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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Some cops harrassed me in the subway today...

Unfortunately with cops you have to do what they say no matter how wrong they are. Even if you could wipe the floor with them in a courtroom, they still have guns and you (presumably) don't.

As for the terrorism thing, I seriously doubt Osama Bin Laden is going to go into the subway with a 4K camera and start setting up tripods and lights to film his next video.
 
noclip said:
I seriously doubt Osama Bin Laden is going to go into the subway with a 4K camera and start setting up tripods and lights to film his next video.
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Exactly. Because, if he did, he'd be nabbed in a couple of minutes. Go figure.

:innocent:
 
chuckt said:
You need permission from the city/state for all photography of public places.
Still/moving, handicam/cellphone/big cam/small cam/tripod/no-tripod. That is law.
One young tourist who took photos of downtown buildings is currently serving 20 years .
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WHAT country do you live in?!? I hope it's Chechnya or something, because if you are in Canada or USA you are sadly mistaken. And I mean sadly in its most literal sense.

In Canada, I have been harrassed exactly once. It was way before 9-11 and I was babysitting a timelapse shot for a commercial that happened to include the US Embassy about 4 blocks away. The embassy guards (who I was surprised had any authority in my country) politely explained to me that I could be monitoring the comings and goings of their staff.
 
noclip said:
Unfortunately with cops you have to do what they say no matter how wrong they are. Even if you could wipe the floor with them in a courtroom, they still have guns and you (presumably) don't.

As for the terrorism thing, I seriously doubt Osama Bin Laden is going to go into the subway with a 4K camera and start setting up tripods and lights to film his next video.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that guy is famous for lousy video.

regista said:
Exactly. Because, if he did, he'd be nabbed in a couple of minutes. Go figure.

:innocent:
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Seems like you are in favor of the increasing police state?

Seriously, if whether taking photographs of public buildings or harassing people not to, is the difference between our being safe or not - then it is further evidence that we have lost the war on terrorism.

Personally, as I understand the theory of terrorist activity it is to upset or "terrorize" the target.

The fact that we have so undermined our own principles to the point that we have to argue over whether physically restraining a person, and pouring water over their face to induce a feeling of drowning - waterboarding- constitutes torture then in my opinion we have already forfeited the "war on terror".
 
In the terrorist filled 70ies in Germany I was stopped on the no speed limit highways very sharply, because I had my double bass in its bag in my Volvo station wagon. That was when Hans Martin Schleyer was abducted.

I´m very carefull with my RED these days.

Jochen
 
I do have to say that- to my knowledge- there have been no videos of the WTC found in any hole of al qaeda or described in any video by bin laden that would have helped their cause in crashing planes into the WTC. The government certainly hasn't said anything about it. And if there were- they were people with handheld cameras or point-and-shoots. In fact, videos and photos make up 95% of what the public knows about the day.

I agree with the idea that no terrorist is going to be running an ARRI or a Panaflex or a Red for that matter for his intel- and since the cops aren't going to stop the tourists that they should spend their time on tracking individuals based on actual knowledge of that person, not suspicious behavior at a whim. It is a waste of time and resources- and I certainly would go as far as I could up to getting in the officer's face before I gave up my right to photograph in public.

If someone wants to restrict a right- they need a damn good reason and just slapping "terrorism" on everything is a copout.
 
I was in the Santa Monica Pier trying to get a nice shot of my 18 year old daughter and her 20 year old cousin with my semi-substantial SLR when a cop came over and asked to see my permit.

I guess my camera was big enough and my kids are cute enough that he thought we were on a model shoot. We had to take out our drivers license to prove that I was just a dad taking pictures of my "used to posing for myspace" kids.

The kids were so proud and the cop very seriously said, "Okay, well you folks have a nice day"

Can't wait to do it all over again with a Red!
 
AquaVideoRed206 said:
Seems like you are in favor of the increasing police state?
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Not quite, Aqua. I have actually been exercising my (clearly incorrectly perceived) inalienable right to shoot whatever and wherever I please since the late 70s. Permit or not. Even as part of commercial productions. And, like I said in my first post, at times barely staying ahead of the "authorities" when doing so.

What frustrates me is that it's getting increasingly difficult to shoot freely without getting in some kind of trouble with owners, authorities and even the public. And, coincidentally enough, my topmost priority in life these days is to stay out of trouble. Besides, I don't want to get my rig confiscated, either. It never comes back the same from the police precinct, if you know what I mean.

When I don't have a permit, I do carry with me a laminated summary of photographer's rights, like suggested here. Except that I've found out that cops don't really like to read it. Makes them think you're rudely trying to teach them the very same laws they're supposed to uphold. Definitely not a pleasant undertaking. Works with property owners and the public, though.

So, what I've opted to do as of late is simply to scope out potential locations ahead of time and just play the system any which way it would probably work out best. Oh, but wait, that's also what terrorists do!

I tell you man, it's a no-win situation.

Anyway... Peace-out, yo!

:red_bandana:
 
All over???? NO WAY!!!

It's just begun. And US Customs is the biggest terrorist of them all. In the past 4 or 5 years I get secondary and full auto search almost every time I cross the Mexico / US border OR Canada / US border. Never have I been so harassed in my life---have we gone MAD!!

Gone are the days when you cross and you get a border agent that looks at your id and says "welcome back to the United States sir" Now these guys are just plane jerks....sorry, about 98% of them. I've run into a few that have some common sense, but not many. It's an embarrassment to be a US citizen these days. Now they are finger-printing and photographing all non US or Canadian citizens that come to the US. Didn't we fight Nazis and Communists and laugh about their system and the "your papers please" type government.

