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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Six Photographers Test Their Right to Shoot in London
Jock Fistick, Photographer
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Brussels | Belgium | | Posted: 6:58 AM on 07.24.11 |
->> The one thing that shines through in this is how polite and aware of the law the London Police are - Just a hunch - but I don't think these conversations would go the same way in many US cities :-)
http://tinyurl.com/43f8pjf |
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Mike Brice, Photographer
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SLC | UT | USA | Posted: 1:16 PM on 07.24.11 |
->> Some places the conversation would be civil, other places it wouldn't. I don't think it is country specific, I think it depends on the officer.
In Ohio for example, State Troopers know the law well and don't interfere with reporters or photographers. But smaller town police forces are very territorial. But that doesn't mean that you might not run into an uniformed Trooper or a well-versed small town officer. |
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 2:01 PM on 07.24.11 |
->> "I don't think it is country specific, I think it depends on the officer."
It also depends on the photographer. Another thing I noticed was the photographers didn't puff up and get defensive towards security or the police. They were polite as well. Hopefully that works both ways.
And Mike, you are correct about smaller town officers. I think that is because they simply haven't had the same training as city police. |
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Jock Fistick, Photographer
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Brussels | Belgium | | Posted: 12:39 AM on 07.25.11 |
->> I grew up in Ohio and worked for 2 newspapers there - and I agree the Ohio State Troopers are a class act! But I had my share of problems with the local LEO's - especially in small towns. And the same was true in Florida.
On the other hand - I've had some experiences in NYC that were the polar opposite of what the video portrayed.
I showed my wife the video and she said "...well of course they're polite - they're British - that would never happen in NY! :-) |
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Tom Gannam, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 5:38 PM on 07.26.11 |
| ->> You gotta ove the British. I don't believe that the encounters would have been as cordial in the US. It just goes to show you that if you stay calm and are polite then there should be no reason for these things to escalate. Now all we can hope for is that all of the local LEO's are as well informed as the British officers are. |
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Neil Turner, Photographer
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Bournemouth | UK | United Kingdom | Posted: 6:26 AM on 07.27.11 |
->> I think that this was carefully done. The UK has over 40 separate police forces and some are better than others when it comes to working with the media. The force involved here was the City of London Police and they are one of the smallest forces of all yet they have to handle an awful lot of media activity - no wonder they are up to speed with their knowledge.
The City of London force only covers just over two square miles of the capital and the rest of Greater London is handled by the Metropolitan Police Force who have 30K+ staff and a far less universal grasp of the law. Even the City force were behaving badly less than two years ago and it is thanks to pressure from and dialogue with photographers that they have turned their game around.
The British Press Photographers' Association gets a dozen emails a week from members who have hassle with police staff who don't know the law. Let us hope that the great performance of the City of London officers in this video acts as a spur to the rest of the country and the world to get it right. |
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Matt Brown, Photographer
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Fullerton | CA | USA | Posted: 2:44 PM on 07.28.11 |
| ->> I just got back from London two weeks ago, the London police " bobbies" never gave me any trouble taking photos. I even had my photo taken with one officer who was on a horse. I was asked a couple of times by building (mangers) people what I was doing or shooting. The second I opened my mouth and sounded like an America they let me shot what ever I wanted. Great town. The video was outstanding, The photographers handled themselves perfect and the police got it. |
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