to be taken ... I was shocked .... considering that IF I were any of the residents living in the nearby landed houses there, would it be ILLEGAL for me to say open my bedroom window on a nice sunny day, whip out my iphone and take a picture of the neighbourhood that has Maju Mall in it!!??
3) Un-named Condo ### : Walking along this anonymous public sidewalk next to a public road, I happened to be intrigued by the architecture. This time, I used my iPHONE to take some random shots. And once again ... the ever-vigilant member of the security guard species came rushing out of his 'cell' (the dirty little guardhouse), to warn me not to take pictures ... this time with a verbal threat to call the police ...
I'm rather disturbed by these incidents, as these were all non-government or military installations.
I'm really curious as to the extent of the building managments' legal rights ... considering that I was on public area the whole time.
I would like to garner some comments/opinions from forum members regarding this issue (preferably with legal references).
Thank you for viewing.
I have a question regarding the rights to shoot at urban buildings (ie. shopping malls, condos, etc).
I had a look thru the newbie articles, in particular this one:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/arti...s-singapore-governing-photography-public.html
So, while its pretty clear that there are no specific laws against photography in public, the specific question i have in mind is:
Do building managements (security guards & such) have legal basis to prevent photographers from shooting their property whilst standing in public spaces (ie. public road, pavement sidewalk, etc)
If we were inside their property, trying to photograph their interiors, then logically they would have every legal right to deny us from shooting.
Let me list a few of the experiences I've had so far, to illustrate:
1) Joo Chiat: I was doing a short urban walkabout shoot, shooting mainly the unique heritage shophouses there. And there was this security guard from Joo Chiat complex who practically shadowed me all the way as I walking & shooting the shophouses from the public pavement sidewalk. When I turned around to snap a shot of Joo Chiat complex, he came rushing up to me, saying I cannot take pictures.
2) Maju Mall @ Serangoon Gardens: I happened to visit Serangoon Gardens once, and was quite amazed at the transformation. In particular the new Maju Mall which replaced the older building I remembered. The architecture was rather stunning with the green concept & all, so I whipped out my compact (not even my dslr) & took a series of shots from the public roadside. Once again ... the resident security guard came rushing up, saying the building management does not allow photos of the building to be taken ... I was shocked .... considering that IF I were any of the residents living in the nearby landed houses there, would it be ILLEGAL for me to say open my bedroom window on a nice sunny day, whip out my iphone and take a picture of the neighbourhood that has Maju Mall in it!!??
3) Un-named Condo ### : Walking along this anonymous public sidewalk next to a public road, I happened to be intrigued by the architecture. This time, I used my iPHONE to take some random shots. And once again ... the ever-vigilant member of the security guard species came rushing out of his 'cell' (the dirty little guardhouse), to warn me not to take pictures ... this time with a verbal threat to call the police ...
I'm rather disturbed by these incidents, as these were all non-government or military installations.
I'm really curious as to the extent of the building managments' legal rights ... considering that I was on public area the whole time.
I would like to garner some comments/opinions from forum members regarding this issue (preferably with legal references).
Thank you for viewing.
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