Photographer Hassled by Police

Berlotti Photography wrote in post #5875405
Ok everyone.... Group hug!

I'd prefer to stand back and take the pictures.

Move along there's nothing to see here...

My wife and I were in front of the White House a few years back and there was this great twilight sunset going on and there were these two heavily armed security officers standing to the side of the main gate. They had on all the neat gear one would expect of officers protecting the White House. In any case, the way they were standing and with the fiery background sky over the placid White House, I thought that would make for a great shot. I walked over there and asked them if I could take their picture with the White House and the interesting sky in the background and they politely told me no. I said, "okay officers" and went off to the side and took photos of the White House without the officers in front of it. I could have protested and probably could have just taken the photo with them in it anyways, but I was respectful because I know that they are doing their duty and probably really did not want to be in a picture. With that said, I do see more and more photographers being harassed by police and private security guards for simple things, and I find this disheartening. Two years ago, there was this big fiasco about not allowing photography on NYC subways, which promptly got shouted down by the photographic community. I feel for the photographer and probably would have reacted the same way if the officers told me to "delete my photos or go to jail" or hand over my camera, but if they requested to please not photograph them, and it seemed like a reasonable request, I would have probably complied.

I don't know where I stand on this issue. I am one for strict protection of people from the police powers, but at the same time, they are humans who also deserve respect (most of them, at least), and in that line of thinking, I think we as photographers should be mindful of our presence in a situation and do what is right. How much you insist on your rights, I would say, would be a function of your reason for taking the photo (are you press, spectator, participant, victim, etc?), and the nature of the situation (are you causing more problems by doing this, say for example, the officer just wrestled the suspect in the 120 mph chase to the ground and the suspect is getting agitated because you are also present with a camera). However, if I ever got stopped from photographing something mundane like a bridge or a nice train going through my town, I would also protest and push for my rights. We should use our rights mindful of our actions and our effect on others around us.