Taking photos of items at craft market — is it allowed?

[Mithrellas]

I was at a Christmas craft market a few weeks ago, and started taking photos of some nice looking hand turned wooden pipes when the stall owner barked “No photos! Only for buying!” at me. I was a bit shocked so I left and didn’t say anything.

Thinking back, I wonder — can stall owners at a market stop people from taking photographs in a public place? Obviously their work is on sale outside so presumably ok to photograph? Is there a quick, polite, non-confrontational sentence I could use in the future to explain that this is allowed (if this is the case)?

I love browsing through market stalls and looking at interesting small things for sale (handmade paper, ceramics, knitted items, small artisanal metal work, wooden pendants, hand poured candles, small houseplants, maybe a cute collection of cupcakes, etc.). I don’t buy a lot of items but I do like taking say two or three photos for me to look back on, just for personal use.

I don’t post photos on social media or share them, and I’m not crafty and wouldn’t dream of trying to make anything similar to sell on (perhaps that is why some artisans don’t like images of their wares online? Though wouldn’t that help other potential buyers see what they sell?).

Of course it is legal to take that picture, if you are in a public space. Take one of the stall holder as well. You can, of course, ask if it is ok to take the picture but as long as you do not use the photo commercially - say, in an advertisement - you are ok. Is there a real issue with craftspeople - or businesses - stealing designs from
others? Absolutely, industrial espionage is a real issue.

I sell craft products at Christmas fairs. If someone was taking pictures I'd ask if they need any help and offer them a business card if they want to see the full product range, hoping that would prompt them to tell me what they're doing.

Lots of issues with temu etc and other small businesses stealing designs, so it's important to be cautious.

I see the high and mighty are out in force. They don't seem to have the same morals, when advising people where they can get a similar (and cheaper) bag/coat/dress to one they've seen in a high end retailer, or evangelizing that this product is a perfect dupe for the one that coats £500 for a small bottle.

Is there a quick, polite, non-confrontational sentence I could use in the future to explain that this is allowed (if this is the case)?
Arguing against being asked to stop is confrontational. Just accept No and don’t be so rude.

I often photograph things I like, wherever I go, but always, always ask first. Nobody has ever said no. But I wouldn't photograph someone else's craftwork - it's crossing a boundary. It's their originality, skill, ideas, and hard work. We shouldn't just assume.

"I was going to share the picture with my husband to see if he wanted me to buy it for him, but I won't now because every time I saw it, I'd be reminded of your unpleasant manner."

I have seen many things at craft fairs that I would like to have a go a making but wouldn't take a photo even though I have wanted to many times.

I find it extremely odd that you don't, and it doesn't seem to occur to you to, seek permission before taking a photo of someone else's stuff. Don't you have any manners?

I have also been a victim of this, except it was another stall holder opposite. She was at the same event the next year and she had copped most of my designs. Very annoying.
as said above, you can tell is someone is a genuine buyer but it is always nice to ask to take a photo.

Seems a bit odd. The only reason I’d take a picture would be to send to someone to say “I’ve just seen this, would you like it” or “seen this at the market, do you think it would be a good present for X” etc
If they snapped at me not to, I’d not bother.

Also, without wanting to sound pretentious, the only real purpose of most of the craft goods is so that people can enjoy looking at them.

Although you haven't directly cost them anything - as they will still have it available for an actual customer to buy - you have kind of blagged a freebie: you've now permanently got (a picture of) something that's designed to be visually appealing, whilst the person who pays for it effectively doesn't have a great deal more than you do.

It's not like, say, taking a photo of a beautiful sports car which, although lovely to look at, only brings the merest shadow of the enormous enjoyment that somebody who pays tens or hundreds of thousands to buy it and actually gets to drive it for years will have.

It feels very disrespectful, and disappointing, when people take photos of my work at a market.
My artwork is a result of years of practice, and so much heart and soul goes into creating our work. Imagine telling a decorator that you like their work and take a photo without paying them.
You want to enjoy looking at it without acknowledging the effort that has gone into creating it, or it looks as if you want to copy the idea, and that hurts.
It's our livelihood, after all.
If you like the look of a design, why not spend £2.50 on a card? or a bit more on another item? and we'll do a happy dance!

