Innocent photographer or terrorist?

[the_ultimate_evil]

Misplaced fears about terror, privacy and child protection are preventing amateur photographers from enjoying their hobby, say campaigners.

Phil Smith thought ex-EastEnder Letitia Dean turning on the Christmas lights in Ipswich would make a good snap for his collection.

The 49-year-old started by firing off a few shots of the warm-up act on stage. But before the main attraction showed up, Mr Smith was challenged by a police officer who asked if he had a licence for the camera.

After explaining he didn't need one, he was taken down a side-street for a formal "stop and search", then asked to delete the photos and ordered not take any more. So he slunk home with his camera.

Phil Smith
To be pulled out of a crowd is very daunting and I wasn't aware of my rights
Phil Smith

"People were still taking photos with mobile phones and pocket cameras, so maybe it was because mine looked like a professional camera with a flash on top," he says.

"I wasn't very pleased because I was taken through the crowd and through the barriers at the front and people were probably thinking 'I wonder what he was doing.'

"To be pulled out of a crowd is very daunting and I wasn't aware of my rights.

"It's a sad state of affairs today if an amateur photographer can't stand in the street taking photographs."

more examples in the link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7351252.stm


an interesting article about photographers being stopped in the streets due to there hobby

what do you think, should they be stopped yes, no or is there a balance

 

[hammy]

Take some photos of the police who are trying to stop you taking photos. Then tell them you are within your rights to do so and you will not delete them and if they arrest you then you will pursue a case of wrongful arrest. They really hate that.

Graham, Reading

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

hmm thought this would have got more repsonces

 

[Spider-Who?]

that sucks. A roommate of mine from college was arrested for the same thing a while back. they even went as far as bringing in the FBI and ended up charging him with trespassing (he was in a mall parking lot).

Apparently, being a student photographer with the credentials to prove it meant nothing.

 

[William_C]

Pretty ridiculous. I wonder this means for aspiring students, like in high school, maybe even middle school. I took photography during my junior and senior years of highschool, even had a job as a photo-journalist for a magazine. I mean, if I was that guy, the questions I wouldnt care, but for them to pull him from a crowd of people and demand the pictures be deleted...thats not right.