First Two Stories on NBC 5 Tonight on Photographers in Trouble

[byarger]

More signs of the times. The stories relate to 1) someone videotaping wrestling matches and 2) someone on the street trying to get kids to pose after showing lewd photos. These are probably both valid criminal situations (especially the second), but it's unfortunate that we continue to see these kind of stories and these stories also reinforce some peoples' view of photographers as "perverts". No wonder people become suspicious of photgraphers, because these are the types of stories that hit the news and people see. Just have to rant a bit.

[Marbean]

Sign of the times? I hope not. Just hold your head high. If you "Think Pervert" then what is it that makes you think that? I've nerver had a poblem with what, when and where I shoot.

It seems in todays news, there are always some profession in trouble. Accountants took a beating with Enron. Lawyers are always in bad public view. Used car people/new car people. Take your pick of any.

It bothers me to no end that there are bad people in the photo area. So what? I'm okay with being in this business. Again, Just hold your head high and do what is right.

Marvin

[pavi]

In Houston tonight they showed a guy who got busted for taking a picture up a waitress skirt. In Texas this is now a felony. He plead guilty. Got years of probation and one year in a halfway house, if I remember correctly.

[byarger]

Thanks Marvin. I guess I'm overly sensitive to what might impact my favorite activity. I'm generally shy when I'm out shooting and stories like these cause the worrier in me to stress out about what people might think I was doing. And you're certainly right about the other professions. I'm an accountant and started my career with Arthur Andersen, so the Enron fiasco hit home with me. I will try to hold my head up and not worry about it. Thanks again.

[brad]

Originally Posted by byarger

someone videotaping wrestling matches

Zooming in on the "naughty bits" from what I heard on the radio... this story hits close... a senior I shot right before Christmas is a member of the South Grand Prairie wrestling team:

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

It was the Boys wrestling team!

The coaches said that they only allow family members to videotape their child wrestling-no mention about still camera pics.

I guess that comes down to no just walking into a match and shooting pics.

[flash]

wow, I feel totally clueless...I had no idea that there were women's wrestling teams!

[brad]

Originally Posted by DEMDeepEllumMusic

It was the Boys wrestling team!

Umm.. not according to every news source I've heard:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/16434789.htm

Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Garland high school coach, alleging that he improperly videotaped girls at a high school wrestling match last weekend.

(snip)

During a wrestling event Saturday at South Grand Prairie High School, another coach became suspicious of a man who seemed to be videotaping only the girls' matches, police said.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Yeah I goofed. it was girls wrestling -just heard it wrong when I caught the story in the background.

Turns out the taper was a coach for a Garland school, though he didn't coach wrestling.

[scott1120]

It also made the Dallas News: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...1.3d9b9fc.html

My question: Do we have to turn over our "digital media card" without some kind of warrant?
Also, is the law the same for photos?

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

The law is kinda iffy right now about the media cards-really I believe that they would need a warrant but if they arrest you they have the right to search your person for weapons or other items that can cause harm so the cards could be taken out of your possession-also when they would book you they could remove the cards from you with your other possessions and they could accidently be erased.

I had a case a few weeks back where I knew the cops were being called on me-I was in my rights and nothing happened to me- but before they showed up I took my cards from the days shooting and put them in my glovebox of my car and locked them in the glove box and since I was no where near my car at the time the cops arrived they would have had no cause to search it without a warrant and then they would specifically have to have a warrant to unlock that glove box (per what I have heard about the law). I did snap a couple pix on the CF card in the camera so if they grabbed the card they didn't have just a blank card.

City Water WORKERS don't like having their pics taken.

Now I did hear that the guy voluntarilly handed his camera and tapes over and that they used his camera to review what he had shot.

Now that CONSENT thing is the Big WTF?
There are two elements to the offense," said Sgt. John Brimmer, a Grand Prairie police detective. "One is that the recording is done without the person's consent, and the other is that it is for the purpose of sexual gratification of another person."

Suprised that this hasn't been ripped through the courts by someone yet-this may be the case since this lawyer (what I saw on TV) may want to really test the law and it's meanings.

I think the law was going more for the upskirt pervs and the hidden camera catch the babysitter having sex cams type thing than someone shooting a sporting event. Really who is to say that he wasn't trying to shoot handhplds of the wrestlers-sometime a tight shot of a strategic hold can give away the technique of the wrestler but to be honest the guy wasn't scouting out the competition (for either a team or another wrestler) so this could turn into something worth keeping an eye on.