At the end of Yonge St

I grew up in Rochester, NY. The joke is that Toronto is 70 miles away but it takes 3.5 hours to get there. (Look at a map if you don’t get it.) Whenever I did get up to Toronto one of my favorite streets to hang out on was Yonge St. Vimeo user Fixinmytie has posted this amazing stop-motion video of him and a friend traveling from one end of Yonge St to the other. The trip took 14 hours but this video takes just a little more than three minutes.

At the End of Yonge St from Fixinmytie on Vimeo.

Writer’s Dens

I’ve always loved the Librarian’s Desks flickr group. Here’s a set of photos titled "Where I Write”, photos of SF & Fantasy authors in their writing environments.

Where I Write will be featured as eight pages in the 2009 Worldcon program guide. A much larger collection is being compiled into a book featuring Neil Gaiman, Lois McMaster Bujold, and many others along with interviews about their spaces.

Sign me up. This is a book I’ll be ordering as soon as its available.

Via Boing Boing

Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics to Find Cause of Dorm Fire

(Contains some adult imagery but oh so possible true…)

Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause Of Dorm Fire

Colbert on “criminal” Amtrak photography

Amtrak vs. Duane - 02/02/09 from swatspyder on Vimeo.

Best Photos of 2008

I posted 7,393 photos to flickr in 2008. Here are the 46 I think are my best of the year.

Photograph of Jesus

Travel photography tips

1. Look for “the big picture”.
2. Capture things that are “out of the ordinary”.
3. Find shapes.
4. Seek the light.
5. Look for contrast.
6. Textures, colors, patterns, and content.
7. Photograph that which captures your soul.

Read the full article and see examples on the digital photography school blog.

More conference photography tips

As a follow-up to my 10 Tips for Photographing a Conference post here's a link to a short yet informative post on How to shoot a speaker: Timing and lighting. This one gets a little more technical, speaking about ISO settings and f-stops for those that understand those things. (I'm still working on that.)

Amazing Star Wars photos

The photographer is Cedric Delsaux and you can find his work at http://www.cedricdelsaux.com/. (Click on "enter" then "Series" for the rest of the Star Wars-themes photos.)

Now I want a digital SLR

I've been avoiding even considering a digital SLR and sticking with my 18x optical zoom Fuji point-and-shoot for several reasons. One, the Fuji takes great photos. Two, I don't even know how to use all the settings on the "simple" camera I have. Third, and most importantly, I can't afford all lenses that I'd want. Well, the Super-Secret Spy Lens is seriously tempting me.

Meant to fit the end of your SLR's zoom lens, this guy has a secret cut-out on the side and a precision mirror assembly inside. In short, you can shoot left, right, up, or down (it swivels 360 degrees), all while appearing to shoot straight ahead.

And it's just $50!

10 Tips for Photographing a Conference

The Digital Photograph School blog has an excellent article on how to take great photos at conferences. Here's the quick list:

1. Bring extra batteries, memory cards, your cables, and chargers
2. Get out of auto mode.
3. Be unobtrusive. Casual shots are better.
4. Pay attention to the background
5. Try not to use the flash
6. Pay attention to the lighting
7. Set the white balance
8. More is better
9. Zoom less, walk more
10. Have fun
11. (Bonus) It isn’t the camera or the lens, it’s the photographer that counts.

I thought about my experience at this past IL2008 conference and I found that I followed many of these tips. Most of my best photos were less zoom and more "get closer" as with the three in this post.

As for the suggestions to use more manual settings I guess I've just got to finally learn what all those other settings on my camera do.

Man arrested and locked up for five hours after taking photo of police van

I want a week where there aren't stories like this for me to post. Here's another photographer being arrested in the UK for just taking a photo.

When Andrew Carter saw a police van ignore no-entry signs to reverse up a one-way street to reach a chip shop, he was understandably moved to protest to the driver.

Particularly as he lives on the road and always goes out of his way to obey the signs.

