Pictures Near The Port (and the police)

Kitsune · 11-15-2003, 01:21 AM

Be careful when taking photographs -- you never know which ones will end you up in jail.

No, really. A night that I had fully suspected would end up netting me nice pictures of a glowing downtown Tampa and the Port ended with me being confronted by a sheriff. The reason? You can't take pictures of the Port, or areas around the Port.

Since when?

But that is what was explained to me because, you know, "nine-eleven". Channelside (a shopping area) Security caught me with a camera and tripod taking pictures from the top level of their parking garage and told me I couldn't take pictures "for security reasons". I told the guy I was willing to leave peacefully and so they let me go, but I was stopped at the exit gate by another security guard who told me to pull off and wait for the sheriff. Sheriff shows up, wants to see the pictures I've taken (thank you, digital camera), and he goes on to explain that there are concerns about the security of the port and it is illegal to take pictures of it.

So what about all those tourists who take pictures when they get off the cruise ship? What about the families who take pictures of the boat and the area around it?

You would think that this is a universally known thing -- that taking pictures of a public place of transportation is breaking the law. So why, then, was I invited to the top level of the parking deck and shown the best places to take pictures when I asked Tampa International Airport about photography of planes taking off and landing? Its a popular pasttime, it seems, watching the passenger jets come and go from up there.

Could I have been breaking the law this entire time? Gasp!

The officer reviewed all my images, asked me some questions, and let me go. Never did a background check, never checked the tag on my car, and never actually found out who I was. I think being a student and having a look of extreme confusion helped out a lot.

For any of you who do carry your camera around, I highly suggest you print this out and carry it with you.

The Photographer's Rights Card

Anyways, its downtown Tampa on a rather cool November night taken from Channelside. Not the skyline of my hometown, Atlanta, but I still love it.

Skunks · 11-15-2003, 02:14 AM

That's a pretty fuckin' awesome photo. Makes me want to get some nice camera, now that I've a <a href="http://www.apple.com/powerbook/index12.html">firewire port</a>.

Not that I have the free time to learn to take decent photographs, or anything like that.

11-15-2003, 05:45 AM

Skunks, I am so proud of you. mwbEEf just bought the same laptop ($1,620 for the SuperDrive model) and is loving it. I am still suffering with my 15" titanium 1GHz.

Scopulus Argentarius · 11-15-2003, 07:03 AM

Excellent shot....!

Hats off to you

Kitsune · 11-15-2003, 10:15 AM

I am still suffering with my 15" titanium 1GHz.

Boo-hoo.

Why, back in my day, I would have been happy to have a 500MHz, because it was all you knew! And we would have had to have worked for it... :p

xoxoxoBruce · 11-15-2003, 10:30 AM

Kitune, did you ask the sheriff what law or ordinance made public photograpy illegal. Is this a local ordinance? State? Federal? Bullshit? If there's one thing I've learned it's that cops lie.

Kitsune · 11-15-2003, 10:40 AM

Nah -- I had one issue that prevented me from questioning this issue as far as I would have liked to have: my roommate was with me and he is not a citizen. If he gets arrested for any reason what-so-ever, he will be deported.

Being a nice guy and all, I didn't want that to happen.

I'm contacting the port on Monday to find out why you can't photograph it and how the public is supposed to know. To my knowledge, there is NOTHING that prevents me from photographing it. My luck, there is something in our great Patriot Act that says otherwise.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-15-2003, 11:04 AM

I understand completely, there are times when yes sir, no sir are the best tact to avoid a whole lot of hassle. Believe me, I've learned that the hard way.

Plus that little kicker, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" and if you question them it's "resisting arrest", "interfering with a police officer in the performance of his duties" or "obstructing justice". Of course my all time number one, with a bullet, is "conspiracy".
Having said all that, sometimes you just have to QUESTION AUTHORITY. Besides, if "you" don't get maced, beaten up and on the 6 o'clock news, how am "I" going to know it's illegal?

SteveDallas · 11-15-2003, 11:39 AM

Yeah legally it's bullshit, but that doesn't stop you from getting harassed sometimes. Just like it doesn't stop you from getting a punch from somebody who really didn't want their picture taken when they were walking down the street.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-15-2003, 02:40 PM

Oh yeah! I was at at gathering one time and had a long lens on the camera. I was taking pictures of a girl with shorts that looked more like a thong from the back,as she was cavorting up on the side of a hill. What I didn't notice was at the base of the hill directly in line, was a picnic table with a half dozen Pagans (motorcycles not witches) that thought I was taking their picture. Next thing I know there is a knife prodding my belly button and this guy is growling about me taking their picture. I said "Hey man, you ain't got tits or chrome, I don't want your picture".

Kitsune · 11-15-2003, 04:30 PM

Cameras, as I've found, are okay...

...as long as they are point-and-shoots. Add a long lens and people begin to get suspicious. Add a tripod and its all over.

You might as well be aiming a gun at a person in some cases with the way they often react. I understand, so it is a rare thing for me to be taking pictures of random people in public. That's what the tiny pocket "crapCam" (AipTek Pencam) is for -- not easily seen and cheap enough that if it gets smashed to bits I could care less.

