A few days ago Steve Malik's shooter.net was down, apparently overwhelmed by interest (?). It's now up and running again, including Steve's blog, which contains this entry on the topic of his run-in with Muni and the SFPD.
On a related note, the cascade of "cannot modify header" messages that has plagued the PhotoPermit forums over the past couple of weeks has finally been tracked down and wiped out. Yes, it's safe to go back in the water.
...the evil spirits will! Over at This Public Address, Jeff Ward finds a gem or two about public photo paranoia from the 1840's in Spirits under the cloth:
That particular summer being hot and dry, there were some that suggested that the confounded camera brought about the drought by attracting too many sun rays...
...My father used to tell us, that many children seem to have believed that he called up a spirit under his black cloth . . .and when he reappeared from under it, with his hair standing on end, they thought he had been wrestling with the mystic spirit underneath the cover. They fled with terrified screams every time he reappeared.
Yes, PhotoPermit was featured briefly in the "Snapshots" section of the current Popular Photography. Happy holidays!
As mentioned earlier, this link can be used to send comments to the MTA on their proposed photography ban throughout the NY public transportation system — a ban that will not deter terrorism but which will restrict the rights of typical photographers and tourists throughout the metropolitan area.
Comments can be emailed directly from that page. Scroll down to "Click Here to e-mail your comments on the proposed changes to the Rules of Conduct" to send your own comment. Here is mine:
Photography Should Not Be Banned
The proposed restrictions on photography and photographers will waste many tens of thousands of transit system dollars in ongoing legal fees -- it will surely be contested on constitutional grounds, leading to a large public legal expense. And for what? The proposed change does not lead to heightened security for anyone — terrorists can still legally carry guns. The possible surreptitious use of small cel-phone and video cameras by criminals will not be affected in the least. And the MTA has yet to cite even one credible scenario of how photography would be a genuine threat to the MTA or the public (hence the inevitable First Amendment challenges).
The proposal does nothing to enhance security, but instead will LOWER security — MTA Police would end up wasting time chasing and ticketing obvious photographers, who would not be terrorists but in every case normal citizens and tourists who do not pose any threat to the MTA system or the public. This load on the officers' time will deter them from their proper security duties while at the same time harming New York's tourist trade and reputation. And it will further reduce public safety because terrorist activities seen by the public will now become harder to document — while terrorists would be able to handily photograph their victims, the citizenry would not be able to record the actions of public enemies.
A camera is not a gun, it is instead a basic means of expression in our modern society. To restrict the public's ability to use their First Amendment Rights of expression is a grave and serious task, one that can and should only be undertaken if there is great surety that such restriction is in the public interest. No such surety exists. This proposal is NOT in the public interest, or even in the interest of the MTA. The restrictions on photography should be stricken from the proposal.
What's your comment?
Now photographers in the United Kingdom have their printable reference flyer, provided by photographer Simon Moran and solicitor Linda Macpherson of Heriot Watt University, titled simply: Photographers' Rights in the U.K.
For several years U.S. photographers have enjoyed the existence of Bert Krages's well-known The Photographer's Right, in turn inspired by the ACLU's bust card.
This new Photographer's Rights in the U.K.gives photographers across the Atlantic a similar reference, though with the distinctive character and realities of British law, including specific restrictions and laws regardling locations within the U.K., whether it be Scottish trespass statutes or commercial-shooting restrictions at Trafalgar Square.
Yes, PhotoPermit's HTML formatting is changing, but not its content. Stay on the lookout for new content, including articles on how to deal with trouble and a history of photographic interference.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Attorney & photographer Bert P. Krages, author of the popular and indispensible flyer The Photographer's Right and the book Legal Handbook for Photographers, (as well as Heavenly Bodies: The Photographer's Guide to Astrophotography) will be appearing on the first half of the internet talk show Photo Talk Radio discussing the legal issues associated with photography.
Air Time: 8AM, Pacific Time, Saturday 7 August. The show will also be archived.
Sunday's Ballard Locks Photo Shoot in Seattle was well-attended, peaceful, and even picked up some mainstream local press. Click the link for an organizer's report and links to a number of blogger reports.
