Warning to travelers in Spain
Jul 31st, 2016, 02:22 PM
#1
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Warning to travelers in Spain
I would like to warn travelers in Spain not to take pictures of children. They said it is against the law in Sapin.
I arrived in the city of Huelva last June in the evening. I took a shower and started walking around the city to look for a good place to eat. Then I unexpectedly found that there was a flamenco recital by local children. The performing children (aged 6-7?) wore colorful flamenco outfit. I asked children if it's ok to take a picture of them. They said yes and posed for a nice picture. I took a picture and showed it them. Then a girl who was not dressed for performance and is a friend of performers said, how about me? Not to disappoint her I took a picture of her too. As I walked away from the crowd someone came running after me, grabbed me by my neck and tried to yank my iPhone from my hand. I thought I was being mugged. It turned out the man was the father of the non-performing girl. He was angry because I took a picture of his daughter without his permission. I offered to erase the picture, and he said no and called for the police. The police arrived in a few minutes and said it is illegal to take picture of children in Spain. I deleted all the pictures I took in the day in the presence of the police.
So there you have it, it maybe a perfect picture opportunity, but if it involves children, don't take the pictures in Spain.
I arrived in the city of Huelva last June in the evening. I took a shower and started walking around the city to look for a good place to eat. Then I unexpectedly found that there was a flamenco recital by local children. The performing children (aged 6-7?) wore colorful flamenco outfit. I asked children if it's ok to take a picture of them. They said yes and posed for a nice picture. I took a picture and showed it them. Then a girl who was not dressed for performance and is a friend of performers said, how about me? Not to disappoint her I took a picture of her too. As I walked away from the crowd someone came running after me, grabbed me by my neck and tried to yank my iPhone from my hand. I thought I was being mugged. It turned out the man was the father of the non-performing girl. He was angry because I took a picture of his daughter without his permission. I offered to erase the picture, and he said no and called for the police. The police arrived in a few minutes and said it is illegal to take picture of children in Spain. I deleted all the pictures I took in the day in the presence of the police.
So there you have it, it maybe a perfect picture opportunity, but if it involves children, don't take the pictures in Spain.
Jul 31st, 2016, 02:43 PM
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Interesting! Taking pictures of anyone without their permission is, IMO, always tricky, and taking pictures of children without their permission and that of their parents can involve some complicated issues -- but I didn't realize there were applicable laws in Spain. Thanks for letting us know!
Jul 31st, 2016, 02:49 PM
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Wikipedia, FWIW, has a comprehensive list of which countries do, don't, and do with certain restrictions, allow various kinds of photography. Spain does not allow photography of children without express permission.
Jul 31st, 2016, 03:16 PM
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Jul 31st, 2016, 03:23 PM
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Who would have thunk that? I see the potential reasons and it makes sense but Americans would never dream that this was a law - so many things we take for granted are no-no legally in Europe - I aimed a camera at a Paris meter maid once and she waved and said it is illegal to take pictures of Paris police - and you can be stopped and searched for any reason in many countries-in a car or in person, etc.
Yet one wonders how the law is enforced - what are the age limits and if I take a picture anywhere in Spain that has a child's visage in it that would be illegal? say a photo of the Ramblas - if a kid is in the picture that is illegal? Apparently.
Again I see some potential reasons for it- kids in compromising positions, etc but practically any picture of a street scene would have kids in it.
Maybe the law is more specific than that?
tominrim - thanks for posting - interesting.
Yet one wonders how the law is enforced - what are the age limits and if I take a picture anywhere in Spain that has a child's visage in it that would be illegal? say a photo of the Ramblas - if a kid is in the picture that is illegal? Apparently.
Again I see some potential reasons for it- kids in compromising positions, etc but practically any picture of a street scene would have kids in it.
Maybe the law is more specific than that?
tominrim - thanks for posting - interesting.
Jul 31st, 2016, 03:31 PM
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Laws or no, IMHO, no one should have a right to take pictures of children without parental permission with perhaps one exception - if the children are in a public performance in dance, theater, sports, etc. even then, they should not be able to make commercial uses of the Photo without parental consent.
