9/11

[robdavis305]

Has 9/11 made things harder for photographers in certain situations? Thought I would throw this out here to see what everybody thought.

 

[SpeedTrap]

I am in Canada, so no not really unless I am flying to the USA, then it is a pain.

 

[Big Mike]

There have been several threads & discussions about photographers having run-ins with police and security. Much of which probably wouldn't have happened, prior to 9/11.

The search function might dig up those threads.

 

[Heck]

I was told the other day I needed a permit to shoot photos. I was in a public park that happened to have a bridge that you can walk right under. So they banned cameras and even cell phone cameras from that park. I missed the sign lol. But the problem is that you can't take photos of bridges from under or very close. How close is too close? They don't say. I guess it depends on the cop. I also was told to delete everything I took but the officer did not seem to want to enforce the delete part so I just went on my way. A argument with the officer will only get you trouble and with high dollar gear on me im not gonna fight the power.

 

[Natalie]

WTF? You can't take photos from under bridges?

Since I was something like 13 when 9/11 happened and not doing photography, I can't say if there's been any difference between now and then. I can say, however, that I've never been told to stop taking photos in public places in either the US, Canada, or Australia, by police or otherwise. Actually, there have been a couple museums that didn't allow photography, if that counts.

I was told in Australia that it is illegal to take photos of other people's children, meaning that you can't photograph your child's sports games or school plays because other children might be in the shot, which seems a little over the top. I wonder if that applies to general photography in public places, if it is prohibited because children might coincidentally wander into the frame.

Oops, sorry... I just realized most of that had nothing to do with 9/11.

 

[Garbz]

Yes 9/11 changed a LOT even here. Where it hasn't changed terrorism laws, it has at the very least cut the balls of the general public. These days people pride themselves on letting the government "protect" them and their children. A photographer in a park is now a paedophile, a photographer near infrastructure is now a terrorist.

Not that terrorists would use cameras like we have, but anyway.

I was told the other day I needed a permit to shoot photos. I was in a public park that happened to have a bridge that you can walk right under. So they banned cameras and even cell phone cameras from that park. I missed the sign lol. But the problem is that you can't take photos of bridges from under or very close. How close is too close? They don't say. I guess it depends on the cop. I also was told to delete everything I took but the officer did not seem to want to enforce the delete part so I just went on my way. A argument with the officer will only get you trouble and with high dollar gear on me im not gonna fight the power.

They tried to do that on a beach in Sydney (not for terrorism, even worse "privacy"). I believe one photographer took the city to court, the council lost and was forced to remove the signs.

No one here can force you to delete your pictures. Even with a court order if you're not found to be doing anything illegal if the camera isn't returned to you in the same condition it was taken the police can be held liable.

I personally don't argue about being asked to stop shooting since it's just me being nice, however I will argue to the death if I was asked to shop shooting while the guy next to me with his point and shoot is allowed to continue, and if anyone asked me to delete images.

 

[ArtphotoasiA]

A photographer in a park is now a paedophile, a photographer near infrastructure is now a terrorist.

Sure thing... make harder for everyone... forget to take a photos of a child in public place!

People is just mad!

 

[nemopaice]

I haven't been hassled or anything, however I can since the a difference in tension in some areas. I did have a kind of funny thing happen though. I was out taking pictures of a President William McKinley's monument a while back and a cop started following me around. I didn't let it bother me too much because my battery was dying and I was trying to hurry up and get the shots I wanted. But around the time my battery finally gave, he started hanging back, like he was trying to spy on me or something...lol So with a dead battery and all, I still had juice in my flash, so I pointed my camera in his direction and flashed a few times. He disappeared after that?

I thought it was funny he didn't approach me instead of spying on me waiting to catch me doing something. He kind of reminded me of Inspector Clouseau.

 

[usayit]

9/11 changed everything...

It made the typical American citizen just a little be dumber and a paranoid. Enough to sign away freedoms for a sense of security.

...

Don't kid yourself though. Our problems started way way way before 9/11. Some would say it started somewhere between the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomer Generation when we as a nation turned a deaf ear to the "Greatest Generation". Lessons passed generation to generation that made America were lost.. perhaps forever.

We are now a country that gets pissed off when the Presidential State of the Union conflicts with the premier of "Lost". (wtf?)

Oh.. but this is a different discussion not to be taken farther here...

 

[Mendoza]

Shortly after 9/11 I went out in the woods to take pictures of an old dam. This was a small, moss-covered dam close to the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless I was stopped by a park ranger who asked some basic questions, asked for identification, and more or less admitted he was only doing this because of 9/11. He was polite but that was the only time I've been stopped for taking pictures, and the mere fact of being stopped in a wide-open public space was both understandable and disheartening.

 

[KmH]

I was told the other day I needed a permit to shoot photos. I was in a public park that happened to have a bridge that you can walk right under. So they banned cameras and even cell phone cameras from that park. I missed the sign lol. But the problem is that you can't take photos of bridges from under or very close. How close is too close? They don't say. I guess it depends on the cop. I also was told to delete everything I took but the officer did not seem to want to enforce the delete part so I just went on my way. A argument with the officer will only get you trouble and with high dollar gear on me im not gonna fight the power.

In this case there was nothing to fight since a notice had been posted, but some of these bans are just ludicrous. I'd be willing to bet that bridge is in more danger of collapse from poor maintainence than a terrorist attack.

Maybe they want to prevent someone from documenting the condition of the bridge?

That doesn't mean authority should never be questioned. In fact, authority should always be questioned, and a letter to the city could be in order.

Obviously, the authorities don't understand that by doing this kind of crap they validate what terrorist do and pander to the terrorists goals.

 

[clbd39]

Well I haven't had any problems in the airport, and I've had a bag packed full of camera gear, normally I don' even have to unbuckle/unzip it and take things out

Other than that haven't had any problems with bridges (since that's a big topic here) or anything else... guess that's the good ole' midwest!

 

[Plato]

I don't particularly like being hassled any more than anyone else does. However...

In 1964, I wanted to take some shots of the department stores' Christmas displays. I was stopped even before I got there. I was informed that it's illegal to carry an unwrapped camera and an unwrapped tripod simultaneously in New York City without having a photographer's license! (NYC has long been a union town.) The law has either been repealed or is no longer being enforced.

 

[usayit]

I think technically laws similar to what you describe, Plato, still exist. They are leverage to limit people blocking the flow of pedestrian traffic. The details, I'm not so sure about.

 

[Heck]

I know you need a tri pod permit but its probably very much still illegal to carry a tri pod and camera around the city without a permit. The city does give out "free permits" if you fill out the form and fax it in to the department that handles that. They even issue a "optional permit" As you may not need one but they give you one anyway lol.