You can now shoot in front of federal buildings

A win for photographers everywhere!

http://lens.blogs.nyti​mes.com …ph-that-federal-building/

Thats the way it should be, protect our rights!

Good to hear! A lot of people out there not aware of what the laws are regarding photography/videograph​y.

I read this as soon as you posted and went to a courthouse where I got stopped by a security guard. I was so glad to tell him off. thanks

You always did have the right to shoot in front of federal buildings. That wasn't even a court interpretation of the law. That settlement was merely an "Oops, our bad" on the part of Homeland Security because they realized a judge was going to smack them hard.

I was shooting in the back of a post office parking lot and I was told I could not shoot there.
I was testing a lens and taking pictures of trash with writing **LOL*

Where can I go to find this information and print out so I have something on hand or in the car incase
I was ever questioned.

Thank you

http://www.krages.com/​ThePhotographersRight.​pdf

TrulyBlessed wrote in post #11187440
http://www.krages.com/​ThePhotographersRight.​pdf

thanks

TrulyBlessed wrote in post #11187440
http://www.krages.com/​ThePhotographersRight.​pdf

Funny thing about law is that different lawyers and judges interpret it differently. Just because you make and have a nice looking sheet that talks about one lawyer's opinion on legal issues does not make that a free pass to go anywhere you want thinking if you whip out that card you'll be allow to shoot whatever you want while wherever you want to be.

HappySnapper90 wrote in post #11191394
Funny thing about law is that different lawyers and judges interpret it differently. Just because you make and have a nice looking sheet that talks about one lawyer's opinion on legal issues does not make that a free pass to go anywhere you want thinking if you whip out that card you'll be allow to shoot whatever you want while wherever you want to be.

Actually all of that is pretty well legally hammered out.

I've been in countries where the law was only what the local gendarme standing in front of you said it was. The US isn't quite like that yet. Not quite. Not yet.

Let's not start acting as though it were.

When you're talking to a cop or a security guard, that's just an opinion as well (albeit, an educated one I hope...). It's not an official decision of what the law means until the judge says so.

elogical wrote in post #11195051
When you're talking to a cop or a security guard, that's just an opinion as well (albeit, an educated one I hope...). It's not an official decision of what the law means until the judge says so.

Do you really believe nobody can ever know what the law is? Everything in every situation is just an opinion until a judge rules on that specific situation?

RDKirk wrote in post #11195474
Do you really believe nobody can ever know what the law is? Everything in every situation is just an opinion until a judge rules on that specific situation?

To clarify, I just meant from a legal perspective. I didn't mean it as a philosophical answer, just more from the practical perspective. I would think think that most people have a solid grasp on what's legal and isn't in most everyday situations but I was thinking in terms of what you actually get in trouble for.

If I know what the law is and how I think it should be interpreted, that doesn't mean much if a court has a different opinion and upholds a conviction against me. Same with the police. If they think something I'm doing is illegal, that doesn't matter much unless a court agrees with them and upholds the charge.

Hopefully that's a little better phrased.


At any rate, I'm glad to hear the agreement in this case was the common sense perspective. There's no way an average person can be aware of even a minute fraction of the laws affecting them. Tens of thousands of pages of legislation and court opinions come out every year and nobody can possibly read it all. Because of this, most people try their best to keep current on any large changes to the law and just go through everyday situations using their best judgment and trying to be decent people.

It scares me to hear about things like people getting in trouble for taking a picture of a Federal building. Common sense says, it's a public building and you don't mean any harm, why not snap away? If the law says you can't take pictures of it, that's not a great situation for the person not even knowing they were breaking the law. Obviously every situation is a little different and it's harder to feel bad for someone if they refuse to stop shooting when someone tells them too, but I'm just speaking as generally as possible here.

I just looked up at the topic heading again, and, yep, it still says "The Business of Photography."

When it's your business, you make a special effort to learn the laws that affect what you do. I don't know all the laws involved in preparing food safely, but I expect my caterer to know them. If one's business is photography, one should make a special effort to know the laws relating to it.