
Photographers
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It is easy to use a phone to take a picture today, but as a professional photographer, you know exactly what goes into creating the perfect photograph. Whether you specialise in studio portraits, landscapes or sports photography, you are now enjoying opportunities that were not accessible in the past, as you travel easily to capture your subjects throughout the EU.
Your photographic work is well protected in the EU: as long as a photograph can be considered original (in the sense that it is the author's own intellectual creation), authors' rights run for their entire life and 70 years after their death, irrespective of the date when the work was lawfully made available to the public. In 2018, the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court, stated that a photographer needs to give renewed consent when someone wants to post their photo on a website, even if it was already accessible on another website.
One way the EU promotes photography is through the Creative Europe programme, which supports regular photography competitions held both at EU and national levels. Even Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, organises a photo competition, exclusively for professional and amateur photographers working for law enforcement agencies and law enforcement magazines. And even if you are not a professional, if you are looking for a chance to show your photography skills, why not try the European Environment Agency competitions inviting European citizens to capture how nature benefits them.
- Further information
Summary of EU law on copyright and related rights, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/LSU/?uri=CELEX:32006L0116
European Commission Creative Europe website – MEDIA strand, https://culture.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/creative-europe-media-strand
European Environment Agency website on photo competitions, https://www.eea.europa.eu/about-us/competitions
EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service: https://epthinktank.eu