I'm a p-h-o-t-o-g-r-a-p-h-e-r

[Al Patterson]

Roger Hicks and DNG: What I wanted to say was that photography should be treated as a privilege and not a right. Even if it was a right one should treat it as a privilege.

I'm strongly for the fly on the wall, mousy, discreet, tip-toe sort of photography that does not gets into anyone's way or does not in any way makes people and authorities uncomfortable.

Standing in the middle of the street with a large phallic zoom lens on a DSLR and pointing at random while sporting a T-Shirt which says "I'm with the Stupid" is the epitome of photographer as an annoying pest, a paparazzi wannbe and a poseur.

My rights are NOT an issue. Once you allow the state to take away your rights and make them non-rights, you may never get them back.

Be very careful what you wish for, you just might get it...

 

[israel_alanis]

28 yeeeesss, now 32 ouch :s hahaha
Keith you are right... ok ok ok lets make noise.🙂

 

[Al Patterson]

"Living in a police state is fine ... if you're the police."
-as overheard from a police officer in Dallas, Texas

Exactly! Well said.

 

[M4cr0s]

I'm a bit surprised no-one have commented on the cameras I'm holding - "those are not Leicas, you can't call yourself a photographer" 😛

Mac

 

[israel_alanis]

Right camera is a yashica or Canonet? I like that look.... and hahaha if we hold a camera we are photographer, even the old and extincted 110 😛
Regards.

 

[M4cr0s]

Right camera is a yashica or Canonet? I like that look.... and hahaha if we hold a camera we are photographer, even the old and extincted 110 😛
Regards.

Hehe, not a bad guess. It's a Minolta 7s. The fixed lens RFs of the late 60s look pretty much the same all of them. The other one is a Petri FT, which my dad bought in Japan in late 60s (he was a sailor).

/Mac

 

[israel_alanis]

That Petri I recognize it, but other one plays with my mind 😛... Nice cameras Mac.
And your father was a Sailor that is great, I think He shared to you many history and experiences... Congratz. I hope one day visit Japan.
Regards.

 

[surfer dude]

Why is there any confusion about the right to photograph? If we are so willing to abrogate that right and allow ourselves to think that we are able to photograph because we have been granted some "privelege" by someone (the man?) then perhaps we need to question why we bother voting and paying taxes.

 

[alistair.o]

Why is there any confusion about the right to photograph? If we are so willing to abrogate that right and allow ourselves to think that we are able to photograph because we have been granted some "privelege" by someone (the man?) then perhaps we need to question why we bother voting and paying taxes.

Amen!

Just an example - I was photographing an old and beautiful facade in a city and a police woman came up to me and asked "What are you doing?" For one glorious moment many answers went through my mind!

If she had any principles, I assume she ditched them with the various 'anti-terrorism' acts (as in laws) that now reduce my beautiful nation (Great Britain) to a virtual police state. You don't believe me? Try having a meeting on the street; a spontanious demonstration etc. Even the ex-met commissioner couldn't understand how the police had escaped a murder charge when they did for an innocent passer by in a recent demo.

No wonder I'm playing JS bach much more...

 

[israel_alanis]

Yeeeaaaa The Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001–1006) They are the best (after Paganini) but I still can not touch either the violin.
Greetings.

 

[ebino]

Wrong. It is my right to photograph that which is not explicitly prohibited. However, I do agree that wearing a T shirt with a provocative slogan may be a bad idea.

What part of "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" do you not understand?

OH, maybe you live in one of those totalitarian states I hear about. If so, then the rights granted by the US Constitution don't apply to you...

Why don't you give your democracy sermon to all those photographers killed by US forces in Iraq, most often deliberately as a video that was leaked to wikileaks showed.


Democracy and all are fine concepts as long as its applied universally.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Democracy and all are fine concepts as long as its applied universally.

