Re: news article concerning photographing in public spaces

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From: Steve Shapiro (sgshiya@redshift.com)
Date: 09/16/02-07:09:07 PM Z


Photographing in or from a public place: The principle question is 'What
are you going to do with the pictures?'

If you INTEND to sell or use them for personal profit it is unwise to tell
anyone who approaches you. UNLESS you are actually under contract, then you
HAVE to tell anybody who asks. (This is brief, I don't want to go into
detail on the list.)

BE AWARE! If you are photographing from or in a public place and cause an
accident, for example a driver is watching you and bangs into or kills
someone the photographer is liable. Yep! That's right. On Government
property, your liability is double.

RULE: Any professional photographer photographing without insurance is
skating on thin ice.

RESOLUTION: Hancock or Hannover, the one with the Stag in their logo is
hands down the very best and there's a few out there -- those are crap!
Homeowners insurance DOES NOT cover liability, and the one I had replaces
equipment with a $500 deductable at $545 a year, or something like $45 a
month no questions asked; mine was $20,000 equipment protection. A brief
list was handy.

The reason I am vague on who and what was because I let mine lapse. Bad!
If you no longer need it, or aren't active for awhile, call and suspend it,
because they consider you "still insured" and just stop paying doesn't stop
the bills or coverage.

I got stiffed on a couple of jobs. Scheduled and postponements just kept
prolonging things. They were civil groups that I couldn't really complain
about, reasons were valid . . . I was photographing in a government land
reclamation area, restricted from public use but visable from the highway
and just couldn't take any chances. In fact, my laptop computer was coverd,
too.

Contact me off list and I'll gladly put you in touch with my agent. A great
gal. Without that, ANYBODY can tell you to go home. Then,we get into
specifics, and it get complicated. I assume you're not causing either a
disturbance or just a tourist making pictures of a church where people are
coming out, or something like that. It's really a specific instance thing,
UNLESS you have insurance.

S
----- Original Message -----
From: "pete" <temperaprint@blueyonder.co.uk>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: news article concerning photographing in public spaces

> A well written reply ! we do all live in a very dangerous world, and our
> very specific needs as photo-artists do not always serve the common good
or
> what is perceived as the common good Whether we like or we don't.
>
> Pete
>
> > I'm no attorney, (and I don't play one on TV), but I imagine that there
are
> > as many answers to your question as situations we can dream up. As I
> > understand it, you can IN GENERAL, legally photograph from a public
place
> > such as a sidewalk. But that doesn't give you carte blanche. There are
> > competing issues of safety, security and privacy.
> >
> > Can you photograph the nuclear power plant from the sidewalk? I doubt
it,
> > because a reasonable case could be made against it based on public
safety.
> > I would say that always trumps your "rights."
> >
> > But you MIGHT be able to photograph the nuclear plant from an even
better
> > position than the sidewalk if you went to the administration and said
"I'm a
> > photographer. Here's my credentials. I'd like to shoot for two hours
on
> > "X" date, and I'll use the pictures in this way. . ."
> >
> > Look, photography may be the most important thing in OUR lives, but if
we
> > ran the nuclear plant (or whatever) it would be WAY down our list of
> > priorities. Before we call them Fascist Pigs, let's try to und work
with
> > them, not organize against them.
> >
> > Besides technical skill and creativity, photography has always required
the
> > ability to "manage" people. It was probably the same for Matthew Brady,
> > Atget, Weegee or anyone else you can name.
> >
> > Marco
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Shannon Stoney" <sstoney@pdq.net>
> > To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
> > Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 3:01 PM
> > Subject: re: news article concerning photographing in public spaces
> >
> >
> >> One thing I've been wondering is: is it legal to stop somebody from
> >> photographing in a public place?
> >>
> >> --shannon
> >>
> >
>


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