Taking photos at events

Liam_89

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Liam
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Hi all,
Just have a question that’s had me wondering all day,
I’m not a pro by any means I’m just very much a beginner getting into the swing of things,
Learning as I go along,
I was at a mountain bike track today watching the bikes do the jumps,
I got my camera out to take some shots of the riders coming over the jumps and I was approached by a fellow photographer whom said he does this professional and that I shouldn’t be here taking pics and that I need all kinds of insurance,
I got quite intimidated and worried so I left,
Do I need a special kind of licence to take photos and insurance,
Maybe I’m being silly but it’s got me thinking everywhere I go now for photos,
That I need special insurance etc..
I’m not making money out of it I just do it as a fun hobby, pretty much like most people,
Please help ?
Thank you
For reference it was the Descend bike park in hamsterley forest, County Durham
 
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I looked up the website and there is no obvious section that mentioned photography.

But as far as I could tell it is a paid entry venue.........so what if anything does the terms & conditions say on the ticket. NB AFAIK all such (competition?) venues have terms that exclude photography for commercial purposes.

If you were shooting from public areas then surely not a terms or insurance matter but note you need to be very you are actually on public not private land.

If there is no clarity ask the site administration about hobby photography at the site????
 
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No signs, nothing on the ticket, programme or website then likely no problem ... but it isn't the place of another photographer to tell you that you can't take photos.
 
Sounds like the other tog was worried you we're trying to steal business lol, he was more than likely getting paid to shoot the bikers. I'd of kept shooting unless a park official said otherwise, pretty certain you don't need permission to photograph in Hamsterly, I've been numerous times and I've never once been told to stop
 
last time i was at brands hatch for superbikes there must have been 1000+ photographers there the pro's don't worry about us "novices" they just get on with there job as said above he was probably the paid tog for the event.
 
Thanks for the replies it’s appreciated,
Great site this always very helpful no matter what I ask,
I contacted their Facebook page and I was just told that there is no problem at all to take photos and no license or insurance is needed,
He kept banging on about public liability insurance,
Which I’m no stranger to as I have it for my drone,
She asked who the other guy was and I told her,
I was told to ignore him and go in for a cuppa next time,
Overall I’m really happy as I was worried I shouldn’t of been there,
It’s a weekly event every Saturday and I just live down the road and thought it would be Great to go up and try it,
I believe the said person is there every week too,
I won’t mention who the other guy was but his photos are plentiful on the said Facebook account,
Thank you for the advice
 
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Sounds like a mutually understood setup.

Clearly(?) that other tog has either got the wrong end of the stick or he was chancing it for whatever reason he thinks suited him???

PS if it is GL on the FB page then there is one b&w image showing both the rider and a tog.....what gives, eh :LOL:
 
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Sounds like a mutually understood setup.

Clearly(?) that other got has either got the wrong end of the stick or he was chancing it for whatever reason he thinks suited him???

PS if it is GL on the FB page then there is one b&w image showing both the rider and a toy.......what gives, eh :LOL:
No It wasn’t GL, I’ll just go casually go and do it now, in knowledge I have permission
 
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It wasn’t GL, but there is another gentleman...
Could not find those initials.

Oh, don't post a link because Google trawls TP and this thread will show in searches ;)

PS I see you have edited :)
 
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I go to Oulton Park. The pros don't give a damn about the 100's of amateurs. They get to places we can't and get better shots than we can. Sounds like you've got a camera club guy hoping you won't beat his competition entry.
Next time just thank him for his help and carry on doing what you fancy.
 
As an amateur, you don't surely don't need PL insurance. It may well come with house or camera insurance anyway. As said, unless photography is specifically banned, they you and every other spectator either with a "proper" camera, or a mobile phone can take any (??) picture you like. I certainly would not be without my proper camera, and would be looking for candid photos as well.................

"off" might have been the second word of my reply.................
 
Tell him to shove his L up where the sun don't shine. Unless there were clear signs telling you that there's no unauthorised photography. TBH, he should have been concentrating on doing his job rather than trying to protect his income. Obviously, stay out of his shooting line but if he was official, he possibly had access to spots not accessible to the general public. A quick "'Scuse me, mate, I need to get a shot of Jack Blogger getting some air." would have been a much better approach to you than "Get orf moi land!"
 
Tell him to shove his L up where the sun don't shine. Unless there were clear signs telling you that there's no unauthorised photography. TBH, he should have been concentrating on doing his job rather than trying to protect his income. Obviously, stay out of his shooting line but if he was official, he possibly had access to spots not accessible to the general public. A quick "'Scuse me, mate, I need to get a shot of Jack Blogger getting some air." would have been a much better approach to you than "Get orf moi land!"
Thanks all again for the replies and assurance,
From what I can tell he wasn’t official but I’m guessing someone who’s been going for photos for some time to that location and didn’t like anyone else in on the action,
I will surely be visiting again next week after reading the comments above
Cheers all, it’s appreciated
 
Stories like this come up from time to time on here. It's just scaremongering, someone trying to protect income.

The photographers at this kind of event are nothing like the professionals at big sporting venues who are working for media companies. These guys shoot pictures of the competitors, often in some kind of 'official' arrangement with the organiser, and then sell them on-line. They see anyone with a 'big camera' as a threat, and TBF it's not uncommon for those images to find their way on to Flickr etc where they get used for free. You may or may not want to respect that; the organisers should be able to tell you what the score is.
 
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