A couple people have asked about the legalities of having their car
photographed at events such as the VTR National. I do photography as
a side business and specialize in vintage cars of all types. Most of
my stuff goes overseas. Generally speaking, in the US, if you and
your car are a willing participant in a publically advertised event
you may be photographed and your photograph published without your
consent in as much as this is considered "news". For example, no one
asks the players in a baseball game for consent to be photo'd, or
the people in the stands. However, if your photo (or that of your
car) is published and is misrepresented in such a way as to cause harm
to you or your reputation, then you may have legal recourse under libel
laws. For example, if I photo your nice original low mileage TR3 and it is
published with a caption that it is a put-together piece of trash
owned by a pinko-commie child molester named (your name), then you may
have legal recourse.
What I usually do with people whom I ask to photo their car is send
them a selection of the slides so they can make their own prints,
especially if they go to the trouble of positioning the car for me.
Also, when possible, I try to let them know when the and where the
photo is published and, when possible, have a copy of the publication
sent to them. This is not always possible but I always make the request.
If someone asks to shoot your car, I think it is fair to ask what it
will be used for. If someone askes to do a story on your car for a
car mag, ask which mag and can you have a copy when its run.
If all else fails, you can always say no, happens to me all the time.
Cheers,
Kurt Oblinger
Redondo Beach, Ca.
c394829@is6.mdc.com
|