Legal and ethical consideration.

Legal & Ethical Considerations:




There are a lot of legal and ethical considerations that photographer's have to consider throughout their careers to produce their photography. There are a lot of laws that a photographer has to be aware of and may easily come into conflict with if not the properly versed with up to date laws that apply to a photographer
Listed below are the subjects that may be of concern and may affect how a photographer goes about his or hers everyday work

Law of trespass

This has to be taken into consideration. Photographer's have to be careful they remain on public land and public places in pursuit of their images,it's very easy to stray onto private land and private property which could result in prosecution
Shopping centres for example can be considered as private places and the owners have the right to expel a photographer taking images on their properties

Shown below is an extract from a website I have researched on the Internet which I find is a really good guide for a photographer which outlines all the major laws and photographers rights

Obscenity law

Law established by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959 prohibiting the publishing of any material that tends to deprave or corrupt. In Britain, obscene material can be for example pornographic or violent, or can encourage drug taking.There is a defence in support of the public good if the defendant can produce expert evidence to show that publication was in the interest of, for example, art, science, or literature.

Copyright

A copyright basically allows the author of a photograph (the person who took it) control over how that picture is copied, transmitted and reproduced. Copyright issues have become more commonplace since the birth of both digital cameras and the internet because people now have far more freedom and flexibility when they share images, and it is all too easy to copy or post an image that you do not own

People may be unaware of copyright laws on the internet. When they reproduce an image in digital form and copy it many times without consent of the person who took the original image they are actually breaking this law

Copyright law is there to protect your images and prevent you taking credit for other peoples work.

Health and safety at work act
All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or becoming ill caused by your working environment. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but the employee is also responsible must follow guidelines set out by this act

The main piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). All work places are covered by this legislation which says that an employer must do everything reasonably practicable to provide a safe and healthy workplace with adequate welfare facilities. HSWA has been supported and extended by various sets of regulations, codes of practise and guidance, all of which deal with various aspects of health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government body which decides upon and implements health and safety policy.

Please see a more detailed Health and safety document I have compiled on blog "Health and Safety Considerations" (Unit 205)

Photography of children or Minors

It is important to note that there is no law against photographing children. You are perfectly within your rights to take a photograph of a child. Ridiculous stories are common of parents being told to put their cameras away at dance competitions or swimming pools.

There are some common sense guidelines that you should keep in the forefront of your mind when photographing children. The first of these is that, where possible, you should always seek approval from a parent or guardian before you begin shooting. This is particularly important if you are doing street photography. Photographing children in public places can be controversial and is also a sensitive issue,permission should be granted first and with this in mind no real problems are encountered

If in any doubt, I would suggest when taking photo's of minor's always make sure that the parents are present when the photography takes place. I would then show all images to the parents and ask for their approval before the images are processed or printed

Contract Law

A contract intends to formalize an agreement between two or more parties, in relation to a particular subject. Contracts can cover an extremely broad range of matters, including the sale of goods,property,services etc

In order to be valid, the parties to a contract must exchange something of value. In the case of the sale of the photographs, the buyer receives something of value in the form of the photographs and the photographers services, and the seller receives money for these services and the images

There must be an offer and this must be accepted to make an agreement. While this would in the first instance appear to be self explanatory, it is important to distinguish between what the law says amounts to a valid offer. An offer can be made orally, in writing or by way of conduct.

Contract: the elements of a contract

The first step in a contract question is always to make sure that a contract actually exists. There are certain elements that must be present for a legally binding contract to be in place.

Shown below are the two most common elements of a contract
An offer: an expression of willingness to contract on a specific set of terms, made by the offeror with the intention that, if the offer is accepted, he or she will be bound by a contract.
Acceptance: an expression of absolute and unconditional agreement to all the terms set out in the offer. It can be oral or in writing. The acceptance must exactly mirror the original offer made.
Disability Discrimination

Consideration must be given to people with disabilities so we all have the same equal opportunities. The photographer may need to go to extreme lengths to provide resources and to accommodate people with disabilities but equal opportunities must be of paramount importance

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to other members of the public

Extra provision may be needed to enable a disabled person to fulfill their every day lives and this may come at quite some considerable cost

It may be necessary to have another person available to help with people with disabilities. They may need to be lifted,guided or helped in a variety of situations to carry out their everyday duties that an able person may take for granted

