Scenic / nature photographers in national forests - big brother may be watching you!

Article:

http://www.sott.net …e-cameras-on-public-lands

I see nothing wrong here

Welcome to the real world where no matter where you are in public you can be whatched

To stop this would e to say that you can't be there with a camera either

People have been using federal/state parks as grounds to grow marijuana for some time now.

Big Brother is watching...he is another photographer with a 400mm lens mounted on his camera, taking photos of YOU taking photos of children and women!

I think they should at least post a sign indicating possible video surveilence.

Signs of the times, unfortunately. Many years ago a USAF senior offficer remarked to me "do you think we only use satellite surveillance to watch people abroad?" Since then, anytime in the open, I presume government agencies have the ability to watch anybody, anywhere. Thankfully, an ordinary citizen doesn't merit using these resources. However, depending on one's location, i.e. say snapping photos of a military installation, you might well indeed be on candid camera...

hawkeye60 wrote in post #9973925
I think they should at least post a sign indicating possible video surveilence.

Do you put signs up every time you have your camera out ??

LONDON808 wrote in post #9974489
Do you put signs up every time you have your camera out ??

NO, but I don't hide it either, and I'm not the government.

I think most people going camping in a national forest have an expectation of privacy, and getting away from civilization is the goal.

I think you should be told ahead of time that if walk out your tent in your underwear, thinking you are in the middle of nowhere, there might just be a video camera taking your picture. But that's just my opinion.

hawkeye60 wrote in post #9980130
I think you should be told ahead of time that if walk out your tent in your underwear, thinking you are in the middle of nowhere, there might just be a video camera taking your picture. But that's just my opinion.

If you walk out of your tent in your underwear in the middle of nowhere, you just might be recorded on video.

Unfortunately, there is good reason for surveillance on public lands. Your tent in the middle of nowhere just might be near enough to valuable mineral deposits, ancient burials, petroglyphs, other ancient relics, or prime marijuana grow locations that just being there warrants surveillance, but puting up a whole bunch of signage in the area or having a ranger drop in and warn you would just attract more attention to places that should be left alone as required by law.
I have been told by a source I admit probably wouldn't or couldn't tell me everything that there are places on public lands monitored constantly by infra-red, listening devices, and big brother with a superzoom. I wouldn't doubt a word of it.

That's creepy.
You should have a reasonably right to privacy in the middle of nowhere...
at least you used too.

Misuse of public funds... swell.

People make assumptions about parks and forests. They think because they go there for peace and tranquility, that's what the park or forest is - peaceful and tranquil.

In some respects, nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps in their tent, their tiny little corner of the park it's tranquil, but if you were a park ranger, you would know an entirely different story - the dirty underbelly of the beast.

A few years back I shot a story for a magazine about a park ranger training academy that park and forest services from all over the southeastern U.S. would send their officers to. I spent the entire day there, attending and shooting every class the rangers went thru.

Most people would think the classes centered on plant identification, vermin control and such. Not so. By far, the overwhelming majority of training centered on security and crime issues such as dealing with portable meth labs, how to identify explosives (yes, explosives), how to identify traps and trip wires so they don't get blown up by those explosives, pursuit driving techniques and so on and so on.

Sure as hell opened my eyes. If I were to evaluate the need of surveillance cameras based upon the stuff I discovered rangers were dealing with, I would say they are wholly justified.

CannedHeat wrote in post #9983622
how to identify traps and trip wires so they don't get blown up by those explosives, pursuit driving techniques and so on and so on.

Possibly I don't pay enough attention to the news, but have never in my fairly lengthy lifetime heard of a park ranger encountering a trip wire and explosives during his/her duties. Not saying they don't have to deal with some unusual situations, but this is a bit "out there."

Just for the fun of it, and to keep it in the context of a photography forum, I went back to the archives and pulled up a few pics.

Pictured below are shots of an assortment of explosives which were found in parks which were used for display in one of the classes (diffused, of course), and the other shot is of the two class instructors (State Bureau of Investigation Bomb Squad officers) demonstrating a booby trap trip wire tied between two trees (you can see the mechanism on the tree to the right).

As I said, there is a side to national and state parks that are totally unknown to most people.

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jemanner wrote in post #9983676
Possibly I don't pay enough attention to the news, but have never in my fairly lengthy lifetime heard of a park ranger encountering a trip wire and explosives during his/her duties. Not saying they don't have to deal with some unusual situations, but this is a bit "out there."

The portable meth lab people, the weed growing people, etc. set booby traps.

in oregon there are stories every year about native american relics being ransacked by fortune hunters. one common technique is to set up a 'camp' with a tent over the top of the dig site. I hope the government has as many of these sites under surveilance as their budget allows.
Recently a world war two aircraft wreck was discovered and the site was immediately cordoned off but anyone that wanted to know exactly where it is could find it easily. I am sure that after the government goes in and catalogues everything, identifies any remains if possible and removes any ordinance, there will be a large contingent of treasure hunters seeking anything left over, and it wouldn't be surprising to know that they were all on camera coming and going.