But his complaint brought a volley of abuse from PC Aqil Farooq.

And when Mr Carter took a picture of the van then tried to photograph the officer, PC Farooq rushed out of the shop and knocked his camera to the ground.

Mr Carter was then arrested and bundled into the van over claims he had 'assaulted' an officer with his camera, resisted arrest and was drunk and disorderly.

He was held in a police cell for five hours before being released on bail at midnight.

Read the full story on MailOnline.

Maps and photographs now considered evidence of terrorism in the UK

Reposted from BoingBoing:

A Londoner was stopped by a London Transport Police officer under S.44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and had the presence of mind to whip out his video camera and record the officers tearing through his stuff. They officers admitted that they had no suspicion of him, no reason to search him and told him he'd be arrested if he refused. They riffle through his books (looking for terrorist words?) and go through his things. Welcome to Britain, now spread 'em. Stopped under S.44 of the Terrorism Act 2000

The bit about photographs and maps is sated by one of the officers involved while he's looking through the bag.

Police: Photographing thugs 'is assault'

From the UK:

A householder who took photographs of hooded teenagers as evidence of their anti-social behaviour says he was told he was breaking the law after they called the police.

David Green, 64, and his neighbours had been plagued by the youths from a nearby comprehensive school for months, and was advised by their headmaster to identify them so action could be taken.

But when Mr Green left his £1million London flat to take photographs of the gang, who were aged around 17, he said one threatened to kill him while another called the police on his mobile.

And he claimed that a Police Community Support Officer sent to the scene promptly issued a warning that taking pictures of youths without permission was illegal, and could lead to a charge of assault.

Read the full story on Mail Online.

Take photos of your kids having fun, get called a pervert

When Gary Crutchley started taking pictures of his children playing on an inflatable slide he thought they would be happy reminders of a family day out.

But the innocent snaps of seven-year-old Cory, and Miles, five, led to him being called a ‘pervert’.

The woman running the slide at Wolverhampton Show asked him what he was doing and other families waiting in the queue demanded that he stop.

Luckily in this instance the police were sympathetic towards the photographer:

‘This parental paranoia is getting completely out of hand. I was so shocked. One of the police officers told me that it was just the way society-is these days. He agreed with me that it was madness.’

Read the full story at Mail Online.

Photographing the Police in Tennessee

A Johnson County sheriff’s deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography.

“He says you took a picture of me.  It’s illegal to take a picture of a law enforcement officer,” said Conover.

Conover took a picture of a sheriff’s deputy on the side of the road on a traffic stop.  Conover was stunned by the charge.

...

In an affidavit, the deputy said he saw something black with a red light which he thought was a threat.  Conover was also arrested for pointing a laser at a law enforcement officer.

The photo was taken with an iPhone which contains no laser. It doesn't even contain a flash like my Motorola Q.

Read the full story at TriCities.com.

It's not just the UK

Here's a story from Oklahoma:

"That black SUV passed me doing about 120," Owens said. "I stopped, pulled off on the median, had my camera and just walked around and shot a few pictures."

Much to Owens' surprise, when police saw him taking the pictures, they demanded he hand them over or go to jail. Owens said three troopers and an Oklahoma City police officer were present during the incident.

"I quickly opened the scooter seat, dropped my camera in and locked it, and said ‘No, I won't give it to you,' Owens said.

As professional photographer and a teacher at Casady School, Owens stood his ground, telling police they were violating his civil rights.

"I'm a prep school teacher, not a criminal," Owens said. "It was constant screaming a foot from my face, of how stupid I am."

After Owens refused to take the camera out of his scooter and delete the pictures, that's when he said one of the Troopers lost his restraint.

"He finally just snapped, and said ‘That's it, you're going to jail,' and knocked my helmet off my head and took me over to a tree and cuffed me," Owens said.

Read the full story and see video at NewsOn6.com.

More on UK photographer's rights

This group of photographers came prepared and pulled out a bull-horn when confronted by security guards.

The BBC picked up the story and has more details.

