A quiet struggle has been taking place here in the United States and abroad. Photographers have been bullied, lied to, detained and arrested because they were acting suspiciously. What was this suspicious behavior? The photographers were taking photographs.

I began my photographic career in 1984 when film was the only way to go. Up until the year 2001 I had never been stopped or questioned by some oaf in uniform asking me
“What are you doing?”
when what I was doing was so obvious, a blind man with a cane could tell you—in this instance I had a medium format camera sitting on a 14 pound tripod and a camera bag the size of Montana.

I told the officer that I was taking photographs of the skyline and gave him my business card. He then proceeded to tell me I would need a permit to photograph a city skyline—I was thinking this guy with a gun is an idiot—but he was going to let me go with a warning. But first he proceeded to question me and search my camera bag.

I was shocked to say the least, for I had photographed police officers, judges, an FBI graduation party, lawyers and two governors of the state of California during my career and never encountered such contempt and ignorance of the law as this officer showed.

Since 911 things have only gotten worse. The laws that were put in place to stop terrorist—who had not used photographic equipment in the executions of their crimes—from using photographic equipment to commit their crimes. Can you imagine terrorist using 14 pound tripods and large cameras instead of HD cell phone cameras to do secret surveillance of national landmarks?—you can buy such photos on a postcard from any gift shop by the way.

Now even tourist taking pictures of landmarks are now starting to be harassed over ill-considered precautions born of nonproductive panic.

Instead of realizing the kind of mind that could conceive of highjacking a plane with box cutters would opt to use nothing bigger than a cell phone camera, the powers that be have chosen to go after the easy target—the person with the big tripod—instead of the real one with the hidden cameras or cell phones.

A Study in Stupid.

After harassment suit filed by artists, Law enforcement and private security staff started to claim that anyone using a tripod, medium- or large-format camera, long lenses, light meter, or other “professional” equipment is doing “commercial” photography and requires a permit to take pictures in all public places.

The idea is—we can hardly call it logic—if the photographer had such a permit then the oaf in uniform would know about it, therefore the “professional” photographer must be breaking the law.

However, such equipment is used by amateurs and professionals alike, and in most cases, sales to amateurs considerably exceed sales of the same equipment to professionals.

The Man Behind the Curtain

Ask yourself the question, if photographers with their VERY conspicuous equipment are not committing acts of terrorism then why harass them? What other reasons would the corrupt factions in our or police, Feds, and of course corporations, not want their pictures taken? Is this payback time for all those years of catching on film the abuse of freedom and democracy by corrupt corporate and government individuals? Does it somehow come down to money?

If you still think this is about terrorism…

…then show me the camera equipment used in 911, or the London subway bombings. The lairs of those perpetrators have been searched and indexed. the information is available. Show me the professional cameras and long lenses.

Show me and my photographic colleagues why we must be harassed for taking beautiful or poignant pictures.

Not with those not even half baked notions or “a friend told me…” statements, but real examples of how professional photographic equipment has been used to commit terrorist acts.

FYI – this is happening to artists making sketches too.

– from Julian Greigh’s easel –