A studio may need to be kitted out to meet the requirements of a disabled person and a variety of different aids may need to be put in place to accommodate this. Wider doors,lower sinks,ramps and larger toilets are all a major consideration to provide proper equal services for everybody

Similar considerations have to be taken into account when shooting on location or outdoors which maybe an even harder challenge for the photographer to complete if additional resources are needed to accommodate someone with a disability

Handling Confidential Information

Care should be taken when handling other peoples information. This information is very personal and confidential including banking details etc.. The photographer needs to protect this data and care must be taken if this data is stored on pc's etc.. There are laws governing the storage of personal data, this is called "the data protection act" The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998.Shown below are the basic principles of this law

The Eight Data Protection Act Principles

The act contains eight “Data Protection Principles”. These specify that personal data must be:

1. Processed fairly and lawfully.
2. Obtained for specified and lawful purposes.
3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive.
4. Accurate and up to date.
5. Not kept any longer than necessary.
6. Processed in accordance with the “data subject’s” (the individual’s) rights.
7. Securely kept.
8. Not transferred to any other country without adequate protection in situ.

Health and Safety in Photography.

It is recognised that the photographic industry is largely made up of organisations employing between one and four persons and the majority of these are self-employed. The 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act places broad responsibilities on employers, employees and the self employed. 

Health and safety advice for freelance photographers

Responsibilities
It is the duty of every employer, so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.
For employees to take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others.
For self employed people to conduct themselves in such a way that people not in their employ are not exposed to health and safety risks.

Locations

The following health and safety considerations should be taken into account before, during and after assignments. The following relate to assignments on location:
the photographer should have current employer and public liability insurance, including cover for people engaged by him on an occasional basis. Remember, these certificates should be securely archived for forty years
the photographer and his assistant should have motor vehicle insurance which covers their vehicles for business use
the photographer should have a formal agreement with the customer outlining their requirements
should carry out a visit to the location to discuss arrangements with the customer, requesting where necessary, permission for access and right to take photographs
should carry out a risk assessment particular to the areas where the photographer may wish to take photographs
should ensure that where necessary the location has adequate fire precautions and signage in place
should consult with the customer, where necessary, of the location on any risk assessment they may have carried out and what actions were required and have these been effectively implemented
should share with the photographic assistant any health and safety concerns and if necessary the location management
should ensure that all equipment is maintained and safe to use, especially flash equipment
should ensure that all employees including those self employed are trained to use equipment safely
should take precautions to minimise any identified potential problems related to safety affecting the assignment and to any other people at the location.

Risk Assesments

Risk assessments are very important to identify any potential hazards that may be encountered either on the photographer's premises or on location. There are several risk assessments the photographer should undertake in relation to his premises. These include:
fire precautions
using display screen equipment (DSE)
manual handling
control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH).

Fire precautions relate to having adequate types of fire extinguishers, which must be regularly serviced; displaying escape and emergency signage and ensuring escape routes are free from obstructions.

With the increased use of computers and digital equipment for manipulating images it is essential to consider the people who use display screen equipment (DSE) for long periods of time. It is very important to ensure that the computer, the workstation and the working environment meet current safety regulations, to lessen the possibility of wrist and eye strain.

Most photographers at sometime have to lift reasonably heavy and bulky equipment, such as flash lighting. A risk assessment will highlight the potential damage to the human torso, which may result in long-term absence from work. Manual handling training can help people to store equipment at correct heights and how to lift objects. Also, a risk assessment can indicate where mechanical aids such as trolleys can be of help.

With the advent of digital imaging in the industry, chemicals for processing and printing (wet processing) are not so widely used. There are however certain products used which are hazardous, for example, batteries and printer ink cartridges, along with industrial cleaning substances. These should all be listed as required by COSHH on a risk assessment.

Electrical safety is also very important. All electrical equipment such as flash equipment, kettles, microwaves etc. should be tested (usually referred to as portable appliance testing) at specified intervals. The electrical wiring installation of the photographer's premises also requires testing at specified intervals. A competent person should carry out all testing and records of these tests must be kept.

Location safety mainly resolves around 'trips, slips and hazards'. Each location should be assessed to ascertain hazards and where possible to control these to reduce any injury resulting from an incident, especially to any member of the public. Photographers, their employees and the self employed should work within the framework of the Health and Safety at Work Act, and where reasonably practicable, take steps to ensure the safety of themselves and others around them.

Assessment 205 Photo imaging equipment and materials.

The camera bodies that I use:


This assignment will be a bout the equipment that I use and why I use some of the equipment.