Hold on. There's a grievous flaw in that argument. What you're saying is that as long as anyone can get away with murder and oppression, then everyone should be allowed to get away with it.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Guaranteed]

Why don't you give your democracy sermon to all those photographers killed by US forces in Iraq, most often deliberately as a video that was leaked to wikileaks showed.


Democracy and all are fine concepts as long as its applied universally.

You mean the one with the journalists that were walking around with the insurgents?

That's just a bit of a reach trying to compare that to being hassled by the police for taking pics of wildlife in a park don't you think?

 

[ebino]

Hold on. There's a grievous flaw in that argument. What you're saying is that as long as anyone can get away with murder and oppression, then everyone should be allowed to get away with it.

Cheers,

R.

Not at all, murder an oppression are part-time/sometime full-time human activity since time begun. You could sugarcoat that act by democracy, theocracy, revolution and so on, in the end its the same wine in different bottles.


But then again China has not been a democracy ever but people love photography there and you could do street photography in china without any problem, as long as you avoid sensitive places...

 

[Mcary]

Why don't you give your democracy sermon to all those photographers killed by US forces in Iraq, most often deliberately as a video that was leaked to wikileaks showed.


Democracy and all are fine concepts as long as its applied universally.

Excellent point; after all who in their right mind would want to live under such a flawed system as democracy when history has clearly proven that people living under totalitarian systems of government are so much happier.

I mean who in the world wants the responsibilities' that go along with living in a democratic society when instead they can let the government do all their thinking for them like good little sheep.

Baahhhhh, Baahhhhhh , Baahhhhhhh

 

[Al Patterson]

Why don't you give your democracy sermon to all those photographers killed by US forces in Iraq, most often deliberately as a video that was leaked to wikileaks showed.


Democracy and all are fine concepts as long as its applied universally.

I say good riddance to bad rubbish. Anyone walking around with the Taliban or Al Qaeda gets EXACTLY what they deserve.

Don't Tread on Me Troll...

 

[ebino]

I say good riddance to bad rubbish. Anyone walking around with the Taliban or Al Qaeda gets EXACTLY what they deserve.

Don't Tread on Me Troll...

Had you read the thread fully, you would have seen my follow up post that clarified what I said initially. I said if even photography was a right, it should be treated like a privilege, but I guess that sort of abstract reasoning can be a little too much on Fox news audience.

But anyway, US forces made great contribution to photography, especially by those photographs from Abu Gharib.

Cheers.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I'm sure we'd all prefer to live in countries where you can be beaten up, jailed or murdered for such terrible crimes as publicly disagreeing with the government, putting up pro-democracy posters, trying to run girls' schools... Or indeed trying to leave the country. (Not all the same country in those examples, and no country is perfect, but some are a lot less blameworthy than others.)

How does it go: "Democracy is the worst form of government, apart from all the others that have been tried."

And: "My country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be put right as soon as possible"

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Had you read the thread fully, you would have seen my follow up post that clarified what I said initially. I said if even photography was a right, it should be treated like a privilege, but I guess that sort of abstract reasoning can be a little too much on Fox news audience.

But anyway, US forces made great contribution to photography, especially by those photographs from Abu Gharib.

Cheers.

Possibly because it's not actually reasoning, abstract or otherwise, but an ex cathedra statement. WHY should it be treated as a privilege?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Al Patterson]

Had you read the thread fully, you would have seen my follow up post that clarified what I said initially. I said if even photography was a right, it should be treated like a privilege, but I guess that sort of abstract reasoning can be a little too much on Fox news audience.

But anyway, US forces made great contribution to photography, especially by those photographs from Abu Gharib.

Cheers.

I've read enough of your stuff to to understand you are an anti-American troll.

This is a photography forum. I don't come here so someone from an unidentified foreign land can give me or my country crap. Thus, the troll label.

And Fox News insults! Can't you do better than that? (I don't watch it BTW, but I'm tired of hearing the anti-Fox whine. It gets old after a while).

Troll...