Re: Shutter shutdown

[John Coyle]

Unfortunately, there is a growing climate of hysteria about taking pictures 
of people, not just children, and it's not only happening in Australia. 
There has been a series of letters in the UK's "Amateur Photographer" about 
the hassling of a man taking pictures in Trafalgar Square of children 
playing in one of the fountains.  He was arrested, his home raided and 
searched, and his camera held for five weeks (!), just because some lunatic 
told the police he was some kind of pervert, with no evidence other than 
that he was photographing innocent, fully-clothed kids in one of the most 
public places in the world!

I've related here the story of a woman verbally attacking me for taking 
pictures near (not of) her in a market in Brisbane, she seemed to think she 
had some right of privacy, not for her own image, but of the stuff she had 
displayed for sale!

We as photographers need to make our voices heard, otherwise the paranoids 
and purse-lips in our community will soon make it an arrestable offence to 
be seen carrying a camera - something on the lines of "going equipped for 
pornography", as carrying a jemmy or a crowbar is seen as going equipped for 
burglary!  It is (just) acceptable to ban photography at events such as 
concerts, where clearly there is a commercial element to the images which 
can be obtained there, but there should be no general restrictions in places 
which are public.  If an image is offensive or otherwise illegal, prosecute 
the use of it or the possession of it where appropriate, but let's not be 
taking a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.

While I support the right of anyone to determine whether or not their image 
is used commercially, that cannot apply to the sort of candid photography 
which amateurs do, where the image is generally used only for their private 
satisfaction, or for very limited exhibition.

John Coyle
Brisbane, Australia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter J. Alling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <pentax-discuss@pdml.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: Shutter shutdown


All I can say is thank god I don't live in Australia, even with security 
it hasn't gotten that bad here yet.

Derby Chang wrote:
An interesting article from yesterdays Sydney Morning Herald. It isn't 
easy being a street photographer these days. The Rex Dupain anecdote is 
rather sad.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/25/1109180112027.html
(you might need to do the free registration)
D


--
I can understand why mankind hasn't given up war. During a war you get to 
drive tanks through the sides of buildings and shoot foreigners - two 
things that are usually frowned on during peacetime.
--P.J. O'Rourke