Bridge restrictions lifted?

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Just back from San Francisco, and photographed the GG Bridge from SF side, Marin County side, the base near the fort (SF side, near barracks building) blew through 4 rolls.

I think they lifted the restrictions, because me and about 1,000 other tourists were happily snapping away.

The last time I was there, I remember seeing signs posted "No Photographing the Bridge" , so this time, armed with my stealthy m6 I was determined to take pictures 'from the hip'. No need to, like I said, I could walk right up to the fence (from the Vista Area) and snap away.

Maybe Homeland Security realized there were already millions of photos of this landmark bridge from every possible angle already out there...

Anyway, SF and points north (just over the bridge) Tiberon & Sausalito, are very beautiful...
 
You should have said something ... quite a number of us in the area.

Never had a problem taking photos around the GG. It's one of these
unenforcable restrictions, you know ...

Best,

Roland.
 
One thing that I found interesting last fall - I wanted to take some photos of the bridges that cross the Hudson River. (Wanted some prints to hang in the den.)

I figured there might be some security issues so I called the state's bridge authority to ask about any regulations. There were none - I was welcome to take photos of the bridge, from the bridge, etc.

Further, the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie has a unique LED-necklace ight system that is only found on one other bridge in the country - essentially, almost 30,000 LED lights that can utilize 16.7M colors and any number of color changes and effects. It's very cool and can be controlled by the Bridge Authority by computer, PDA or even over the phone.

I know because the Bridge Authority invited me to take a tour of it. They also volunteered to light the bridge in any colors I'd like while I was shooting. (Alas, black and white film....)

They could not have been nicer or more accomodating.
 
I heard yesterday on the radio that the Golden Gate Bridge is the most-photographed man-made object in the world. I would think it's the Great Pyramid of Cheops, or maybe the Eiffel Tower..
 
JohnM said:
One thing that I found interesting last fall - I wanted to take some photos of the bridges that cross the Hudson River. (Wanted some prints to hang in the den.)
I figured there might be some security issues so I called the state's bridge authority to ask about any regulations. There were none - I was welcome to take photos of the bridge, from the bridge, etc.
Further, the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie has a unique LED-necklace ight system that is only found on one other bridge in the country - essentially, almost 30,000 LED lights that can utilize 16.7M colors and any number of color changes and effects. It's very cool and can be controlled by the Bridge Authority by computer, PDA or even over the phone.
I know because the Bridge Authority invited me to take a tour of it. They also volunteered to light the bridge in any colors I'd like while I was shooting. (Alas, black and white film....)
They could not have been nicer or more accomodating.
Click to expand...
Very nice of them! Sounds like an excuse/idea for a RFF gathering!
Rob
 
I had a security dude come out and talk to me while I was shooting the Citicorp Center in Manhattan. But he didn't say I couldn't shoot, just that I had made some folks nervous.

This is the shot I was taking when he came up to me . . .

492068339_80ef0a6128.jpg


more here . . .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/musicandlight/sets/72157600199238580/
 
About five years ago I was walking to the St. Louis riverfront with a Domke bag full of Hassie gear, and my heavy Bogen tripod. It seems there was some speechmaking going on that I had not known about. There was a platform set up, and a senator, an indian chief, et. al. were speaking. Security stopped me and I showed them what was in my bag. They didn't reaaly look, and waved me on. So I completely ignored the speeches and set up my Hassie pointing the other way, toward the Eads bridge, one of three bridges linking Missouri and Illinois across the Missouri river. I ignored them, and they ignored me, for at least an hour, while I photographed the bridge. Eventually someone told me the area was being closed, so I left.

Based on this, I concluded that the reports of bridge photography restrictions were being exaggerated.
 
More recently, I was photographing an office building in Clayton, Missouri (part of St. Louis) when a security guard came running out to ask if I had permission. I told her that when you are standing in a public place, you can photograph anything that is visible from that place, unless it is a restricted government area, like an Air Force Base. She said, "Oh, okay, thank you" and went back inside.

Such is the fear-based paranoia encouraged by the Bush administration. When did anyone even worry about people phtographing buildings?
 
I had a similar experience near Wall Street in March. (Can't remember exactly what it was but i think it was a bank.) Anyway, i was taking a photo of my friend and i reflected in the building window when a security bod came running up to us saying i wasn't allowed to take a photo of the building. I pointed out to him that i was standing on public property(ie the pavement/sidewalk) and he could do nothing about it. It was at this point he threatened to confiscate my camera. I was livid! But my friend, fortunately, was calm. We walked away to the opposite pavement and took it from there, all the while the "Big I Am" glaring at us.

And i didn't know you needed a permit to photograph Brooklyn Bridge, because i didn't have one. Is that for a view OF the bridge, or whilst ON it??
 
NYC bridges

NYC bridges

are you kidding?! At any given moment there can be hundreds of people photographing the Brooklyn Bridge, on it and off it. Unless it's commercial, you don't need a permit to photograph in NYC. The only caveat is that you may not be able to use a tripod.
 
A week ago Friday I was in lower Manhattan and spent the hour between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. on the steps of Federal Hall photographing the NYSE from a small tripod. There were three police vehicles in the intersection and various security guards around. None of them approached me or did anything to disturb me (and I felt very safe).
 
Last edited:
Rob-F said:
More recently, I was photographing an office building in Clayton, Missouri (part of St. Louis) when a security guard came running out to ask if I had permission. I told her that when you are standing in a public place, you can photograph anything that is visible from that place, unless it is a restricted government area, like an Air Force Base. She said, "Oh, okay, thank you" and went back inside.

Such is the fear-based paranoia encouraged by the Bush administration. When did anyone even worry about people phtographing buildings?
Click to expand...


I hope Barak O'Hillary wins next year so we can stop blaming George for every ignorant, ill-informed act that people in psuedo power make.

The comment about the futility of stopping photos of the Golden Gate bridge because it had been photographed from every angle made me think that if it has been, why do we continue to take pictures of it? Are we so vain as to think we can do it better, or are we too cheap to buy the pic?

Mark
 
I was just pointing out that a few years ago, there were 'no photo' signs posted around the bridge. CHP WAS enforcing this rule then. They asked me to stop photographing. This time-nothing.

I too am sick of poor George W being blamed for everything, and, yes, I beleive the GG bridge HAS been photo'd from every possible angle...We just continue photo-ing it because it's what we do...
 
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