Jul 31st, 2016, 03:49 PM
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You must have run into a very uptight Spaniard.
Funny how some people here are always quick to defend Europeans, That guy was a jerk in my opinion to call the police.
Now we know why pickpocketing is rife in Spain. The police is busy chasing photographers.
Funny how some people here are always quick to defend Europeans, That guy was a jerk in my opinion to call the police.
Now we know why pickpocketing is rife in Spain. The police is busy chasing photographers.
Jul 31st, 2016, 04:30 PM
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How terrifying.
I was schooled by a brocante vendor in Paris that it was Capital-R-Rude to take photographs of their wares without asking permission. Seemed reasonable.
But, speaking as a former portrait photographer and gallery owner, I obsessively studied the street photography of Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson. And up to now I have never hesitated to photograph the people that I encounter in my travels.
I was schooled by a brocante vendor in Paris that it was Capital-R-Rude to take photographs of their wares without asking permission. Seemed reasonable.
But, speaking as a former portrait photographer and gallery owner, I obsessively studied the street photography of Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson. And up to now I have never hesitated to photograph the people that I encounter in my travels.
Jul 31st, 2016, 04:49 PM
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I'm amazed that anyone would think this is OK to do. Taking pix of other people's kids (unless in a school performance, you are one of the parents and your child is performing too) is always a really bad idea.
But a great way to get yourself suspected of being a child molester or even involved in child trafficking - never mind violating the privacy of kids.
And how can you think a child that young could possibly give permission to have their pic taken? You should have gone directly to one of the adults in charge and asked if pictures were allowed.
I hope you have learned a very important lesson.
(And taking close ups of random teens or adults is a really bad idea too.)
Obviously street shots with a number of random people in them - that are not focused on specific people are allowed - but people do have a right to privacy.
But a great way to get yourself suspected of being a child molester or even involved in child trafficking - never mind violating the privacy of kids.
And how can you think a child that young could possibly give permission to have their pic taken? You should have gone directly to one of the adults in charge and asked if pictures were allowed.
I hope you have learned a very important lesson.
(And taking close ups of random teens or adults is a really bad idea too.)
Obviously street shots with a number of random people in them - that are not focused on specific people are allowed - but people do have a right to privacy.
Jul 31st, 2016, 05:03 PM
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In addition to the laws mentioned above, many cultures have strong norms against taking pictures of people without permission, and many people object to having their pictures taken. For those who are interested, here are some threads from the Asia board that deal with some of the issues:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...am-unhappy.cfm
and a follow-up,
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...m#last-comment
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...am-unhappy.cfm
and a follow-up,
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...m#last-comment
Jul 31st, 2016, 05:10 PM
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I am also a bit surprised a father would call the police about this. Especially since the girls were obviously part of a dance group, dressed in folkloric garb and had just performed in public.
In no way can this be compared to someone on the sidelines taking pics of kids at a school yard.
it is true that children's faces are always blurred on the news, but I live here and had no idea I would get in trouble taking photos of some girls and boys in pubic who were performing for us, the audience. I find it an exaggeration in this case that the police were called, but maybe since that one girl was photographed by herself, the situation had changed to warrant a parental concern.
In no way can this be compared to someone on the sidelines taking pics of kids at a school yard.
it is true that children's faces are always blurred on the news, but I live here and had no idea I would get in trouble taking photos of some girls and boys in pubic who were performing for us, the audience. I find it an exaggeration in this case that the police were called, but maybe since that one girl was photographed by herself, the situation had changed to warrant a parental concern.
Jul 31st, 2016, 06:13 PM
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I don't think anyone was defending Europeans. Pics of friends' kids at a party, OK. Not OK to take pics of kids you do not know without parental permission. Plus, parents should know what the photographer is going to do with the pictures.
Jul 31st, 2016, 06:16 PM
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"I'm amazed that anyone would think this is OK to do. Taking pix of other people's kids (unless in a school performance, you are one of the parents and your child is performing too) is always a really bad idea."
Agree. And not just kids. Locals in a foreign country are not props for your
" souvenirs".
Agree. And not just kids. Locals in a foreign country are not props for your
" souvenirs".
