Could you please not take pictures

Twitch1977 wrote in post #6032755
Again, you are mistaken. The police can ask you questions of course, it is up to you to decide if you wish to answer them. The police can ask to see your pictures, it is up to decide if you wish to show them. They can ask you to leave but it is up to you to decide if you want to leave or not.

They CAN arrest you. But when they arrest you they must arrest you for a crime. Not answering their questions or showing them the pictures is NOT a crime. Taking pictures in a public park is NOT a crime.

Kurt

In the US, they would arrest you for disturbing the peace. They might drop the charges, but the hassle of spending time at the jail, being booked -- would it really be worth it? Is there a pulitzer out there somewhere on the teeter totter that you're gonna miss -- that you just have to take?

This continues to be a sensitive topic. At the moment things are staying in hand and are civil (barely), let's continue to take care that it remains that way and doesn't take a turn for the worse. (Jamie beat me to it, I see).

mattograph wrote in post #6032791
In the US, they would arrest you for disturbing the peace.

How exactly would they pull this off? The photographer is in a public place minding their own business participating in a hobby they have every right to. However it's the parents harassing the photographer I agree then maybe they could haul them off on that charge.

I would be extremely surprised to see the police officers try and pull that off, and if it was me that happened to I would be contacting a lawyer in a heartbeat.

Thank god the police don't have the right to go around arresting whomever they want for any reason they want.

Kurt

Twitch1977 wrote in post #6032813
How exactly would they pull this off? The photographer is in a public place minding their own business participating in a hobby they have every right to. However it's the parents harassing the photographer I agree then maybe they could haul them off on that charge.

I would be extremely surprised to see the police officers try and pull that off, and if it was me that happened to I would be contacting a lawyer in a heartbeat.

Thank god the police don't have the right to go around arresting whomever they want for any reason they want.

Kurt

The short answer -- they put your hands behind you back, put you in a car, and take you "downtown".

The long answer is that, if they are forced to deal with a confrontation between you and another individual, arguing over who has what rights in what situation, they are not going to sort out the law, they are going to take control.

Its no different than a fight in a parking lot. I once saw a guy get "jumped" from behind in a parking lot. They fought, cops showed up, both went downtown. They didn't sort out who started it.

Cops don't sort out right from wrong -- thats what judges do.

And attorneys cost money -- money I would rather spend on other things.

hortonsl62 wrote in post #6032696
I noticed that you went out of your way to find one unprotected gallery of mine to make your example. That's a cheap shot, Hoff, and you know it.

Honestly Sam, that gallery was two clicks away from all 5,500 posts of yours. How is that going out of my way? I thought it odd that you went out of your way to protect all of your family galleries but left that one open? That wasn't even tough to get to; I didn't even have to Google you. A $20 public records search would probably pull up an old address at Sylvan Ave. and the password for the other galleries.

Freaked out? Why? You put all of this out there on the internet. You said:

If you have no experience to inform you about potential danger, then you'll feel quite safe all the time.

Well I'll inform you of all of the danger of the internet then, OK? It was simple to find your LinkedIn profile so now I know where you work, where you live, and I don't want to say anything sensitive to you, but it was easy to find info on your close relatives as well.

You should know that given your career. I'm in a similar field and I've had to try and find people on the internet that don't want to be found because they like to cause havoc on web servers. Now I'm not even a weirdo on the internet that cares to know anything about you, I'm just proving your point that if you're going to stretch everything to the worst possible conclusions, you will have way too much to be paranoid about.

mattograph wrote in post #6032847
The short answer -- they put your hands behind you back, put you in a car, and take you "downtown".

The long answer is that, if they are forced to deal with a confrontation between you and another individual, arguing over who has what rights in what situation, they are not going to sort out the law, they are going to take control.

Its no different than a fight in a parking lot. I once saw a guy get "jumped" from behind in a parking lot. They fought, cops showed up, both went downtown. They didn't sort out who started it.

Cops don't sort out right from wrong -- thats what judges do.

And attorneys cost money -- money I would rather spend on other things.

Maybe the correct question then is, why do you feel the police officer would immediately side with the parents on this issue when they are well aware that the photographer is doing nothing wrong?

Kurt

Twitch1977 wrote in post #6032863
Maybe the correct question then is, why do you feel the police officer would immediately side with the parents on this issue when they are well aware that the photographer is doing nothing wrong?

Kurt

They might not. What they are gonna do is eliminate the disturbance.

You're a cop at a soccer game. A parent complains to you that a "strange man is taking pictures of our kids" then you have to address the situation. The odds the parent is up to "no good" are much lower than the odds that the photographer is. So, suspicion goes to the photographer.

If there is an argument, the photographer is already at a disadvantage.

NOW -- if the photographer complained that he was being hassled my a group of parents -- well the outcome could be different.

Well as already suggested way back at the beginning of this thread, why not ask permission from the person in charge of the event if you are so concerned?

The first thing I do when I decide to shoot an event is to call ahead and talk to the coordinator or land owner. I have never been refused. People are glad I am there. Now they can get good shots of their kids.......
I am seeing an attitude here akin to approaching a bunch of bikers while swinging a bicycle chain. Better to walk up and tell them how great their bikes are. If you look for trouble, you will find it.

mattograph wrote in post #6032754
Is there really a point to all this?

Here's the facts. If you are taking pictures of my kids, and I want you to stop, you will stop. I will find a way.

