Photos Of Cars From Car Show

[redangel]

Just asking as I have seen that some websites say it is not illegal to show plates in pictures. Some car photo enthusiasts say it is a insurance risk. Others say it is publicly shown so not a concern...

Some show cars of high finish have a complementing numberplate to show off as well. I want to share some pics with my FB friends of the shots I took, not sure of the right protocol. Ideas??

[Kirislin]

I dont know why it would be illegal, I have seen some number plates blurred out but maybe that's cause it was their own car. I suppose if I was going to post a photo of my own car I might blur the number plate but if it's a random person you dont know I dont think it would matter. I would blur visible phone numbers on dog tags though, even if it's someone I dont know.

[minimax]

A numberplate is public, every Joe and Sally driving past you can see it, why would you blur it just because it's on the internet? Do you blur it when you drive down the street?

[redangel]

I was thinking the same thing Minimax, but apparently there is a large favor towards blurring it out,I have seen it on other sites & on FB. I can understand if the car was possibly doing something illegal or in a situation that might be compromising for legal reasons, but a display car is in a public space doing a legal show.

Further investigation today suggests that it might compromise security ie plates are identified with a certain make/model that could perhaps be used to obtain details of the owner..but my thinking is that privacy act would prevent this. Perhaps what Kirislin said comes into play...when it is the owner of the car posting the pic.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

It's probably polite to blurr them out. Google blurs out car number plates and the faces of children (or very short people) in their street view. Just to keep themselves and the photographed ones out of trouble.

Theoretically if it's a public place - anything you photograph is fair game - but in practice - there are some exceptions. I do believe news broadcasters are not supposed to broadcast the faces of children without written permission from the parents. What a PITA that is. And our State Government is trying to get pictures of kids in swimsuits (school swimming sports day etc) banned too.

And it would be extremely rude to publish an identifying photo of a car wreck, for example, before the next of kin have been told.

There used to be a website that published pictures or videos of cars (and their licence plates) breaking traffic rules - but I think that got taken down very quickly.

Ideally if you want to publish identifying info - ask the subject if that's ok with them. get in writing if they're prone to changing their mind.

[minimax]

I work with a few guys who have fancy cars/show cars and I asked them about it. They said their number plates are a part of the show car as they are personalised to add to the "wankyness" (ok, that was my word, not theirs ).

They often spend a lot of money on adding the plates to the car and are proud of them and want them to be shown as a whole package.

(and on the same note, my numberplate is my name - oh noes, I better hope no one sees it and knows what it is )

Edited October 29, 2012 by minimax

[rubiton]

There is no need to blur anything (if photos are taken in public areas everything is fair game as long as the photos are not ussed to ridicule people.

Apparently some car types get paranoid - something about being able to trace an address with a plate BUT then the questionwas asked how would joe public have access to govt records. But it was ppinted out on the work forum if someone wanted to find out who owned the car and where they were located wouldnt they just follow said car home after the car event?

Now I blurred the number plates when I took photos of my car that I was selling but that was putting the photos on car ad sites (and seemed the norm) not just to show the car off ad hoc.

[redangel]

Again thanks for the input...will consider all this when they get off the card & onto the screen... :)

[PossumCorner]

I thought not having blown-out highlights on the chrome, and not having distorted photographer reflections on chrome or duco were the important issues to the owners.

If it is at a show-and-shine or a vintage rally or any public place those with evil intent just pop along with the rest of the spectators and jot down the number plate in their little notebook, or take their own phone-photo.

Same with showy motor bikes - when they do for example the Childrens Hospital run at Christmas - it's all public area, the rego numbers of the Harleys aren't an issue.

[redangel]

PC if they were paying for a private shoot I guess they would have grounds to stress about such issues! LOL

This was a charity display , the cars were surrounded with people 80% time and the majority of shots were taken with iphones and pocket cameras! Rare was the instance where cars were out in the open. Some of the car owners even allowed people to sit in their vehicles. Personally having displayed my own car in a show shine I would have been a stressball the whole day: crowds, little barriers and lots of kids eating sticky food!