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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 1:48:45 GMT
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Post by vjaska on Jun 17, 2013 4:10:59 GMT
Nope I've never been harassed before whilst either filming or taking pics. I was asked if I was filming a person on two seperate occasions - one on a ELS under East Thames Buses & one on a Stagecoach Eastbourne DAF DB250 ALX400 but photography wise, never. I got looks from the police at Bexleyheath but that's about it.
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Post by snoggle on Jun 18, 2013 22:37:54 GMT
Yes I have been harrassed when taking photos. Twice it was from ordinary people in the street - one was many years ago in Brixton where someone thought I was a spy or snoop and gave me a load of verbal. This was before digital cameras so it was not possible to show that I was not photographing people for covert surveillance. The second was more recently in Dalston where someone thought I was photographing them when I was actually taking a shot of the outside of Dalston Kingsland Station. It is virtually impossible not to get people in a shot of that station as it is on a busy main road. They thought I was a police spy - I explained to them I was not and calmed things down.
I have been shouted at by security guards on Crossrail building sites who are completely clueless about the law. I was on the public highway and they said I could not take a photograph. This is legally incorrect. I complained to Crossrail who forwarded by complaint to the construction company. I got a site visit (surface only) as a result of that complaint. I would not hesitate to complain every single time I get that hassle because Crossrail have told me that they were going to brief all their security contractors. Therefore every time their contractors get it wrong I will complain.
I have had a couple of encounters with TfL Bus Station Supervisors - White CIty and Hammersmith Low Level. On both occasions I had a TfL Staff Pass and that was apparently not good enough. In the case of the Hammersmith incident the whole thing descended into a farce where I was told I could not take a photo even on the pavement across the road from the bus station in case I photographed the security cameras. The fact that anyone could see where the d*mn cameras are by simply walking past and scribbling some notes is beside the point. I made a complant to a senior manager in Surface Transport as I considered my treatment to be completely wrong. He promised that all bus stations supervisors would be reminded that enthusiasts can take photos in bus stations - there is a not a ban.
I have been hassled by the Police (always PCSOs who I consider to be morons) on three separate occasions - Turnpike Lane, Mile End and Victoria. In each case I have argued my point and refused to answer their questions becaue they have never been able to say what offence I had committed or was suspected of committing. I have also refused to give my name and address in every case as I do not see why I should have my details stored away by the Met when I am innocent and conducting a legal hobby. My most recent encounter was to be accused of "casing a bank" in Southgate because I photographed a bus and a bank happened to be in the background.
I was challenged for taking a photo in a Singapore MRT station. Apparently all photography is banned following a bomb attack years ago. I didn't know this so was happy to stop once the station manager explained. I do have some MRT photos but these were taken from street locations, not MRT locations. It's a shame because the architecture of the newer stations is interesting.
In short the bloody world has gone mad. Now people might wonder what it is that I do to attract such attention. Well I don't do anything daft like standing in the road or running around like a mad thing. I think it is just that I use a SLR camera and am a fairly noticeable sort of person so I'm easy to spot. However once I am stopped and questioned I am not going to give way - especially when I know the rules. PCSOs drive me especially mad as they are so clueless - one tried to have me arrested because he thought I'd taken a photograph of him and then he said I couldn't take photographs outside tube stations. Unfortunately for him I was responsible for the maintenance contract for the station we were stood outside so I just said "I don't need a photograph, I can draw the entire design of the station from memory". Thankfully a Met Police officer couldn't be bothered and the PCSO gave up.