Nikon D200 Digital S L R.

Nikon D200 rear S L R.

I have used this camera body for a number of years now, and I think this is an excellent body.  It can hold a large memory card and can shoot in a few different file formats.  I use the raw format the most, it is a 10.2 million pixel camera and as an ISO of 100 to 1600.  It can fire at 5 frames per second which is slow compared with with some of the modern cameras of today.  The picture quality is excellent and is easy to download from.

Sony 450 rear S L R.

This the second system that I use the Sony system which used to be Minolta.  I found myself with good quality lenses and not so good digital bodies until recently.  This camera also as a few  different file formats , again I shoot in raw file only.  This camera as a an ISO 200 to 12800 which quite a lot more than the Nikon.  This is called a fast camera it can shoot at 8 frames a second and is a 14 .2 million pixel camera.  this also is easy to download from the body and the picture quality is excellent.  Both the bodies that I use are of good quality I use the Sony 450 more for wildlife photograph and the Nikon for landscape photograph.  Both these cameras give me the quality that I aspect and both excellent.

The Lens to go with these cameras for Macro work:

The Nikon D200 lens are 50mm Macro Lens and a 150mm Macro lens.

SLD glass and Super Multi Layer Coating
Three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction of all types of aberrations and the Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens has superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even at the maximum apertures.


F2.8 large aperture tele-macro lens
Tele macro lenses have a greater working distance. It is possible to enjoy Macro photography, even when you are far from subject. This enables you to capture the small animals and insects without disturbing them. Very narrow depth-of-field allows selective focusing and less distracting backgrounds. Large aperture of F2.8 is ideal for sports, action and indoor photography.


Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) with full time manual focus override
The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures quiet and high speed autofocus as well as full-time manual focus capability.


Rounded 9 blade aperture ring
This lens has a rounded 9 blade diaphragm creating a smooth blur to the out of focus areas of the image. It is also possible to use this lens with Sigma’s optional APO Tele Converters.


APO Tele-Converter EX compatibility
It is also possible to use this lens with Sigma 1.4x EX and 2x EX APO Tele-Converter. When this lens is used with the 1.4x EX or 2x EX Apo Tele Converters (optional), it becomes a 210mm F4 AF tele-macro lens or a 300mm F5.6 MF tele-macro lens respectively.


The very latest optical technology has been incorporated in the production of the new Macro 50mm F2.8 EX DG. This ideal standard lens sets the benchmark for digital SLR cameras. This standard macro lens enables you to enjoy the communication with subject. When viewing through the camera's finder, you are able to move your subject, and make precise adjustment. It has a close working distance and it is very convenient for taking close-up pictures of a fossil, or other inanimate things for example. The new advanced lens design corrects various aberrations. This macro lens is specially coated to get the best colour balance whilst cutting down ghost caused by reflections from the digital image sensor. This lens provides the utmost correction against lateral chromatic aberration which is a serious problem for digital SLR cameras.

Lens to with the Sony 450 70mm Macro 2.8 lens.

The advent of digital SLR's requires optimum lens performance and therefore the very latest optical technology has been incorporated in the production of this medium telephoto macro lens. The 70mm focal length gives an equivalent field of view as our popular 105mm macro lens when used on digital SLR cameras with an APS-C size image sensor. The design of this lens makes it suitable for taking pictures in all situations both with natural light conditions or flash. 

An easy to use 70mm medium telephoto macro lens


This lens would have an equivalent field of view of a 105mm telephoto macro lens when used on digital SLR cameras with an APS-C size image sensor. The narrow angle of view is a great aid for simplifying backgrounds and shallow depth of field makes it easier to handle the composition.Compensate for colour aberration

A Special Low Dispersion (SLD) lens and two high refractive index SLD lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations and produce an exceptional level of optical performance.

Reduce Ghosting and Flare

Sigma’s super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting, and helps create a natural colour balance.

Floating Focus System

The floating focus system provides extremely high optical performance from infinity to 1:1 Macro.

Focus Limiter Switch

A ‘Focus Limiter Switch’ in incorporated on the lens, improving the speed and accuracy of autofocus by limiting the focus range from 25.7cm to 48cm and 55cm to infinity.

A screw-in lens hood

A screw-in lens hood is included for convenient use of circular polarising filters. The included hood (LH620-01) is designed so a 77mm lens front cap can be attached whilst the hood is in place.

