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Security in NY / SF


serge_boucher

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I'll be travelling to the USA for the first time this summer. I'm

planning to spend a week in NY and two weeks in California, getting a

few glimpses of SF, Berkeley and Yosemite NP.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry if this sounds stupid, but I'm a bit worried about the

safety of my equipment. Depending on who you ask, either it's

impossible to walk for a day in NY without gettting assaulted, or it's

the safest city in the world because there's a policeman every 15

meters. Of course I'm planning on insuring my equipment, but I

actually want to enjoy myself on this trip, and being mugged is an

experience I can do without.

 

 

 

 

Do you have any advice on what could be considered "safe" ? Can I walk

around with a camera around my neck without risking trouble ? I plan

on travelling with an EOS33 + 2 lenses (including a rather conspicuous

70-200F4), a Leica M6 and a tripod. Mostly everything would get

stuffed into a camera backpack, leaving the tripod rather exposed. Is

it safe to walk around town with that kind of stuff ? Would a photo

vest be safer ? On a side note, is the M6 less tempting for thieves

because it looks like something from the last century and doesn't have

a big shiny zoom on it ?

 

 

 

 

Are there some places in the city where I should not go ? (I'm not

planning to leave Manhattan, except maybe for a shot of the Brooklyn

Bridge.) What about in the evening ?

 

 

 

 

Also, I've focused more on NY than SF because from what I hear SF

seems "quieter". Am I mistaken ?

 

 

 

 

I'm really sorry if all the above sounds like nonsense, and I really

don't want to offend anyone by comparing their home city to some kind

of evil jungle, but I've heard a lot of things and it's difficult to

find a middle ground between paranoid and foolhardy. Any help would be

greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Serge Boucher

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I watch my gear like an old mother hen guarding her chicks from the time I leave the house right up to the time I go back through the door. I don't care if I'm going down the street or making a trip to China. Watch it like a hawk where ever you are and, unless you are too old and feeble, be prepared to throw punches to keep it! That's about all you can do except insuring it until your bank account bleeds!
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I lived in Berkeley for 4 years up until 2001. I doubt much has changed since then. I lived just 100 meters from telegraph avenue (which many people visit and think is a den of thieves). I am a pretty big guy, so that may have an impact, I was also a local and thus probably didn't act like I was asking to get ripped off. BUT, I never, not once, never felt my photo gear was in jeopardy of being stolen either in Berkeley or across the pay in San Francisco - which i visited at least every other weekend.

 

I used an EOS 1v and 70-200/2.8 plus I also had a Leica M6 with a 50 cron and I rarely used a tripod during the day but sometimes did... i.e. I had the same gear as you... As you say, people don't know what a Leica is and they mostly think it is just some "older camera"... I wouldn't be worried in the Bay Area, I haven't lived in New York so I can't comment on that city. One thing I do recommend in SF and Berkeley is that you consider walking around with only your Leica around your neck and a few rolls of film in your pockets. If you aren't used to it you will get tired walking up and down steep hills all day. Even if you are in decent shape, if you walk up and down hills frequently it might hurt (it works different muscles then those used running on flat ground).<div>005Kh0-13256584.jpg.9f3e5ce3ec6e40f309769eb987dd7c0c.jpg</div>

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Serge,

 

The problem of being mugged will probably not happen, especially if you are walking with another/several people.

 

Be very careful when photographing the Brooklyn Bridge! I'm a member of ASMP, and have been notified of restrictions on the Golden Gate Bridge!! Meaning DON'T photograph it or you will be arrested! No kidding! Since 9/11 security is at a very high level. There are signs posted at the bridge to this effect.

 

Since what happened in NYC, you might/probably will encounter problems with bridges, or perhaps prominent buildings. DONT use a tripod! That is forbidden in Washington, DC without a permit....they think you are using some kind of rocket launcher!

 

Stick to Central Park, Greenwich Village, or anywhere out of the central city. Don't mess with the NYPD.....they have enough to look after!

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I've photographed in NYC and San Francisco pretty extensively

and it's pretty much like photographing anywhere else. So long

as you don't get outside the tourist core you might not be 100%

safe-there are bad people everywhere- but you shouldn't feel

unsafe there if you don't feel so in say central London or Paris.

Parts of New York may look a little more threatening, such as

the metro or "character " areas like perhaps the meat-packing

district, but just because they're a bit run down doesn't mean

you need to face them with trepidation. Just take the care you'd

take anywhere else.

 

Aside from early morning and specific sunset trips from which I

return to my hotel, I tend not to carry a tripod in these cities in the

belief that it will close more doors than it will open.

 

I saw an interesting TV programme here in London a year or so

ago which gave the impression that thieves like backpacks.

Certainly a shoulder bag, carrying one outfit at a time , is easier

to access without putting your kit down and you might find it more

convenient as well as less of a target.

 

You say you won't be leaving Manhattan - well the best skyline

views at the beginning and end of the day are from Brooklyn

Heights (am) and from across the Hudson River between say

Hoboken and Exchange Place. Both of these are easily

accessible - the former via Metro or taxi, the latter by ferry from

the back of the World Financial Center - and have never felt

unsafe to me.

