Ever have to deal with "The Fuzz"

So have you had to deal with the cops? how about security guards? Share your story!

I just walk past them. It's amazing the difference it makes wearing my turnout coat and helmet in addition to my camera gear.

Another non-fire related time I was taking a photo of a B-17 flying in and out of our local airport. A state trooper pulls up beside where we were parked, gets out of his cruiser and pulls... a camera. We chatted a bit and got some photos as it went overhead.

I've been asked by a cop what I was doing taking photos once near a state building downtown. I just told the guy who I was, told him what I was doing, and showed him the pics I'd taken. I continued to chat it up with him as I took more photos and told him about my website and the hobby.

He was just fine after that.

Now, if he HAD been an A-Hole and told me I couldn't take photos there, I would NOT have been an A-Hole back ("Hey man - it's my right!"), I just would have smiled, thanked him and moved on.

Life's too short to waste precious time trying to "fix" jerks and their ways. It's not like you'll EVER talk an A-Hole into not being an A-Hole. Heck, go take photos somewhere else for a while.

I'm of the opinion that 95% of the "situations" people have brought up in many of these threads could have been avoided through friendly interaction, or worst-case, been defused by just leaving.

I run into this issue with car shoots, luckily one of the best experiences was a fan of the car I was shooting (Hennessy Viper Venom 650R) and I asked him to pose in a pic and he immediately shot me down! But was more than happy to have the car in the pic

Hahaha. The cop car adds so much to that photo!
NIce capture, btw.

Thanks Jared, I haven't had any issues yet but then again most of the cars I take pics of, they will like. One of my favorite photographers is Webb Bland and he is always shooting the best of the best and I doubt any cops would have any issues with him shooting anywhere.. There's something about a Lambo SV or a 430 Scud that makes it ok to trespass and roam wherever with no restraint.

Chairman7w wrote in post #10570635
I've been asked by a cop what I was doing taking photos once near a state building downtown. I just told the guy who I was, told him what I was doing, and showed him the pics I'd taken. I continued to chat it up with him as I took more photos and told him about my website and the hobby.

He was just fine after that.

Now, if he HAD been an A-Hole and told me I couldn't take photos there, I would NOT have been an A-Hole back ("Hey man - it's my right!"), I just would have smiled, thanked him and moved on.

Life's too short to waste precious time trying to "fix" jerks and their ways. It's not like you'll EVER talk an A-Hole into not being an A-Hole. Heck, go take photos somewhere else for a while.

I'm of the opinion that 95% of the "situations" people have brought up in many of these threads could have been avoided through friendly interaction, or worst-case, been defused by just leaving.

Agreed. Some of the posts of this type appear to be people out simply to provoke confrontation so they can then "prove" their rights.

A little diplomacy and friendly attitude cost nothing. I also have number of my photos on my mobile phone to help show that I do it as a hobby.

I actually posted this in another thread but it seems it fits better here so I copied and pasted into this thread. Around the beginning of the baseball season I went to a Tampa Bay Rays game. Since my friend got us excellent seats I decided to try and take my 100-400 L lens to the game. I researched and as far as I could tell a L lens would be allowed at least mine would. On the web site all I could find in camera restrictions was that the lens could not be longer than 12 inches. Still I was skeptical so I was a little hesitant walking in, but no one said one word about my camera. Actually during the game I ran into other photographers who came up to me amazed that they let me in with it.

Anyway to get to the point. We get to our seats and we're only 3 rows above the home dugout. Like all games they had security who would stand around the border of the field during tv timeouts and between endings. I noticed this one who when he sat down, sat right at the end of the dugout. So towards the end of the game, I walked down to the bottom, swatted down and asked him if it would be ok if I took a picture of inside the dugout of the players from there (at this spot it was at the end of the dugout and you had a great view of inside). He said he wasn't supposed to but he said go ahead and take just one. The great part was that he didn't rush me, he allowed me to sit there for a minute or two to wait for the right moment and shoot. After the shot, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him thanks and that I really appreciate it. Sorry to really drag out the story.

dugcross wrote in post #10577918
I actually posted this in another thread but it seems it fits better here so I copied and pasted into this thread. Around the beginning of the baseball season I went to a Tampa Bay Rays game. Since my friend got us excellent seats I decided to try and take my 100-400 L lens to the game. I researched and as far as I could tell a L lens would be allowed at least mine would. On the web site all I could find in camera restrictions was that the lens could not be longer than 12 inches. Still I was skeptical so I was a little hesitant walking in, but no one said one word about my camera. Actually during the game I ran into other photographers who came up to me amazed that they let me in with it.

Anyway to get to the point. We get to our seats and we're only 3 rows above the home dugout. Like all games they had security who would stand around the border of the field during tv timeouts and between endings. I noticed this one who when he sat down, sat right at the end of the dugout. So towards the end of the game, I walked down to the bottom, swatted down and asked him if it would be ok if I took a picture of inside the dugout of the players from there (at this spot it was at the end of the dugout and you had a great view of inside). He said he wasn't supposed to but he said go ahead and take just one. The great part was that he didn't rush me, he allowed me to sit there for a minute or two to wait for the right moment and shoot. After the shot, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him thanks and that I really appreciate it. Sorry to really drag out the story.

What were you thinking, man?!?!? Not only did you ASK - yes, ASK - but you even said "thank you!?!?!" You weren't even pushy! No wonder your story here is uneventful and has a nice ending.

Just to be clear - the above was written with my tongue firmly implanted in my cheek!

It's amazing what courtesy and politeness can accomplish. Seriously, that's a good story.

ni$mo350 wrote in post #10571062
There's something about a Lambo SV or a 430 Scud that makes it ok to trespass and roam wherever with no restraint.

Or a hot girl...

ni$mo350 wrote in post #10571062
...There's something about a Lambo SV or a 430 Scud that makes it ok to trespass and roam wherever with no restraint.

That's nothing, I used to be able to park my Hearse ANYWHERE!, ( anywhere it would fit anyway ) not too mention throw the flashers on and be ignored speeding through traffic..

But I was young then...

i've had film ripped out of my camera body in many places by security guards.
one place i remember well was the seagram lobby in nyc, maybe 10 years ago.. i remember that experience well because i was just the decoy!

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #10578019
That's nothing, I used to be able to park my Hearse ANYWHERE!, ( anywhere it would fit anyway ) not too mention throw the flashers on and be ignored speeding through traffic..

But I was young then...

Peter Venkman, is it really you??

Raymond Stantz...

I got pulled over by the cops leaving a public park. I had been shooting a rather thin short model friend. The officer asked what I had been shooting, he said he had a report that I was shooting inappropriate shots of a child. Ann is small, but she is 27 and has enough tattoos that it would be hard to confuse her with a child. The cops eventually laughed it off, but not before a set of fairly intrusive questions about what sort of stuff we had been shooting. The officers were just doing their job, but it was pretty uncomfortable being grilled like a suspect, even after they established that she was well above age.