Credit: Jazmin Quaynor (Unsplash)
Your Guide to Shooting Street Art in Australia
If you’re a photographer dazzled by Melbourne’s vibrant laneways, there’s more to snapping street art than meets the eye. In Australia, every mural, stencil and paste-up is automatically protected by copyright law—even if the artist painted it with a dodgy mop at midnight. That means using images of street art for business, ads, or merchandise without getting the artist’s ok can land you in legal hot water. It’s not just big brands or commercial shoots; even selling prints or posting heavily edited murals can cross the line. The copyright risk is highest when the art is the main subject—if it’s just a blurry background in a wedding photo, you’re probably safe, but don’t bank on it.
With AI now in the game, editing or re-creating street art with machine learning tools adds another layer of problems, especially if the original work gets distorted or copied. The golden rules? Get permission from the artist, use street art incidentally, always credit the original creator, and keep your edits respectful.
Want to avoid expensive mistakes? Check out the full article.
Street Art, copyright, and photography in Australia: what you should know – Australian Photography
Please note the above article is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice.
Please email us info@iplegal.com.au if you need legal advice about your brand or another legal matter in this area generally.