UK photographers are basically & officially screwed

'First of all, may I take this opportunity to state that the Government greatly values the importance of the freedom of the press, and as such there is no legal restriction on photography in public places,' [Home Secretary] Smith writes. 'Also, as you will be aware, there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in a public place.'

However, the Home Secretary adds that local restrictions might be enforced. 'Decisions may be made locally to restrict or monitor photography in reasonable circumstances. That is an operational decision for the officers involved based on the individual circumstances of each situation.

Read the full story in The British Journal of Photography.

Don't take pictures of busses in the UK...

...or you might be labeled a paedophile.

A bus-spotter says it is no longer safe to practise his hobby of 40 years after being branded a terrorist and a paedophile.

Rob McCaffery, 50, is proud of his 30,000 photos of trams and coaches but after being interrogated twice in 12 months he fears the time may have come to hang up his camera.

The credit controller, from Gloucester, says he now suffers "appalling" abuse from the authorities and public who doubt his motives.

The bus-spotter, officially known as an omnibologist, said: "Since the 9/11 attacks there has been a crackdown.

"The past two years have absolutely been the worst. I have had the most appalling abuse from the public, drivers and police over-exercising their authority.

Mr McCaffery, who is married, added: "We just want to enjoy our hobby without harassment.

"I can deal with the fact someone might think I'm a terrorist, but when they start saying you're a paedophile it really hurts."

Read the full story on Yahoo! UK & Ireland News.

The War on Photography

Bruce Schneier, security guru weighs in on the large number of photography-related "security" stories of late.

Given that real terrorists, and even wannabe terrorists, don't seem to photograph anything, why is it such pervasive conventional wisdom that terrorists photograph their targets? Why are our fears so great that we have no choice but to be suspicious of any photographer? Because it's a movie-plot threat.

Read the full article at Schneier on Security.

Photographing in Union Station (DC)

This one is hilarious.

The Fox channel in Washington D.C. became aware that photographers were being hassled by security in Union Station (the train station in Washington), so they dispatched a reporter and a crew to do a story on it. So they're interviewing the head spokesman for Amtrak, who is explaining that there aren't any laws or rules against photography inside the train station...when a security guard comes up and tells the TV crew they'll have to turn the cameras off.

A link to the video and a second video from of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton regarding her opinion that these "rules" are getting out of hand are at The Online Photographer.

Cop takes out news cameraman

An Eyewitness News 4 photographer was cuffed and cited Thursday morning for disobeying a police officer. It was a situation where the photographer was trying to do his job. And now the Albuquerque Police Department is reviewing the tape to see if the officer crossed the line. Full story and video at KOB.com.

You Can't Picture This

More sad news about public photography. This time again from the UK.

Jury clears Galveston news photographer of interfering with police during arrest

Finally, some good news, though it's sad that the trial even happed at all.

A jury cleared a former Galveston County Daily News photographer Wednesday of a charge that he interfered with police during 2007’s Mardi Gras.

The case raised questions about whether police destroyed evidence, and prompted debate about the rights of journalists and ordinary citizens to monitor the actions of law enforcement.

Read the full story at KHOU.com.

Our Transportation Facilities Are Being Watched

Yet another "photographers are considered terrorists by default" story. This time from the blog of the Spokane County Transportation Department.

I was out taking pictures this morning of sites of transportation projects to be completed over the next twenty years. One of those projects is to move of the weigh station near Stateline further east along I-90. I stopped at the pretty much deserted weigh station and took a couple pictures, then drove off. About 10 minutes later I received a call on my cell phone from Washington State Patrol asking why I had been taking pictures of the weigh station!

The blogger's final comment is the most interesting:

I guess it makes me feel a little better to know that someone is watching the people who are watching our infrastructure. On the other hand, it kind of scares me that they could track me down that fast.

Read the whole story on the SRTC Transportation Blog.

More BS involving photography in public places

Wow, three stories in one day. The first from a professional photographer taking photos of the Port of Los Angeles. Seems the FBI paid him a visit.

