Photography Policies: Beyond Tripods, No Interchangeable Lenses, Etc.

<p>Are these kind of rules common? I expect the no-tripods rule and no-flash rule, which is fairly universal these days in museums, parks, etc. But I took six kids to Magic Mountain the other day and ran into its rules prohibiting,</p>

<blockquote>

<ul>

<li><em>Lenses greater than three-and-one-half inches in length;</em></li>

<li><em><strong>Telephoto or zoom lenses of any kind;</strong></em></li>

<li><em><strong>Interchangeable lenses of any kind;</strong></em></li>

<li><em>Monopods or tripods;</em></li>

<li><em>Flash equipment of any kind;</em></li>

<li><em>No cameras (video, still, cell-phone, etc.) are allowed on any rides at any time. No exceptions.</em>"</li>

</ul>

</blockquote>

<p>I ran a net-search for their photographic policies before heading to Valencia and found only the following on their web-site,</p>

 

<blockquote>

<h2 ><em>PHOTOGRAPHY</em></h2>

<p><em>Cameras are not permitted on rides. Six Flags Magic Mountain requests that all photographs or videos taken by Guests be used for their personal use and enjoyment only. Any use, reuse or reproduction for commercial purposes without the express written consent of Six Flags Magic Mountain is prohibited.</em></p>

<h2 ><em>COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY</em></h2>

<p><em>By entering the Park, each Guest grants Six Flags Magic Mountain the right to film, videotape or photograph him/her on Park property for any reason, without payment or consideration. All Six Flags Magic Mountain rides, shows and attractions are protected by copyright. Guests must have written permission to use photographs and/or videotape of Six Flags Magic Mountain images for commercial broadcasting, advertising, marketing or publishing in any medium.</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>I don't do commercial photography and I don't carry tripods when on walking tours through amusement parks. I also don't go on too many rides and didn't plan on photographing anything while on a ride. So all seemed good and I bought my tickets and packed up my camera bag with two lenses. My 70-300 lens with hood is a far longer than 3.5 inches. As they say, ignorance is bliss. I went through security, which searched my camera bag, the lenses, the mini-tripod I had in there (didn't use it, just had it) and made no comment. Once in the park, they hand you a map and it has information regarding guest services and general park policies etc. I'm afraid I didn't read through it until much later. I did refer to its map constantly.<br>

<br /><br>

I sent the kids off to rid the rides etc. and wandered around taking pictures with my long, interchangeable lense camera around my neck snapping away at whatever intrigued me.</p>

<p>It was only at the very end of the day as I took a picture of my daughter next to Tweety-Bird that a park employee (security type) told me I couldn't use that kind of camera and pointed out the rules on the Park Map and Guide.</p>

<p>I said, "Sorry, didn't know" and he let me go on my way. I just wish their "Internet Published" policies agreed with their "handed out in the park" policies. Well, actually, I think it needs to be vice-versa, but it's private property and they can do whatever they want. Ideally, though, I prefer to know the rules before I purchase my ticket.</p>

<p>Does anyone know if these policies are in line with other amusement parks? If so, I may have to buy a point and shoot camera as a back-up.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'd suggest writing them and pointing out both that the different publications/web site conflict and that the employees you came in contact with didn't seem to be consistent in enforcing them. Then if not happy with their answer, try another park. As it was, you weren't actually stopped from using your camera or taking pictures, right?</p>

<p>The rules are theirs and not consistent with practices at a significantly more popular (and expensive and "in-the-black") theme park/resort complex elsewhere in Southern California.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Does anyone know if these policies are in line with other amusement parks? If so, I may have to buy a point and shoot camera as a back-up</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California let me carry and use everything. I carried my full-length tripod and a bag full of camera gear. I don't think they have camera policy on their website but I sent an email message inquiring the policy to the some address I got on their website and I got a reply.</p>

<p>These rules differ from place to place and often make no sense. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Natural History in New York only prohibit tripods and flash which make perfect sense. Some other lesser musuems prohibit photography altogether. I'm not one for amusement parks now that my kids are grown, but I'm pretty sure that Disney has few limits on photography.</p>

<p>If you plan on going back get a P&S. There are many good ones for under $200. I suggest that you get one with a viewfinder because those LCD screens can be hard to see in bright sunlight. A P&S is a good thing to have anyway as there are times when you may not want to bring a big DSLR.</p>

<p> I generally abide by the rules for photography no matter how strange they can be. <br /> These rules are very strange to me but some things are very sensible such as tripods in crowded areas, camera's on the fast rides seem like having a potential of becoming a dangerous flying object. I think that a flash can also be very objectionable in many places. However if at an amusement park and you are taking a normal picture of your kid and that is a rule violation then that tells me that the park is not a suitable place of entertainment and I would just not ever go there again. I also think it's important to send a email of complaint and to inform them that they have lost your family's future business and to tell them why.</p>

<p>Good advice from everyone. Personally, I too follow the rules. Certainly, a tripod is understandable in a crowded park and I can see why they don't want possible loose flying cameras on rides. And flash if nothing else, can bother people. It's the no interchangeable lens is the one that bothers me, but what really is the issue for me, I haven't been able to find those rules anywhere on the web (and I bought my tickets off the web). But they are printed on the 2009 Park Map and Guide they hand out once you get into the park. </p>

<p>In the end, I'll write and let them know my position. But there are so many places to go in Southern California, it's just not worth making an issue of it other than writing to them once. I've got a few more years of taking my kids to these parks and then they'll be off doing there own thing.</p>

<p>I'd just never seen them target so specifically SLR's with zoom and interchangeable lenses. As I said, they went through my camera bag when I went in and saw it all, including my little tiny bendy tripod someone gave me and no one said a word. I had a reasonably good time throughout the day and only found out their in-park rules at the very end when I was taking a picture of my own child. </p>

