How do you find out if you're shooting on public or private property?

Today I was shooting a few photos of my bike at the end of this street with a little parking lot. About 20 yards off is a fenced off building. I've shot here before and people park here to catch the train. There's some old buildings that are no longer in service that sit here. It's actually a named street.

Well this guy comes walking out of the fenced area and tells me that he's going to ask me to stop taking picture. I ask him why and he tells me that I can't take picture of trains or tracks because of home land security. I'm not even taking pictures of trains or tracks! I'm facing the other direction obviously shooting my bike. We go back and forth and every excuse he gives me is "because of homeland security"

Well I ask him if I was on private property and he said I was, which I'm pretty unsure as to the validity of that response. I asked if I could shoot the trains from public property like the sidewalk and he of course said I couldn't, because of homeland security and threatened to call the cops.I know that one's wrong and I told him to go ahead and do just that. So I moved across the street and took a ton of photos of the small little building he came out of and the MARC train parked on the rails. I don't even like trains.

I even asked for his name, his company, and his supervisor's name and he said he was unable to disclose that information. I'm pretty sure that he knew he was in the wrong. The other nice thing is that I'm friends with several of the local police, so if they did get called, it wouldn't have been an issue. But what I'd like to do is find out where the public street ends so that I can sit take all the photos I want. I'm also thinking about shooting MARC an e-mail about the security company if I was indeed on public land.

I would call my friends with the local police department and ask them your questions. They may or may not have the answers but possibly they could find out the answer for you.

I thought about that, but I was just going to see if there was a resource to look up the property lines in the mean time. We don't have zoning here. That's how you end up with a strip club like 100 yards from an elementary school.

USGS topographic maps are one reliable source.

EDIT: Ignore that recommendation. Later posts inform me that topo maps can't always be trusted to contain the needed information.

(However, the 15' series sometimes show detail that other maps don't.)

Most municipalities have full GIS data online, for free. Google your city or county + GIS and it will probably pop up. If not call the city and ask.

Most people, even cops do not know the rules regarding taking pictures, so take care not to rock the boat until you can come to an understanding with the property owners, public or private.

Personally, I wouldn't go to all of the trouble to find out if land is public or not. If it were posted with signs I would respect them.

-mark

mark48 wrote in post #17102990
Personally, I wouldn't go to all of the trouble to find out if land is public or not. If it were posted with signs I would respect them.

-mark

I was on what's looking to be a public street. There's no signs. The security guard was saying that I couldn't shoot picture of trains, tracks, or anything in the area period.

The simplest solution would have been to threaten to call the cops and your attorney if he ever harassed you again.

chauncey wrote in post #17103073
The simplest solution would have been to threaten to call the cops and your attorney if he ever harassed you again.

I did tell him to go inside and call the police. He just continued to watch me. I figure when I go back, I can give him a lesson on photography and composition if I'm going to have an audience.

Village_Idiot wrote in post #17103077
I did tell him to go inside and call the police.

That's what I would do if I'm not obviously on private property. Or better yet ask him to call Homeland Security.

Train tracks, what a crock. Another misinformed $10/hr badge carrier. Don't shoot the sky either, because airplanes fly there. Oh, and national parks are federal land. Don't shoot there either. I suppose it all comes down to pushing the issue if it's worth it to you, or leaving if it's not.

I had a mother of one of my little league players like that. One day, after the game she berated me. I told her about 10 times to complain to the league executive if she had a problem with my coaching. I finally escaped from her and was pleased at how calm, collected and diplomatic I had been. She never talked to me again, but she left her brat on my team which was unfortunate because he was not an asset.

I think when a person's brain is smaller than their skull, the rest of the space is taken up by ego. At least it seems that way to me.

If someone comes out with a gun, you're on private property.
If someone comes out with a policeman and a lawyer, you're on public property.

Otherwise, enjoy your photo space.

Railroad enthuseists have been getting intimidated/harassed/c​amera and/or memory card taken/arrested ever since 9/11 in the name of 'homeland security'. And, as expected, the 'enforcers' out there think they are in the know. Airport cops likewise want to prohibit taking pictures of airplanes, especially from airport property. You must be a subversive or terrorist if you have a camera, right?

There is no law, in any state, that prohibits taking pictures of trains or airplanes or any other mode of transportaion from public places...streets, sidewalks, parks, etc. "Public" buildings such as airports, stores, train stations, etc, may restrict photography, but generally they do not. However, sworn officers of the law as well as rent-a-cops too often think taking pictures of transportation or even structures like bridges is prohibited by 'homeland security'.

However, while photographing a missionary family from our church shopping with donation we had given them, I was asked to top taking pictures at one retail store. The DSLR probably made them think I was some kind of store 'spy'. On a subsequent such shopping trip with a missionary family, I discretely used my Canon G15 and even had one employee offer to pose, get out of the frame, etc.

But...if you are standing on private property...whether it is an office, factory, residence, apartment, or some businesses, they are fully within their rights to ask you to leave the property, and perhaps delete your pictures.

Bottom line...while it's your right to 'stand your ground' and ask them to cite a specific law, etc, it's a whole lot easier to simply comply with their request and move to a different location.

bratkinson wrote in post #17104955
But...if you are standing on private property...whether it is an office, factory, residence, apartment, or some businesses, they are fully within their rights to ask you to leave the property, and perhaps delete your pictures.

They are within their rights to ask you to delete your pictures. You are within your rights to say 'No'.