Permit in New York City !?!?

[rustyair]

Hi,

I went to Grand central today with my 4x5 camera. I was setting up my tripod and a security guy came up to me and asked me for a photography permit. I said no...and he told me I can't take picture and he was waiting for me to pack my stuff up...

I walked to Penn station and again I was setting up my tripod, another guy told me I can't shoot unless I have a permit.

I walked to Amrak station, same thing happend...what a day! There were people shooting photos with their DLSR but no one said anything...

What kind of permit are they talking about? (And whay kind of permit does Edward Burtynsky has? )

[David A. Goldfarb]

Grand Central allows tripods outside of rush hours with a permit you may obtain from the Station Master's office. Other train stations may have similar policies. This isn't the City permit, which is for photography with a large crew on NYC property (like a public sidewalk).

Penn Station is the main Amtrak station in NYC.

[rustyair]

Thanks David, Should I just go to the master's office and ask for tripod permit? Do I need to pay for it? How long does it last?

One thing I don't understand is they told me I need a permit to take photos, not a tripod permit. They didn't mentioned anything about my tripod.

[David A. Goldfarb]

You just go to the office and ask. I don't recall if there's a fee. The permit is only required if you are using a tripod.

[Steve Smith]

Sounds like it's just a licence to get in the way!


Steve.

[csant]

This isn't the City permit, which is for photography with a large crew on NYC property (like a public sidewalk).

Does this mean that if I want to shoot "on NYC property" without a large crew, i.e. just me and my 8x10 on a tripod, I can do that without a permit?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, for the most part the current city permit is for photography and film projects that involve more than five people and equipment. One person with a tripod should not require a permit.

Bear in mind that the rules are different in parts of the city that also happen to be state parks, which require a permit for commercial photography. Usually, if you explain that you are doing personal work, there is no problem with that, but it varies by location to some extent.

[csant]

Usually, if you explain that you are doing personal work, there is no problem with that, but it varies by location to some extent.

Well, goal #1 would be the Flatiron, but I might move around a do some more… Thank you very much for your reply!

[sanchi heuser]

Hi Claudio,

it would be great to see some of your pictures from New York.

Here's some info, I would take a copy with while photographing in NYC.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/ne..._permits.shtml

Maybe it would also be helpful to carry some info about your work with you so that an police officer or
private security guard has an impression that it's not commercial.
Just for the situations where this would make the difference.

They might say that such a big camera could only be professional - that was in the past -
maybe some kind of info could be helpful about the cameras that are used today by professional photographers
and that this LF cameras are more used by amateur and art photographers.

Have a lot of fun and good luck.

[Robert Kalman]

I routinely shoot all over NYC with a 4x5 and an 8x10 without a permit. You do, however, need to obtain a permit to shoot in a space like Grand Central. There's no fee. The permit is good for a specified period of time.