Property releases required for UK Calendar featuring castles?

[TimC86]

Hi,

 

I'm not usually involved with the publishing side, but have a query regarding whether property releases are required to produce a calendar in the UK?

 

I'm looking to include photos in a UK calendar of well known and recognisable Scottish castles, along with wildlife and landscape photos. Being aware of property releases from uploading images to Alamy, but not having dealt with releases before, I am concerned about needing them to publish the calendar.

 

I've spent some time online researching into property releases, including searching the forum here, but am still confused! What information I can find is not clear or helpful and I am hoping someone here with knowledge about property releases/calendars can help me out.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tim

[Avpics]

I've had calendar sales via Alamy of unreleased property images. That's as far as my knowledge of the subject goes.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Avpics

[Joseph Clemson]

For the most part, in the UK at least, property releases are not required if you are shooting from a public right of way.

 

If you are shooting on private property, which may include grounds around a castle or other building, then you are subject to whatever restrictions are imposed by the owners. Many castles in the UK are managed by the National Trust or English Heritage and their Scottish counterparts. These organisations usually require that permission for  commercial photography has to be obtained in advance (usually involving a fee and abiding my their terms and conditions). Some castles and such buildings are still privately owned and you woudl need to check the situation on each of these individually (privately owned Bamburgh Castle springs immediately to mind, and is a good example because most of the myriad of photos of it are taken from public ground, but interiors are less common as they require permission).

 

There is much discussion on these forums on the rights and wrong of the restrictions The National Trust and English Heritage impose, but your choice is either to abide by them (as indeed I do) or stick your neck out and hope nobody notices. NT do actively trawl Alamy from time to time and ask for images which breach their restictions to be removed. Sometimes they ask in cases where the photographer is perfectly at liberty to take and use the photo, but that needs to be resisted when it arises.

[TimC86]

Thank you for your replies Avpics and Joseph.

 

That's very helpful Joseph, thank you very much! The castles I have photos of are privately owned, but the photo I particularly want to include was taken from a public footpath, so I'm pleased I will be able to use that. Another castle photo was taken from the castles car park, so I believe that would require permission.

 

Thanks

 

Tim