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Get away from the tourist areas. The vast majority of the crime against tourists is in tourist areas, plus the photos you take are probably not as good as the postcards you can buy very cheaply. Outside the tourist areas you can find a lot more of interest. In New York City, try the far East Village (Avenue B, for example) or the upper West Side. No tourists and a lot more local color. In San Francisco, the Mission District and the Sunset are far more interesting than what you can see in the tour guides.

 

I shoot in both cities (I'm originally from New York and now out in the SF area) and I'd say that if you are going to shoot people, New York is a whole lot easier. San Francisco seems suburban compared to New York.

 

What happens to you is more a matter of how you act than what equipment you carry and how you carry it. Don't act like a tourist and you won't get treated like one. Think about this - what would make an American safer in your country.

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I walk slowly with a cane. I've photographed with my Leica M3 and asorted lenses in both cities with no problems. I live in the Washington, DC area and photograph there. I simply take the same precautions I take in London or Paris.

 

The issue raised about a tripod in Washington probably refers to photographing the Capitol. There are some restrictions about that which require a license for photography from particular locations. I've photographed it from the other side of the reflecting pool at night with no problems from either mugger or police.

 

The only times I've had anything stolen while travelling have been in London and Paris. Both times my hotel room was robbed while I was gone. As in any city in the world, the places you are visiting have some rough areas. Stay out of those and all should be well. Enjoy your visit. BTW, a lot can be done with a monopod instead of a tripod, it is easier to carry, and you can use it as a club.

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With any question regarding security, whether in a local US city, or in the third world, the same precautions apply. Be aware of your surroundings and use common sense. You can be mugged anywhere in the world at any given time. Have insurance on your equipment and give it up if assaulted. Worrying excessively about muggings because you are in N.Y. City vs. Smallville is not helpful in my opinion. Just be smart and use common sense.
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As an Angeleno (from the Los Angeles area) my view of both San Francisco and New York is distorted. Like this area, both cities have areas you'd be extremely wise to avoid. The locals will be able to give you more accurate information about less safe areas and getting around.

 

I can't speak to security restrictions on photography, I think there are more rumors than restrictions. I think close-up photogrpahy of supporting structures, tunnel entrances and the like may be restricted but long distance shooting isn't. Fort Point under the Golden Gate is still restricted, I don't know that any long shots are controlled.

 

I think that the convenience factor is going to be a bigger problem than personal security providing you use common sense about getting current local information on where you might want to go, etc. Don't go alone, if you don't see lots of people, there may well be a reason? These are crowded cities after all and tourist areas will attract a lot of people.

 

Carting too much stuff is likely to be troublesome. Unlike L.A., both cities apparently have functional transit systems. But horsing backpacks and tripods on and off trains, buses and the like won't be easy. Trudging the hills of San Francisco will not be easy if overloaded.

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Crime is still going down in NYC according to latest FBI statistics. The lowest crime rate of any large US city - lower than Washington DC, Chicago, L. A. I don't know if San Francisco is considered to be a "large" city - it's actually quite small. I believe two years ago San Jose passed it in population but that was before the bubble burst...

 

One good way of finding good photo ops is going on some of the walking tours. Check the "Weekend - Fine Arts and Leisure" section of the Friday NY Times. It wil enable you to get to some of the more out-of-the-way places, like Dumbo, Noho, Williamsburg, Harlem and give you some context for your photos.

 

Oh, and make sure you visit B&H...

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"Depending on who you ask, either it's impossible to walk for a day in NY without gettting assaulted, or it's the safest city in the world because there's a policeman every 15 meters."

 

I gather that you are from Belgium. I travel to New York regularly. As far as I am concerned, it is a safe city, and not because it is an armed camp, which it is not. New York has settled down a lot in recent years. I think it is as safe as London or Paris, except that you have to worry less than you do in Paris about pickpockets.

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Todd's hysterical warnings about photographing bridges is ridiculous on several

levels. You can pretty much photograph anything you want from a public place,

paranoid city ordnances notwithstanding (most of which would be ruled

unconstitutional if challenged). In fact, I photographed the Golden Gate bridge last

fall (openly, with a large tripod and big obnoxious lenses). I worked it for at least a

half hour, moving around, changing lenses, trying to get the perfect shot (I still didn't

get anything better than what was on the postcards, but that is a separate issue.

*grin*). There were people all around, including other photographers and tourists;

cops drove by. Nobody batted an eye or said a word. <p>

 

For legitimate information on what you can actually photograph, see:

<a href="http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm">Photographer's Rights</a>.

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<p align="center"><img src="/photodb/image-display?photo_id=1387238&size=md" height=666 width=674 hspace=10></p>

<p>I've been shooting around SF plenty in the past two years, and I had neither been harrassed or mugged. The city itself is as safe as any other western city, and still, if it were different, I would'nt had let that stopped me from shooting. As for the Golden Gate, etc., it's quite impossible to stop people for photographing it. There are too many spots and too many people surrounding it. They shut down a few spots around the Bay Bridge (which is easier to control since you can't walk across it), but still, there are plenty of spots you can still utilize</p>

<p>The above photo was taken last year, in the midst of the security turmoil here, from a place called "Baker Beach". No-one showed any interest.</p>

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"Todd's hysterical warnings about photographing bridges is ridiculous on several levels. You can pretty much photograph anything you want from a public place, paranoid city ordnances notwithstanding (most of which would be ruled unconstitutional if challenged)."

