Taking a picture? You must be a terrorist...

[JHF Photography]

and what is usually the final disposition?

i am an hour north of NYC by train....I would LOVE to take a view camera there for some shots of Saint Patricks cathedral...but they have armed guards with machine guns and german shepherds outside.

Ummmmm...... what exactly are you talking about? I was there last fall, took a ton of pictures from both the outside and inside. No one said a peep, and there are most definitely not ANY guards with guns or dogs.

By the way, I wandered all over lower Manhatten for 5 days with SLR, bag with lenses, and tripod in tow, took over 1500 pictures, even photographed some of the local law enforcement, and was never once stopped, questioned or harassed.

 

[mallard]

Ummmmm...... what exactly are you talking about? I was there last fall, took a ton of pictures from both the outside and inside. No one said a peep, and there are most definitely not ANY guards with guns or dogs.

By the way, I wandered all over lower Manhatten for 5 days with SLR, bag with lenses, and tripod in tow, took over 1500 pictures, even photographed some of the local law enforcement, and was never once stopped, questioned or harassed.

thats cool....my thread is about the premise. The only altercation with security I saw was in the 90s and i was wondering if in the post 911 world if it had gotten worse. NYC is fun to spend the day walking and shooting.

I'd like to check out your NYC pics if you have them in a gallery

 

[KD5NRH]

The best (or just funniest) advice I've heard on the topic...is to wear a goofy hat when shooting in public.

Hey!

Neither my leather fedora nor my straw hat is what I'd call goofy, they just match the Coronado Safari vest. Since I work for one of the only two security companies with a presence in about a 60 mile radius, (and have friends at the other one) I can quote the policy manual back at most of the guards I run into, and police just seem to recognise the vest and what it implies.

 

[Mystwalker]

Mallard - is that in US? Those do not look like your normal officers - never seen one that heavily armed. Also, what's with the holsters? Looks like these guys are getting ready for a gunfight.

Does that german shepherd look like he care about constitutional rights?

 

[mallard]

Mallard - is that in US? Those do not look like your normal officers - never seen one that heavily armed. Also, what's with the holsters? Looks like these guys are getting ready for a gunfight.

Does that german shepherd look like he care about constitutional rights?

yeah, that was in New York City in front of Saint Patricks Cathedral....actually they were pretty cool, I got a shot of the cop with the dog looking at me shrugging his shoulders. Im sure in the popular areas they are used to tourist snapping pics left and right.

its the unpopular stuff that i like.......like old crumbling buildings, power plants (i used to shoot one in Texas with my 4X5 Crown Graphic and could see every little bit of detail on an enlargement) and other strange stuff like the underside of bridges, in dark alleys......anywhere i see lots of mundane detail.

 

[KD5NRH]

Does that german shepherd look like he care about constitutional rights?

As long as he stays attached to that donut disposal system, he's not going to get anywhere fast. :mrgreen:

 

[hamster]

Hi Keith.

 

[Joves]

Of course, lest we forget about that FBI memo that deems anyone who quotes or cites the constitution as a terrorist.

Actually "talking back" to a police officer can get you any of the following charges: disrespect of a police officer, public nuisance, public disturbance, refusal to comply with police, disorderly conduct and/or resisting arrest. Didn't do anything wrong? District attorney, doesn't care and neither do the cops. Serves you right for talking back.

That's why I'm leaving the US as soon as I can.

Actually you do not have to follow an unlawful order or, allow your person or, personal property be seized. The problem is too many people are backing down so, they think they can get away with it. I would like an officer to arrest me and, violate my rights, I need the money for more glass.

 

[mallard]

Hi Keith.

hi cha! (ya creepy internet stalker!)

 

[hamster]

hi cha! (ya creepy internet stalker!)

I was here first! Post some non cat pics.

