AS long as the PAtriot Act is in force, photographers are going to be in
the crosshairs.
Jan Faul
On Aug 16, 2012, at 9:58 AM, Paladin wrote:
First, know your rights. Search the I'net for "photographers' rights." A
couple of items will pop up quickly:
http://store.petapixel.com/products/Photographers-Rights-Gray-Card-Set.html
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf
There are many more, of course, but both of these are items that can be
carried with you at all times.
If anyone has any concrete ideas on what we can do as individual
photographers to continue to protect our rights, please post them. But
unless I am personally confronted, I don't know what I can do as an
individual photographer to ensure our collective rights are not abrogated.
I look forward eagerly for further suggestions.
One thing my time dealing with management and bureaucrats taught me is
deniability is their main line of defence.
Defeating this is relatively simple, and a method I employ often whenever I
find a department stepping over the line as it were - I let them know in
writing, the law, the consequences of breaching that law, and 'theoretical'
circumstances where I could anticipate their department breaching the law.
I ask for confrmation that they undertake to evaluate these risks and
mitigate potential breaches.
Once they receive the registered mail they are doomed if they do not follow
through with it. Putting it around to other photographers your letters, and
letting the authorities know after they reply that you've appreciated their
response and have forwarded it on to other concerned photographers enures
they don't think you're a lone loon in the dark.
So. If I find myself likely to be photographing at an unfamiliar sporting
event, I'd make sure I wrote in advance to the club and the local council
(county in the US?) outlining my concernes and request a response outlining
their strategy to deal with breaches, and armed with both the correspondence
and a copy of the law I'd head off to the event. If I was confronted I'd
then make my rights clear as daylight and if anyone even hinted at
encroaching on these rights I'd also make it clear as day they were aware of
the laws in advance as evident by the correspondence and they would be
opening the door for a sh*tstorm of a lawsuit. If they have concerns they
could phone the Shire CEO or whoever signed the letter and confirm it with
them.
For aussies photographing at sporting events, this is a link I posted here
some time back pertaining to children:
http://www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/clubs/resource_library/starting_a_club/child_protection/guidelines_use_children_images/images_of_children
you'd be surprised how bureaucrats fear 'prior knowledge'. .. and more
surprised how little they know (or want to know) about their own
responsibilities in their positions.
by 2c
k