<p>C'est la vie. Thank you again for the advice. And I'll definitely pick up the point and shoot. I had one, but gave it to my mother-in-law earlier this year along with a small printer so she could go digital.</p>

<p>Just thinking over that list of rules, it pretty much rules out every P&S camera if interpreted strictly. You'd be hard pressed to find a compact camera with neither zoom lens nor flash.<br>

As you pointed out, the rules are not enforced either strictly or consistently, but they could, if they wished, ban any camera.<br>

Makes you want to go elsewhere for your fun, doesn't it?</p>

<p>Just thinking over that list of rules, it pretty much rules out every P&S camera if interpreted strictly. You'd be hard pressed to find a compact camera with neither zoom lens nor flash.<br>

As you pointed out, the rules are not enforced either strictly or consistently, but they could, if they wished, ban any camera.<br>

Makes you want to go elsewhere for your fun, doesn't it?</p>

Yeah, fixed prime/no flash is pretty uncommon these days, the only ones I can think of are the Sigma DP-1/DP-2 and Ricoh

GR I/II/III.

<br><br>

But with older cameras there are some interesting options. A 6x9 Fuji GSW690 would be within their rules :-)

<br><br>

Doesn't surprise me though, MM's had their head up their rear for a long time now. This is exactly the clarity of thinking that

landed them in chapter 11.

<p>Guess my Canon Powershot SX10 would be allowed, its lens when extended just reaches 3-1/2 inches; it looks a lot shorter when not zoomed out. This gives me the equivalent of a 28-560mm zoom. So how does this differ from a DSLR with a long zoom anyway? Not that I'd ever travel to Magic Mountain.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I think when it comes down to it the only photography policies should be<br>

A) No commercial reproduction without written permision<br>

and/or<br>

B) No tripods<br>

and/or<br>

C) No flash<br>

and/or<br>

D) No lenses above a certain (resonable) size (IE toting a 600/4 in to a football game using it in the stands)<br>

or<br>

E) No photography<br>

All make perfect sense depending on the situation.<br>

Saying no interchangable lenses, no zooms, etc is stupid. If they were for force you to adhere to that there is something like 2 or 3 digital camera that aren't interchangable lenses cameras that don't have zoom lenses. The sigma DP1 and DP2 are the only 2 off the top of my head that I can think of. Just about everything has a zoom lens these days.</p>

<p>I think this is a silly policy intended to deter unauthorized "professional" photography.<br>

Rules regarding picture-taking typically take this route, even if unintentionally; when dealing with "safety," for instance, we can recall the problems faced by anyone with a tripod trying to photograph a bridge or subway platform, versus anyone doing so with a camera-phone.</p>

<blockquote>

<ul>

<li><em><strong>Telephoto or zoom lenses of any kind;</strong> </em> </li>

<li><em><strong>Interchangeable lenses of any kind;</strong> </em> </li>

</ul>

</blockquote>

<p>They have pretty much ruled out any digital cameras with these two rules combined.</p>

 

<p>There are hundreds of cameras with fixed prime lenses without flashes that will make excellent professional quality images. Most of them are from the 1970's but certainly the Sigma DP1 comes to mind as a modern digital camera that meets the requirements. Many of these cameras are easily hand-holdable down to 1/8th of a second due to having a leaf shutter and a fast, widish lens, making tripods basically irrelevant. It is huge pain in the butt to get somewhere and be told you have to leave your camera equipment in the car, but private property is private property and they can pretty much have whatever internal rules they want. What's incredibly stupid about these kinds of policies is that they guatantees that the only photos of their park that will ever exist outside of their brochures are terrible. There are many many businesses who have completely failed to realize the full potential of free advertising that the internet and it's potential for photo sharing provide, and I'm sure we will see many more in the near future. What I would love to see is a day when places like this put up signs that say "Please take as many photos as you would like and please post them to Facebook, Flickr, Webshots, etc. Remember to tag your photos "Magic Mountain", have a great day!"</p>

<p>I think it's not Magic Mountain writing these policies so much as it is the photographers working for Magic Mountain...</p>

<p>These lines:</p>

<ul>

<li><em>Lenses greater than three-and-one-half inches in length;</em> </li>

<li><em><strong>Telephoto or zoom lenses of any kind;</strong> </em> </li>

<li><em><strong>Interchangeable lenses of any kind;</strong> </em> </li>

<li><em>Monopods or tripods;</em> </li>

<li><em>Flash equipment of any kind;</em> </li>

</ul>

<p>are word-for-word taken from the photography rules at the Staples Center (or perhaps, they both got them from the same source). 3.5'' is approximately the length of a credit card, which provides the gatekeepers at Staples Center an easy way to quickly measure any lens without busting out a tape measure. The Nikon 85mm f/1.4 is an example of a lens that just barely qualifies.</p>

<p>The ban against telephoto lenses is specifically to protect the hired photographers' interests, though I do think it's silly. The ban against interchangeable lenses in general, however, I do not understand at all.</p>

<p>Ben,</p>

<p>Your comment is insightful and to me at least, it explains why it was at the gate as I was leaving that I was "called" on my camera. This is where the roaving photographers hit up groups to take their pictures and then hand them a card so you can 'pick' up the photos later.</p>

<p>I could have been seen as stepping on the toes of these photographers as I was posing my daughter next to tweety bird and had backed off a bit so my 70-300 lens could get the shot. With a hood, it's definitely well-over the 3.5" rule.</p>

<p>In any event, I'll gladly go with their rules. As I said, I just wish they'd coordinate the park-brochure rules with what is posted on their web site. I was at the park with a youth group and I'll just pick another destination next time. </p>