Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Photography and the First Amendment

I found an interesting article regarding photography on Photo District News  regarding an artist who photographed his neighbors through their windows and then displayed this photos in a gallery.

To my surprise, the artist won the invasion of privacy lawsuit filed against him.

Arne Svenson, the artist, entitled the collection, "The Neighbors" and presented it at the Julie Saul Gallery last spring. The Foster family was the main source of controversy, as Svenson presented an unauthorized photo of their child's face.

The judge dismissed the case on the protections given by the First Amendment, despite the fact that New York state law it is illegal to use a person's likeness for commercial purposes without written consent.

I find this encouraging as an artist because I have the freedom to express myself. However, it is slightly disturbing that someone could sell photographs of me without my consent.

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