Minute44 - Dan Schonhaar

I read something earlier that wound me up quite a bit. It was a blog post by Scott Bourne on twipphoto.com where he was ranting, in classic Bourne style about how photographers are being persecuted by law enforcement and security personnel for simply doing their job or enjoying their hobby. He talked about events in the USA and the UK that saw photographers arrested, detained and intimidated. Shocking, yes but not nearly as shocking as his proposed solution.

In the blog post he proposed that the solution to “The war on photography” was to sue and/or press charges on anyone who gave you a hard time. He said that posting on forums and facebook groups would be simply falling on deaf ears and this kind of action was the way to go…. woah… hold on a minute there, Scotty! I don’t think you’ve thought that one through. Let’s imagine that all photographers did as he suggested. Would it stop the occasional high-and-mighty security guard or police officer with ideas above his station if he thought he could lose his job or even face criminal charges? Maybe… in fact probably. But what would it do for the reputation of the photography profession/pastime as a whole?

Can you remember the kid at school who, when someone pissed him off, even a little bit, would go crying to his parents and even though the transgression was really, really minor the person responsible would get in a world of trouble because the school had to be seen to take drastic action in view of the parents? That’s what photographers would become! No one would mess with them but at the same time, no one would have any kind of respect for them. They’d just be the people that sued everyone!

The article referencing the UK mentioned two cases where professional photographers were harassed or detained by police officers and I am inclined to agree that these particular cases are shocking and are, indeed the kind of case that should be followed up to make sure the officers responsible are reprimanded. That said, I am almost certain that these cases are exceptions to the rule in the most extreme way. For those two photographers who did run into trouble, imagine how many thousands carried out their job without a problem and received the utmost respect from police and security personnel.

The article also talks about new laws, introduced this month under the counter-terrorism act that make it legal for people who are suspected of taking photos to aid in an act of terrorism to be arrested. This includes, but is not limited to, taking photos of police. This is where the concept of mutual respect is hugely important. If photographers got the reputation of being over-the-top crybabies who pressed charges on anyone who got in their way then police are going to be way more likely to exercise their new rights to stop them taking pictures of any kind. Trust me people, the paparazzi have done the photography profession enough of an injustice without the rest of the community becoming whiny, lawyer-happy brats.

So please, don’t listen to Scott Bourne on this one. I know he’s a very talented photographer and media professional on the whole but these over-defensive, militant ideas will do nothing but tarnish the reputation of photographers. Hobbyists; If a police officer doesn’t want their picture taken, respect that, the same as you would for anyone else. Find another cop who isn’t so camera shy. And professionals; If you’re asked about what you’re shooting, co-operate! Chances are these people are just doing what they believe to be their job and once you show them that you’re being responsible and not doing anything illegal, you’ll be left alone. If not, and you continue to be harrased by one or more individuals, then perhaps you could take matters further.