OK, so I'd like to visit Washinton DC...

Hi Bryan,

I'll drop Ron an e-mail, thanks for the tip, I had forgotten but I remember his photos.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
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artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Hbrown said:

I went to DC for vacation a year ago. I took my tripod and used it
without problems. Outside the White House I was told by the
security guard to shoot from across the street instead of at the
perimeter fence. Other than that, I used it wherever I needed it.
Hope you have fun.

Click to expand...

Good news, thanks for that, by the way, is it possible to shoot the white house from across the street at an elevated position, i.e. shoot over the fence without the bars in the photo?

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Sander,

Shoot through the fence with the 85 1.4!

GenoP

Nikon D100 ,Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF AF
1/350s f/5.6 at 85.0mm

Sander Meurs said:

Hbrown said:

I went to DC for vacation a year ago. I took my tripod and used it
without problems. Outside the White House I was told by the
security guard to shoot from across the street instead of at the
perimeter fence. Other than that, I used it wherever I needed it.
Hope you have fun.

Click to expand...

Good news, thanks for that, by the way, is it possible to shoot the
white house from across the street at an elevated position, i.e.
shoot over the fence without the bars in the photo?

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Click to expand...

--
Web: http://www.pbase.com/genop754
Send eMail to: [email protected]

LBrentG said:

You will have no problems at monuments at night, NONE. The only
thing you might encounter is if you dont have rubber feet on your
tripod.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I have a standard Gitzo, it has rubber feet, so this is great news.

LBrentG said:

The ONLY place you cannot have a tripod in DC is the south
side or back of the White House. Capitol, Smithsonian(s), and all
monuments are a go. You can check out my stuff if you'd like.

Click to expand...

I did, some potent stuff LBrentG, I especially like this one:
http://lbg.smugmug.com/gallery/238293/1/9346286/Large

I had this kind of image in mind when I was talking about night shots of the monuments. also this building looks great:
http://lbg.smugmug.com/gallery/238293/1/9275260/Large

Thanks for sharing, could you also please tell me which lenses you used for these photos? I have nothing mid-range so I might have to rent something (I just have the 12-24 and the 70-200). Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Hi Genop,

did you take that shot when they weren't looking of were you just very fast acting? The shot looks good, is that a sniper on the roof?
Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Mike Zelmar said:

I was in DC at the end of July and used my tripod at the Lincoln,
Korean,l and World War II Memorials during the day and the
Jefferson Memorial at night. Never had a problem.

Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, LBrentG said the same thing exactly, very good news, thank you!

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

James, I'm glad so many people are reporting good experiences, it provides me with some much needed enthusiasm, thanks for sharing

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

GenoP754 said:

[snip] However when questions arrived I made it a point to smile
and act very pleasant. I would answer any questions an officer
asked me with respect and never once would I point out my rights as
an American. The point here is they will treat you exactly the way
they are treated by you in most cases. Also shooting much later at
night you can get better shots without any tourist interfearance.

Click to expand...

GenoP this makes perfect sense to me and I can appreciate the way you went about it, I will certainly always remain curtious when approached, i have no reason to do otherwise. I already sent an e-mail to the Metropolitain District PD with some questions about tripods, photography and permits, I hope they will respond and give me some pointers too.

GenoP754 said:

this may also sound really crazy, but if you know anyone with a
handicap liscense bring them along.....

Click to expand...

Alas, I don't know anybody (let alone handicapped) in WDC, Marije has a few friends in Bethesda though, but I understand that is not close to WDC and traffic is awefull between both places.

GenoP754 said:

DC at night is wonderfull.....And I live right next to NYC and let
me tell you it is a great place to visit, but for photography right
now it is tight and the cops are all over.

Click to expand...

I'm leaning more and more to just visiting WDC, I have seen NYC 3 times before and while it is tempting to visit, maybe I should concentrate on WDC this time.

Thanks for sharing your excellent images with EXIF, gives me a good idea what lenses to bring, I really have no clue how big all those buildings are and how close you can get. Thank you for your help

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

swill said:

What is the security risk of a tripod? I cant believe there are
laws in DC or NYC that prevent their use. If it has to do with a
tripod on a crowded sidewalk then maybe a can see their point. But
what is the security rist, aside from an irate photog beating
someone with it??? Thanks in advance --Swill

Click to expand...

