Deja Vu in England

[Kirk Gittings]

The England trip was fantastic, except for the same old harrassment I get in the US by park officials. Exactly the same as the US. Except in the UK there are no postings to this effect as there are in the US. "If you are photographing for commercial purposes"..... you need to get some special permit. I got told this at Revault Abbey near York shortly after I had had a casual discussion with an apparently very successful stock shooter sporting a Canon 1d on his shoulder. Of course he was not using a tripod as I was so they said nothing to him.

[robc]

You have fallen prey to English Heritage who try and screw every last penny out of the public for what is owned by the public. No one minds paying an entrance fee but English Heritage and the National Trust are the worst for their "It's mine, all mine" attitude towards the public and they are supposed to be the people serving the public.

Most cathedrals have no problem if you pay a small fee for using a tripod but EH and NT treat everyone as an income stream. Fortunately there are more than enough places to visit without restrictions and many of which are free to enter.

Look forward to seeing some of the images. Did you get the Lay Brothers Refectory at Fountains?

p.s. spelling? Rievaulx Abbey

[BrianShaw]

I photographed extensively in the abbeys of Yorkshire and never had a problem. My secret: monopod vs tripod. Okay I used TLR not LF camera so it was possible. There were sometimes quizzical looks about the monopod but no problems ("If it only has one leg, how does it hold the camera up?"). I also tended to photograph on weekdays during the "off" season.

It's not just the English Heritage/National Trust that tries sqeezing the last pence out of people... I snapped a pic of the town crier during a "performance" in Knareborough (on public display in a public square) only to have him chase me down (LITERALLY) and demand two-quid. I was less inclined to give him money than I was to give money to the the gypsy kid I met in York (she already had her hand fully in my pocket at the time).

[Christopher Perez]

Ah. Looking for John Uskglass, were 'ya?

[BrianShaw]

and Tom Turpin.

EDIT: Oops, that's the American ragtime guy... I meant DICK Turpin, the English highwayman!]

[QT Luong]

See also
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...d.php?p=174023
which have evolved into discussion about tripods.

[Kirk Gittings]

robc, The light sucked and it was very crowded at Fountains....next time.

[robc]

You hit the peak of the holiday season on a bumper summer. Did you goto the Lake district and see what real crowds are like?

[Pete Watkins]

kirk, I'm sorry it was a bummer. I've never had any problem with English Heritage, my usual reply to any questions is "don't be silly, how many professional photographers use wooden cameras and old lenses like this". They never know what the hell they're talking about so you're in a win-win situation. I will not pay to visit any National Trust properties because they till still allow medieval hunting practices on their land although these practices are outlawed.
Pete.

[Kirk Gittings]

Pete,
My attempts at honesty usually just confuse the matter leaving them with the idea that i am just trying to pull one over on them. I think your responce is a really good one.