21 replies to this topic

[SkiBachelor]

Here's an article I came across today about how cameras are starting to be banned in public places because some people feel that it's a threat.

http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content...11s01-ussc.html

If you are wondering why I posted this is because it's only a matter of time before ski resorts start questioning us about lift pictures. I was confronted this winter when I was at Red Lodge, MT and Jeff told me while he was at Angle Fire that someone told him that he couldn't take any pictures of the lifts, but they were all on public land.

[highspeedquad]

Well, its certainly an interesting topic. I wonder what could result because of this.

[Bill]

I think that if you were in a position to where someone was going to see you snapping images, you should go up and introduce yourself and then ask if its ok if you do. Wouldn't hurt to explain the site, invite them to check it and show them that there is no harm in what we are doing. We aren't an anti-ski area group that would use their lifts as targets for eco-terrorism.

[heavenly_romer]

When we were in Los angeles last summer, they wouldn't let us take pictures of the sky scrapers, so this isn't much of a surprise to me.

[SkiBachelor]

You should have been able to since the law hasn't been passed yet, but there have been some people trying to enforce it. You can still take pictures of anything that are visible from the public eye.

[Duck]

I've had several run-ins with stupidity regarding photography:

-Montreal STM (Metro). Guards insisting that taking photography of stations and trains is strictly prohibited. Threatned to spend the night in jail + $450 fine if I didn't stop taking pictures right away. Spat ensued (in French) about how beautiful Verdun, L'Assomption and Radisson are.

-SixFlags Ohio (Now Geauga Lake). Taking photographs of rides from the midways was prohibited. I remember standing in front of Superman Ultimate Escape (now Steel Venom or somesuch nonsence) and having operators refuse to launch a train until I put my camera back in my pocket, when I was 100 m away!

Dumb! Dumb dumb dumb. Doesn't surprise me in the least, though, that this kind of thing would get blown completly out of whack.

-Iain

[Lendog]

I've gotten so used to sneaking pictures and being nervous taking pictures over here in the middle east, (on and off base) that I have the reverse problem. When I go on vacation I look around before snapping shots of buildings and religious places in cities. Reverse culture shock is the hardest part of culture shock.

[liftmech]

I'm usually up on the news but I don't get this one. Poeple are starting to feel cameras are a threat? How so? One of the best things about a vacation (for example) is looking at the pictures later on. How is taking pictures of rides or buildings (or chairlifts) hurting anything? Perhaps one could study the photos later and figure out the best way to attack it, but if people start to assume that that's the case, we're really turning into a paranoid society. And don't get me started on the Patriot Act. Suspicious activities? Every time I sit down and write something vaguely anti-government (make that anti-Bush) it could be construed as suspicious by a broad interpretation of the act.

[Zage]

I tis all thanks to 9/11, I went to the Revelstoke dam (second highest in Canada) and it used to be free, but you have to pay, and no bags, no cellphones, and no cameras. That was a drag.

[KZ]

This is completly out of hand. If I am ever told to stop taking pictures of something like buildings or dams or something that I can clearly see, I will probably get pretty mad at whoever tries to stop me. At this rate is the goal to get rid of photography? Do we want to forget what things look like? What the hell is going on. Why are people so crazy over nothing. Photography is a hobby practiced by millions and now they want to stop it? If a law is passed I will be outraged. This is overprotection to the max? Whats next, no video? No looking? All a camera does is freeze something you are looking at. Photos don't ruin buildings or trees or cities. Its a memory of something that caught your eye. What is this county and world coming to? Why?

[iceberg210]

I was taking pictures at SEATAC recently and was immediately approached by a security person asking what I was doing. I simply said I was tking pictures of aircraft for my collection but although he didn't seem satisfied he left me alone. At Hill Airforce base down here in Ogden slightly north of SLC I was taking pictures of the old prop planes they have on display outside. I was again confronted by a security person and asked what were my intentions. I frankly told him that if I was out to steal technology it certainly wouldn't be from 50+ year old planes and that the data cards they hand out freely are of much greater risk to security. These cards say the weapons on board and speed among other things of the Air Force's aircraft. Now I don't think its much of a threat and think it is a nice gesture but it certainly is worse then me taking pictures of outdated aircraft. Heck America should want other countries using that technology becuase they'd be easer to defeat.

