Photo and Video Guidance
St. James, Pokesdown
The St. James Photo and Video Policy is founded upon the the general principles outlined by the Church of England, below.
The policy is published on the noticeboard inside church and can also be viewed on this website from the link.
Useful Links
Photography
Consent - General Principles
Adults and children over 16
Those appearing in film or photography must give written consent, because attendance at a church service reveals religious belief, which is a special category of data under GDPR. You should specify on the consent form exactly what aspects of the service you intend to film.
Those appearing in film or photography must give written consent, because attendance at a church service reveals religious belief, which is a special category data under GDPR. Aspects of the service to be filmed need to be specified on a consent form.
A photo consent form should also be signed by adults and must include all the places that the photo or video may be used by the church.
Regular attendees at the church need to only sign this once but it should be refreshed regularly, such as every 3 years. However, new visitors should be asked before the service or event begins.
If no one from the congregation will be identifiable during filming or photography then consent is not required.
Children 16 years and under
Videos containing children may be used by the church if consent has been given by their parent or guardian, following the same guidelines as above.
Consent can be Withdrawn
There are any number of personal reasons why someone may choose to withdraw their consent, and this process needs to be as easy as possible to accommodate their legal right.
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When someone withdraws their consent, videos or images of that person should be deleted everywhere it has been stored or published online and offline, if these images are of that individual only.
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If someone who later withdraws consent appears in a group video (i.e. as a member of the congregation) it is unlikely that the video can be edited and it may be easiest to remove the video completely, unless an alternative solution can be found. However, if the individual insists on removal, the church should comply.
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It is more likely that a church would experience people not giving consent initially, than withdrawing it later, however it is wise to be prepared for this to happen, particularly where children are filmed because they may choose to have these images removed once they get older.
If permission has not been given, you will be able to sit in a film-free area.