The National Press Photographers Association has announced that the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, in collaboration with the law firm of Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye LLP, has set up a hotline for reporters during the Democratic National Convention. It is available only for reporters with DNC credentials. The number is +1.888.428.7490
They have also issued a PDF Flyer detailing how to handle issues for reporters who are arrested.
I've been delighted to see the many links around the web aiming to PhotoPermit — and how many people have chosen to visit, post, and/or become members in this first week of the site's public life. PhotoPermit has also been the topic of a number of discussions on other forums. Thanks everyone for the support, and I hope the usefulness of the site grows as more voices are added.
Remember, your opinions are a major part of PhotoPermit — be sure to read and participate in the forums.
(Just for the sake of making something very clear: PhotoPermit.Org does not issue "photo permits," press passes, nor advocate a "print your own license" policy. The "laminated card" image on the front page is just artwork. In fact, attempting to create such cards and foisting them off as "official" for the sake of any sort of legal entitlement is probably a crime in some districts. Issuing a company or organization ID is one thing — expecting that you can use it as a shield against the law is quite another. PhotoPermit.Org is all about enabling photographers with information, shared support, and reducing conflict with civil authorities — not about ticking them off!
Experience has shown that acting like you know what you are doing, and are comfortable in the certainty that what you are doing is proper and 100% within the law, is the surest course.
The name "PhotoPermit" was chosen because there were already sites with names like "free photography" and "photo rights" — sites for stock agencies managing the reproduction rights to photos. Copyright is important, but not the focus of PhotoPermit)
The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Straphangers is holding their First Annual Subway and Bus Photo Contest, in response to the recent proposal to ban cameras on subways and buses in the metro area.
"As the MTA considers a ban on subway and bus photos, film and video, let's give them an eyeful of how transit images enliven our lives and make the system safer, better and more accountable."
The deadline is quickly approaching: completed entries (up to three photos in each of two categories) must be submitted via the online entry form to the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign by 5:00 p.m., Friday, July 30th, 2004.
It's easy, sad to say, to collect a lot of stories about the abuses of local authorities and harrassment of photographers. This is an important function for photopermit.org, but not the only purpose. Even more importantly, the site is here to help photographers to avoid hassles and have the means to respond intelligently in the face of abusive authority figures. Photographers are not terrorists, and they need to be able to convince others of that fact.
Professional photojournalists have a code of ethics and usually a host of similar codes recommended by their press agencies or required by local law-enforcement agencies when issuing press passes and the like. Artists and amateur shooters usually do not.
Would a code of ethics for general photographers and artists be useful in giving photographers greater credibility and accountability? Would a printed card asserting those values, and also the rights of the photographer, be of value?
Suggestions for such a code are to be found in this forum thread — along with discussion on ways to apply it. I encourage everyone visiting the site to read the thread and contribute their ideas and opinions.
Welcome to PhotoPermit.Org. This site was literally born on the Fourth of July — our initial registry was dated 4 July 2004. Two weeks later, the site is now open to the public.
Have you been hassled while trying to make what you thought was an innocuous photograph or video? Have you been threatened? Have security guards demanded that you hand over your film, memory cards, and/or camera? Perhaps snatched them from you? Then this site is intended for you.
Have you been successful in convincing irate parents, confused policemen, and troublesome self-appointed "authorities" to let you go on with your own work in peace? Then this site is especially intended for you, to share your methods and success in making the world a more free one.
Working journalists at least have the resources of their publishers and agencies to call upon when dealing with denial of their rights to see — independant artists and photographers often have nothing. Many are frightened and confused by what has occured or may still be occuring. This site is especially for them, which is why we permit anonymous posting (though we encourage all vistors to register).
What this site is not intended for is a venue for flames against the American government, British foregn policies, religious zealots, etc — unless those flames are specifically related to problems with the rights of citizens to see and to photograph what they see. Just the same, we're unlikely to stop you once you get rolling.
The site is still new, still growing, and forum topics are fluid. We're starting to build a list of useful resources. A few have been chosen to get things started but they will grow and change as time goes by — your feedback is especially helpful in making this forum and site a useful, dynamic one. Thanks for visiting, and we hope all your snaps go smoothly.