I believe initially it was because tripods had metal feet, they would scratch the marble surface and officials just banned tripods from the museums to get rid of the hassle of checking every tripod separately.

As I understand now, with the added security since 911, it is very convenient for security guards to see some proper ID, and thus they ask photographers to apply for a permit before setting about with their equipment, just a streamline measure for security so it would seem.

Sure it is annoying for photographers to be hassled, but I can imagine it's also a problem for security guards, who are expected to double check everything, when a photographer has nothing to show he's just a harmless artist, a permit will take care of all the hassle in 1 go.

I've sent an e-mail to MDP checking if I can apply for a permit, i hope they respond. If they do not respond I'll take my chances, several contributers to this post have shared positive experiences in DC so I hope I can share the same when I return.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

hans said:

Have a great time!! In every possible way

Click to expand...

I hope I get to go, still have to check out the finances and such

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

I was talking about the area immediately around the Capitol building. In the spring of 2001 we went there with a professional photographer to take some wedding photos. There were no problems with taking photos anywhere, but at the Capitol Building we were told not to use the tripod.

Sander Meurs said:

Hi Jim,

thanks for the link, it spoke of a special permit for tripods but I
won't need one for the Smithsonian. Good to know you had no
problems using yours around town, you said that it was maybe
restricted on Capital Grounds, I'm not familiar (yet) with your
city, so could you please elaborate on that, what are the Capital
Grounds? Is it the area around Capital Hill or something like that?
Thanks in advance Jim, I appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Click to expand...

Sander Meurs said:

Alas, I don't know anybody (let alone handicapped) in WDC, Marije
has a few friends in Bethesda though, but I understand that is not
close to WDC and traffic is awefull between both places.

Click to expand...

So park in Bethesda and take the Metro into the city. It is easy to get around that way.

Jim Seach said:

So park in Bethesda and take the Metro into the city. It is easy
to get around that way.

Click to expand...

While I have nothing to park, I will use the metro to get around town. Marije will buy a Lonely Planet shortly so we'll make an itinerary to get around. Thanks again Jim.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

and please, remember I am just the messenger, so don't shoot me .

Evidently there is some group of folks within some part of our great bureaucracy who believe that commercial photographers should pay for the privilege of creating images at some of our most photogenic spots. These same folks, in some cases, have decided that if you have a tripod, you must be making money off what you shoot. Now, I have not personally run into this, you are hearing it from me at least third hand. If this is the case, I wonder how they would have dealt with Ansel Adams on top of vehicle? I also hope that this lunacy has been quashed, but with some of our agencies here, one has to wonder.....

Then again, I was flying in Australia in the late 1990's, had purchased a Didgeridoo in Melbourne that I carried on most of the flights. Was leaving Alice Springs to fly back to Sydney and I was told I could not carry it on because it could be used as a "deadly weapon". OK, I admit, at that time my playing ability sucked, so I guess it could have injured someone. This, by the way, was the same flight where my 3-1/2" folding knife was clipped to my pocket and no one questioned that as I boarded. So, you see, lunacy is not something only seen in the USA when it comes to "security" concerns .

Sander, have a great trip, I'm glad to see all the response you have gotten. Hope you can make it to the Northwest part of the country some time, or that I can find a way to join you in the Canaries .

Sander Meurs said:

swill said:

What is the security risk of a tripod? I cant believe there are
laws in DC or NYC that prevent their use. If it has to do with a
tripod on a crowded sidewalk then maybe a can see their point. But
what is the security rist, aside from an irate photog beating
someone with it??? Thanks in advance --Swill

Click to expand...

I believe initially it was because tripods had metal feet, they
would scratch the marble surface and officials just banned tripods
from the museums to get rid of the hassle of checking every tripod
separately.

Click to expand...

SNIP

Sander Meurs said:

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Click to expand...