Ironically I have never been hassled when doing night bus photos even though you might expect people "a bit worse for wear" to be more curious about why you're wandering about with a camera at 0300.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 16:16:42 GMT
I think it is just that I use a SLR camera and am a fairly noticeable sort of person so I'm easy to spot. Pretty much it. Apparently, to some people: Big Camera = Trouble. That's the main worry nowadays. Tourist areas are fine but buses are a no-no. The counter-terrorism stuff focuses too much on picture taking and not on intelligence, i think. I got told off recently for taking a picture of a DML on the 95 by the driver. He complained that I was trying to take a picture of his face but I clearly wasn't. One couldn't even see the face of the driver on... any of my photos, let alone that one. Some drivers are nicer and they do joke about the fact that I take photos but, that's it really. |
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Post by snoggle on Jun 19, 2013 16:57:33 GMT
I think it is just that I use a SLR camera and am a fairly noticeable sort of person so I'm easy to spot. Pretty much it. Apparently, to some people: Big Camera = Trouble. That's the main worry nowadays. Tourist areas are fine but buses are a no-no. The counter-terrorism stuff focuses too much on picture taking and not on intelligence, i think. I got told off recently for taking a picture of a DML on the 95 by the driver. He complained that I was trying to take a picture of his face but I clearly wasn't. One couldn't even see the face of the driver on... any of my photos, let alone that one. Some drivers are nicer and they do joke about the fact that I take photos but, that's it really. Some drivers are very good and will slow down and give you a happy wave. Some stop and do the "wash and brush up" routine which is always a laugh. I think most drivers realise that if they just sit back in their seat, as normal, that they will not be seen in a bus photo and there is np need for them to get excited. Unfortunately there is also a minority of idiots - let's see - oh yes the driver in Slough who switched on the headlights and then drove his Dart straight at me only turning at the last minute, the driver in Slough who decided he could see through a plastic time card that he held in front of his eyes while driving his bus, another driver in South Shields who held up a sheet of paper over his face while driving a bus, the driver of a W15 at Hackney Central who stuck two fingers up at me and the "creme de la creme" of a First London driver on a E1 who stopped his bus in the traffic on Haven Green to shout at me from his cab saying I was breaching his Human Rights by taking a photo. I'm afraid I complained about the last one in a place where I knew certain senior First London people would read it and ensure the driver got a well deserved bollocking. I was told later he had been disciplined and all staff told that photographers were perfectly free to take photos in a public place. I do completely understand why people get "wound up" by being photographed. I dislike being photographed myself. However if you do a job that means you can be photographed in a public place then I'm afraid you will be photographed at some point. If you don't want to be snapped don't take the job. |
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Post by John tuthill on Jun 19, 2013 18:14:57 GMT
Pretty much it. Apparently, to some people: Big Camera = Trouble. That's the main worry nowadays. Tourist areas are fine but buses are a no-no. The counter-terrorism stuff focuses too much on picture taking and not on intelligence, i think. I got told off recently for taking a picture of a DML on the 95 by the driver. He complained that I was trying to take a picture of his face but I clearly wasn't. One couldn't even see the face of the driver on... any of my photos, let alone that one. Some drivers are nicer and they do joke about the fact that I take photos but, that's it really. Some drivers are very good and will slow down and give you a happy wave. Some stop and do the "wash and brush up" routine which is always a laugh. I think most drivers realise that if they just sit back in their seat, as normal, that they will not be seen in a bus photo and there is need for them to get excited. Unfortunately there is also a minority of idiots - let's see - oh yes the driver in Slough who switched on the headlights and then drove his Dart straight at me only turning at the last minute, the driver in Slough who decided he could see through a plastic time card that he held in front of his eyes while driving his bus, another driver in South Shields who held up a sheet of paper over his face while driving a bus, the driver of a W15 at Hackney Central who stuck two fingers up at me and the "creme de la creme" of a First London driver on a E1 who stopped his bus in the traffic on Haven Green to shout at me from his cab saying I was breaching his Human Rights by taking a photo. I'm afraid I complained about the last one in a place where I knew certain senior First London would read it and ensure the driver got a well deserved bollocking. I was told later he had been disciplined and all staff told that photographers were perfectly free to take photos in a public place. I do completely understand why people get "wound up" by being photographed. I dislike being photographed myself. However if you do a job that means you can be photographed in a public place then I'm afraid you will be photographed at some point. If you don't want to be snapped don't take the job. I mentioned this some time ago, at the time I had my 10 year old grandson with me outside Westminster Station, and took a picture of him with Big Ben in the background. Next thing PC plod challenged me about taking photos. I pointed out that the souvenir stand was SELLING postcards of the same shot. Next thing up pulls the van and out steps Srgeant plod. After another "dressing down" I said if he wants to take this further lets do so and i'll make sure every paper hears about it. After a dirty "I'll remember you son" look he drove off. It might have been the fact that I said to him I wasn't Brazilian and it wasn't Stockwell Station Might have had something to do with it!!!  |
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Post by romfordbuses on Jun 19, 2013 19:05:13 GMT
It might have been the fact that I said to him I wasn't Brazilian and it wasn't Stockwell Station Might have had something to do with it!!! Was a need to say that though? It just makes every other photographer look bad! |