 

Todd didn't sound hysterical to me, but other than that there are two different issues. One issue is whether it's legal to photograph buildings, bridges, etc. from public place. Generally speaking, it is. The other issue is whether you'll get into trouble for doing that.

 

I, personally, was arrested for photographing a refinery from a public street nearby. The security guard who called the cops said, very close to verbatium, "but what if you put up your pictures on the internet and terrorists see them?". The cops more or less openly admitted that they arrest anyone who tries to take pictures of that refinery and if they need a charge they invent it. In my case the (bogus) charge was trespassing and when I came to court a month later, it was just dropped without any attempt to prosecute the case.

 

So yes, generally speaking you have legal rights to photograph most stuff from public places, and yes, you can get arrested for doing so.

 

As to the original poster's question, I feel that nowadays Manhattan below 100th St. or so is as safe as any other big city in the world, no difference from London or Paris, for example.

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<i>As to the original poster's question, I feel that nowadays Manhattan below 100th St. or so is as safe as any other big city in the world, no difference from London or Paris, for example.</i><p>

 

I'm not sure why you would draw the line there. I was around 125th St. the other day and it all seemed to be about the same as downtown. Historically, the best place for thieves was 42nd St. because of all the tourists. If you don't look like you just got off the plane from Iowa, no-one notices you anywhere.

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I can't speak for New York but as a San Francisco resident I can assure you

that it's no different from anywhere else. As others have said, just use your

common sense and keep your wits about you.

<br><br>

SF's biggest problem (and it has become a <b>really</b> big problem) is the

burgeoning homeless population, but and I'm sure I don't speak out of

turn here a lot of them are often so loaded on something or other that

they don't pose much of a threat.

<br><br>In the main, unless you are actively seeking to photograph the city's

worst neighborhoods, you aren't going to find much to shoot in the places you

should try to avoid, specifically the "Tenderloin" (covering roughly the square

area between Van Ness, Market, Post and Powell) and SF's own wine country

(*grin*), the few blocks south of Market on 6th Street. Even then I've wandered

through these areas solo with a laptop over my shoulder and camera

equipment on my back at all hours of the day and night -- not the best idea but

I wasn't harrassed once.

<br><br>Regarding the bridges, I've been on around them both on more

occasions than I can remember since 9/11 and have had no problems

whatsoever. I've wandered out onto the Golden Gate span with a big tripod

and large backpack at 5am as the only one around and it would have been

easy for watching cop to stop me if he had been worried by my presence.

<br><br>

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Just leave your tripod and Leica at home, dress like an ordinary New Yorker and not showing that you are carrying a street-map, then you will be okay everywhere and anytime. Well, almost anytime: Don't go to Central Park after dark; Don't go to Brooklyn to take the night scene of Lower Manhattan. In one word, go to the tourist spots with crowds at night. Time Square is safe at night, but you may need a tripod to take the night scene.
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I live in Philadelphia and we spend weekends in NYC. NYC is too much fun to bog yourself down with a lot of equipment. If you have a wide-to-short-telephoto zoom, that would be enough. The 70-200 is too much for city streets. I carry a Pentax SLR, or a VC Bessa R, around my neck with no problems. If I want an extra lens, I put it in a drawstring pouch and tie it to my belt. NYC in Summer can be hot; why carry a lot of equipment? I once carried a pocket tripod, but didn't use it because I could always prop the camera on a mailbox or newspaper box, or against a pole.

 

On 7th Avenue, at about 52nd, is the Brasserie Centrale, with outdoor seating. For the price of a beer and/or a salad, you can place yourself near the sidewalk and shoot to your heart's content. Lighten up, literally and figuratively.

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Don't shoot the NYC sklyine at night from lower Brooklyn???!!! The best views are from the Brooklyn Promenade, just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is Brooklyn Heights, one of the nicest (and most expensive) neighborhoods in the city. I'd give my eye teeth to live there. Very safe. My photography club went there last fall and I got some nice shots - nothing unusual but I like 'em.
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How about this: A lonely tourist, who carries a tripod (hence people in the street know he/she is carrying photo equipments), is on his/her long way to the subway station at night after taking photos at a very popular site for the Lower Manhattan scene (the small park by the East River on Brooklyn side near the Brooklyn Bridge -- next to River Cafe). How safe is he/she?
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You mean Fulton Ferry Park? IME as a tourist, w/no tripod but

expensive cameras + street map in open sight, I agree w/Bill

Schmidt . . . your hypothetical tourist is still safe!

 

-------

 

"How about this: A lonely tourist, who carries a tripod (hence

people in the street know he/she is carrying photo equipments),

is on his/her long way to the subway station at night after taking

photos at a very popular site for the Lower Manhattan scene (the

small park by the East River on Brooklyn side near the Brooklyn

Bridge -- next to River Cafe). How safe is he/she?"

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