You heard it here first...

[mdurisseau]

I had a friend get detained for more than an hour by the police while he was out shooting an assignment at a chemical plant in Texas City. Strange, though...the writer that was with him shooting pictures as well was NOT detained...I can't pass on anymore details right now...

[Thorpeland]

Not surprising one bit.

I got all photographers "Who look like professionals" banned from shooting a local kids soccer league when i was helping a friend get some good action shots of his kid playing. Parents freaked out because i wasn't a regular, complained to the league. Next thing i know they banned anyone who, and i quote, "looks like a professional photographer".

I wasn't sure whether to be offended or take it as a compliment. Either way its become pretty pathetic how a photographer is judged based on what they are taking pictures of. If its something touristy, thats fine. You're supposed to do that. If its not, you must be up to no good or you're a perv or a terrorist. Quick, call the cops.

[mdurisseau]

It's crazy...there is no law against this, but because of the fear that the feds have put into people, some of us can't do our job.

[Murph]

NO, you have your target wrong, its the fear that the Media has put in people with their harping on child molesters around every corner, terrorists, etc. The Feds respond to demands from the public for "protection". Look at the everyday Media fare that we get served up; "To Catch a Predator", Dateline, 60 Minutes, PMSNBC, etc.

Originally Posted by mdurisseau

It's crazy...there is no law against this, but because of the fear that the feds have put into people, some of us can't do our job.

[Cope]

I tis not fair to post minimal details and expect unbiased responses, but I think chemical plant are the operative words here. Anyone who remebers or knows about the Texas City disaster of 1947 should realize the potential for terrorist attacks on our petro-chemical industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_Disaster

[CaptainTom]

yesterday's WTD......

[Chayelle]

Originally Posted by Cope

I tis not fair to post minimal details and expect unbiased responses, but I think chemical plant are the operative words here. Anyone who remebers or knows about the Texas City disaster of 1947 should realize the potential for terrorist attacks on our petro-chemical industry.

I agree Cope...
wisdom should be our byword...

[groovyone]

Originally Posted by mdurisseau

I had a friend get detained for more than an hour by the police while he was out shooting an assignment at a chemical plant in Texas City. Strange, though...the writer that was with him shooting pictures as well was NOT detained...I can't pass on anymore details right now...

Did they not get permission from the plant first? It sounds like they were working on a story, so I would have asked the plant permission to photograph their facilities before hand....unless they were trying to expose something.

[CaptainTom]

More specific details are needed before a conclusion can be drawn.

Did the photog have credentials?
Was the photog confrontational?
Photog wearing a turban?
Missile launcher in plain site ?
lots of unanswered questions.

detained an hour sounds like "checking out your credentials" and not "locked up with the drunks".

[kenw]

my experience in Texas City COULD have been called detained, but while Cop A and I were chatting, Cop B was running my plates for W&W and general poop. I guess if I had wanted to leave in a hurry or got fussy it could have been defined as "detained". But since we chatted for very long time (hour? maybe more like 30 minutes), I chose to call it just doing their job. Which doesn't pay enough anyway.

see? it's all in how you look at it.

[mdurisseau]

Originally Posted by Cope

I tis not fair to post minimal details and expect unbiased responses, but I think chemical plant are the operative words here. Anyone who remebers or knows about the Texas City disaster of 1947 should realize the potential for terrorist attacks on our petro-chemical industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_Disaster

Your statement makes no sense...the 1947 disaster was a result of poor planning and mistakes in cargo handling...nothing to do with terrorists. I do agree that it was most destructive, though...

[mdurisseau]

Here is the published story...http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?...e1f4b4b1b85d8f

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Originally Posted by Thorpeland

Not surprising one bit.

I got all photographers "Who look like professionals" banned from shooting a local kids soccer league when i was helping a friend get some good action shots of his kid playing. Parents freaked out because i wasn't a regular, complained to the league. Next thing i know they banned anyone who, and i quote, "looks like a professional photographer".

While I understand what you're saying I think it's US as photographers that need to adjust to what societies perceptions are. I think if you had gone up to the coach(es) and took 30 seconds to tell them who you were that none of it would have happened.

I'm on both ends of this spectrum as a parent of a player and a photographer and I've never been "freaked out on" by anyone. I'll go even further and say that if I see someone shooting still or video I do try and find what their main subject is and if it looks suspicious I have no problem going over and striking up a conversation.

It's about showing the proper respect to the companies, parents and players and to stop assuming our rights are some sort of magical security blanket. Yes it's good to know your rights, yes it's good to have them in place when someone else does not know your rights but come on...

Communication is a wonderful tool.

_/oe

[Thorpeland]

Originally Posted by Joe_Lorenzini

While I understand what you're saying I think it's US as photographers that need to adjust to what societies perceptions are. I think if you had gone up to the coach(es) and took 30 seconds to tell them who you were that none of it would have happened.

I'm on both ends of this spectrum as a parent of a player and a photographer and I've never been "freaked out on" by anyone. I'll go even further and say that if I see someone shooting still or video I do try and find what their main subject is and if it looks suspicious I have no problem going over and striking up a conversation.

It's about showing the proper respect to the companies, parents and players and to stop assuming our rights are some sort of magical security blanket. Yes it's good to know your rights, yes it's good to have them in place when someone else does not know your rights but come on...

Communication is a wonderful tool.

_/oe

The coach did know who I was, who I was with and which kid I was there to get pictures of. I was talking to the dad (my friend) and his kid before the game, laughing and joking... taking to them at half time and high fiving him at the end of the game. There was no mistake what my purpose there was. I even talked to most of the parents on his team. So this was a pure case of paranoia. And the last thing I looked was suspicious.

[Corrie]

He did nothing wrong. Everyone is so "terrorist" crazy. Good for him for refusing to show the images.