I was told by air police that I could not take Photos

Yesterday I went to Grissom AFB to take some photos of air tankers they were doing touch and go they practice this several times a month.
While parked on a county road near the fence that marks the base bounderies a car pulled up that said Air Police on it. The guy ask me what I was doing. I said I was going to take a photo of the planes landing and I ask him if he had a problem with that.
He said I was not supposed to take photos of the planes.
I told him I would go but I did not think it was illegal for me to take photos while I was on a public road.

Today I called the base ask if I could take photos from a road that was off the base he said yes I could so then I told him what had happened.
He ask if I got the guys name I said no I did not he ask what time was it when this took place and I told him.
He ask for my name and phone number said he would look into it and call me back.

About 4 hours later a major called me said that the person in command of the air police would make sure all personel understood the policy and that I was welcome to take photos anytime as long as I was not on the base.
He said if I had any further problems to call him. They were really nice about it.
Taking photos on the base however does require permission from the base commander.

Point of the story?

It's really great to hear a story like this with such a positive outcome!
I think your thread title might make the text a bit confusing.

Thanks for sharing.

If you are told that you can not take photos of a military base while on public property tell them to check with someone higher up it is not illegal .

It is also important that the photographer is polite and willing to forego his rights for a while whilst the matter is dealt with, like you did. Some other photographers prefer to duke it out right then and there, which only makes the guards more unwilling to cooperate and be nice afterwards.

Heya,

Good on them for following through and not just being negative about it.

A friend of mine was stationed at Mayport, Jax for a while and while on site, there were specific buildings and specific planes/vehicles that he was not allowed to show in a photograph.

Very best,

Fwiw, focal length is restricted to 300mm around Canadian Forces bases. I had an MP stop by while I was taking shots outside the fence surrounding the runway at 4 Wing Cold Lake with a 70-200 + 1.4x TC. There are signs posted but not line of sight when facing the runway. Easy to miss. He was cool about it, no complaints.

Good to know the USAF's policies.

Lee

hmm... is this a good reason to get the 5DsR for it's insaine cropability?

Exactly what I was thinking. The CFO shut that idea down pretty quick...

Lee

What I posted is the policy at Grissom AFB near Kokomo, Indiana other installations may have different rules it would be best to check with the public affairs office at the base where you want to take photos.

Here is the law on it. https://www.law.cornel​l.edu/uscode/text/18/7​95 unless you check you may find yourself in deep DODO .

aezoss wrote in post #17735980
Fwiw, focal length is restricted to 300mm around Canadian Forces bases. I had an MP stop by while I was taking shots outside the fence surrounding the runway at 4 Wing Cold Lake with a 70-200 + 1.4x TC. There are signs posted but not line of sight when facing the runway. Easy to miss. He was cool about it, no complaints.]

I wonder if TCs count towards focal length? They look like part of the lens and it clearly says 300mm on the barrel.

Add in a small-sensor/high pixel density camera and they may just have to start regulating these things based on effective angle of view, rather than a flexible concept like focal length. The zoom on my video camera goes to a whopping 77mm, which is actually 550mm effective, at 300mm I could be recording a pilot picking his nose in the cockpit from a good distance away.

aezoss wrote in post #17735980
Fwiw, focal length is restricted to 300mm around Canadian Forces bases. I had an MP stop by while I was taking shots outside the fence surrounding the runway at 4 Wing Cold Lake with a 70-200 + 1.4x TC. There are signs posted but not line of sight when facing the runway. Easy to miss. He was cool about it, no complaints.

Good to know the USAF's policies.

Lee

Hosted photo: posted by aezoss in
./showthread.php?p=177​35980&i=i92953723
forum: General Photography Talk

"Film may be confiscated" lol
Old sign!

Film? What is this "film" you speak of?

Alveric wrote in post #17735895
It is also important that the photographer is polite and willing to forego his rights for a while whilst the matter is dealt with, like you did. Some other photographers prefer to duke it out right then and there, which only makes the guards more unwilling to cooperate and be nice afterwards.

THIS!!!

so many people live their lives as if everything is a matter or life or death or that what they want is the only thing that matters.


congrats Bart on showing patience and self restraint.

Black Bart wrote in post #17735850
If you are told that you can not take photos of a military base while on public property tell them to check with someone higher up it is not illegal .

Use caution in this generalization. Standing on public property outside an installation is no guarantee of legality. Based on experience I think Black Bart was wise in avoiding an immediate tiff with security and then checking the situation with command.