Motor drive photography meaning

In legal practice, motor drive photography describes capturing a rapid sequence of still images using a camera (including digital cameras and smartphones) set to a motor drive, continuous shooting or burst mode, each frame being automatically separated by a short interval (from fractions of a second to a few seconds). One or more frames are then selected for final use (for publication, evidential exhibits or record-keeping). Not defined in legislation or case law; it is a descriptive term used in media law, civil and criminal proceedings and disclosure practice across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Key legal points include: evidential integrity (retain, log and, where relevant, disclose the full sequence, not just the selected frame); authenticity (preserve originals and metadata, and document chain of custody); privacy/data protection (identifiable individuals may engage UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 or the Irish Data Protection Act 2018); copyright (each frame is a separate artistic work); and editorial accuracy (adjacent frames may affect defamation, contempt or contextual fairness). Usage is consistent across the UK and Ireland; procedural disclosure varies by forum.