Photo Taking Hassles
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- mg33
I was walking through a mall by my office last night that I walk through every day to/from the subway. Casually took two photos with my iPhone of the light coming through the skylights in what's actually a really impressive section of balconies, glass and metal. Security guard walks over with the "what are you taking pictures of? You're not taking pictures of the structure are you?" and I tell him I just like how the light is coming through there, that these are just for myself.
Tells me you can't do any photography of any kind in there so I ask where the sign is that tells me that. "There isn't a sign, I'm here to tell you that" was basically what he said. Fair enough I guess.
What pissed me off was as I walked away he goes to some guy sitting on a bench and says "that guy try to tell me how to do my job" which I clearly was not doing. I went and found some sort of representative for the mall and told to have management put up giant signs saying "Low-lit, low-res iPhone photography is not allowed on this property" just so I'd know next time. If photography isn't allowed, that's fine.
I actually almost, for a second, showed the security guard the abstract pictures I've been posting on instagram (LOL) so he'd see that even though I'd taken pictures in there before, I'd changed them far beyond being just a picture of the interior of the building, such as this:
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Any related stories?
- MHDC0
welcome to the police state
- monospaced0
This happened to me once too. You're allowed to photograph your friends in the mall, just not the structure. So, I just brought my brother along and had him stand there while I framed a shot. Then, I would just turn so he was out of frame and shoot the area next to him. The guards followed me around while I did this, too.
- mg330
What's funny is that this time I actually took the time to frame what I was taking a picture of. Before I've just kind of hip-shot it.
- ********0
The security guard was right. You don't signs need telling you everything you can or can not do. It sucks but it's private property.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho…- besides, that will teach you to vote for someone for prez just because Fairey made a cool poster of him.robotron3k
- Thanks. But see - nobody knows this stuff.mg33
- Morning_star0
If it's private property you're screwed. Worth a read.
- I'm in Chicago... although I imagine that parts of this are relevant.mg33
- Morning_star0
If it's private property you're screwed. Worth a read.
- bigtrick0
is that the 203 north lasalle building? i've taken pictures in that building before with a big film slr. i guess the security guard just didn't notice me?
- No, this is Block 37 that is on Washington, State, Dearborn, and Randolph.mg33
- Or your big film slr impressed him.********
- The interior architcture is really stunning; shame they lost some cool tenants that they were originally going to have.mg33
- that mall is like a ghost town.bigtrick
- I know. I pass through from the red line twice a day. Economy killed some big tenants.mg33
- 23kon0
I was out with my Lomo LC-A one day a couple of years ago at Quartermile development in Edinburgh. I'd wandered into the building site as a builder or security had forgotten to close the "no entry" gate.
Went wandering around inside and into the underground car park.
While I was in there the security must have been watching me on their security cameras.
On exiting the car park I had two MASSSSIVE guys running at me full pelt - no security outfits, just two guys running and looking very menacing. I shat myself! (not literally)
They started ranting shite about me not being allowed in there and I had to give them my camera.
I told them to get to fuck (in a politer way) and that there was NO trespass laws in Scotland other than Railways or Military owned land and because they had left the gate open to their site they didnt have a leg to stand on.
I turned round and slowly walked away whilst shitting myself and waiting for a punch in the back of the head or getting grabbed n linched!
Got away with it though .... and got some cracking shots out of it ;)
- "I told them to get to fuck" I love when some foreign vernacular sneaks into a post.mg33
- 23kon0
Really nice photo btw. Very "Bauhaus"
- mg330
Here's the one I took yesterday:
Pretty cool building, lots of glass and shiny surfaces.
- scarabin0
there's a bank across the street from my old school. one day there were a bunch of guards in flak jackets with MP5s looking all badass and shit so i snapped a few pics. one of them comes running over to me and starts hassling me about it, starts waving his gun around (okay he didn't, but he was in my head) and forces me to delete the shots from my camera. like i'm gonna rob a bank
- scarabin0
also got hassled in a theater, a museum, a cinema, an imax thing and two grocery stores.
apart from my just being a dick in the theaters, all i can think of is they think you're gonna get all oceans 11 and plan a heist with 'em
- dibec0
sucks. private property.
What generally works is heading to the office and letting them know you would like to take some pictures. I usually leave a business card or contact info. It builds creditability and professionalism. That is if you are really wanting the shot.
food for thought, thought for food.
- that never worked for memonospaced
- bummer. i have a 98% success rate.dibec
- lolmonospaced
- 23kon0
was at an art gallery last weekend with the gf.
i'd been sneakily snapping away all through the visit.
when gf asks for camera and starts to line up a shot security lynched her mwhahahahaha.
- mg330
dibec,
When my band was together, we went to a really great Mies van der Rohe building in Chicago - 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments - to take a group photo at night with a photographer. Security was out there immediately but was really nice. Said we could not use the photos for any commercial gain, and that it would be best to submit it to their management for approval. They are really picky about photography on that building, but he was really nice.
See the frosted windows on the left and right? They're really bright at night, and our idea was to stand in front backlit by them, and then apply a red transparency over our bodies. Would have been sweet but the lighting just didn't really work out.
- mg330
I think it would be super funny to go back to the building I'm talking about from last night with an old film camera with no film in it, just snapping away like a fool to then just show them that there's no film in it, that I'm just "practicing."
- 23kon0
mg33,
Create a facebook event and flash-mob the place with folk with cameras talking photos.
