NYC "tripod law"

[GPS]

GPS, if you are a professional still photographer and not doing anything differently than an amateur, you don't need a permit in NYC. The permits are meant to regulate film crews, not still photography. Read the linked doc a few posts back.

I don't have any idea why you are taking up for this person. You weren't there, so you don't know how he was acting towards me. It was not pleasant at first. He wasn't "just wanting to know." I was only able to convince him to let me start again WHILE I was taking down my camera. He didn't give me the option to explain beforehand.

Maybe we should go out shooting together in NYC and then you might understand that there are much larger problems in NYC on every corner than a man taking a photograph by himself with no one within 100 meters.

I was kicked out of the Bronx botanical garden not only once (and I was a member of it, haha), I was left in peace in the Brooklyn bot. garden etc. etc. Com'on, get over it.
You can become a member of the Association of police friends (or something like that, it's been long time since I lost my membership card) - always appreciated when shown to a cop...

[John NYC]

I was kicked out of the Bronx botanical garden not only once (and I was a member of it, haha), I was left in peace in the Brooklyn bot. garden etc. etc. Com'on, get over it.
You can become a member of the Association of police friends (or something like that, it's been long time since I lost my membership card) - always appreciated when shown to a cop...

I'm certainly not going to resort to bribery or "payola" to be able to enjoy my rights. Not sure what you think this country should be.

I really don't have anything more to say to you.

[kev curry]

I'm not sure who pisses me off more, the asshole or the assholes apologist!

[Greg Blank]

Hehe-it's a bit like saying officer, my 357 does not work because I am all out of bullets....meanwhile smoke is coming from the barrel.

Guess you could always carry a Holga

There is a funny aside to this.

When I told the second officer I was just a hobbyist. He paused and said, "How do I *KNOW* you are just a hobbyist?"

A friend was along with me keeping me company and later at dinner we started laughing about the fact that you can't prove you are an amateur at something. You can't take out documentation that shows you have no professional associations or make no income from your hobby. By definition, you have nothing to show.

I guess I could show the business card that I have for my real job (I didn't have any on me), which would at least prove I do have another line of work, but that still doesn't prove I'm not a professional photographer also.

At any rate, professional still photography (as long as it follows the rules in the doc I linked to above) is not regulated any differently in NYC.

[walter23]

I propose a photographic challenge: Photograph something suspicious.

Come back in a couple of months and let's compare stories and post results.

[Patrick Dixon]

Sadly 'freedom' is rife right across the 'civilised' world these days:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/fe...-terror-arrest

[rdenney]

There is a funny aside to this.

When I told the second officer I was just a hobbyist. He paused and said, "How do I *KNOW* you are just a hobbyist?"

I think that would have raised my hackles, and I think my response could have been, "Well, you could arrest me and then you'd have to prove, in court and in front of a judge, that I'm NOT a hobbyist. And given that using a view camera does not require a permit in New York parks, you would also have to explain why you arrested me."

It's easy to say on this side of the keyboard, of course.

I was once approached by an NPS ranger at the San Antonio Mission NHP, as a buddy and I were rolling a cartful of my large-format stuff into San Jose mission. She asked if I was a commercial photographer, and I told her that I was not. She just looked at us and all the equipment for a few seconds until my friend remarked, "It's an expensive hobby." We all laughed. She explained that when people roll equipment in, it's usually a bad sign--commercial photography shoots usually draw a crowd and require management. That's why a permit is required. Fair enough.

I find as I get older that my patience with cops who look for excuses to expand and enforce their own authority has diminished.

Rick "who has made photos in Central Park using a big tripod, completely ignorant of risk" Denney

[jeroldharter]

Can't have too much government. Just wait...

[Brian K]

While most laws seem sensible to most, and some even so blatantly obvious that no law in itself is really necessary, there are always those few people to whom common sense is elusive.

While most of us have enough common sense to not set up a tripod in such a way as to block pedestrians on a street, there are those few that think that they can do what ever they want regardless of it's affect on others. The purpose of laws is to make it clear to those who lack consideration for others that there is a clear behavior that is expected from them so as not to infringe on the safety or rights of others.

When I would shoot out of studio commercial assignments in NYC, I got a film permit. It was easy to get and if it's something you require with some frequency it's very easy to arrange for an efficient system if obtaining it. The permit in itself had a great many advantages as I was allowed to drive/park in locations ordinarily unavailable. If needed I could have the cooperation of the police regarding traffic/pedestrian control and safety. The permit itself was free and the insurance requirement was just a form from my insurance company stating that I had liability insurance and that if I did any damage the city would be a beneficiary. They really make it easy.

If I were a tourist/hobbyist coming to NYC with the intention of seriously shooting in the city, I'd apply for a permit in advance. It's so easy to get and so advantageous to have.

[Diane Maher]

Sadly 'freedom' is rife right across the 'civilised' world these days:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/fe...-terror-arrest

I hate to think what they'd do if it was a view camera on a tripod involved.

How is photography anti-social behavior?