British police target ’suspicious’ photographers

found a link to this site from the Sony DSLR forum, then saw this:



here's the link to the article:

http://www.dphotoexpert.com/2008/03/07/british-police-target-suspicious-photographers/

any comments?

I felt compelled to respond so I registered.

(Also found a very interesting viewpoint re Live view-with which I agree.. but that's another topic..)

A.J.

--I must admit some of us photographers are a little odd looking to "normal" people.

But I think this is just a continuation of England's Super Nanny state, where self defense, guns, and now knives are banned. It looks like the camera may be next.

"Give up a little more of your freedom, and we will protect you".
Don

There was a bumper sticker on a truck on a really bad cold war movie called Red Dawn which said "they can have my gun when the prize it from my cold dead fingers". Well that applies to my camera! I see people taking pictures around Newcastle all the time but I don't find it odd at all. I certainly have no intention of stopping taking pictures because of the police state we now live in.

--
There's something out there, under the sand....

I was stopped by two Community Support Officers while shooting under the London eye one night, they were perfectly polite and I gave them my details when asked. It was the off-duty security guy later on that acted like a jerk, telling me I couldn't use a tripod. He crept up next to me, didn't identify himself and I was just about ready to lamp him with my tripod because I thought he was there to steal my camera.

I wouldn't mind if security or even the police themselves were polite and asked me what I was taking pics of and for what reason etc; but you always seem to get the abusive/in-your-face kind that act as if they own the place. A quick call to their boss however might decide the issue.

At least with Swan Hunters shipyard (or whats left of it), security don't seem to mind people taking pictures - not that they have much choice in the matter really! Of course they don't let anyone in but they don't hurl abuse at you for taking pictures either - I've had that done to me a few times in the past.

Carry on snapping people!

--
There's something out there, under the sand....

The issue I had with the security guy was how he approached without warning and did not attempt to identify himself until I challenged him, quite bluntly I might add. Only then did he show a scruffy security company name logo on his jacket, no photo ID card or anything. I was in no mood to talk to this moron and left before I did something I'd later regret.

"You can take picture holding with your hands"

"No I can't, that's why I'm using a tripod"

"That's not my problem"

...

My favourite story about this is the guy who went to shopping Mal with his wife and while she was shopping he went ouitside to take some photographs, after a short while he was approached by two security men who told him he could not take photographs in a sensitive area(a shopping mal!)it was a rule of the mal and they pointed out a notice, so he put his camera away and took out his mobile phone to use, a short while later he went to the two security guards and informed them that they would have to confiscate everybodys mobile phones and showed them several that he had taken with his while pretending to make phone calls, then he produced some postcards he had bought with photographs of the buildings he was told not to, makes it all seem a bit stupid really.
--
Barrie

Well, sort of.

This morning we were in the tourist area of our
little town. In a jeweller's store window is a beuatiful crystal
sailing boat, I was tempted to take a picture, then reflected a bit,
this is, after all an artist's creation, he/she have put a lot of
their time and effort into making it. The store owner has
expenses to pay for showing it for sale, there is also the
video and security system they use to keep their premises safe.
Rather than risk a confontration I passed it up.

Am I wrong?

When it comes to jewelry, these are pieces of creation and out of respect you need to ask permission first. It's not illegal, it's just not right.

You can secretly take a picture... the thing is... jewelry stores are always scared that the competition will duplicate a valuable piece of jewelry and sell it mass-market or cheap.

You can even post the picture online and someone else may see it and decide to have their local jeweler duplicate it.

Most of the time, they will agree, but not with a professional camera, and you better have a good intent.

"...I was just about ready to lamp him with my tripod... "

I got a good laugh out of that imaginative metaphor. Thanks.

an advertising card. You will get a high quality photo to make your copy from.

Or perhaps a fashion magazine. LOL
--

Marion
[email protected]