Were you able to pull off getting a shot of this girl, xoxoxoBruce? I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Skunks · 11-15-2003, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dave
Skunks, I am so proud of you. mwbEEf just bought the same laptop ($1,620 for the SuperDrive model) and is loving it. I am still suffering with my 15" titanium 1GHz.

Huzzah for student discounts. And yeah, I nixed the Superdrive; no real reason, I figure. I've not even burned a CD yet.

I was initially quite torn on 12" vs 15", but having had a 12" for a few weeks, I really do think it's just the right size. Much bigger, and it starts to get bulky.

Re: Photographing people. My grandpa has one of those Nikon Coolpix models with the swivel-mount between the LCD and the lense. It's sort of funny how people rarely notice him taking photographs; as long as you're staring at something you're holding at waist level, and not peering through a device, people don't seem to care.

Nothing But Net · 11-15-2003, 07:59 PM

Here is a picture I took November 3 at the Watts Bar Dam/Nuclear Power Complex in Tennessee. I hung out a while, took many pictures and nobody gave me any trouble at all:

<img src="http://myrefrigerator.com/images/WattsBarNuke.jpg">

Here is a picture of the same cooling towers from their official website:

<img src="http://www.tva.gov/sites/images/sites/wattsbar.jpg">

Creo que mia es mejor... y la mas verdad!

xoxoxoBruce · 11-16-2003, 12:18 AM

They shouldn't care about the cooling towers. Hell even some coal, fired plants use cooling towers. The reactor or more precisely the reactor containment building could draw suspicion. That the one that looks like a tit from the air.
Kit, I only got one shot off any that sucked because it was a dark day and she was in the trees and I had no tripod. But I enjoyed watching anyway.

In the evening they always have a "best tits" contest at these functions. The girls, at least most of them, end up completely naked but I didn't feel like enduring the mosh pit like crush to get up close to the stage and it's too dark for a long lens. Somethings in life are best just experienced without the camera.
I have an attachment for the Nikon that looks like a long lens but it has a 45 degree mirror and a hole in the side of the barrel. The hole isn't noticable till your up close so it looks like your looking one way and actually your looking 90 degrees off of that.

Kitsune · 11-16-2003, 01:44 AM

Nothing But Net -- that's an awesome picture! Really nice lighting and I love the sunrise(set?) glow on the steam. Its a reminder that I really should get out in the early morning to take photographs.

The steam also reminds me of a big, fresh cup of coffee that is about the right size to be able to get me up so early. Damn, I wish I knew why I wasn't a morning person, anymore.

I love industrial sites for photography, especially the older ones or even abandoned sites and I really wish I had taken the chance to appreciate them more when I lived near some. Steaming power plants, glowing refineries, rusted stacks -- people seem to hate these eyesores. I tend to love 'em.

11-15-2003, 01:21 AM	#1
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Pictures Near The Port (and the police) Be careful when taking photographs -- you never know which ones will end you up in jail. No, really. A night that I had fully suspected would end up netting me nice pictures of a glowing downtown Tampa and the Port ended with me being confronted by a sheriff. The reason? You can't take pictures of the Port, or areas around the Port. Since when? But that is what was explained to me because, you know, "nine-eleven". Channelside (a shopping area) Security caught me with a camera and tripod taking pictures from the top level of their parking garage and told me I couldn't take pictures "for security reasons". I told the guy I was willing to leave peacefully and so they let me go, but I was stopped at the exit gate by another security guard who told me to pull off and wait for the sheriff. Sheriff shows up, wants to see the pictures I've taken (thank you, digital camera), and he goes on to explain that there are concerns about the security of the port and it is illegal to take pictures of it. So what about all those tourists who take pictures when they get off the cruise ship? What about the families who take pictures of the boat and the area around it? You would think that this is a universally known thing -- that taking pictures of a public place of transportation is breaking the law. So why, then, was I invited to the top level of the parking deck and shown the best places to take pictures when I asked Tampa International Airport about photography of planes taking off and landing? Its a popular pasttime, it seems, watching the passenger jets come and go from up there. Could I have been breaking the law this entire time? Gasp! The officer reviewed all my images, asked me some questions, and let me go. Never did a background check, never checked the tag on my car, and never actually found out who I was. I think being a student and having a look of extreme confusion helped out a lot. For any of you who do carry your camera around, I highly suggest you print this out and carry it with you. The Photographer's Rights Card Anyways, its downtown Tampa on a rather cool November night taken from Channelside. Not the skyline of my hometown, Atlanta, but I still love it.

