Colbert: War on Photographers
Funny Colbert Report on America’s war on photographers.
Photography and Videography are not crimes
Taking photographs and video while on public property is 100% legal and is a right protected by the first amendment. What you see the police officer doing in this video is illegal.
Published Photographer
I completely failed to mention this before, but I’ve had several more of my photos published. Previously, my pictures were in Indiana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff by Dick Wolfsie.
Recently, some of my Route 66 photos were published in the Journal for the Society of Commercial Archeology (yes, a real scholarly journal).
And I have some photos appearing in the just published book Weird U.S. – The ODDyssey Continues: Your Travel Guide to America’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Mark Moran.
Which is cool, because I own the first edition of that book, and they sent me a complimentary copy of the new one, which I’m really excited to get. It came in the mail while we were in Arizona.
So, I’m adding “published photographer” to my resume.
Charles Shulz, The Code of the Woosters, Digital Photography
Stuff I’ve read lately:
Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography
by David Michaelis
Who knew that Charles Schulz was such a prickly pear? And a fascinating artist. His rise to prominence as a cartoonist occurred when I was a tiny tot in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and the perspective I had of the Peanuts cartoon from that age is thrown into quite a contrast by this biography — and for the better, I’d say. It’s interesting to discover that a cartoon I have such strong childhood memories of was originally aimed at and popular with the college students of it’s generation.
The Code of the Woosters
by P.G. Wodehouse
One of the few remaining Wodehouse books I haven’t read; funny as always.
The Digital Photography Book
by Scott Kelby
A really handy book for people who are picking up a DSLR camera for the first time and learning what it can do. Kelby leaves out the dry boring crap and tells you “here’s how I would set up my camera in this situation.”
Night Work (Kate Martinelli Mysteries)
by Laurie R. King
Fourth book in the series. I seem to be reading them backwards; I haven’t read the first 3 yet. That hasn’t impaired my enjoyment at all.
Recent Photo Sets
As promised, several sets of photos recently taken.
Indianapolis Indians vs. Durham Bulls
Monument Circle Photo Walk
I went with local photographers I met recently on a photo walk around the circle.
Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk
The Indianapolis location was Massachusetts Avenue; there were about 40+ photographers. I managed to accidentally underexpose my photos and didn’t notice in the field; I had to correct every one in Photoshop afterwards. Very frustrating, but a learning experience.
Photography is not a crime
I had a run-in with one of our neighbors the other day because I was out in the street taking photos. I happened to be taking pictures of one of the cars parked in front of my house. The car I was photographing didn’t belong to the neighbor who came to confront me — she just didn’t like it that I was taking photos of it. She seemed to have the impression that it’s not legal to take pictures of cars in the street, and threatened to call the police if I didn’t stop.
She backed down pretty quickly when I pointed out that photography is not a crime and is protected by the first amendment. So she went on to complain about the party we had on the Fourth of July and about how she didn’t like the art car – neither of which was a rational argument, either. I think she just wanted to bitch and took that opportunity as a forum.
Photography is legal in public places, like the street. You can take pictures of private property from public property – with the exception of peeping into people’s windows and private spaces. You can take pictures of people’s cars on a public street. From the photographer’s rights handbook:
The general rule in the United States is that anyone may take photographs of whatever they want when they are in a public place or places where they have permission to take photographs. Absent a specific legal prohibition such as a statute or ordinance, you are legally entitled to take photographs. Examples of places that are traditionally considered public are streets, sidewalks, and public parks.
I’ve been hunting around but haven’t found an ordinance or law in Indiana prohibiting photography in general public places.
I wonder how much she would have objected to me taking photos if I’d done it with a point and shoot camera, rather than a DSLR. I’ve taken thousands of photos with my point and shoot and never had anyone say anything before.
I’ve read numerous stories online about people being harassed for taking pictures in public places – more so since September 11, 2001. The person doing the harassing is nearly always wrong, and the photographer ends up being vindicated. Given that I have this new camera, the subject has crossed my mind.
The Photography Is Not a Crime Blog
Photography Rights Law
The Photographer’s Rights Handbook
Photo Law News
links for 2008-01-05
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Oh, my. Thank god our Realtor is a sensible, professional woman.
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There are some great hair styles here…
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Ha! Makes me want to swear more so my twitters show up here.
Books I Got for Christmas 2007
Part of the awesome loot I got this holiday season from my family.
The Daring Book for Girls
by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
The Best of MAKE Magazine
by Mark Frauenfelder and Gareth Branwyn
Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto
by David Tracey
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1: The Long Way Home
by Joss Whedon
Readymades: American Roadside Artifacts
by Jeff Brouws
Monopoly: The Story Behind the World’s Best-Selling Game
by Rod Kennedy
The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books
by J. Peder Zane
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
by Syrie James
Greetings from Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer
by Mari Sangiovanni
The Great American Road Trip
by Eric Peterson
Forbidden Knowledge: 101 Things Not Everyone Should Know How to Do
by Michael Powell
Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science’s Outer Edge
by Mark Pilkington
Magnum Magnum
by Brigitte Lardinois
A landmark book celebrating the engaging mix of photographer as both reporter and artist that has defined Magnum for sixty years. Magnum Magnum brings together the best work, celebrating the vision, imagination, and brilliance of Magnum photographers, both the acknowledged greats of photography in the twentieth century—among them Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Eve Arnold, Marc Riboud, and Werner Bischof—and the modern masters and rising stars of our time, such as Martin Parr, Susan Meiselas, Alec Soth, and Donovan Wylie. And it shows the work at a breathtaking scale: the vast page size of Magnum Magnum—12 by 15—gives the photos an impact never seen before in book form.