bonatto
looking out
An interesting, though not un-expected thing happened to me just now. As I'm working on a project with train/tube commuters as its focus, sometimes I spend more than usual time hanging around places these places that fascinate me. More often than not, they happen to be busy London transport hubs.
As I was waiting for the next wave of commuters rush out of the central line into the train platforms at Liverpool street station, I took a generic photo of the ticket gates. To do this I was sitting opposite the gates on a comfortable metal box.
Soon enough Mrs. Officer came show me her shiny badge. An off-duty blonde, in her mid 40's in top shape. She kindly explained to me why she was detaining me. Soon enough, greater anglia staff/supervisors got involved asserting their authority over me, snapping how I needed to ask them permission to photograph, and that I can't photograph people.
They were soon sent off by the blonde to fetch eager community officers who soon enough were inches from my face telling me to take my hands out of my pockets and looking confused as why someone would be taking pictures for the pure enjoyment of it.
From there I was escorted to their holding room where my reasons and purposes were questioned, my name checked, and my bag searched. After scrolling through the dismissible photos I managed to take today, they were satisfied that I was neither:
A. a pedophile
B. a voyeur
C. a terrorist
Eventually the tension turned and one of the officers was actually interested in what I did, why I did it, played with my camera a bit, shook my hand, and said goodbyes.
Anyways, after seeing a video of an imbecil italian art student who stood her ground against officers who wanted to know why she was filming security cameras around buildings in London, I decided that if it ever happened to me I'd approach it differently (she was eventually arrested an processed).
See, the thing is, I think some photographers/artists/videographers, whatever, have such sense of self importance that when placed in these situations, they seem to get a kick out of question authority in a way that ends up being highly detrimental to our community as a whole.
After getting home I had the pleasant surprise of finding Mrs. Officer dead smack center of my ticket-gate shot. It's really nothing special, but it's going on my wall. Nice and big.
In the end it's just much easier to satisfy their sense of duty, and facilitate their job. For all they know, I could indeed have been someone scoping out a spot for something evil. Maybe I was just a stupid tourist. Or maybe, as I explained to them, just somebody that enjoys documenting life, ordinary life, like theirs and mine. That I take pride in what I do even though nobody pays me to do it, and that I will keep doing it, regardless of the ugly faces or the authorities aroused.
I'm a photographer, and nobody can take that away from me.
As I was waiting for the next wave of commuters rush out of the central line into the train platforms at Liverpool street station, I took a generic photo of the ticket gates. To do this I was sitting opposite the gates on a comfortable metal box.
Soon enough Mrs. Officer came show me her shiny badge. An off-duty blonde, in her mid 40's in top shape. She kindly explained to me why she was detaining me. Soon enough, greater anglia staff/supervisors got involved asserting their authority over me, snapping how I needed to ask them permission to photograph, and that I can't photograph people.
They were soon sent off by the blonde to fetch eager community officers who soon enough were inches from my face telling me to take my hands out of my pockets and looking confused as why someone would be taking pictures for the pure enjoyment of it.
From there I was escorted to their holding room where my reasons and purposes were questioned, my name checked, and my bag searched. After scrolling through the dismissible photos I managed to take today, they were satisfied that I was neither:
A. a pedophile
B. a voyeur
C. a terrorist
Eventually the tension turned and one of the officers was actually interested in what I did, why I did it, played with my camera a bit, shook my hand, and said goodbyes.
Anyways, after seeing a video of an imbecil italian art student who stood her ground against officers who wanted to know why she was filming security cameras around buildings in London, I decided that if it ever happened to me I'd approach it differently (she was eventually arrested an processed).
See, the thing is, I think some photographers/artists/videographers, whatever, have such sense of self importance that when placed in these situations, they seem to get a kick out of question authority in a way that ends up being highly detrimental to our community as a whole.
After getting home I had the pleasant surprise of finding Mrs. Officer dead smack center of my ticket-gate shot. It's really nothing special, but it's going on my wall. Nice and big.
In the end it's just much easier to satisfy their sense of duty, and facilitate their job. For all they know, I could indeed have been someone scoping out a spot for something evil. Maybe I was just a stupid tourist. Or maybe, as I explained to them, just somebody that enjoys documenting life, ordinary life, like theirs and mine. That I take pride in what I do even though nobody pays me to do it, and that I will keep doing it, regardless of the ugly faces or the authorities aroused.
I'm a photographer, and nobody can take that away from me.
