Saw this on reddit.com: “Innocent photographer or terrorist?”
The article has some scary stories of people being harassed by the police for taking public photos. (You need a license for the camera in the UK?!?)
This is a growing trend in many countries as well as here in the US: Treating Photographers as “suspicious” for just snapping photos. To make life more entertaining, The Metropolitan Police in UK has launched a campaign that has a poster with the text:
“THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TAKE PHOTOS EVERY DAY. WHAT IF ONE OF THEM SEEMS ODD?“
Wow, a great Question! But What defines “ODD”? Am I “Odd” for taking a photo of an obscure Box with a Cable in Times square?
How about this one in the Subway at 34th st??
Or my personal favorite The Brooklyn Bridge ate night?
Surely I was up to no good when taking that photo, right? That campaign poster will likely generate hundreds of calls just when tourists take photos of National Landmarks at night.
At what point does vigilance become outright paranoia? I don’t think harassing photographers is going to make us any more secure. Mind you, I’m all for the Police doing their job (BTW After getting stopped on the sidewalk by both the NYPD and the Secret Service, I have to say, both were Very polite and professional) , but encouraging the public to be suspicious of Photographers is foolish.
Here in NYC, we have the “If You See Something, Say Something” program. I wonder when they’ll take the extra mile and encourage people to harass photographers such as myself?
Music I’m listening to right Now:
“Suspicious Minds” by Fine Young Cannibals from the “Fine Young Cannibals” Album. Seems appropriate.
