Brits: Please turn in street photographers

<u><A href = http://tinyurl.com/36jkkj>Suspicious digicam users, beware.</a></u> <p>

:( Good thing I don't shoot street in Britain.

We already <a href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00OfXe>turned 'em all in</a>.

...hmm...I wonder what they mean by 'seems odd'? Using film instead of digital maybe? :-)

I posted this last week on Nikonians.org site. After 3 pages of

replies, the thread was locked by the moderator because people

were becoming abusive. Lets try and keep this one civil.Was it

Benjamin Franklin who said: 'Those who would give up some freedom

for security deserve neither !' ?

/Clay

I don't shoot much street but, a couple of weeks ago, I photographed a cardboard cutout

'Flat Stanley' for the daughter of a friend of mine at several major tourist spots in central

London. Odd thing to do, I know.

 

To do this bizarre task as quckly as possible I drove round early on a Sunday morning. I

went to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Thames Embankment and the

London Eye.

 

I was well aware that my behaviour could be construed as 'suspicious' and I was curious to

see if I got any undue attention from the Police. Not a sausage. Despite all manner of odd

larking around Buck House and the House of Commons, no one checked me out despite

my abandoning the car with the doors open and the engine running.

 

However, I did get a parking ticket. Can you believe there were traffic wardens operating

at 7.45 on a Sunday morning by the London Eye?

 

Anyway, my point is that I don't think the situation, for street photographers, is as bad as

you might imagine, apart from the traffic wardens.

<p>It's not that bad in London. There was an interesting story in the Metro (London free

paper) yesterday about a street photographer getting assaulted in Waterloo station. He

had been taking photos of people on escalators inside the station, and one person took

exception and demanded he delete the picture. When the photographer refused (he

explained he was using film) the person punched him in the face.</p>

 

<p>Now the interesting thing is that British Transport Police have circulated the guys

picture from the shot that the SP made, and are actively hunting him - picture in all the

papers, etc. This is a good example of the police standing up for the rights of the SP -

they freely recognised the photographer was breaking no laws and had every right to take

pictures if he wished - and trying to find the person who assaulted him.</p>

If for no other reason, it might have been refreshingly rewarding for them to actually have (for once), a decent shot that allows the suspect to be identified.

 

Personally, I find it somewhat distressing when I see criminal acts caught on video surveilance cameras - only to discover that the quality is so bad it's impossible to identify the person from it.

Neil: Your story frightened me. I am a street photographer in London who usually behave like a coward. Even people's looks frighten me and then for the rest of the day, I just frighten myself. This is still on the basis that I have not heard anyone being punched yet. It is REALLY difficult to shoot people in London.

 

Andrew: I think you fall into one of the parking ticket traps. I always suspect that they have some traps and have wardens just waiting there.