No go areas

[cliveh]

As a lot of APUG members seem to live in the USA, can I ask if you have any no go areas? Or what would you consider the most dangerous places to visit and take photographs in the USA.

[BrianShaw]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "no go areas". In the US there are prohibitions against photographing without permission on military bases and some other industrial complexes, for instance. But that is very different from "dangerous places". If you are looking for a rush and want to see how quickly you can get arrested by using a camera... just try photographing the gate of a nuclear reactor facility or an airport or a military base. I hope that is not your intent.

[cliveh]

No, I don't mean illegal, but dangerous.

[BrianShaw]

Oh... dangerous. Here are two that I have experienced and hope to never have to do them again: aerial photography from helicopters and underground photography in mines.

[Photo Engineer]

Yellowstone park is warning tourists about an outbreak of Hanta virus, and several areas have outbreaks of West Nile Fever. Chicago is having a severe outbreak of random shootings, and New Orleans and the central USA is flooding.

Oh, 400 minor earthquakes in the LA area.

But then you are not on the level of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and some earthquake prone areas of the Pacific basin, and areas with TB and Malaria.

PE

[BrianShaw]

Add to that Los Angeles for hantavirus and Yosemite for random shootings. Or maybe that's vice versa. All I know is that one can get wicked diseases in some parts of LA.

[jnanian]

some inner cities are not the safest places to go ...

[Leigh B]

There are lots of dangerous places in the US.

The lower-class areas of all large cities are dominated by gangs and drug addicts, making any venture
involving expensive equipment potentially hazardous with a real possibility of theft or assault.

A few years ago during a 10km Folksmarch in Baltimore, two of the participants were robbed in broad daylight in the downtown area.

The best defense is staying in areas with numerous pedestrians. It's no guarantee of safety, but it helps.

- Leigh

[Photo Engineer]

Hey, its an election year. Hang around politicians. They are never mugged due to all of the security!

PE

[BrianShaw]

... and to make it really dangerous, keep saying out loud, "I'm here to shoot the candidate."