A Slacker's Uprising

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Beware of the flash

From the New York Times:

One afternoon, Duane P. Kerzic was arrested by the Amtrak police while taking pictures of a train pulling into Pennsylvania Station. At first, the police asked him to delete the images from his camera, but he refused. He ended up handcuffed to the wall of a holding cell while an officer wrote a ticket for trespassing.

Mr. Kerzic, a semiprofessional photographer, proceeded to describe his detention on his Web site and included images of the summons. He also hired a lawyer to sue...More here.

As a photographer; I'm always careful of my surroundings, and I always try to be aware of who's around me. Not only for safety and comfort reasons (one doesn't want to stop short to take a picture while someone's walking directly behind you), but also for law enforcement officials. Ever since 9/11, fears of terrorism has been the textbook excuse for cops to stop, question and in some cases illegally detain photographers.

It's interesting to note that on Amtrak's website, it states "The taking of photographs and/or videos is permitted within public access areas on Amtrak property and as otherwise stated in Section III." The only transit system that openly bans photography is the PATH system in New York and New Jersey.

I've been wanting to do this for a while, but this seems like the most appropriate time to post the most important links anyone armed with a camera can be given:

The Photographer’s Rights
Legal Rights of photographers
Photojojo: Photography and the law

Also note:
-If you plan on taking transit photos, be sure to check the agencies policy on photography (again, most transit systems are considered public property, so this shouldn't be too big of an issue. Still be careful).