By Bert P. Krages, Esq
Amherst Media, Inc., $39.95, 160 pages
It’s every photographer’s nightmare – legalities. Model releases, copyright protection, privacy laws and other confounding legal issues that surround image-making breed photographers who either shoot with blissful ignorance, paranoia or rashness. Bert P. Krages, ESQ., an advocate for photographer’s rights, seeks to educate photographers through his book Legal Handbook for Photographers, now in its third edition.
“A street photographer may forgo documenting the history of a community because some uninformed persons tells him that anti-terrorism laws prohibit taking photographs of city buses (they do not).”
This book is not for lawyers; it’s written for the average photographer and addresses the common legal issues that can and do arise in a thorough, approachable manner. Abandoning typical legal jargon, Krages discusses laws that pertain to photographers, not only warning photographers away from the prohibited, but specifically empowering them by delineating their rights. More than telling readers what they can’t shoot, Krages informs them of what they can. The information is as eye-opening as it is vital and covers a broad range of subjects, from photographing public buildings to seizures of equipment.
Legal Handbook for Photographers belongs in any responsible photographer’s library. Note though that laws change, as well as vary between States, but with a lawyer on hand to clarify specifics and this book, photographers can thankfully shoot away.
Reviewed by Andrea Klein
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