Magnification scale

A magnification scale is displayed on the lens barrel, ensuring ease of use.

Tripods and Monopods that I use:

The manfrotto  tripod 055, this is the tripod that I use.  They are very stable and easy to use they can have tilt heads attached to them and easy to carry.

The most popular and most imitated, and yet unrivalled family of pro tripods in the market, the 055 is the best option for size, weight and stability. The 055 is ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications according to the model, and is available in different configurations and in two versions: aluminium and carbon fibre. Besides the carbon fibre tubes. The CX versions are made of ultra light magnesium casting, and in the Pro version the column is in carbon fibre. The 055 range is designed to offer the best performance not only to the keen amateur and pro users, but also to make available Manfrotto’s top quality and precision to advanced hobbyists particularly the aluminium version.

The Manfrotto Monopods that I use:

The Manfrotto Compact series is a range of extremely compact and intuitive all-in-one supports for small cameras and camcorders. Offering excellent value for money, the aim of Compact is to help the occasional photographer get better results.

The Manfrotto 808RC4 streamlines our range of 3-way heads by incorporating new elements while maintaining all the features you loved. The 8-8RC4 features two balance springs in the vertical tilt (forward/backward) and horizontal tilt (left/right) movements. These springs enable you to more comfortably handle heavier camera loads (such as very long lenses) with minimal effort. Both springs can be turned off in case normal head operation is required. The head is comprised of aluminium and designed in a manner to support up to 8kg, yet lightweight and small enough to pack in any camera kit. The standard quick release system is used to accommodate larger camera platforms which incorporates dual axis bubble levels to achieve level shots.

Filters for the camera that I use:


Cokin Filters Explained

Filters for creative photography

Cokin Filter Systems

There are numerous manufacturers of lens filters such as Hoya, Tiffen and Cokin, plus the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony. Cokin Systems are however the most well known.

This consists of a range of square filters of various functionality which are held into place in front of the lens by a holder attached to a threaded adapter ring.

The holder allows the user to slide various filters into place and even stack filters together. This holder is then attached to the lens via a threaded ring with a diameter to match the filter thread of the lens.

The major benefit of this system is that the holder, along with the collection of filters can be attached to different lenses by changing only the adapter ring.

This works out to be far cheaper than having traditional screw in filters which need to be bought specifically for each lens size.


Filter ranges

The 4 different classes of filters

The filters are manufactured from high quality CR39 organic glass. Cokin produce 4 different sizes of filter known as 'A series', 'P series', 'Z-pro' and 'X-pro'.

The A series are primarily for use on compact cameras and camcorders.

The most popular range is the P series which are suitable for 35mm SLR photography, both film and digital.

the P series are intrended for lenses down to about 20mm or 24m. Any wide than this and the edge of the filter tends to creep into the shot.

The Z-Pro range measure up to 100 x 150mm and are designed for use on medium format cameras as well as 35mm SLRs with lenses wider than 20mm to cover the greater field of view. Obviously intended for landscape shots and wider more panoramic vistas.

The X-Pro range is larger still, 170 x 130 mm and is designed for medium and large format cameras. 

Lens filters in the digital age
How has Adobe Photoshop effected the use of filters

With the advent of digital photography and the use of photo manipulation software many traditional filters have fallen out of favour. In particular coloured filters, commonly yellow, orange and red, as well as warming and cooling filters are less popular than with film as these effects can easily be replicated via software. There are still plenty of filters that are useful with digital cameras. The most popular are probably, Neutral Density, Graduated Neutral Density and Polarisers. 

Neutral Density Filters
Cutting down on exposure

These filters have a neutral grey tone to them and are designed very simply to cut the amount of light that passes through the lens. A photographer would use them when they want to use a longer shutter speed than is ordinarily possible due to the brightness of the conditions. For example, if you wanted to photograph a river during the day, you may wish to use a shutter speed of a second or more to achieve the effect of flowing water. During the day this may not be possible. If you are shooting at the lowest ISO setting available and are at minimum aperture you still may not be able to achieve a suitably long exposure. By adding a neutral density filter you can reduce the light transmitting to the camera and lengthen your shutter speed. ND filters are available in a range of strengths depending on how much you wish to cut out the light. A good quality ND filter shouldn't affect the colour of the light as it passes through, only the intensity.


