Photography at Stadiums and Arenas

[triske]

I have some questions about taking pictures in Pro Stadiums and Arena's.

Is anyone allowed to use the strobes that are mounted in the rafters? Or are they only for accredited photographers? I know the strobes are radio controlled, but who typically owns them?

I was at an event last night and they let me in with my camera. I have a multimax radio and I played around with some different radio frequencies and I found one that worked using someone elses receiver. I was really just curious if I could get it to work or not and just took a few pictures, but nothing of any substance.

Is it legal to do this?

Is it ethical to do this?

Thanks for your comments,

Tom

[ssim]

I don't know if it is illegal but I would view it as unethical. If you have your camera bag sitting there and another photographer came and grabbed one of your lenses and started using it, that would be ok. I didn't think so. Extreme example but basically the same the concept.

The ones that are in the local hockey arena where I live are owned by one of the newspaper chains and you can rent usage of them if you want. I've never tried to crack their signal to use them.

If you wanted to use them I would check with the arena management. If they don't own them they will certainly be able to tell you who does.

[gmen]

I agree with ssim. It's highly unethical to use someone else's strobes without their permission. These systems are installed at considerable cost and are for the use of the accredited photographers that are granted access to them.

---- Gavin

[MJPhotos24]

Ditto to the posts from gmen and ssim. Shooting NHL and some other arenas you have to sign up for them (if the arena owns them) and have the channel assigned. If strobes kept going off and there was only one set, as the photographer assigned or owning them I would track down whoevers using them and probably flip out. This would cost me time trying to scan all the pits, or fans with a reciever. I could easily see a accredited photographer having a fan or another photographer removed from the arena for that. In the local AHL arena it costs $200-300 each game just to get them set up (you have to hire stadium workers to do it for you, cant do it yourself).