So I inform them that I was under the impression that everything I was doing was legal. Security guards can't chase you off of public streets, and that I'm free to shoot whatever I want in public view. I inform them that my rationalization was that anything you can see from a public street isn't private (if they're trying to protect some secret, they shouldn't put it there), and if I really wanted to canvas the place, Google Maps' satellite view is a much better place to start. They confirm that yes, what I was doing was completely legal, but they're just doing their jobs, that it doesn't make sense, and that the "heightened security alert"... "will change soon". They informed me that most of their job lately has been following up with photographers who take photos in the port complex. They also informed me that they try their best to inform private security guards how to deal with confrontations with photographers, and that most of the guards have a bit of a skewed view on what's legal (oh my god this is true), and they're trying to correct that. They have had to correct guards who have insisted that photos be erased, or worse, have confiscated equipment in the name of homeland security. This doesn't help anybody, and makes their jobs harder.

Read the full story on the iStockPhoto forums.

Next from someone taking photos of the Red Line, amazingly enough, also in Los Angels.

Well last week here in Los Angeles, I was waiting to board the redline (subway) and snapped a picture with my cell phone camera. Not the best picture in the world, but I was just putzing around, waiting for the train, holding a quizno's to-go bag. Almost immediately, a vest wearing man with METRO emblazoned on his back who had been mopping the area nearby rushed up to me and the exchange went something like this:
Him: Hey! It's against the 9-11 Law to take pictures down hear man!
Me: You mean the Patriot Act?
Him: No pictures.
Me: Could you explain? What law do you mean?
Him: You are lawyer?
Me: No.
Him: No pictures. You could be a terrorist. Very strict!
Me: How about I take a picture of you?
Him: F**k you...(I couldn't believe it either)

Read the full story on Keith's MySpace blog.

Almost Arrested for Taking Photos at Union Station

Don't try to take hi-res photos at Union Station, even if you do work for NPR.

Then the security guard returned. She informed us that we would have to cease taking pictures immediately and leave. I asked what the problem was, and she said that this is a private space, and we didn't have permission from management to take pictures. I told her that we were testing equipment for potential use by NPR, showed them our press passes, and noted there were plenty of other people walking around with cameras. She seemed sympathetic to our position, but said she was relaying orders she'd received from someone higher up. I asked if we could speak with them, then twittered it:

Just got told by security to leave. Asked to speak with a supervisor to explain why we can't take pictures at union station.

Then it gets more bizarre.

Throughout the conversation, which I should point out was conducted in a cordial, but firm tone, we received mixed messages from the security guards. One told us the problem was that we were using a tripod, while another insisted it was because we had "that thing" on top of our tripod. They then changed the story again, and said that journalists couldn't take pictures without permission from management, and that Union Station is a private space run by a private company, not a public space. They never gave us an answer as to why we were first allowed to take photos in the first location, but could not do the same here.

Read the full story on Andy Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth.

Millimeter Wave

Here's the next stage in airport security:

According to the TSA:

I venture to say, Mikhail Baryshnikov may have exposed more in his ballet costume than this robotic images portrays. Why did we decide to put there up now? Because you've asked for it...Hopefully the editors of Reader's Digest will consider these for their next cover.

Read more at the Evolution of Security blog.

Tourist or Terrorist?

According to this article from The Memphis Flyer be weary of taking photos in Memphis. You just might be a terrorist.

A man walking through Tom Lee Park pauses to snap a photo of the iconic Hernando DeSoto Bridge. Another man shoots pictures of numerous downtown buildings.

Many would assume the men are tourists taking in the city's sights, but law enforcement officials say they could be terrorists staking out possible targets.

The scenarios were described at an anti-terrorism town hall meeting last week hosted by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. The meeting, held at Cordova's First Assembly of God Church, was one of four public meetings that occurred in conjunction with Operation Sudden Impact, a new local anti-terrorism initiative.

