Can a photographer use pictures taken at the Zoo?

[Cierra Parsons]

I am starting a photography business and I have several really great photos of animals I have taken at the Zoo. I will not have any identifying signs or anything saying which Zoo they are from but I am not sure if I can use them on my website & facebook page. I just need to know if I can legally use them without getting a property release or anything like that. Thank you!

[GRC♪]

Of course!

[MOJOJO]

you can use them on the net. it would just be different, i think, if you are to sell those photos. I think it's only on persons that you need to ask for permissions..

[joedlh]

You're probably safe for most uses, the exception being if you use the photos for commercial gain. If the opportunity presents itself to use one of your outstanding images on the cover of a magazine or in a magazine article or for an advertising campaign for an unrelated product, or if you planned to mass market the images as posters or in calendars, then it would be best to make arrangements with the zoo management and get a property release. You may have to pay for the rights or make a donation to the zoo.

By the way, the people at the zoo who care for the animals will most likely recognize the animals.

A word of advice about zoo pictures. Any hint of a human presence will clearly identify the image as a "zoo shot", with all the attendant recriminations about animals held in captivity against their will. Collars, tags, toys, cages, wire, even litter. So try to compose your shots with this in mind.

[Tim]

If you are in the United States, absolutely.

So far, although property releases are a good idea, there is no case law to suggest that you actually need a property release.

More importantly, you should be honest about these being captive animals. It irks me when I see a wildlife photographer who tries to pretend that they photographed a captive animal in the wild.