The Right to Bear Cameras

[kevin_standlee]

Thanks to Charles Mohapel and to Cheryl for passing this on to me.

Photographer Hassled for Taking Photos on Public Property

While I have never been told, "You're not allowed to take photos here," I know of numerous stories of people (mostly railroad related) being told by various authorities from private security to city police officers being hassled or even arrested for engaging in completely lawful activity. Or at least we think it's lawful. Since 9/11, police have apparently trotted out "it's against the law to shoot photos of any transportation facility," but are unable to cite such laws when pressed. Maybe it's one of the "secret laws" that seem to have proliferated in the wake of the establishment of the Department of Fatherland Security.

I'm glad there are people out there willing to take on Security Culture still. I've taken photos of trains, streetcars, etc., but have never been told it's not allowed. Now, railroads have the right to enforce their property rights. I've walked along the access roads paralleling railroads, and anyone from the railroad could order me off those privately-owned roads at any time. But as long as I'm on public property, as far as I know, nobody can (yet) prohibit me from taking photos of passing trains.

Comments

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

There's been a lot of this in the last 5 years especially. Lots of amateurs are still resisting, but nobody really wants to end up disappeared, either.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

I think it was in Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" that he describes being heavily hassled, to the point of threats of arrest, for looking at (and possibly photographing, but I don't recall that) a slag heap in Pennsylvania from a public road.

New technology and old ways

[nojay.livejournal.com]

A photographer friend was shooting industrial-landscape pictures outside a container depot down in Leith a while back when a security officer approached him and told him there were restrictions on photographing the docks area. He said OK and started to put his camera away.

The security bod insisted on inspecting the camera (a digital camera, of course) and said he wanted the pictures of the docks area deleted. My friend argued but eventually agreed and deleted the pictures from the camera's memory.

He went home, plugged the camera's SD card into his computer and undeleted the pictures.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

We do need to make sure to complain very publicly, to regulating authorities, and etc. when we have first-hand evidence of this kind of harassment. If at all possible, with the name and badge number of the guard(s) involved.

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

It's not like government and private security companies ask permission when their security cameras photograph passers-by...