"You may think a guy is just shooting pictures, but if you report it to us, we'll send it on to the FBI and they may have four or five other reports of the same thing," said Richard Pillsbury with the Tennessee Fusion Center, a collaboration between the Department of Safety and the Department of Homeland Security.

Shelby County sergeant Larry Allen warned attendees at the meeting to look for people who appear to be doing surveillance outside public buildings, such as shopping malls.

I'm glad I got my photos of Graceland a few years ago.

The War on Photography: NYC

I've  been reading more and more stories about police and government warring on photographers who are well within their rights to do what they're doing. As a photographer myself I'm starting to get a little nervous. Until now I've failed to post much about this issue but that stops here. I can't not share this video.

via Boing Boing

Recent reuse of my photos

Thing #9: Searching for feeds

I'm trying to play along, honest, but really, do I need to go looking for feeds to add to my aggregator? That answer is simply no. Not because I feel that I have too many feeds, or even enough feeds, but instead it's because feeds find me not the other way around. Here's an example:

I was just catching up on some of my Library-related blog feeds when I saw a link to a new blog named Photography Friendly. Here's the first post:

Welcome to Photography Friendly

I have heard stories of photographers who have gone to a location, such as a park, to do personal photography. They would end up being told by an employee at that location that photography is not allowed or requires an application and a fee to take photos, even if they are just personal photos. I have also heard that some locations will consider you a professional photographer if you are using a tripod!

Finding information on photography restrictions for various locations can be difficult, if not impossible. I am hoping that this site will become a location for photographers, whether they just take photos for special occasions, as a hobby, or professionally, to look up information on how photography friendly a location is - no restrictions, some restrictions, application and fee required, or no photography allowed at all!

Your participation will help make this site successful. It can just be sharing your experience at a site. Better yet, link to an official policy or extract the text from an email from that location that gives their policy. To do so, leave a comment. All comments go through moderation. Site your source and how you would like to be credited. The more detailed the information, the better.

Well, that sounds interesting so a few clicks later I'm that blog's first subscriber in Bloglines. I don't know how long I'll keep it but I'm interested in photography-related legal issues so I'm giving it a shot. If it becomes not worth my time I can always unsubscribe.

Lunar Eclipse

I braved 20 degree weather and a wind chill in the single digits last night to get some shots of last night's lunar eclipse. Here's the one that I think came out the best. A set of the best 15 can be found on flickr.

Cemetery Dance

I've been having some fun with a tripod and image-editing software. Here's the best result so far. (Others are available via flickr.)

07-07-07

Did you take any photos today? If so, you have until 07/16 to submit them to the 07_07_07 flickr photo pool. All my photos from today can be found in my 7-7-7 set.

Amazing Rainbows

There was a reasonably-sized thunder storm in town this evening and I was sitting in my garage watching the end of the storm when I looked up and saw the most amazing rainbow. You could see it from almost a full 180 degrees at at some times, at either end, you could see a second one. Here's just one of the better photos. Click on it to see the rest of the set.

Digital Photo Wallet Still Has Obnoxious Pictures of the Kiddos - Gizmodo

Here's one from Gizmodo: "This $50 wallet comes with a small digital photo frame that can hold up to 55 pictures."

Twin Lakes, CO

After several attempts, one of my photos of Twin Lakes, CO was finally deemed worth of acceptance into the Wallpaper Web site InterfaceLIFT. Check it out. There are 13 different resolutions available ranging from 2560x1600 to one small enough for your iPod.

Microsoft Photo Info

Here's one for the metadata librarians: The Microsoft Photo Info download allows you to "Easily view and change 'metadata' properties in digital photographs from within Windows Explorer."

Vista Upgrade Photos

The photos have been uploaded and are available in a flickr set. I'll see what I can do about putting titles on all of them sometime in the next few days.

Contribution #1000

I missed highlighting this blog's 3000th post but I was watching for my 1000th contribution to the Hot Plates pool in flickr. Here is is: