Will I Need a Permit to Photograph in DV?

[Richard K.]

Or Joshua Tree, etc.?

I am 100% amateur but I have large equipment
and use a tripod.

How much are permits and can you obtain one ad hoc at the Visitor Centre?

[Kevin Crisp]

No you shouldn't need a permit for non-professional photography. On any given morning there are 15+ tripods set up at a certain famous sunrise spot.

[Richard K.]

No you shouldn't need a permit for non-professional photography. On any given morning there are 15+ tripods set up at a certain famous sunrise spot.

Thanks Kevin but from what I've read in another thread (By QT Luong), they may ask me, based on the tripod and large camera, to prove I'm not amateur and that the photos are not for future commercial use? How on earth could I do that? I'm probably being over cautious but that could be a holiday ruiner! Thanks for all your advice on my upcoming trip!!

[Kevin Crisp]

I was asked once, in a state park, and I showed them my business card from my actual profession. If you don't have a card, show them a pay stub. If you're retired, show them your CARP card and tell them you use a tripod because your hands shake. (Is there a Canadian Association of Retired Persons?)

When you get your backcountry permit (at the facility near Furnace Creek, I assume) confirm that an amateur doesn't need a permit. If somebody asks, say you confirmed at Furnace Creek you didn't need one because you are an amateur. There are so many photographers with LF in Death Valley an encounter isn't going to be a first time event for a NPS employee. Pay the fee and get the entrance receipt for your dashboard.

These threads give the impression that the place is crawling with law enforcement, which is certainly not the truth. I saw a ranger once at Racetrack, and that was because there was some kind of motorcycle race going on. Never at Agueberry (sp) never at Skidoo, never at Dante's View, never anyone where else other than going the opposite direction on a paved highway.

There is another thread I haven't read yet on permits that would probably answer your questions.

[RPNugent]

I have never had a problem using large format and a tripod at any location in DV. The only problem is the crowds at some locations and the people who ask if your 4x5 is a Hasselblad.

[Jim Becia]

Or Joshua Tree, etc.?

I am 100% amateur but I have large equipment
and use a tripod.

How much are permits and can you obtain one ad hoc at the Visitor Centre?

Richard,

No permit is needed in a national park when photographing unless you meet one on the following guidelines. The following is taken from the NPS site.

"When is a permit needed?

All commercial filming activities taking place within a unit of the National Park system require a permit. Commercial filming includes capturing a moving image on film and video as well as sound recordings.

Still photographers require a permit when

1. the activity takes place at location(s) where or when members of the public are generally not allowed; or

2. the activity uses model(s), sets(s), or prop(s) that are not a part of the location’s natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities; or

3. Park would incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. "

So unless you are doing one on the 3 things listed, no need for a permit. Jim Becia

[Richard K.]

Thanks very much for the reassurance guys! Alrighty then, I can go ahead with this great trip...just exactly 4 weeks today...

[Eric Woodbury]

A friend of mine was questioned in DV once. So he asked the ranger, "Do you like to fish?" "Yes", says the ranger. "Do you have a boat?", my friend asks him. "Yes", he says. "And does that make you a professional?" End of questions.

These days, professional equipment does not a commercial shoot make. Also, I don't think you have to prove your NOT something. It would seem the responsibility of the law to prove you are something, but that argument will get you nowhere when trying to make a photograph.

In 33 years of going every year, I've never been questioned or bothered (except to kick me out of a spot where I should not have camped).

[Kirk Gittings]

Jim, Unfortunately those rules will not protect you from park personnel demanding permits who don't know or understand their own rules. I have been harassed at a few national and Arizona state parks by personnel who were self righteous and completely clueless about their own rules. That is why I have taken to always carrying a copy with me! This is a necessity IMO!

I have a particular problem in that I am a commercial photographer, well known in some areas, so showing a business card gets me into more trouble, though I never deny it. But a copy of the NPS guidelines below have helped in a couple of recent events.

Richard,

No permit is needed in a national park when photographing unless you meet one on the following guidelines. The following is taken from the NPS site.

"When is a permit needed?

All commercial filming activities taking place within a unit of the National Park system require a permit. Commercial filming includes capturing a moving image on film and video as well as sound recordings.

Still photographers require a permit when

1. the activity takes place at location(s) where or when members of the public are generally not allowed; or

2. the activity uses model(s), sets(s), or prop(s) that are not a part of the location’s natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities; or

3. Park would incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. "

So unless you are doing one on the 3 things listed, no need for a permit. Jim Becia

[Kevin Crisp]

Some business cards are more helpful than others.