--
Bill Dewey
http://www.deweydrive.com

Hi Sander,

Took my time. And your right there are actually two snipers that I could see. One in each direction, plus another military person with binoculars always raised to thier eyes. Nobody gets inside the fence, but plenty of cameras were shooting through the fence. The 85 was the perfect length by the way. Also 3 or 4 of us also had our Lowepro street and field vests on, so we were carrying plenty of gear. Below is Ron.

GenoP

Ron Reznick with the D1H, 85 1.4, and his LowePro Street and Field Vest.

Nikon D100 ,Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF AF
1/500s f/5.6 at 85.0mm

Sander Meurs said:

Hi Genop,

did you take that shot when they weren't looking of were you just
very fast acting? The shot looks good, is that a sniper on the roof?
Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Click to expand...

--
Web: http://www.pbase.com/genop754
Send eMail to: [email protected]

Do you live here in the US or in the Netherlands? I am also half Dutch, my mom is an American and my father Dutch, I was born on St. Maarten and am an Antillean (say that 5 times fast...) But thanks to my dad I carry both US and Dutch citizenship.

Marije Booman said:

Marije Booman said:

I do have a question for you. you girlfriends name is very
interesting, where is she from? My sister's name is Marijke and is
a very common Dutch name. Is your girlfriend all so Dutch?

Click to expand...

Hi David,
I happened to see your message just before going off to work,
Sander is still asleep so I'll answer for you. My name is Dutch,
like me and Sander both are. It is not so very common here, but all
names like Marije and Marijke are, as I understood, derived from
Maria (although my parents picked it because they just liked it).
--
Best wishes,
Marije

Click to expand...

--
Dave

N.i.k.o.n D.1.0.0
N.i.k.o.n C.o.o.l.P.i.x 4.3.0.0
O.l.y.m.p.u.s C.5.0.z
C.a.n.o.n A.E.1 P.r.o.g.r.a.m
Mac G4 Dual 1Ghz Digital Dark Room!

Sander Meurs said:

Thanks for sharing your excellent images with EXIF, gives me a good
idea what lenses to bring, I really have no clue how big all those
buildings are and how close you can get. Thank you for your help

Click to expand...

You can actually get real close and in a lot of cases get inside and take pics. The whole time we were there we carried the 70-200VR with us everywhere, however Ron only reached for it once....and actually that shot was never used. It is useful if you want to get people shots without getting close, however for the monuments you really don't need anything beyond an 85mm.

GenoP

--
Web: http://www.pbase.com/genop754
Send eMail to: [email protected]

david casius said:

Do you live here in the US or in the Netherlands? I am also half
Dutch, my mom is an American and my father Dutch, I was born on St.
Maarten and am an Antillean (say that 5 times fast...) But thanks
to my dad I carry both US and Dutch citizenship.

Click to expand...

Both Marije and me are Dutch in live in a city called Groningen, in the north of Holland, a shared US/Dutch citizenship is very convenient, you have the possibility to get the best of both worlds Nice to meet you.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

GenoP754 said:

[snip] you really don't need anything beyond an 85mm.

Click to expand...

Thanks GenoP, I guess my 70-200 will do fine, I have no 85mm prime, so it will have to do, I can imagine the VR would help too when I do get cheated out of my tripod 'rights'. Thanks for all your comments GenoP.

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Friends,

I live in D.C. I work in D.C. I can see the Washington Monument from my office window and often each lunch on a deck overlooking the Capitol (talk about a scenic view!). I take pictures here all the time, with and without tripods, and have never been hassled, bothered, or even questioned. Security certainly has increased since 9/11, and it wouldn't shock me if someone were questioned while taking pictures. As some of the other posters have said, just respond politely. Remember, police are people too, and an aw-shucks smile always goes further than an indignant reply.

By the way, I'm a federal prosecutor and I am not aware of any law, current or former, barring use of tripods (news organizations would be put out of business!). Even if such a law existed, I can assure you I would refuse to prosecute. Just the same, don't scratch the marble -- leave it for the skateboarders.

I hope Sander enjoys my hometown -- it's a wonderful city, especially in autumn.

DC Steve

Sander Meurs said:

hans said:

Have a great time!! In every possible way

Click to expand...

I hope I get to go, still have to check out the finances and such

Cheers,

Sander Meurs
------------------------------------------------------------------



artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity

Click to expand...