Video Clip From My Grand Central Station “Permit” Shoot
May. 29
5:31 am
Remember a few weeks ago when Matt, RC, and I got a permit to shoot with tripods (gasp!) inside Grand Central Station in New York City? Well, RC had a video camera, and we did a short video clip during the shoot about “the permit” and how getting one affected our shoot. Click on the video below to see what happened (Thanks to my buddy RC Concepcion for shooting and editing the video).
Scott,
Could you post maybe some photos from the shooting?
Thanks in advance!!!
Why don’t you get off the “tripod in NYC” bashing as you do at every chance and just accept it that thats the world we live in today. And yes, when you post “tripod gasp” you are being a child once again. And you call yourself a professional
To Marko:
I’m using the shots in my new Lightroom book, so I haven’t been posting too many of them here on the blog (so you don’t get sick of seeing them).
To Tom:
I never called myself a professional.
-Scott
Lighten up Tom!!!! Geez!!! This is Scott’s blog so he has a right to say whatever he wants. Feel free not to stop by anymore if his blogs are offending you.
Scott…keep doing what you’re doing! You rock!!!
That’s too funny Scott -
And it is the way life works, isn’t it?
Keep up the great work.
Ah, you took a great satisfaction! I can immagine the face of the policeman when you brought your permit.
This isn’t just a NYC problem though, Tom. I could point you to many sites on the net where in the UK, we have to contend with Community Service Officers (The Plastic Police, not real Police with no powers of arrest) who only “think they know the Law” but unfortunatly don’t.
This is a freedom issue. The freedom to be able to take shots (oops, I meant photographs) where ever and when ever we want within the Law (unless it’s private property etc).
We just want the Law enforcers to actually know the Law regarding photography, and to go and catch some real criminals.
Some kind of a reversed version of Murphy’s law
are permits free?
Scott,
I have tried to watch the video but it seems not to be available any longer.
Great stuff Scott. Try shooting inside of a mall these days without a press pass. Mall security will swarm on you
Cool video! Thanks Scott!
How about a segment on how permits are obtained in various cities, US and abroad per your experience? Specifically what office, time delay, cost, duration, refusal, and hassles after the fact.
I reviewed the requirements for Los Angeles and other cities in California. How do you get around the $1 million certificate of insurance naming the city as co-insured? Apparently using a tripod, light stand, and/or model is a commercial photography tool only and triggers the photography police. In reality I just want to avoid being hassled/interrupted as a non-tourist.
Scott, you’re 100% right about the tripod thing! I’m in NYC and have to deal with this all the time. I recently put my D3 on a six-inch mini-tripod on one of the city electrical boxes mounted in the sidewalk. I was told having a “device” resting on it was a problem. So you are right on, it’s fun what you’re saying and you’re definitely NOT overdoing it.
It would be fun to do a variation of the organized “freeze”,,, except everyone would have a tripod.
http://www.youtube.com/v/t6qWaJ-BG-k&hl=en
Security wouldn’t know what to do…
Ziv
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=6664418&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
this story is about photos in DC and how the security reacts or overreacts as the case may be.
And he didn’t even look close at the permit ? You could’ve just made a “home-made” one.
I actually got kicked out from a norwegian trainstation (Oslo S), even though I had a permit! People suck :p
Just saw an interesting story referenced over on http://www.schneier.com/blog/ about Union Station in D.C. As the TV crew was interviewing the spokesperson for AMTRAK who was saying there wasn’t a policy against photography, a guard came over and said they had to turn off the cameras due to a policy. Priceless.
“This is a freedom issue. The freedom to be able to take shots (oops, I meant photographs) where ever and when ever we want within the Law (unless it’s private property etc). ”
Not with respect to Grand Central Station. It is an issue of getting the heck in the way. It is an extremely populated train station. Requiring a permit enables the city to reasonable limit the number of people that want to set up a tripod in GCS at any one time on any particular day.
Ah, Scott…I know what you mean.
I was in Times Square one day and the band
Good Charlotte had their personal cars
out there…and I’m just out there photographing away…
The police were all over me…”Oh, you can’t shoot here” “Go away”.
?
I asked them “Did you forget what country you’re living in Mister?
”
I had a monopod and credentials…
Thankfully, a supervisor officer came up
and told the other officer to back off…
That was a quite humorous vid, Scott. Thanks for the information.
Where’d you have to go to get the permit?
Wow Scott I guess he was the trusting sort. Or you just looked so happy to be able to pull out that piece of paper, he never considered you a “bad guy” in disquise!
Hmmm, guess I’m a bit too late… It says the Video is no longer available
Nevermind it works again… Probably a youtube bug
Sorry!
check this out:
NYC sets formal rules for filming on city streets
BY SARA KUGLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - Filmmakers and photographers who shoot on New York City’s streets and sidewalks now have a clear set of rules dictating when they must obtain permits, after years of relying on loose guidelines that civil liberties advocates said were too vague.The rules, which were to appear Monday in the City Record, now state clearly that productions must have permits and at least $1 million in insurance if they plan to take over a lane of traffic or leave less than eight feet of open space on a sidewalk.Last year, the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg agreed to make formal rules for filming and photography as part of a settlement in a lawsuit against the city on behalf of award-winning documentarian Rakesh Sharma, who was detained in 2005 when he was standing on a Manhattan sidewalk, filming with a handheld camera.. .
Even before 9/11 it was problematic using a tripod in NYC. There were spots the police just wouldn’t permit it due to the problems it creates for pedestrians.
Since 9/11, it has been more problematic. The level of fear is higher and there is a general confusion about what it legal and what isn’t. There aren’t any posted signs saying “No Photography Permitted.” But from time to time people say, that’s forbidden here. What I think is forbidden in these instances is logic. Logic says that it is impossible to prevent photos. Whatever you want a photo of is probably available on line somewhere and if it isn’t a cellphone can take a photo without anyone knowing one was shot. Forbidding photography gives the appearance of doing something when in fact all it does is provide an illusion of security and an annoyance to the photographer.
It would seem the “War On Terror” (isn’t it actually a struggle against, not a war on) is actually an assault on our freedoms. Too bad George Orwell isn’t around to write about it.