Photography

If you're taking photographs on behalf of EMF, or simply publishing them online, this document should help you work out where and when to take photographs, without treading on anyone's toes.

Although photographers have a legal right to take photos, and EMF is a public event, there's no need to be rude or invasive. We are trying our best to strike a balancing act between people's right to photograph and people's right to privacy, and when in doubt, we err on the side of privacy.

The Code of conduct serves as the final word on the matter: "People may not want to be filmed or photographed. You must have consent from anyone who is identifiable in a photo or video."

To be clear:

• If people do not want photos taken, do not take photos of them.
• If people ask you to take down photographs where they are identifiable, you should do so.
• If you have the opportunity to ask permission before taking a photograph, please do so.

At the same time, we know it's not always practical to get permission (in large group shots, or people walking into shot for example) but we do ask that you use your best judgement, and try to seek consent where possible, ideally in advance. Simply asking "Do you mind if I take your photo?" or "Is everyone ok with a group selfie?" is enough of a heads-up for most occasions.

The majority of people attending EMF will be OK appearing in the background of a photo, or even the foreground, but there is also a significant number of people who are quite adamant about not being photographed and there's no easy way to tell them apart (Except for the handful wearing "NO PHOTO" t-shirts), and we can't expect everyone to get it right first time.

That said and done, we do encourage people to record and photograph EMF, and if you record any media (photos, video, audio) of our events we'd love to know about it.

Use this form to tell us about it!

Photographs to avoid taking or publishing without asking first

Although it will be up to you as to which photos you will take, we do suggest that the following should only be photographed with explicit permission.

• Direct photos of individuals / Candids
  • Not everyone is comfortable being in a photo. Although large group shots, or shots where no-one is easily identifiable should be ok, it's best to ask permission where possible. Ideally beforehand.
• Talks which are not being recorded.
  • The reasons why talks are not recorded vary from speaker to speaker, so if you do want to take photographs, it's best to ask beforehand.
• People's tents and campsites.
  • Some people will have installations, workshops, or similar, and will encourage you to take photographs, but these are likely to be the exception rather than the norm. If you're taking photos of where people are camping, even where no-one is identifiable, it's best to check beforehand.
• Drunks
  • Although people may be enthusiastic while somewhat out of it, it's best to assume that drunk people aren't in their best state of mind. No-one needs unflattering photographs and portraits.
• Misbehaviour
  • If you do see something that's not right, it's best to contact event staff directly, rather than sit and spectate, or cause an incident to escalate by photographing it. It is not your job to police the event.
• Minors
  • It's best not to take photographs of people's kids without explicit, express permission.

Photographs we'd like to see

We get plenty of photos of lasers, tesla coils, and flamethrowers, but that's not the be-and-end all of what's to see at EMF. What follows is a list of things that the Orga would like photographs of, including stuff that doesn't always get a lot of attention.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means!

• Every stage tent in use, outside and inside
  • Ideally both day and night shots.
  • Photos from the stage, and from the back of the audience
• Every installation you can find.
  • These tend to be written about, but not with photos taken of them.
• Shots with the EMF logo/name/signage in the foreground
  • For use on our google maps listing/as hero images on socials
• Badges
  • Badges being handed out, badges being hacked on, and some promo/beauty shots too!
• Cybar / Null sector
  • Like before, you will need to exercise judgement on what's appropriate to take photos of, and gain permission where possible. Drunk people may be very eager to be photographed, but you don't need to add to their list of regrets in the morning.
• Bar/Lounge
  • Group shots, people hanging out and hacking around. Like with Cybar, use your judgement about what's appropriate.
• Villages
  • Villages will vary in size, events, and attendees, and what is OK to photograph in one village might not be OK in another.
• Backstage/Behind the Scenes
  • If you're volunteering, don't miss the opportunity to share what you're doing.
  • Similarly, we love photos of Infrastructure, cherry pickers, telehandlers, setup and teardown
• Atmospherics
  • Dawn, Dusk, Drone shots
• Events/Workshops
  • Blacksmithing, hebocon, hack races, etc