What laws do you break to get the shots you want?

[urs0polar]

I’m inclined to call this photo-taking behavior “justifiable” since its aim was to raise public awareness about the trashy consequences of mass consumption. But when such behavior serves only personal, artistic aims – not important, social ones – do you think it would merit the same consideration?

I disagree with you here... just because it's important to one set of people doesn't make it fair to another... like only taking pictures of the worst things and one of the good things of a particular subject, etc etc. Journalists have been doing that since the beginning of cameras. Not saying that your example guy did that with the containers of consumption or whatever as I've never seen his stuff or this series, but politics is usually not truth. One man's art is another man's trash, but the law applies to all men.

Speaking about the original topic: I never want to break the law, and it's probably never "worth it" in the ultimate sense as it's probably even more challenging to get a good shot *without* having to break any laws.

Having said all of that, however: I definitely think some laws are really stupid, like the "no tripods on the sidewalk" laws in NYC, which is where I live. Say the law wasn't there... how many crazy people with tripods clogging up the sidewalks would there really be? Would we all get in breakdance battles with the b-boys to claim turf? How many head spins can I do on concrete if I haven't practiced it recently? I pay my taxes, and sidewalks are a public space. Private backyards and barns, etc are different entirely and I would at least ask before going there.

(funny story, I saw someone last week carrying a medium size tripod in midtown by the Empire State building with a pink Casio $150 point and shoot screwed into the top... maybe there ARE armies of tripodists who can't wait to clog the sidewalks if it wasn't for that stupid law... :P )

[Frank Petronio]

Never would have got these if I waited for permission.

I actually went back and got permission later that year and they made me stand 100 feet back away from the edge of anything. While wearing a hardhat and steel toed boots.

I keep construction work clothes, hardhat, yellow safety vest and even traffic cones when I do stuff like this.

There are plenty of other laws that are fun to break too.

...

[lenser]

Frank,

Is that where they filmed scenes from "The Fountainhead"? Looks like Gary Cooper would have been right at home there.

[Frank Petronio]

Maybe, I haven't seen the movie but the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry in Barre, Vermont has been in operation since the 1700s. That used to be a mountain there, now there is only half of one.

[Thebes]

I have no problems with shooting a bit of outdoor nudity, even near a not-too-busy highway, if I think no one will see well enough to be offended.

But I wouldn't trespass on any property that I accepted as being legitimately private. Maybe property belonging to some multinational corp that I think shouldn't exist, or "trespassing" on public lands... but not in a farmer's field or someone's yard.

[Dave Jeffery]

The nicest thing about CS5 Content- Aware fill is that I no longer need to burn down any more neighborhoods, huge lodges, national park buildings and small quaint tourist towns that get in the way of my landscape pictures.

[Richard Mahoney]

Dear Heroique,

I plead guilty – I’m a scoff-law when it comes to LF photography.

Every year, I break laws to get shots. Many of them are pre-meditated. These “illegal” shots are only a small part of my portfolio, but they’re among the very best I’ve taken. And telling the story is always a lot of fun.

My worst crime – it must be common around here – is trespassing, mainly on closed public lands, but sometimes on private lands too. I’ve never been caught, but I feel it’s only a matter of time. Some day, I’ll get my come-uppance.

— What laws have you broken, and why? When is it justifiable?

— Does the “sense of risk” improve – or interfere – w/ your photography?

— Do good results help alleviate any subsequent remorse?

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're amusing yourself here by playing the devil's advocate. Still -- fun and games to the side -- how do you think this thread helps to promote our credibility in the eye of a public increasingly disaffected with photographers?

Best, Richard

[dperez]

I've trespassed.... a lot, and ignored public nudity laws....a lot.

Preston, I'm relieved to know your ethics prevent you from full disclosure, if not full compliance.

Haha..

[Marko]

I break "The 9/11 Law" here and there, but that's about it.

Most laws exist for a good reason and the fewer people break them, the fewer unreasonable laws we get.

@Richard: I don't think the danger of this thread reducing credibility of photographers in the general public would be very high... For one, "the general public" as we know it seems to be generally disaffected with anything that stands out enough to jolt them out of their... let's be charitable and call it intense focus on celebrities, gossip, mass consumption and junk food.

Two, stemming from the previous point: How many "members of the general public" do you really think read this forum? And even if all four of them did somehow stumble upon this very thread, do you really think they would care (see point one)?

[Jehu]

By "The 9/11 Law" I assume you mean the Patriot Act. It's interesting that the impact of that Act on our rights to photograph are minimal if any.

I always carry a laminated version of Krages article "The Photographer's Rights" with me. Here's a link:
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

I've had only a few encounters by people that would violate my rights to photograph. I had a security guard try to intimidate me into giving up my film. I snapped a picture of him with my digital camera as he was lecturing me about trespassing. Being a Land Surveyor by profession, I was a little too familiar with trespassing laws. He made it known that I had better give him my film and memory card or I would be spending time in prison. He kept yacking away as I was packing my gear. As I was driving off, he was still yelling about leaving the scene of a crime and cops and various things that were amusing to me. It's fun pushing peoples' buttons sometimes.