I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better. But so many out there think we should just hold our tongues and just let them do their job....No way man, every time I cross the border to the US, I'm almost jailed because I ask so many questions and demand a bit of rights and respect---of course all I get is more agents threatening me with imprisonment...but I rarely back down.

I know many of you are world travelers and know what it's like---the parties over man! I get better treatment in Cuba.
 
I was born in Bangladesh 39 years ago, my dad used to work there as a cameraman for a german press office. My parents are German, so am I. We left Bangladesh when I was not even 12 month old. I never went back (unfortunately).
So here is the story:
I got my US-Media Visa and went to the US in 2004. At Chicago Airport they checked my passport and within a moment another officer came up and told me to come with him. They put me in one of those neonlitten rooms with a big mirror and left me alone for about 30minutes. My crew was still out there looking for me. Nobody realized that I was, well, "arrested". What happened? Well, they didn't tell me. I had to stay for almost 2 hours answering questions about my family, my parents, shoesize...and so on. In the end they said that the embassy in Germany marked my Visa as "special alien registration". And that I will have to take this procedure every time when entering and leaving the US. So...almost 3 weeks later when leaving the US from San Francisco I had to answer the same questions again. The officer told me that even a Singapore Airlines captain, flying a 747-400 who is coming in almost weekly has to do this procedure.
Since 2004 I came to the US a couple of times...every time they ask the same questions - no matter if arrival or departure. It always takes at least 1.30hours.
When production calls I always tell them that there is a chance that I might miss connection flights...
Best thing though...in Chicago the officer turned around and asked his collegue: "Jeff, where is Bangladesh?" Well, Jeff didn't know.

Cheers, Oliver
 
Oliver R. said:
I was born in Bangladesh 39 years ago, my dad used to work there as a cameraman for a german press office. My parents are German, so am I. We left Bangladesh when I was not even 12 month old. I never went back (unfortunately).
So here is the story:
I got my US-Media Visa and went to the US in 2004. At Chicago Airport they checked my passport and within a moment another officer came up and told me to come with him. They put me in one of those neonlitten rooms with a big mirror and left me alone for about 30minutes. My crew was still out there looking for me. Nobody realized that I was, well, "arrested". What happened? Well, they didn't tell me. I had to stay for almost 2 hours answering questions about my family, my parents, shoesize...and so on. In the end they said that the embassy in Germany marked my Visa as "special alien registration". And that I will have to take this procedure every time when entering and leaving the US. So...almost 3 weeks later when leaving the US from San Francisco I had to answer the same questions again. The officer told me that even a Singapore Airlines captain, flying a 747-400 who is coming in almost weekly has to do this procedure.
Since 2004 I came to the US a couple of times...every time they ask the same questions - no matter if arrival or departure. It always takes at least 1.30hours.
When production calls I always tell them that there is a chance that I might miss connection flights...
Best thing though...in Chicago the officer turned around and asked his collegue: "Jeff, where is Bangladesh?" Well, Jeff didn't know.

Cheers, Oliver
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Oliver,

Welcome to the United States......Funny I used to hear a similar account about travel to the USSR.. You must have papers.. & how corrupt the USSR was....It's a sad state of affairs in the USA these days.....we seem to put 100% of the public through these drills, grandmothers & grandfathers alike.
Here's to the dream of some day entering this country without being harassed each time....!

Dave
 
I contacted the LA film permit office because I wanted to shoot some 35mm time lapse around LA and they told me as long as it was for non-commercial purposes, I did not need a permit. I shot in downtown, on freeway bridges, on the beach and never got questioned. Although I'm sure they probably would've asked if they had seen me.
 
If it's just one guy and one camera, I cannot imagine being harassed.

Is the OP a middle easterner or Italian or something? Might he have been profiled or something? Also, it seems subways are more sensitive than others areas about this.
 
ChrisBurket said:
I contacted the LA film permit office because I wanted to shoot some 35mm time lapse around LA and they told me as long as it was for non-commercial purposes, I did not need a permit. I shot in downtown, on freeway bridges, on the beach and never got questioned. Although I'm sure they probably would've asked if they had seen me.
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Can we get it from them by fax or by e-mail?
This will be much better then showing the rights of photographer.
 
What if you are just shooting for the fun of it. Then later you sell your footage? It appears on TV and some hardass checks and finds you did not have any permits.

For years I took pictures in National Parks. I have always been singled out because of the big tripod and heavy glass. Many times I am getting a butt chewing by a park service employee for getting to close to the animals. In the mean time Grandma and Grampa have a littel pocket camera getting shots from even closer than I was.

My next plan is to use someone has a decoy. Give them the big lens and camera gear while get in close with a small point & shoot.
 
Greg Syverson said:
What if you are just shooting for the fun of it. Then later you sell your footage? It appears on TV and some hardass checks and finds you did not have any permits.

For years I took pictures in National Parks. I have always been singled out because of the big tripod and heavy glass. Many times I am getting a butt chewing by a park service employee for getting to close to the animals. In the mean time Grandma and Grampa have a littel pocket camera getting shots from even closer than I was.

My next plan is to use someone has a decoy. Give them the big lens and camera gear while get in close with a small point & shoot.
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Hahaha. What parks were you harassed in? Was this a big 35mm camera? Varicam, etc?
 
Oh, that is a gorgeous shot, Greg!

Do you have a website where I can see more of your stuff?

I haven't had any trouble in Joshua Tree or Yosemite with my DLSR timelapse setup... yet. In fact, in Yosemite, I took over the place. I was yelling at hikers, "You're in my shot!" Even the rangers would say, "Okay!" and clear out of the shot. :)

Now, if I had a movie camera, actors, boom mic, etc, I'm sure it would have been different.
 
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