11-15-2003, 10:30 AM	#6
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Kitune, did you ask the sheriff what law or ordinance made public photograpy illegal. Is this a local ordinance? State? Federal? Bullshit? If there's one thing I've learned it's that cops lie. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-15-2003, 11:04 AM	#8
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	I understand completely, there are times when yes sir, no sir are the best tact to avoid a whole lot of hassle. Believe me, I've learned that the hard way. Plus that little kicker, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" and if you question them it's "resisting arrest", "interfering with a police officer in the performance of his duties" or "obstructing justice". Of course my all time number one, with a bullet, is "conspiracy". Having said all that, sometimes you just have to QUESTION AUTHORITY. Besides, if "you" don't get maced, beaten up and on the 6 o'clock news, how am "I" going to know it's illegal? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-15-2003, 02:40 PM	#10
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Oh yeah! I was at at gathering one time and had a long lens on the camera. I was taking pictures of a girl with shorts that looked more like a thong from the back,as she was cavorting up on the side of a hill. What I didn't notice was at the base of the hill directly in line, was a picnic table with a half dozen Pagans (motorcycles not witches) that thought I was taking their picture. Next thing I know there is a knife prodding my belly button and this guy is growling about me taking their picture. I said "Hey man, you ain't got tits or chrome, I don't want your picture". __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-15-2003, 07:59 PM	#13
Nothing But Net Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Spring, Texas Posts: 1,481	Feh! Here is a picture I took November 3 at the Watts Bar Dam/Nuclear Power Complex in Tennessee. I hung out a while, took many pictures and nobody gave me any trouble at all: <img src="http://myrefrigerator.com/images/WattsBarNuke.jpg"> Here is a picture of the same cooling towers from their official website: <img src="http://www.tva.gov/sites/images/sites/wattsbar.jpg"> Creo que mia es mejor... y la mas verdad! Last edited by Nothing But Net; 11-15-2003 at 08:27 PM.

11-15-2003, 02:14 AM	#2
Skunks I thought I changed this. Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: western nowhere, ny Posts: 412	That's a pretty fuckin' awesome photo. Makes me want to get some nice camera, now that I've a <a href="http://www.apple.com/powerbook/index12.html">firewire port</a>. Not that I have the free time to learn to take decent photographs, or anything like that.

11-15-2003, 05:45 AM	#3
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Skunks, I am so proud of you. mwbEEf just bought the same laptop ($1,620 for the SuperDrive model) and is loving it. I am still suffering with my 15" titanium 1GHz.

11-15-2003, 07:03 AM	#4
Scopulus Argentarius Your current user title is: Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: BTR Posts: 301	Excellent shot....! Hats off to you

11-15-2003, 10:15 AM	#5
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	I am still suffering with my 15" titanium 1GHz. Boo-hoo. Why, back in my day, I would have been happy to have a 500MHz, because it was all you knew! And we would have had to have worked for it... :p

11-15-2003, 10:40 AM	#7
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Nah -- I had one issue that prevented me from questioning this issue as far as I would have liked to have: my roommate was with me and he is not a citizen. If he gets arrested for any reason what-so-ever, he will be deported. Being a nice guy and all, I didn't want that to happen. I'm contacting the port on Monday to find out why you can't photograph it and how the public is supposed to know. To my knowledge, there is NOTHING that prevents me from photographing it. My luck, there is something in our great Patriot Act that says otherwise.

11-15-2003, 11:39 AM	#9
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Yeah legally it's bullshit, but that doesn't stop you from getting harassed sometimes. Just like it doesn't stop you from getting a punch from somebody who really didn't want their picture taken when they were walking down the street.

11-15-2003, 04:30 PM	#11
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Cameras, as I've found, are okay... ...as long as they are point-and-shoots. Add a long lens and people begin to get suspicious. Add a tripod and its all over. You might as well be aiming a gun at a person in some cases with the way they often react. I understand, so it is a rare thing for me to be taking pictures of random people in public. That's what the tiny pocket "crapCam" (AipTek Pencam) is for -- not easily seen and cheap enough that if it gets smashed to bits I could care less. Were you able to pull off getting a shot of this girl, xoxoxoBruce? I wouldn't mind seeing it.

11-16-2003, 12:18 AM	#14
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	They shouldn't care about the cooling towers. Hell even some coal, fired plants use cooling towers. The reactor or more precisely the reactor containment building could draw suspicion. That the one that looks like a tit from the air. Kit, I only got one shot off any that sucked because it was a dark day and she was in the trees and I had no tripod. But I enjoyed watching anyway. In the evening they always have a "best tits" contest at these functions. The girls, at least most of them, end up completely naked but I didn't feel like enduring the mosh pit like crush to get up close to the stage and it's too dark for a long lens. Somethings in life are best just experienced without the camera. I have an attachment for the Nikon that looks like a long lens but it has a 45 degree mirror and a hole in the side of the barrel. The hole isn't noticable till your up close so it looks like your looking one way and actually your looking 90 degrees off of that. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 11-16-2003 at 03:02 AM.

11-16-2003, 01:44 AM	#15
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Nothing But Net -- that's an awesome picture! Really nice lighting and I love the sunrise(set?) glow on the steam. Its a reminder that I really should get out in the early morning to take photographs. The steam also reminds me of a big, fresh cup of coffee that is about the right size to be able to get me up so early. Damn, I wish I knew why I wasn't a morning person, anymore. I love industrial sites for photography, especially the older ones or even abandoned sites and I really wish I had taken the chance to appreciate them more when I lived near some. Steaming power plants, glowing refineries, rusted stacks -- people seem to hate these eyesores. I tend to love 'em.

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