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Post by John tuthill on Jun 19, 2013 19:20:38 GMT
Was a need to say that though? It just makes every other photographer look bad! At the time, the attitude of the Sergeant was really really bolshy, and my grandson was very distressed. Maybe in hindsight and the distance of time you're right, but as at the time I'm an OAP , white, English, the idea of me being a "security risk" just got my rag going. It's all about attitude. I've had very polite policeman ask me what I was photographing, it happened to be a RTL in Fleet Street, and we had a pleasant conversation about "proper buses" |
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Post by snoggle on Jun 19, 2013 20:51:05 GMT
Was a need to say that though? It just makes every other photographer look bad! Does it? I mean really? If a police officer cannot take a "bit of lip" or even an assertive response then they should not be doing the job. Aren't they trained to evaluate a situation and show appropriate discretion and sensitivity? Is it their job to go round upsetting pensioners and 10 year old grand children? No it is not. It is ridiculous that they should mishandle such a situation. What do they say to tourists at Parliament Square? The Houses of Parliament are one of the most photographed buildings *in the world*. It's a World Heritage Site. While I completely understand the need for security given all the MPs and Govt departments nearby that does not mean you are aggressive and insensitive to the people who you are paid to serve and protect. As Mr T says it is all down to attitude - *their* attitude as it is *their* decision to start questioning / hassling people. Years ago I was very happy to support the Police. Now I would not waste my time to help them. This is *entirely* down to their shoddy management of PCSOs and their apparent belief, in London at least, that the public is there to serve the Police rather than the other way round. I am fed up to the back teeth at being treated as a criminal because I have the temerity to use a camera in a public place. There has been endless communication between photographers' groups and the Police. There are laws and there are agreed guidelines that MUST be followed and yet the Police just ignore them in the belief they can use threats and "muscle" to get people to back down. Well they're wrong and there are enough legal judgements now (one just yesterday) that should be telling the Met Police that they are still not handling photographers and protesters properly and that they must change their behaviour. Unfortunately with "Robocop" Hogan-Howe in charge there is little chance of that. He must rank as one of the worst Met Police Commissioners in a long time. He should be sacked. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 13:27:16 GMT
I was once harassed by drivers on my local route when taking photos from the street. I took it to TfL and got their permission to film and take photos from a public place. I used the line "how comes tourists in Oxford Street for example take photos and I can't" If anyone would like to see the reply I got from TfL on headed paper, drop me a PM.
Best,
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Post by snoggle on Jun 20, 2013 15:07:49 GMT
I was once harassed by drivers on my local route when taking photos from the street. I took it to TfL and got their permission to film and take photos from a public place. I used the line "how comes tourists in Oxford Street for example take photos and I can't" If anyone would like to see the reply I got from TfL on headed paper, drop me a PM. Best, Based on the above I am bamboozled that you felt the need to get authority from TfL to photograph buses that belong to someone else (i.e. a private sector company) and which you were photographing in a public place. I am even more bamboozled that someone in TfL wrote to give you permission that they did not have to give nor do they have the authority to grant permission to you to do something that is already lawful. I'd go so far as to say that whoever it was in TfL who wrote to you was either clueless or ignorant of the law and whatever authority they thought they were exercising. The world is even more mad than I thought it was - no criticism of you suggested or implied btw. |
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Post by l1group on Sept 30, 2013 23:00:15 GMT
Ironically I have never been hassled when doing night bus photos even though you might expect people "a bit worse for wear" to be more curious about why you're wandering about with a camera at 0300. I've had no problems/encounters with doing night bus photos as well myself, in fact one of the N9 drivers did wave and one did actually say hello to me when I got on after taking a photo on my first set of night bus photos (it turned out to be a family friend driving the N9 lol). Myself in general, I've only been asked to "blank out" the driver's face on the 599, both times actually I went on the 599. Sometimes, I have the general laugh with the driver, sometimes they ask me if I'm taking a picture of the driver (I'm not, obviously!). Sometimes, drivers do cover their face, but that's almost as bad as it gets, tbh with me. But for one incident at Hounslow Bus Station where I couldn't get a photo of VM1 (again) as a bus station supervisor said I shouldn't take photos. I wasn't in a mood of arguing, but he told me to delete the photos. I asked him if there's any law/bylaw that makes me to delete them. The supervisor backed down, and left me to continue, but I missed the opportunity to get VM1 for what turned out to be my last time... Grrrrr..... |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 16:56:39 GMT
Im a young teenager, and i have been sworn at,given the finger, and been called a bus w****r, and everything, but i tend to ignore them, because i know i am making money from this lol
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2013 16:57:21 GMT
Im a young teenager, and i have been sworn at,given the finger, and been called a bus David Cameron, and everything, but i tend to ignore them, because i know i am making money from this lol I wrote bus w/nker, and it said David cameron lol |
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Post by greeny253 on Nov 4, 2013 19:31:47 GMT
Im a young teenager, and i have been sworn at,given the finger, and been called a bus David Cameron, and everything, but i tend to ignore them, because i know i am making money from this lol I wrote bus w/nker, and it said David cameron lol Swear filter |
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