You should always ask first. It’s very rude to take photos of someone’s crafts or artwork without asking first.

Hence lots of art galleries, fayres, exhibitions having signs saying do not photograph.

It sounds like you didn’t realise this so your intentions were harmless, but yes it’s rude.

A huge retailer - selling thousands of identical manufactured goods (with huge profit margins) via employees who have no input in making those goods, nor any specific interest in whether a customer buys or not, as long as enough do to keep the store viable - is nothing whatsoever like an individual who has worked hard to bring their ideas and personal style to life and is schlepping around fairs, selling them to make a few quid to help make ends meet, and sees people who love the items enough to want to be able to enjoy looking at them, but not enough to care about the craftsperson seeing any modest reward for their effort.

The money side is bad enough, but seeing somebody picking up your personal creations and clearly admiring and enjoying them, but not thinking you deserve anything in return, must really burn.

The stalls in Covent Garden selling those ‘cards with furniture: have big signs ‘No Photographs’ (and big price tags)

The quick response is- ok no worries. There are many stalls or even shops now that put a notice about no photography. So all you can do is respect their decision.

I always take a photo of their card rather than the card itself which I will inevitably lose!

If I think DH or DD will like something I’ll taken a photo, send it to them and then buy it if they like it. I’ll also take photos of things I want for presents. I’ll talk to the craftsperson about it and ask them if I can take a photo and why. If they didn’t want me to I wouldn’t but then I wouldn’t buy the item either. No one’s ever said no

Every crafter I’ve seen has a website anyway so if anyone was going to nick their ideas they’d do it from there. It’s a vile thing to do and the real damage comes from the large companies that rip off small designers. I know an artist whose work has been ripped off by a very famous influencer for their collab with a US retail giant. She was looking into taking legal action but I don’t know how feasible that is

I say yes because I'm a pushover but tbh I absolutely hate it. If I say yes to 'a photo' some people literally photograph each individual item I have on my market stall (all hand-made and all original designs) and I'm pretty sure it's to copy my designs and flog them for cheap or make a shit version.

I agree it’s very short sighted by shop/stall owners. I went shopping a few months ago with a friend she had a big birthday coming up. We went into a nice shop and saw a jacket she really liked it cost £350. She tried it on and asked me to take a photo to send to her DH who was sitting in a near by cafe with a broken ankle and didn’t want to trek round lots of shops! The shop owner clearly overheard all of this because we were the only ones in the shop. She immediately intervened and said “no photos” my friend explained the situation and the shop owner was adamant “no photos you might be hoping to find it cheaper on line”. We left not buying the jacket. At the next shop we went into she found another £350 jacket my friend explained the situation and asked if we could photograph her wearing it and send it to her DH. The shop owner went out of her way to be helpful and 20 minutes later her DH turned up and bought it.

It’s so silly isn’t it! You only need to look at the label and then look online to search for a cheaper option. She lost herself a sale.

I can understand why a crafter would be uneasy. They're likely to be afraid you're planning to copy their idea or design. If I had a good reason for taking a photo then I'd probably approach the crafter and say something like, "Do you mind if I take a photo to send to my sister? I want to buy one for my aunt and I can't decide between X design and Y design.",

If you just like the designs, but don't plan to buy anything, maybe ask for a card and you can look at the crafter's website or Facebook page.

Sorry I wanted to send a picture of your work to my mum/daughter/husband/friend in case they wanted me to buy them one. Nevermind

I take pictures when im debating buying something, so i can wander round all them then get a coffee and have a look to decide what piece(s) i want most so I dont either spend silly money or rush away from something I like

I think because copyright is not really available for the lone artist/crafter, if you want to take photos, then buy the item. Presumably the right to take a photo is included in the price.
If there is a copyright, it cannot be reproduced, but crafters cannot afford all that that involves.

I had this where I was selling vintage items and a chinese woman was just using my stuff as content for her socials she was actually filming herself with my items at a car boot thrift sale she was not there to buy just creating content. What annoyed me was she didn’t bother to engage and was using my presence and creativity for her own content. I just think its rude without at least some interaction or explanation and I would feel the same if it was my baby or my dog up close even though we are outside in a public place we are not content if u get what I mean at least ask so they have the right to refuse and be acknowledged