Pixtus - Photography Forum, Photographers, Photo Tips

stephges · 09:54 PM

So, can anyone explain to me the legalities of photography in the workplace? I work as a vet tech at a municipal animal shelter and this morning a supervisor walked in to the surgery suite and just started taking pictures of the veterinarian and techs (myself included) without asking (forget the fact that there is a notice on the surgery suite door to not enter except in cases of emergency). The veterinarian asked that her photos be removed from the camera because she does not want her picture taken. The supervisor stated that it doesn't matter because the vet had her back turned to the camera and tried to convince her that she couldn't be identified. When the vet persisted, the supervisor stated that he was told by the director of the shelter to take the pictures for our all-staff meeting tomorrow.

From what I've been reading, it seems to be ok for employers to take pictures of employees for work purposes, but I'm concerned about something else. This same supervisor also takes photos and video around the shelter and posts it on the shelter's Facebook fan page and YouTube. Is THIS legal without an employee's consent? To use the photos/video outside of work? I know that recently this supervisor was taking video at an offsite shelter function and posted that to YouTube. I haven't seen the video, but I've been told several vet techs were in the video and unaware that it was being taken (among other people).

I'm just curious what y'alls thoughts are about this. I personally didn't want my picture taken today, either, but didn't feel I could say anything since it is going to be used for a work-related purpose.

stephges added 29 Minutes and 1 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Ack! Sorry about the double post! I meant to edit my original post but managed to post it multiple times :(