Graduated Neutral Density
Gradual changes in exposure

Similar to ND filters above, GND filters are designed to reduce the light passing through the lens. The difference here is that the filter is not uniformly dark. One half of the filter will be clear with the other half darker. You can have a 'hard edge' where the transition is a solid line across the middle or a 'soft edge' where the transition from clear to dark is gradual. The reason for these filters is that you can balance the light across a scene to record more detail when the dynamic range would ordinarily be too great for the camera to record in a single exposure. For example, you may have a landscape where the sky is bright and the foreground relatively dark. If you expose the foreground correctly then this may result in the sky being 'blown out' with no detail recorded and just a mass of white sky. By using a GND, you could position the dark portion over the sky with the transition to clear falling over the horizon. This will reduce the brightness of the sky so that it more closely matches the foreground and can be recorded in a single exposure. It is of course possible to take two photographs with different exposures and then blend them during post production but this can be time consuming and I personally feel it is more satisfying to get the image right at the time of taking the photograph.


Polarising Filters
cutting down reflections from non metallic surfaces

There are two types of polariser; Linea and Circular.

Linear polarisers are cheaper to manufacture but they can affect a camera's metering so circular polarisers are a more popular option. Both types are used for the same two puroses: to increase saturation of colours, specifically blue skies and green foliage in a landscape, and to cut reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as glass and water.
If you are shooting a lake or river then a polariser would mean you can shoot through the surface of the water and see beneath the water. If you were shooting interiors or architecture then a polariser would allow you to shoot through glass windows and tables. A photographer may be wanting to shoot the exterior of a shop's display and the polariser would allow them to do so by removing the reflections of the street outside and indeed the photographer himself from appearing on the glass of the window. This is an effect that can't be replicated throughsoftware. Below are a couple of examples of polarisers in use:


Holder and Adapter rings
Using filters together

As mentioned above, the main advantage of this system over screw-in filters is the ability to use the same set of filters with more than one lens size.

If we take the P series as an example then there are two common types of holder, the regular holder and the wide-angle holder.
The regular holder can take 2 square/rectangular filters as well as a circular filter such as a polariser so that you can stack filters for different effects.

The wide angle holder has only a single slot but the holder is lower in profile which means it is suitable for use on wider angle lenses by minimising vignetting. If you are using lenses wider than about 24mm in 35mm format then the wide angle holder is recommended.

These holders attach to the lens with the relevant adapter ring. The rings come in a range of sizes from 48 to 82mm in diameter and are named logically. A77mm ring is called a P477, a 62mm ring is called P462 and so on.




Cable release switch that I use:

Seculine’s Interval shutter release allows photographers to be able to capture a series of exposures over a pre defined period of interval time in order to capture a creative set of images for subjects such as landscapes, nature, project development and stop frame animation. Timing is controlled by 3 main buttons which give the facility to set up the required interval time between exposures, the number of required exposures, a delay before the interval timing begins and the length of the Bulb exposure. There is also a beep facility to signify an approaching interval time which can be turned on or off. The unit can also display timing information to suit the user, displaying either the total time remaining, time elapsed, or individual time remaining before the next interval. For times when interval timing is not necessary the Twin-1 ISR can also be used as a remote cable release for your camera with a shutter lock for long exposures, making it the ideal accessory for all serious enthusiasts and professionals.


Photoshop CS6 that I use:

Enhance your creativity and boost your productivity with Adobe Photoshop CS6, a powerful imaging tool that delivers even more imaging magic, new creative options, and the Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine for lightning speed performance. With Adobe Photoshop CS6 you can bring your creative vision to life quicker and with greater control than ever before. Adobe Photoshop CS6 includes a variety of new features and includes 60% more feature changes than CS5. Some of the new features include the Content-Aware Patch, Mercury Graphics Engine, Reengineered Design Tools, Blur Gallery, a new Crop Tool, and Intuitive Video Creation. 

This is most of the equipment that use to do the sort of photography for this course which is Macro.  There are other lenses that I have, but do not use for this course.

The final image with all 10 images.

This is the final image with all 10 images.

How I got the images in photoshop for the raindrop image.

The Back ground image.

Adding images.

Adding more images.

Adding more images.

Completing the 10 images.

The final image.

How I got to the Layout images in photoshop.

Size the page to use.

Import the back ground shot.

Import more shots.

Add more shots.

Keep adding the images.

Adding another image.

adding more images.

Add the final image.

Transform the final image.

The complete picture.

Image layout in photoshop.

These are the 10 images that I took put together..

All the ten shots put together in photoshop.