 

[mallard]

I was here first! Post some non cat pics.

you know, thats hard to do. I got a couple new cameras (well, new to me) and all I could think of to shoot was my tomato plant and Dreamgirl. This weekend im getting up before dawn and hiking down the beach to the state park to see what the sound looks like at daybreak....the best light is real early or real late.

yall still got that cuda?

 

[Bifurcator]

Exactly... The next step...

Limit and destroy free thought and the general public's ability to acquire knowledge, process it, and dissiminate to others. oops... already happening with the limitation of free speach and access to college education. Lets not forget it has happened several times in human history already.

Exactly right! Nailed it man! You must be over 30...

Call me paranoid... call those dystopic novels fiction (they are) but there are deep lessons to be learned. Trade in personal liberties for security... never!

Right on! But actually on an interesting note those novels may be more non-fiction than fiction. Both Huxley and Wells said as much before they died and it ties in 100% with the work Carrol Quigley did while inside the CFR in NY there. Other globalists of importance have echoed all those things and admitted more than enough to scare the hell out of me - or make me angry and determined!

Big thumbs up to Mr. Crutchley. That was the appropriate action to take.

I experience this madness to a lesser extent on a weekly basis. My wife and I trade off taking care of my 19 month old son to limit the expenses of child care. A lone father, young boy, camera (as always), in a playground. I get this cold and distant reaction from the other mothers in the area. To the point that I feel compelled to pickup and hold my son as an attempt to reaffirm my "fatherhood".

Combat it with friendly engage.

It doesn't seem to be the case when my wife is with me..... It must suck being a single father in this environment.

I was widowed with 4 small children (at the time) here in Japan and I'm so glad I was a semi-free country (like Japan) and not the USA. The community spirit here is warm and welcoming and VERY accepting of all types. I imagine the country life is still so in the USA but the cities are a bust I gather.

btw... attempting to fight for your rights aggressively on the streets in front of a cop will usually result in a disorderly conduct charge (catch-all used to control the situation). No big deal BUT it will ruin and waste your day.

A price easily paid if that was the goal. Just make sure it was worth it. Get it filmed, narrated, and distributed!

 

[LaFoto]

Maybe you only have to look like a foreign tourist?
When we were in NYC in April of 2006, I could take photos anywhere I liked, no one ever approached me (did not try to go to St Patrick's Church, though, I really and truly missed out on that), I wasn't disturbed by anyone.

In London (later that same year), however, we were approached by Security inside the Canary Wharf shopping mall and were told that photos "with big cameras" (meaning: dSLRs of any kind) were not allowed, we'd need to get permission for those by the manager, though photos with compact cameras were allowed. Shows how little security know about what kind of photos also some compact cameras can take ... :roll: (That was during a TPF Meet-Up and there were a good MANY of us with DSLRs...).

Maybe I've so far only been lucky???

 

[Bifurcator]

Maybe I've so far only been lucky???

Yeah, we're not saying typical average tourists ever see much or any of this (although you see the signs of it). It's selectively enforced on people trying to (or who are perceived as trying to) use those locations to express a political opinion or inform others of some situation. Such has been the American way of doing things up until 9/11/01 or so and more recently (since ohhhh, ummm, the 70's?) with the monopolizing corporatization of our news and information sources, has become ever so much more important.

Sightseeing photographers might occasionally catch some spill over and the current direction if allowed to proliferate will surely deny them access to buildings and structures that they paid for as taxpayers (even more-so than now I mean). It might also make all kinds photography illegal is some situations or in some places - and waiting till after that happens is waiting too long for the way the US works. But anyway as a camera toting sightseer I doubt you'll see any aversion presently.

 

[Robin]

holy cow....i was just reading Neal Boortz blog and he posted a link to this news article.....albeit in Britain.

Father-of-three branded a 'pervert' - for photographing his own children in public park

Yeah I read about that in the paper. Ridiculous.

Never been confronted myself but knew someone who did. She was taking portraits of a friend in a park and some woman stormed up and started accusing her of photographing her child. She even showed the woman all her photos on the LCD but she just accused her of deleting the ones of her child. Psycho.