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Amtrak photo contestant arrested by Amtrak police in NYC’s P
Pat Farrington, Photographer
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Pat Farrington, Photographer
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Ft. Collins | CO | USA | Posted: 12:07 AM on 12.28.08 |
->> I don't know what happened to the second link - take out "[profanity]" and insert "f**k" (use the whole word, not the asterisks).
Pat |
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Luke Sharrett, Student/Intern
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Norfolk | VA | United States | Posted: 1:51 AM on 12.28.08 |
->> Thanks for posting this, Pat. I've entered the Amtrak photo contest a couple of times and have had my share of run-ins with the Amtrak Police as well.
The photographer put himself in a very sticky situation for sure. While all of Amtrak's passenger stations are open to the public, the status of the platforms remains painfully murky. Ticketed passengers are allowed on the platforms. However, a photographer would be regarded as trespassing if found shooting on the platforms without a ticket for a train arriving in the next 15 minutes. (There are signs posted stating this at the top of the stairs in New York Penn)
Although the photographer in question was certainly within his rights to photograph, as well as to be on the platform at the time, the Amtrak Police never hesitate to harass and intimidate "suspicious" individuals. I've had problems with them in Chicago, Baltimore, all over Washington, DC and New York City as well. One of the most over the top instances I witnessed this summer was an Amtrak employee screaming at a 12 year-old girl who used her point and shoot to take a picture of the "Welcome to Washington DC" sign in Union Station.
I understand Amtrak security personnel wanting to question a scruffy looking 19 year-old shooting their trains with a speed graphic, but a 12 year-old girl? And in this case a 50 year-old Navy Vet? The Amtrak police have really gone over the top this time and hopefully will get what's coming to them for consistently violating photographers' civil rights.
Bottom line, if you want to photograph Amtrak's trains in the Northeast, expect this response :
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2687535631_cd9b2ce839_b.jpg |
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Sean D. Elliot, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Sean D. Elliot, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 9:16 AM on 03.11.09 |
->> Follow the link from the NPPA site to the Amtrak site and read, carefully, the entire document.
While there is some discussion of access for those in the news media, if one were to be doing personal photography, such as for an Amtrak photo contest, you'd better be holding a train ticket in one hand and your camera in the other. |
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Alicia Wagner Calzada, Photographer
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San Antonio | TX | USA | Posted: 12:03 AM on 03.13.09 |
| ->> Steve, you would need a train ticket to go to the areas where only ticketed passengers are allowed. |
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Sean D. Elliot, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Norwich | CT | USA | Posted: 9:03 AM on 03.13.09 |
| ->> I find it interesting that Amtrak limits platforms to ticketed passengers ... and yet will allow anyone to walk onto many platforms without being asked to show a ticket. Seems to me that if I can walk onto the Platform here in New London (it's right off the street and open to the public sidewalk) as a member of the general public and no Amtrak officer would give me a second look then why should it be any different if I'm carrying my camera ... this is going to be a problem. |
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Thomas B. Shea, Photographer
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Pearland/Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 12:23 PM on 06.06.09 |
| ->> Dirk great post very funny. |
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