Photographing Drunks In France.

[jomifl]

Anybody done this? did you know it is illegal to photograph someone behaving with impropriety?

[boxtops]

No, why would I? Is this a law just in France?

[Baldric]

Why would I?

[Mosaic]

What if you are photographing a nice scene or a friend, and a drunk wanders into shot and behaves with impropriety?
How can anyone police or enforce this law?
I've only ever seen two drunks in decades of visiting France. I think many people are tolerably kettled much of the time, but only twice have I seen the staggering / falling over that we are so familiar with in most British cities of a saturday night.

[Zacs-Master]

I had no idea. Thanks.

[FredPuli43]

Have you any authority for this startling proposition ? Where in the Code is it to be found?

It sounds like somebody's misunderstanding of the French law on privacy. Drunks are not known for having their privacy protected !

[jomifl]

Fred, It was a Gendarme on duty, he insisted that I delete the offending photo. I should have realised at the guy sleeping on the pavement was drunk. Why indeed should any Brit be aware of it? I was somewhat taken aback and nearly taken to the nick :-(

[Svejk]

Odd behaviour. You mean you took a photo of someone dying,passed out,drunk in the street?

[boxtops]

apparently people do, svejk http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1182373/Welcome-binge-Britain-Polish-photographer-documents-years-drunken-revelry-Cardiff.html

[sandyRoe]

Could this chap have had a little too much cognac in his coffee? It's lucky the cops weren't about when Henri Cartier-Bresson snapped this.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2012/11/7/1352295787307/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-Bro-010.jpg

[sandyRoe]

Boxtops, I just had to say that's a remarkably ugly woman in the 5th photograph down in that link.

[boxtops]

LOL @ sandy, I've seen worse...

[slaney]

No, and no I didn't know that - but it looks as if it does apply to "situations humiliantes ou dégradantes" from this case report from Le Figaro, which the photographer won as his images were not considered to be such.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/20070827.FIG000000299_le_sacro_saint_droit_a_l_image_battu_en_breche.html

[jomifl]

These however were willing subjects;
http://mob1276.photobucket.com/albums/y468/agilux/DSC01533_zpsbe105762.jpg?t=1369660124

[Svejk]

Just clicked on that, Jom. Got thousands of letters & numbers.
Computor code, I suppose.

[4candles]

"It was a Gendarme on duty, he insisted that I delete the offending photo." quoth jomifl.

Some British police have been known to insist too, either unaware or ignoring the fact that no offence has taken place.

[jomifl]

Svejk, In 50 years time when the world is muslim and drunkeness but a hazy (hic) memory such photos will be a treasured rarity showing how wonderful life used to be.

[jomifl]

I worked for me but perhaps because I am still logged in to Photobucket.

[boxtops]

Link works for me

[Svejk]

I couldn't get the Daily Mail photos either. Probably got a 'child-lock' on my phone.lol.

[jomifl]

Boxy, I think I'll try a different genre that polish chaps photos have real class!