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Photos In Supermarket ...

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Iggle Piggle | 07:52 Sat 31st Jan 2015 | Law
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I plan on taking some photos of a fixture in a big brand supermarket. I believe there is nothing stopping me, am I right?
- Public access building, no people will be in the image, the images are not being published or broadcast.
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I was once stopped from taking photos in a shopping Mall. I'd just bought a new camera and was testing the colour-balance etc indoors. A security man came and said it wasn't permitted, although he didn't ask me to delete them. A year or so later I found a small notice at one of the entrances saying photography wasn't permitted.
The supermarket is private property, so they may get upset. The simple thing is to ask the manager and explain why you want the photos.
It's not illegal no, even though supermarkets are 'private property' with public use. But it is illegal to stay on the property if the owners have seen you taking photos and have asked you to leave.
I do this sometimes for ideas for future shop-fits and if the staff see you taking photos, you are more than likely to be asked to leave the store as they won't want competitors stealing ideas for layouts/ design concepts.
Shoot away, obviously trying not to get anyone in the photo (respect their personal space) - just get the fixtures you need in the shot, but leave immediately if requested.

We sometimes go in as a team of two - one person stands in front of the light fitting/ display cabinet that we are looking into and 'poses' for a funny picture and we giggle at the picture - this looks less like a competitor going round.
If it is something of interest to you and you are not in the trade to get ideas, you could approach the staff and ask them if it's ok - but they will most likely say no if you make them aware of your presence, in case you are indeed a competitor.
I hope this helps.
IN a supermarket

I would have thought you needed the owners' operators' permission

unless it is a dead rat or something when at least after photoing it you should tell them

damn this is in Law and not chartterbank
In Sotheby's - at an old masters' sale ( which I couldn't afford I mean I ccouldnt afford the catalogue let alone the piccies )

I saw a kitchen scene from 1550 with an obvious Downs child - earliest depiction I thought, ever.... and went thro a run around of photographing.
The are obvious copyright issues etc. And they said yes
But they wouldn't let on who the buyer was....

which was kinda funny as my view was - the painting is of obvious medical historial interest.... and none of the curators had the slightest idea that the image was an accurate portrayal of something first described in 1866 ( by Langdon Down )

sorry rambling
No you are not right.

You need permission from the owner to take photographs on private property (though the taking of photographs of private property from a public place is allowed). The issue of whether the photographs include images of people (including children) is irrelevant (as it is generally when taking photographs in public places). When granting permission the owner may place any conditions he wishes on your activities (such as no photographs of people or of specific items).

You may be getting confused when you mention “public access” with the enforcement of the various Road Traffic Act (RTA) provisions. Most of the RTAs are applicable to vehicles and drivers using a “road or other public place”. “Other public place” is not defined in the law but precedents have declared that it generally means an area to which the public have general and unfettered access (regardless of who owns it). So Tesco’s car park would be a “public place” for the purposes of the RTA whilst a car park of an office which has a barrier and requires a passcard to enter would not.

No such differentiation exists when it comes to the photography issue. Privately owned land and buildings are private and that’s that. It does not matter whether the public has general access or not. In this respect the two things are completely opposed. The RTA applies to places where the public has access regardless of who owns them; the photography restriction applies to private places regardless of who has access.
I fully agree with NJ that permission is required for photography on private premises. However it's only a civil matter and, in practice, there's little that the property owner can do about it if you simply take photographs anyway. I've often taken photographs in supermarkets, both openly and covertly, and never experienced any real problems.

NJ's answer, above, is the correct legal one. Peasculiar's answer is the practical one ;-)
Quite so, Buenchico.

In practice you'd simply be asked to leave.
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Just to put you in the picture (no pun intended) I'm working on a personal injury claim. I plan on taking the pictures anyway and face any staff who approach me, should be interesting :-)
As Buenchico has said, taking photographs on private property is not a criminal offence. However, you need to be careful of falling foul of the Public Order Act (for the purposes of the Act a supermarket would be a public place and so be covered by the Act). You also need to be aware that if the police are called they may arrest you to prevent a breach of the peace (although in England and Wales there is no offence of "breach of the peace").
..photographs in connection with a PI claim against this supermarket...?

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