In Hartford Connecticut we were driving around the Pratt and Whitney plant. I was thrilled and was taking pictures. At the museum (which unfortunetly was closed) there was a sign to an alternate entrance (i didn't know it was closed yet) so I went running to the other door since it was raining. A man in a white car yelled at me and I stopped. He told me to get out of here and so I went back to our car. We were then trying to find our way out of the complex and stopped at the surplus building to ask how to exit the plant. The man confronted me and asked who I thought I was looking around the complex like that showed me his bagde and really chewed me out. I told him I was but an aviation enthuisist that all i wanted to see was the place were my favorite engines were made. He said I sure was suspicious in a white car with Canada license plates and running around the building like that. Apparently he had called the cops as a couple police cars pulled up as we left. I told him my story and told him that he was pretty out of line and that if he couldn't handle a 14 year old kid looking around and had to call the cops to handle it he might as well quit his job becuase if some terrorist really was trying to steal stuff he sure couldn't handle it. He didn't take that to well but began to back off real fast when I showed that he wasn't uniformed was in an unmarked car and really wasn't very professional about anything. He told me once agian to get out and I did got into the car and we drove off back into the rain as two police cars pulled inot Pratt and Whitney headquarters. This kind of over the top attitude is not something we need to go by.

The one exception to this as of late is at Renton Field in Seattle where I was taking pictures this last summer. A man came up to me and asked me what I was doing. Turning around I thought oh great another security guy but it was a real nice employee of Boeing who showed me where his favorite spots for taking pictures were and where the best angles and times for the flight testing Boeing does is to take pictures of. That's what we need as soon as people realize your not some crazy person they should either leave you alone or if they know stuff about it help you. That same time at Sea Tac I met this little kid that was big into aircraft and I helped him learn the different types and the best areas of that airport for pictures. Thats what we need helpfulness not being paranoid in this country.

And just like John don't get me started on the Patriot Act on this topic I wrote a huge post, on the Patriot Act I could write a book.

This post has been edited by iceberg210: 26 May 2005 - 06:15 PM

[Bill]

Patriot Act... yes, don't get me started...

[KZ]

Now if you can't take a picture I'm sure you can find one if you were a terrorist. Next thing you know books will be censored and this country is going to be a big big mess. Where is our freedom and liberty going?

[Bill]

Nostradamus... read up on his predicitions...

[SkiBachelor]

It's going to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[highspeedquad]

When did this start taking effect? At SEATAC my family was taking some pictures of the airplane we were going on. Nobody stopped us. That was in mid-March. Was there just no security guards to stop us or was that rule not in effect?

[SkiBachelor]

It's not in affect yet, but a lot of people are making it seem like it is.

[DonaldMReif]

I haven't had troubles doing filming or photography at Vail Resorts, although sometimes I do get some short questioning by lift operators at loading (when I am filming a chairlift, I usually also include the loading).

[cjb]

Judging by the # of helmet cams I see on a daily basis and that some resorts are renting them I don't think we have too much to worry about at ski resorts. Airports etc.. are another story.

[DonaldMReif]

cjb, on 19 January 2011 - 08:39 PM, said:

Judging by the # of helmet cams I see on a daily basis and that some resorts are renting them I don't think we have too much to worry about at ski resorts. Airports etc.. are another story.

I've noted that resorts "highly discourage" the use of electronic devices during loading and unloading of chairlifts. But this is usually ignored. At every chairlift that I've filmed, the lift attendant didn't care that I was filming with my camcorder. The one exception to this was at Keystone when I was making a movie of the Peru Express lift.