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bbc photographer threatened with 'arrest' over taking photo of St Paul's

Sorry if this is a bit late but a work colleague at the bbc was quizzed over no more than taking a photo of St Pauls at sunset during the week by police.....
Speaking on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning Jeff Overs the only accrediated full time photographer at the bbc was 'detained' and stopped from taking a photo of the world famous landmark with another photographer. ( a member of the public). Protesting his innocence and showing his press pass did nothing to avert the zealous officer who had stopped various people, who apparently had not 'objected' earlier in the day according to Jeff. In the so called name of 'security' and anti terrorism, jeff a photographer for over 25 years experience and award winning photographer whose work appears in most national papers ever day, and who has photographed the Prime minister, Royalty and the Archbishop of Canterbury, amongst others this year alone, is a member of the NUJ and has security vetting to visit Downing street. but not to take photos in the street in St Paul's churchyard.. apparently.

Quite how this stops terrorism, or how this action is in the public interest, goes to show the depths that our rights and freedom 's have been erroded in modern times. Although at times I have sighed at marches, people striking, speakers corner's, and people yelling about there rights on virtually ever issue under the sun, be careful with your camera's especially photographing landmarks as they appaently have an 'exclusion zone around them' at least in the photographic sense. Quite how this ludicrous restriction serves democracy , is foreign to me......

Comments

  • Am amazed by this story. What are they going to to do with all the tourist ??
  • This is a close as i could get.
  • Thats me crossing the road
  • Same happened to a photographer in Chatham High St, back in July this year...

    http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2009/july/13/amateur_photographer_arrested.aspx
  • Praps the bbc could employ me freelance :-)
  • [cite]Posted By: Badger[/cite]Praps the bbc could employ me freelance :-)

    Na never not with that pic ;-)
  • I'll sell to the highest bidder :-)
  • [cite]Posted By: Badger[/cite]I'll sell to the highest bidder :-)

    Tuppence ha'penny
  • edited November 2009
    We walked up that pathway yesterday, it leads directly from the Millenium bridge. We took a photo of St Pauls and legged it, me and Mrs TCE are now lying low until the OB have gone.
    You'll never catch us "filth" Haha ;)
  • What's behind this is Police stop and search quotas. Although they deny it the OB do have such quotas and photographers are an easy 'hit'. Recently a foreign tourist was ordered by a PCSO in London to open his camera and destroy the film. The matter was taken up by three MPs and the police and PCSOs have been issued with guidelines about what they can and cannot do: They can question you but they cannot tell you to stop taking photos. They cannot ask you to delete images or confiscate your camera and film/filmcard. They are warned that even touching your camera might be considered an assault. If they consider you could be a potential terrorist and they want to arrest you, they have to take you before a Magistrate and produce one other piece of evidence as well as that of taking photos. This has been going on in the transport photography world for some time, with enthusiasts and magazine photographers being warned, arrested, manhandled, and cautioned by the police without any good reason.
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  • Whu do police bother with this. All that terrorists need to do is look up their targets in Google. Do the police have a secret agenda eg to enlarge their DNA database to include everybody with a camera or am I paranoid?
  • [cite]Posted By: better red than dead[/cite]Whu do police bother with this. All that terrorists need to do is look up their targets in Google. Do the police have a secret agenda eg to enlarge their DNA database to include everybody with a camera or am I paranoid?

    Yes and No brtd...if that helps?
  • Im a photographer and to be honest I dont see the big deal. They stop you, ask you some questions, then thats it. If people show attitude then they should expect the police to get one themselves. If you're polite and smile then they soon move on. I've been stopped several times in various places around London and the same thing happens everytime.

    On the BBC guy, he could have just carried on taking the photos if he's in a public place. The police officer obviously didnt know the law too well. However if he was on private land then that's different.

    Since we're sharing

    Frozen Water at St Pauls
  • Lovely pic Blackheath. Is that HDR?

    Apparently the stopping of photographers is happening more and more (although it seems fine if you use a compact for some reason). It's one of my hobbies too, thankfully haven't had any hassle yet.
  • Nice grabshot there Greg ;-)
  • BlackheathAddick that's an awesome photo reminds me of Thomas Demand's photos of his models. Would have like a bit of elevation on the angle, but we don't always have a mobile crane do we!
  • Cheers all.... well except Medders but I expect that level of jealousy from a wannabe ;-)

    Yes it's a 6 RAW exposure HDR Red Murph.

    Colin, I could probably have gone higher up the steps but when you got a tripod out and it's pretty dark it's all about avoiding getting the tourists bumping into you.
  • Fair enough if I had a photo like that in my portfolio I'd think I'd be stunned my own photography! It's something quite striking.
  • Obviously you cannot just wander about taking photos, anywhere, And you normally have to get permission from companies when on there site, but in the street! Is that not a public highway,

    I had heard about this a year or so ago outside the mayors office there is a private company who apparently 'manage' the land around the area, funny I thought as citizens we had a right to go about in a free and unhindered way, did it not used to say that on your UK passport a few years ago. We are now in the age of image rights, and if you photograph on Charring Cross station, or even at the bbc a person not even employed by the bbc asks you for a permit. In the case of South eastern trains it normally takes about 5 days to get a permit. The minute You take an SLR camera out apparently it is a problem. Quite why I have no idea, as people have said on her there is google earth and high resolution video on camera these days, a lot more easier to be subversive, which I imagine a terroist would choose . It was only a few years back that the post office tower was put on ordanance survey maps because of 'security'.... logic of the madhouse.
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