Hassled by nosey private security guard.

[paulr]

I get this all the time.

Something that has helped a lot is to have some visual aids for giving a sense of what I'm up to. I always have a few copies of invitations to previous exhibits in my camera bag, so people can see that I'm not A) a terrorist B) a peeping tom C) a commercial photographer who will make millions with images of someone's property and not share or D) a surveyor preparing plans to tear down the neighborhood and put in a superhighway.

In some cases, when i AM tresspassing or breaking laws (stopped by the sides of roads where you're not alowed to stop, wandering into construction sites, walking along catwalks of suspension bridges) I've found a nearly failsafe solution: an orange reflective vest ... the kind that surveyors and engineers wear. Cheap, light, and folds into a tiny package when you don't need it. People see a guy with a big tripod and an orange vest walking along bridge girders and think nothing of it. Cops included. (I have NOT tried this in post 9-11 new york, where I live now, and wouldn't recommend it).

Keep in mind that most people in the world have no idea what a large format camera is, or why someone would use one. So it's not really a good assumption that they'll know what you're doing. Especially with the kind of work that I do, which often involves subject matter that people don't think of as photogenic. They have no idea what I'm up to. And even if they do recognize you as a photographer, that won't be enough to put everyone at ease. Why are you photographing? The process can seem threatening or invasive to people when they don't understand it. If they know you're an artist and are interested in the shadow of the telephone pole, and not in their wives upstairs in the boudoir, they'll be more inclined to make your life easier.

[paulr]

One funny story: when I lived in Providence, a cop stopped me and asked what I was up to. After a couple of the usual questions, he started asking me all about my camera and lenses. I looked in and saw a copy of Popular Photography on the seat next to him. He just wanted to geek out! Before leaving, he warned me not to go in the direction I was heading in .. that it was run down and dangerous. I showed him one of my invites, with a picture of a desolate, run down neighborhood, and said I photographed that kind of thing a lot. He said, "well, then, keep going! you're headed in the right direction."

[Kevin Crisp]

Let me let you in on a secret about uniformed, unarmed private security in the US. Though the public thinks these officers are for their protection, their post orders, with near-universality, are to "observe and report." That is the exact phrase drilled into their heads. See something and go report it to real law enforcement -- not physically intervene. In a sense this is protection, though delayed protection, but if they see you being attacked or accosted they are not supposed to physically intervene on your behalf, even though the public assumes they will do that. And for minimum wage, most of them aren't inclined to do it, post orders or otherwise. So to a large extent their being there and physically pressing the issue is all bluff. If you are photographing on private property without permission, and somebody asks you to stop it, they are within their rights. If you don't leave when asked, you risk a citizen's arrest (about the last thing the officer wants to do) or a call to law enforcement, with an eventual response, and an instruction to leave which, if disobeyed, will lead to a real arrest.

[Leonard Evens]

Some of you have raised some interesting points.

The garage is the Maple Ave. garage opposite the movie theater. I don't know for sure who owns what part of it. It may have been built with a combination of private and public funds, and the hotel next to it may have rights to some part of it, but it appears as an item in the City Budget. The same document asserts that various services such as management and security services are contracted out. I think it, like the other municipal parking structures in Evanston, is owned by the City. Since I've now checked with the manager and gotten permission to keep doing what I've been doing, I don't see any reason to check further.

As to the vulnerability of parking garages to terrorists, let's use some common sense. Someone who wanted to blow up this garage would just drive a van full of explosives into it, take the automatically dispensed ticket, park it in a critical location, and leave. Security doesn't check vehicles entering the garage for explosives or anything else, as far as I can tell. There may be video cameras recording license plates, but that wouldn't be much help in preventing an explosion.

I don't object to the security man approaching me and asking me what I was doing. After all, I could have had a rifle or missle launcher mounted on my tripod. I would even have been happy to show him identification if he had asked for it. But once it was clear I was just taking a picture, he should have left me alone. What bothered me is his insistence that I go down six flights to the office to receive permission for what I was doing, something which apparently I didn't need.

[Mike H.]

Room here for a war story? 40 years ago (seems like yesterday) I was invited by Ground Control and Approach (GCA) operator on USAF base in Europe (where I was stationed) to take pictures of him at his console for his Mom. Met him at his job just before he got off work (at midnight). Took the picture. Waiting for him to get off work, saw daily air evac preparing to take off. Set up on tripod and prepared to take cool timed exposure with flashing lights and all. Needed light to set shutter speed, etc. Used headlamp from base fire truck idling nearby - whose driver then informed me that they I wasn't allowed there and they had turned "intruder alert" in to base APs. Sure enough, flashing blue lights in both directions. Finished taking photos (still have them), disassembled everything, took out roll of film and placed in pocket, and waited for three guard dogs and 6 APs to approach, surround, apprehend, search and question me (while face down on ground with hands cuffed behind). Friend saw what was happening and asked "Why?" Same happened to him. Boss came out and explained I had permission, that friend was "on duty". No reasoning with them. We was apprehended. Taken off to slammer. Picked up later by friend's boss. Sargeant at jail was taken aback when he asked where I worked. HQ Intel. Long story. Fun to tell. Pictures were a learning project. Mom got her copies. Talk about security.

[Alex Hawley]

"Get your facts straight"

Sir, yes Sir! Sir, sorry Sir!

[Jim Billlups]

It is what it is... Welcome to America 2004. We'd better get used to it, cause this is just the beginging.

[Bob Eskridge]

Unfortunately this is a sign of the times. I feel that I need to get a portfolio together to have with me when doing photography in public places. Maybe it will keep me from being hassled.

At present there is a man in jail in Charlotte, NC who an alert policeman spotted taking videos of the tall buildings in downtown Charlotte. In his possession he had videos of the downtowns of several southern cites. According to the news stories, about the only thing they will be able to prosecute him for is for immigration/visa violations.

[paulr]

There's a bill being proposed in NYC to make photography of any kind illegal on the subway system.

Also, a number of employees of middle eastern embassies have been thrown out for taking photos and videos that were considered questionable.

[calbee]

Leonard,

Just be glad you were'nt taking pictures of skateboarding. I was shooting some skateboarding in Chicago a few years ago and a pig (I'm a skateboarder it's ok) came up behind me and tossed me to the ground and made me drop my fisheye for my Hasselblad, he put his knee in the back of my neck, then asked me if I was with "those guys". Then when I said "yes" he put more weight on my neck and laughed when I asked about my camera being ok. He stayed on the back of my neck for about 10 minutes (to make sure I wouldn't get away?) in that time I started to have an asthma attack, I tried to tell him I needed my meds and once again he laughed at me. I ended up breaking the front element and having a major asthma attack and had to be taken to the hospital. Before I get to off track, fuck the police.

Calbee