Conversely, if I am taking pictures of your kids, and you want me to stop, I will stop. You will find a way to make me.

It may be cordial, it may get ugly, but its a simple battle of wills. And I will guarantee you the will of the parent to "protect" their child will ALWAYS trump the will of the photographer to take the picture.

I respectfully disagree with your blanket statement.

If you are at one of my local school events--AYSO event--AAU basketball--Girls on Track--Girls on the Run--The local hockey rink or indoor soccer facility--Habitat for Humanity--City Rec League--or any of the other places that I have permission and the blessing of the organizers and/or owners I will be friendly and try to accommodate you--but if push comes to shove I won't be the one leaving.

If I'm taking "the show on the road" to shoot tournaments or away events where I'm not known a polite introduction and inquiry about the local ground rules is always in order.

Jamie is correct--By showing a little common courtesy to parents,coaches, officials, or organizers I've never been denied permission to shoot an event of any kind or gotten into any unpleasant situations.

Getting a prime spot to shoot from--Well that's another story--LOL

dave kadolph wrote in post #6033215
I respectfully disagree with your blanket statement.

If you are at one of my local school events--AYSO event--AAU basketball--Girls on Track--Girls on the Run--The local hockey rink or indoor soccer facility--Habitat for Humanity--City Rec League--or any of the other places that I have permission and the blessing of the organizers and/or owners I will be friendly and try to accommodate you--but if push comes to shove I won't be the one leaving.

If I'm taking "the show on the road" to shoot tournaments or away events where I'm not known a polite introduction and inquiry about the local ground rules is always in order.

Jamie is correct--By showing a little common courtesy to parents,coaches, officials, or organizers I've never been denied permission to shoot an event of any kind or gotten into any unpleasant situations.

Getting a prime spot to shoot from--Well that's another story--LOL

My statement presumes the situation stated by the OP -- the photographer is an unknown, with no permission, nor any "reason' for being there.

Certainly, if you are there with the blessing of the organizers, the situation is totally different, and any complaints would be handled with that in mind. The photographer will ultimately prevail in those situations as long as they have conducted themselves professionally.

I, too, have never been denied permission to shoot. I have also been approached by police, building security, and TSA. In all those instances, 5 minutes of my time and a friendly disposition had me back at the viewfinder shooting away. Although, TSA was a little unnerving.

I have 2 boys in soccer and they play 9 games in the fall and 9 games in the spring. Because I've been there for 6 years with my sons, the league and other parents know me and trust me. I never put any pictures on the net, without permission and notification, and none of my parents are allowed to, all images are for private use. I take around 1000 pictures a season and I give the parents of my sons' teams 400+ images for the season. It's been my gift to the team for years. The other teams' parents see me with my gear and have asked what I am doing? I tell them and they back off. No one has approached me to tell me to stop. I often take extra pictures of the kids I know on the other team and send those images via e-mail to the parents as a gift. But I don't attend games my boys are not playing in. I don't see anyone walking around just shooting games just because they can. The league probably wants me to attend more games to do this for free for everyone, but I'm not doing it for money or for fame.

I know I would be suspicious of anyone taking pictures that isn't a parent or a coach. If a parent asked me to refrain from taking pictures of their child, I would in an instant. Even if it is within my rights to keep shooting, I won't. I think sometimes just having the right to do something, doesn't make it the best thing to do. Use your judgment and respect the families. For me, shooting is a hobby and a joy. If it starts getting complicated, I don't know if I'd enjoy it very much.

If you start shooting an event that involves children and are a mysterious stranger and never ask permission from those in charge, you have asked for any trouble that comes your way. Law and rules aside, respect for others will get you respect.
If someone asks you not to shoot their kid, don't. It is their lose and they will probably recognize that later if they peruse your website. If you make a big stink, no one will respect you and you won't sell anything. If you aren't there to create revenue, and you don't have a kid, why ARE you there? If I were a parent there, I would want to know. I hope all parents would. Keeping our kids safe is rule one even at the cost of being paranoic.

SuzyView wrote in post #6033338
I have 2 boys in soccer and they play 9 games in the fall and 9 games in the spring. Because I've been there for 6 years with my sons, the league and other parents know me and trust me. I never put any pictures on the net, without permission and notification, and none of my parents are allowed to, all images are for private use. I take around 1000 pictures a season and I give the parents of my sons' teams 400+ images for the season. It's been my gift to the team for years. The other teams' parents see me with my gear and have asked what I am doing? I tell them and they back off. No one has approached me to tell me to stop. I often take extra pictures of the kids I know on the other team and send those images via e-mail to the parents as a gift. But I don't attend games my boys are not playing in. I don't see anyone walking around just shooting games just because they can. The league probably wants me to attend more games to do this for free for everyone, but I'm not doing it for money or for fame.

I know I would be suspicious of anyone taking pictures that isn't a parent or a coach. If a parent asked me to refrain from taking pictures of their child, I would in an instant. Even if it is within my rights to keep shooting, I won't. I think sometimes just having the right to do something, doesn't make it the best thing to do. Use your judgment and respect the families. For me, shooting is a hobby and a joy. If it starts getting complicated, I don't know if I'd enjoy it very much.

+1 Wish I could have said it so eloquently.

mattograph wrote in post #6033366
+1 Wish I could have said it so eloquently.

Make that +2

Thanks Little Ms Moderator--and congrats!