Shooting in River Oaks...

[Ricco]

Sometime in the next few weeks, I plan on doing some shots in River Oaks at night.
Because there is a good amount of security and very enthusiastic patrol/police I'm wondering how much of a hassle I might be facing.

This is my plan of attack (of sorts), if anyone has any suggestions, I'm VERY open to it.

Basically, just drive by and mark down addresses of interesting homes, use that map to plot a route, and then start shooting.

I figure as long as I stay on the street, I should be in the clear, if I run into a the cops.

Does this seem plausible or am I overlooking/over-thinking this?

[Howard Barlow]

Are you photographing the homes? If so, what will you do with the images? And, yes, expect to explain yourself.

[Twelvevoltguy]

From my POV, If I was a homeowner and saw you standing in front of my house taking pictures of it at night, I would make sure the police had you removed.

Seems like you would run into more issues with residents than police to me.

Either way just be careful.

[Ricco]

Originally Posted by Howard Barlow

Are you photographing the homes? If so, what will you do with the images? And, yes, expect to explain yourself.

Not to want to sound like an ass, but considering this *is* a photographic related forum,i figured I would take then for my own amusement, just like a number of people on here shoot kids, animals, and insects.

[pbyd]

Property rights are just the same as personal rights, you could be taken to court if you publish images (even on line) without an image release from the property owner. Also remember that River Oaks has it,s own police they are very protective, they are not "rent-a-cop".
With all of that being said, what the hell the most that can happen is your images taken and you going to jail if you get caught, or maybe someone with very deep pockets going after you in court.
I have shot weddings and events for people in this income group and signed agreements to never show anyone the images, because of security reasons.
Wayne
Photography by Design

[SCone]

The more hidden you are in your approach, the more suspect your intentions may seem.

[wclavey]

ASMP has an interesting article on property rights and photography... from a both legal (what does the law actually state and what decisions have been made, or in this case, never been made) and practical (why you would not want to be the first...) point of view. If I understand their article correctly, there are a lot of things about property rights that have been asserted but have never been tested. At least, you can take an informed risk...

[RexGig]

River Oaks Patrol is primarily composed of private security guards, but they do employ peace officers on an extra-job basis during certain hours, plus many of the individual property owners employ private security and off-the-clock peace officers. Some of these property owners include foreign diplomats and business owners who are concerned about kidnappings and such. A photographer is going to attract attention, to say the least. Know your rights, and be discreet.

The R.O.P.O. security patrol may be private security officers, but they are well-paid, and trained to a higher level than a typical security guard. Their response time is going to be
quicker than typical of HPD.

That being said, if you are on a public street, you are on a public street, and have as much right to be on that street as anyone.

Keep in mind that River Oaks can be v-e-r-y dark at night! The famous oak trees tend to blot out the light from street lamps, and a full moon will also be shaded. Either way, The mix of light and shadow is going to be a challenge.

There are some nice folks living in River Oaks, who may well grant permission to
photograph their homes, which would enable you to use flash, or to "paint" with light, to fill the shadows. The challenge will be learning which homeowners are
approachable.

Back to knowing your rights; there are some books that help in this regard, that I have seen at Houston Camera Exchange and on Amazon, and might be available other places.

I know some of the River Oaks security guys, and peace officers that work for ROPO as an extra job, and will ask one or more of them if they have any advice.

[RexGig]

One thing to keep in mind is that even if the ROPO security guards, and/or peace officers working extra jobs, do recognize your right to take photos in a public place, they can exercise their right to park and watch your actions, and the strobes in their vehicles' light bars can seriously impede your ability to get any images. Being cordial, and approaching the whole thing right, will be helpful.

[Patti Edens]

Originally Posted by Ricco

Not to want to sound like an ass, but considering this *is* a photographic related forum,i figured I would take then for my own amusement, just like a number of people on here shoot kids, animals, and insects.

It all depends on what you are doing with them. I'm not a lawyer, but I have researched this since I have been hassled several times now.

My understanding is that you can take all the photos you want of those houses in River Oaks as long as you are taking them from a public place and not violating some other statute at that public place. There is no law against taking the photos.

If you are parked illegally in the middle of the street, that's a problem. If you park legally and are on the sidewalk (also public), you are okay unless you are blocking the sidewalk with tripods, reflectors, etc. Law Enforcement officials can ask you not to block the sidewalk.

But, as long as you don't break any of the other statutes, you can take photos.

Now, what you do with the photos is another consideration. Again, as I understand it, you could be challenged (read that sued) if you profit from the photos since the property does not belong to you. So, if you plan to sell them, get a release.

Also, you could be challenged if you post the photos on the internet and they somehow unfairly reflect badly on the home owner.

Selling photos for journalistic reasons opens a whole 'nother can of worms.

This is all just my opinions based on what I've read. And I read most of it on the internet. So take it with a grain.

I also got some of this from Bert Krages book. It has some good info.