So what about street photography ?
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@freetail Julian - how did you find your “local landonwner”? Asking around, land registry, luck? I’ve got a couple of really good spots picked out, but need to workout who the landowner is.
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If you want to fly in Cornwall - chances are you need to contact the Duke of Cornwall - aka Prince Charles. That might take a while. 
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I literally just knock on the door! I’m not sure how to find out easily who owns the land either. I do have a field that I use with a public footpath that is far from anyone or anything, inuding farm houses. Not sure who’s door to knock on for that one but it’s not used for animals or arable crops - just grass for silage I guess, so that’s an exception to my rule. And there always be be exceptions, but use common sense, try to do the right thing and you’ll be fine.
I have subscribed to the OS Maps app, which is excellent for identifying footpaths and farmhouses close by, so that might help (either to introduce yourself, or find a field far enough away from anyone!)
You mean in a built up / congested area? Unless you have your PfCO and appropriate permissions, or the road is outside of a congested area, that might be problematic. In fact, a guy was recently prosecuted for flying a drone over a UK city during lockdown wasn’t he? He wanted to video the empty streets (and posted on YouTube). Those videos we’ve all seen on YouTube are brilliant, but a lot of them I suspect won’t be strictly legal. If in doubt, ask your local council or the CAA. The CAA are very responsive. Just reply to the email you received with your Flyer ID
There are lots of empty grazing land and woods here in Mid-Sussex. I did think about driving to the nearest farm and knock on the door. Will give that a go.
No harm in asking. If it’s really remote and your gut says it will be fine to fly somewhere, you’re probably right. But if you think you might be ‘caught’, then I feel that’s a good instinct to avoid or ask permision first.
I think Chris is on about photos taken in public with a hand held camera. You can use them without seeking permissions as they were take in a public area. As any one in the photos would have to accept that being in a public area they may end up in photos without their knowledge.
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Or my dashcam ;o)
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Ah, I see. As a drone forum, I assumed we were still talking about aerial photography, but now understood. I think I mentioned that the right to privacy is more concerned with private property, eg not being filmed from the air in your house or garden, but that taking images in public spaces is generally fine, if people are the background and not the main focus.
As a photographer who used to do quite a bit of street photography, the general rule is that no one should expect a right to privacy in public spaces. With that said, I personally don’t think there is any reason to antagonise people if they don’t want to appear in a photograph, even if what we’re doing is perfectly legal. Choose your battles wisely, as they say. This probably applies more to street photography than drone photography when you’re 100 metres above.
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Being a Pro Photographer for over 45yrs certain rules apply:
You should get a signed release form from people if you sell the photo…
You can take photographs of people in the street… use a bit of common sense ASK PERMISSION
You should get a signed release for buildings… If you sell the photo
You should not take any photos or videography of people in their own house or yard… that is an offence
thats why we waited up a tree and took photos many many yards away at the royals not in their own houses…
Any questions please put it on line or send a PM… I know the using a drone you think that you can do it… there are rules for drone and there are rules for photography and videography but they do cross over .
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Have you got a link to the article? Which law did he break?
Not necessarily, I sold plenty of crowd reaction photos in my football days.
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So, you’re saying that my video of Hornsea is breaking the law?
I’m not saying anything. I wanted a link to the article of the guy who got prosecuted for flying during the lockdown. Wanted to know which law HE was breaking.
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Ah right, I look forward to that myself 
Can’t find the article but I also read it. I’m 99% sure they flew over Chorley early lockdown when towns were deserted. Low level over buildings and the market. It was published by a local paper and reported to the CAA.
Once it was posted on a drone Facebook page, it was also highlighted that the backing track used for the video was his own new song which he was promoting so it had commercial implications.
Then everything about it disappeared online other than the Facebook chat.
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This is the latest article I can find
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And another
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