Contact K Ross…
The next great opportunity is just one contact away. New people, new locations, and new ideas…if you have a project in mind, let’s talk!
If you have any comments, questions, criticisms, or concerns about my work or my process, please do not hesitate to reach out.
KRossReadPhotography@gmail.com
The Legal Stuff
Is Street Photography LEGAL?
I am often asked questions pertaining to the legality of taking photographs in a public setting. Is it legal to record images of people without their knowledge/consent?
The short answer is YES.
In Canada, the United States, and most free countries around the world, the law protects a photographer’s right to shoot anything which be seen from public view. Unless a space is specifically designated as private property, we as photographers are fully within our rights to shoot anything and everything that occurs in front of our lenses.
With that being said, my photography also operates strictly within my own Personal Code of Ethics.
I will not publish photos which I deem to be insulting, derogatory, or demeaning in any way. I will not publish photos which I deem to be exploitative, or which take advantage of another person’s misfortune. I will not publish photos which display children’s faces unless given express consent from a parent or guardian.
I will only publish photos which I believe to have genuine artistic merit.
I will never photograph a person who has expressed their desire to not be photographed, and I will immediately delete any photo which features a person who has requested they not be recorded. If you recognize yourself in any of my work and wish to have that work removed from publication, please contact me immediately and I will do exactly that, no questions asked.
Are photographs subject to copyright protection?
Yes, photographs are considered to be “artistic works” under the current federal law which governs copyright in Canada - known as the Copyright Act. As with any artistic work, copyright protection only extends to photographs that are both “original” and “fixed” in a tangible form. Generally speaking, most photographs fit these criteria.
In the Copyright Act, a photograph is specifically defined as including “photo lithograph and any work expressed by any process analogous to photography.” Caselaw indicates that the court will consider any physical construction of a work capable of being subject to copyright.
Copyright protection starts at the time of the image creation. When using a film camera, the copyright of photograph begins the moment the image is fixed onto the film negative by clicking the camera’s shutter. When using a digital camera, the copyright of the photograph begins when the image is recorded via the electronic image sensor, typically a CCD or CMOS sensor chip.
Does this apply to photos published on the Internet?
Yes, photographs published on the Internet are still protected by copyright. Their use requires the permission of the copyright owner, unless the use is covered by an exception under the Copyright Act such as fair dealing.