This page outlines how we are going to approach the use of photography on the church website. Similar principles will apply to printed flyers etc.
General Principles
- We want to celebrate the life of the church. To do that well, we want to use photographs and other visuals.
- Therefore, we will use good quality photographs that are, clear, uncluttered, well composed, well lit etc.
- As far as we can be aware, we will not put anyone at risk by publishing their photograph
- We will respect people’s wishes concerning their image being used in church publicity
- We will have written parental consent to use the image of under 18s
What our Safeguarding Policy Says
We recognise that it is beneficial to the work of the church with children and young people to photograph various activities in order to provide material to publicise and report on the work. Additionally we may be involved in the production of photographic or video based art work.
Whilst it is not illegal to take photographs of children participating in church activities, photographs and video images of children and young people are classed as personal data under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. Therefore using such images for publicity purposes will require the consent of children and young people and their legal guardians. This means that the church will not display images on websites, in publications or elsewhere in public space without such consent.
A statement regarding the use of photography is included in the Consent and Medical Information Form. The wishes of any child, young person or parent/guardian not to be photographed must be upheld.
The church will ensure:
- If the photograph is used, the child or young person will not be named.
- If the young person is named, their photograph will not be used.
- Images are securely stored and used only by those authorised do so.
Digital images taken on personal cameras or phones must be transferred to a church, or other authorised, computer for secure storage as soon as possible or archived on CD and kept securely.
Guidance & Forms
For photographers aiming to capture images of church activity, we have guidance for photographing church activities for publicity useful and a couple of forms for you to use/edit:
- Guidance for Photographing church activities for publicity
- Photography for Publicity Consent Form Individual
- Photography for Publicity Group Consent Proforma
Are you Concerned?
If you are, or become, unhappy with the use of your image on the church website, please get in touch with the website administrator.