Beware of Millenium park nazis

[argus]

I here that in Europe you can not photograph in public places with a tripod with out "zee proper papers" because you are veiwed as a proffesional making money off the image you are making.

You hear but check your statements before spreading them.
None of the above is true, at least not in Belgium.

Generalisations are soooooo wrong.

G

[BruceN]

You are on Navajo Nation land. They are using the money they as you call it extort out of the tourists to do projects like health care and schools. It also employes many of the Navajos. I do not begrudge them one cent for us being allowed on their land. It is not public land.

I have no problem at all with ordinary and reasonable access fees, nor with any of the other ordinary "tourist trap" activities that go on there. I'd prefer not to have to have a guide to go to the interesting places, but as you said - it's their land. I have a real problem with what they do to one who might actually try to SELL a photo taken there. Those fees are NOT reasonable and, in my opinion, are extortion. It appears that, contrary to all common sense, terrain features can be copyrighted.

[Mike A]

You hear but check your statements before spreading them.
None of the above is true, at least not in Belgium.

Generalisations are soooooo wrong.

G

Argus,
I did not mean to offend you, I should not have generalized my statement. It was France I was speaking of specifically ( I hope your not Flemish) It is my understanding they have some of the most stringent copyright laws in the world, this may be the reason for some of the reports I read on other forums about photography law in France. I've been to both France and your country many years ago and found no problems taking snapshots with my 35mm, though I did not try to set up a tripod.

Mike A

[Mark Feldstein]

Personally, I don't think ANY governmental agency, local, state, or federal, is any more capable of preventing a terrorist attack today than they were 10 years ago. Insofar as I can conclude, all the government intrusions from shoe removal at airports to hassling photographers with tripods (pros or not), to illegal, unconstitutional wiretaps and e-mail snooping, is merely a pretext for gathering information about the people who live here, regardless of their nationality or citizenship. National health information database? For our medical benefit? ROFLMAO !! How about just national health insurance and let us maintain our own health records, let us read our own e-mail without invasion of that privacy, and speak openly and freely on the telephone and elsewhere. Personally, if I want an audience, I'll send out invitations. <G>


I relinquish the soapbox now and return control of your monitors. <G>

[That Rich]

Hi all, just discovered this forum and it will be great to get away from all the film v. digital wars everywhere else I go.

Mike A. 's post really hit a nerve. On Xmas Eve 2004 my family and I drove up to Millennium Park to photograph the *bean* sculpture as it was the first time it was completely revealed to the public. The sculpture was not finished but da mayr decided to give Chicagoans a two week peek over the Holidays... but I digress.

The sun was just setting as I setup my tripod... it's -15 f and my daughter and I are virtually the only people in the park. Just as I set up and am ready to snap a few frames I am abruptly stopped by two Cook County Sherifs (no idea why THEY were in the park). They tell me I cannot photograph with a tripod because I must be a pro... HA.. They tell me I must aquire a permit from da mayrs office on Monday at a cost of $60... the entire time they are talking to me I am taking readings with my spot meter trying to ignore them. I screw in the cable release and set the camera then snap a picture... at that point they sternly say "we cannot let you do that". I turned red at that moment but thought better about making any kind of a scene with my young daughter standing next to me... freezing.

Oh well, the park nazis indeed.

Cheers,

RP©

[fwp]

You may want to complain to the city and possibly the county. The sheriffs that gave you a hard time had no business doing so. When the park opened there were a lot of issues about whether or not the park in general and the bean in particular could be photographed. Since then the city has made it clear that photography was allowed unless it interfered with movement of the crowd.

[That Rich]

Hi FWP,

Certainly thought about filing a complaint but that's as far as it got.... a thought.
The moment was ruined but I did have another body loaded with 800 film and managed to snap a few half a** shots with that but surely nothing like I had hoped.
The event I mention was Dec of 2004 and from what you say things have changed a bit for the better.

Cheers,

RP©

[B&Wscapes]

From My understanding is that shooting in the park itself can be done at any time. It is once you point that lens at the Bean is when they step in. The reason is because the artist that created it has copyrights on the bean itself. the pass you have to get is paying for use of the artists Bean. This is the artist way of getting paid for his art work. like the city didn't pay him enough from the budget from the multi-million dollar park.

[noseoil]

Shooting on public property is a right guaranteed under the constitution. Have a copy of the constitution handy and offer it to them to read. Then have them cite the statute which prohibits you from taking the picture on public property, of public property. They can't do it. It just boils down to who has bigger balls. To add spice to the occasion, take their picture with a digital camera and tell them you are going to see your uncle the ACLU lawyer, and that your friend is running the video camera while you wear a wire for the FBI sting about civil rights violations in the park. Loads of fun. tim

P.S. On Memorial Day organize a shoot with as many photographers with tripods and cameras as you can find. Call a local news station to get it on film. Don't get mad, get even.

[Eric Mac]

The funny thing about the Bean (tm) is that Mayor Daley's 2005 Christmas card featured a picture of the park with the Bean (tm) in it. I wonder if he had to pay a royalty for the use of it on his card?