Photography in public - interesting article

Heya!

Nice little article I found on photography in public. Now I don't live in the US, but still, I found it very interesting to read; I hope you will too!

http://www.popularmech​anics.com …lic-places-is-not-a-crime

if you want to read a whole slew of photography and cop problems try this website:

www.carlosmiller.com

I can't help wondering how much of this stuff is brought on by the individuals themselves. There's nothing that gets a police officer riled quicker than someone with a smart-ass attitude.

I've been shooting for over 40 years and I have never had a negative run-in with a member of law enforcement.

I was once accosted by a couple of Navy police who wanted to know why I was taking close-up photos of an F/A-18 jet on display during a public event at one of the local bases. Once I explained I was an aviation enthusiats and provided my ID, including my Retired US Navy card, it was "OK, Chief. No problem..."

I've talked to transit police and one was actually surprised that other photographers were having problems photographing around train stations.

Just look at the 'miami fiasco' thread. What the guy was doing was perfectly legal - and he definitely wasn't being a smart-ass.

9/11 made everyone so paranoid...

Twice I've been kicked out of somewhere for taking photos, and I'm quiet and don't give anyone grief. Once was in a park, taking photos of my friends in costume. The police officer told us we needed a business permit to take photos in the park. The other time was on the sidewalk in front of an empty office building, a security guard said the sidewalk was private and we had to be on the street. I dress normal and don't go looking for trouble, but authority figures love authority.

bior wrote in post #12565709
Twice I've been kicked out of somewhere for taking photos, and I'm quiet and don't give anyone grief. Once was in a park, taking photos of my friends in costume. The police officer told us we needed a business permit to take photos in the park. The other time was on the sidewalk in front of an empty office building, a security guard said the sidewalk was private and we had to be on the street. I dress normal and don't go looking for trouble, but authority figures love authority.

Exactly. In both situations you were doing completely legal stuff.

I live in a supposedly evil communist regime (a slight exaggeration here ) but I can walk around with a camera day or night and shoot just about everything or anyone. Geezus, I've even stuck my camera lens through the bars of the gate of the Presidential Palace with a heavily armed (AK-47) military type not three metres away and was totally ignored.

Something to think about.

Ya' gotta' love the graphic at the top. Boy, if THAT don't tell an accurate story about the way things are going!

Everybody has a story to tell and I think it is important that it be told but it should be done so in a constructive manner. It will help educate those that are policing us. I ran across a story the other day which can be seen in this YouTube video. What I found interesting is that some states have enacted legislation that makes certain public photography illegal without permit. I have mixed emotions about some of the things that I see.

In another YouTube clip mall security ask that a person with a cell phone camera turn it off and the young man just becomes a jerk. The comments are long but I have an issue with calling someone with a cell phone camera a photographer. Certainly there have been times when it has been used for the betterment of society (such as the Miami case) but in this case I hardly find that the kid qualifies as a photographer. The mall security was well within their rights and sometimes I think that some of these people want to create a scene to get their ten minutes of YouTube fame.

In recent times I see that many law enforcement agencies are trying to educate their members on what a photographer can legally do. I have been stopped a couple of times and asked what I was doing and have never call what I would call a confrontation because I made extra efforts to not be confrontational. If a photographer is going to be a jerk about it, whether they are right or not, of course the police or security are going to get their back up. They have a hard job as it is, the public want to protect us from terrorists and there is that misconception out there that if you are taking pictures of an old historic bridge you must be working for a terrorist cell. As much as educating the police the public at large could use a little education in this matter.

I think over the next few years it will all work out. Police will educated as will photographers. There will always be those shooters that want to push the envelope for their small bit of fame but I would love to see a jurisdiction or two make an example out of a few of them to send the message that you just can't do certain things. On the flip side, if a cop is wrong make an example out of a few of them too.

ssim wrote in post #12570002
What I found interesting is that some states have enacted legislation that makes certain public photography illegal without permit. I have mixed emotions about some of the things that I see.

I've read about proposed legislation, but nothing that was enacted. Do you have links to the legislation?