therock wrote:
[snip]
He reminded me that I pulled over to talk to them and they did not detain me and only asked for ID
I missed the fact that in the original post you pulled over to them.
While everything I and others have written previously about defending our rights as citizens still holds true, in rereading this it does seem that a) at no time did anyone try and stop you. So it's much ado about nothing and b) you did actively approach them during police activity which could easily be misconstrued as interfering with their work.
all in all it seems to me the incident comes under the category of
"no harm, no foul"
As much as I hate to advocate collusion with ambulance chasers, if you have a lawyer friend you might talk to them about getting one of their business cards. Legal photography could be a viable supplemental income producer when you retire. An association with an attorney would help legitimize your photography of accidents.
I think it boils down to whether you want to get in a pissing match with the constabulary over your constitutional rights or whether you want to create a relationship with them which may ultimately be to your advantage.
Law enforcement have been trained to treat your kind of photography activity as suspicious. You and I think this is ludicrous. Remember these are working Joes and your activity only adds another layer of complication to an already stressful job.
BTW, I'm a little bit older than you and have been photographed by the FBI for taking pictures at a Spiro Agnew protest rally. I'm sure there's a file on me somewhere.
pappawheely wrote:
Great, another free photographer.
Oi vey...Ever heard of PR or advertising? I'm not suggesting he give a copy of the town police car to every guy in the department, just something to build a relationship. These guys do have a lot of events and opportunities for work and you never know.
I don't work for free that is certain. I do know when to extend and olive branch to further my cause (wether that be not getting hassled by the police here or making new clients....or both as he may find eventually). So to simply dismiss it with a condescending comment is very short sighted.
Photography is all about relationships. If people have to pay you just to start that relationship you won't see nearly as much opportunity.
Just have a business card made up.
Put your name, address, phone number and the word 'photographer' on it.
Introduce yourself to the cop when he gets into your face, smile, hand him the card and tell him you will stay out of his way.
I bet that will almost always take care of the situation
mbaumser wrote:
It really sickens me this concept of letting blue shirts with badges (or brown shirts with arm bands) defacto take away your rights.
No, it's the legal system which gives them the guns and badges. They can whoop the crap out of you and make something up in the court. Have you seen photographer gets beat up by cops? Simply brutal. Of course none of us have been that far.
Cops don't like pictures, it's that simple. Is this your first day on the land of United Police States of America?
Heck, I use to make good money selling accident pictures to insurance companies. Get the accident investigator to include your name and number on the accident report - there's a slot for photographer info.
CTYankee wrote:
Oi vey...Ever heard of PR or advertising? I'm not suggesting he give a copy of the town police car to every guy in the department, just something to build a relationship. These guys do have a lot of events and opportunities for work and you never know.
I don't work for free that is certain. I do know when to extend and olive branch to further my cause (wether that be not getting hassled by the police here or making new clients....or both as he may find eventually). So to simply dismiss it with a condescending comment is very short sighted.
Photography is all about relationships. If people have to pay you just to start that relationship you won't see nearly as much opportunity....Show more →
400d wrote:
No, it's the legal system which gives them the guns and badges. They can whoop the crap out of you and make something up in the court. Have you seen photographer gets beat up by cops? Simply brutal. Of course none of us have been that far.
Cops don't like pictures, it's that simple. Is this your first day on the land of United Police States of America?
Is there a point here? yes, it's the legal system which gives them the guns and badges. TO UPHOLD THE LAW!!!
yes, a bad cop can whoop the crap out of me or anyone else and make something up in the court. THUS BREAKING THE LAW
and again I agree, Cops don't like pictures. JUST ASK RODNEY KING
So, we should let them continue to break the law, to deny our civil rights, and we should look the other way when someone else rights are violated?
ever read Stanley Milgram's "Obedience to Authority" ?
Because they think they can do these things and get away with it is no reason to let then get away with it. Yeah you might take a butt kicking for your efforts but hopefully there is a photographer near by that isn't affraid to point and start shooting
There seems to be a common theme in these I have a right to shoot whatever I want threads.
It's almost as though you or others are looking for trouble.
When asked why you are shooting why would you answer "because I can". If I'm the officer that is odd behaviour. Why not just answer his question with I'm a freelance photographer?
You mention this is not the first time. Could it be you? On the few occasions I have shot at an accident scene, twice, I too have been asked why I was shooting. My response has been the same "free Lance." They did ask for ID and explaned if they needed images they would like to contact me. end of conversation and no confrontation.
Treat them with respect and you will get the same in return.
Can't we all get along?
Mike
I've always felt that there are certain situations where it is very inappropriate to shoot photos if you really have no business doing so. I'm not saying that this is the exact situation here, but I see many posts from people shooting photos in areas that are obviously quite sensitive --- to which the photographer's credentials and intentions should clearly be questioned.
If I was a Tuba player, playing my tuba in public is not against my constitutional rights. However, if I show up on a police crime scene with my Tuba, I think I would be questioned -- and rightly so. Yes, it's a stupid analogy, but you get the picture. If you do something that is out of character of the general public, expect to get singled out and questioned. Not everyone is walking around with large cameras and taking pictures, so you will be singled out, and your motive will be questioned.
I don't understand shooting police or especially medical situations. As photographers, we do have the "right" to take most of these photos. However, it would be best to use our own discretion on what is appropriate or not. I have never understood photographers who are clearly shooting something that is out of line, and where their motivation is questionable ---- yet they are surprised when they are questioned by authority, and then claim that some security guard or police officers are on an ego trip and harassing them.
If you keep attracting attention from law enforcement by shooting such things --- yeah, you're likely out of line. It's not as though the police are somehow scheming against photographers as some people here make it sound.
I for one am tired of reading these threads. "Gee, I shot some photos of something with a sensitive nature, and now I'm being questioned by the police because they hate photographers and they're stepping on my constitutional rights." Really, it's getting old. If I was a police officer, I'd do the same and question the photographer and collect his or her info.
