Wizard's Blog

A few years ago I had to take photos of about 100 different products for work (don't ask). Easiest thing to do was go to the nearby Walmart and snap away. I also had a security guard tell me I couldn't take pictures. I put the camera away, but I took the pics with my cell phone.



the local Costco warehouse has a very prominent sign on the entrance warning against taking pictures or even taking notes inside. I've never tried photography there, but I've written down prices and specs from time to time. So far no guard has tried to confiscate my notepad.

Photographer's Rights Page



Photography is not a crime



This is my hobby, and there is a lot going on. There is a war against photography happening right now in America, fueled by fear; fear of anything that is not "keep your head down and your feet moving". People have been conditioned to confuse photographers with terrorists... high quality images on the internet and Google Earth notwithstanding.



You can take pictures of whatever you want to, within reason. You might be prohibited from setting up a tripod (blocking public access), but generally speaking you are allowed to photograph anything you can normally see. You can't take a 400mm lens and shoot into windows, but you can take pictures of buildings.



Here is the extant law on photography, excerpted from USA Today:

Quote:

The law in the United States of America is pretty simple. You are allowed to photograph anything with the following exceptions:



• Certain military installations or operations.



• People who have a reasonable expectation of privacy. That is, people who are some place that's not easily visible to the general public, e.g., if you shoot through someone's window with a telephoto lens.



That's it.



You can shoot pictures of children; your rights don't change because of their age or where they are, as long as they're visible from a place that's open to the public. (So no sneaking into schools or climbing fences.)



Video taping has some more gray areas because of copyright issues, but in general the same rules apply. If anyone can see it, you can shoot it.



And yes, you can shoot on private property if it's open to the public. That includes malls, retails stores, Starbucks, banks, and office-building lobbies. If you're asked to stop and refuse, you run the risk of being charged with trespassing, but your pictures are yours. No one can legally take your camera or your memory card without a court order.



You can also shoot in subways and at airports. Check your local laws about the subway, but in New York, Washington, and San Francisco it's perfectly legal. Airport security is regulated by the Transportation Security Administration, and it's quite clear: Photography is A-OK at any commercial airport in the U.S. as long as you're in an area open to the public.



Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Heck, the solution is obvious: win enough money that you can open your own casino where you can offer single zero roulette, 3:2 pitch BJ, a 100x craps table with 12-triples the Field ... and free disposable cameras for those who want to take photographs of an exterior sign that is seen by thousands and is there in the hopes that it will be seen by thousands!



Can you imagine if the VP of public relations just happened to have been passing by at the time... those dumb security guards would get some common sense put into their brains on the spot!

Quote: mosca

People have been conditioned to confuse photographers with terrorists...

high quality images on the internet and Google Earth notwithstanding.

DJ, also from the USA Today article, (bold added, commentary to follow),

Quote:

There are a few more restrictions on publishing photos or video, though, as mentioned back in December.



You can't show private facts — things a reasonable person wouldn't want made public — unless those facts were revealed publicly. So no long-lens shots of your neighbors' odd habits.



You also can't show someone in a negative false light by, for example, using Photoshop tricks or a nasty, untrue caption.



And you can't put someone else's likeness to commercial use without their permission. This is usually mentioned in terms of celebrities, but it applies to making money from anyone's likeness.



For example, if you shoot individual kids playing in a school football game, you can't try to sell those shots to the parents; the kids have a right to the use of their likeness. You can sell photos of the game in general, though, and any shots where what's happening ("A player celebrates a goal") is more important than who's doing it ("Star running back John Doe takes a momentary rest").



Sound like a gray area? It is if you're planning to sell the pictures, but not if you're simply displaying them. And if you're using them for news purposes, all bets are off — you can pretty much publish whatever you want if it happens in public view.



The other gray area is copyrighted material. Even if it's in public, you can't sell pictures of copyrighted work — a piece of art, for example. But if the art is part of a scene you can probably get away with it.



All this in mind, it's almost always a good idea to get permission where you can and to be polite and friendly with anyone you deal with. Like good urban legends, people are absolutely sure they know the law about photography, and they're absolutely wrong.

I think what they are worried about is out of place behavior, and in a way they are doing what a good security person should do. Ever watch "The West Wing" where CJ is receiving death threats? One Secret Service guy was with her and another charachter (her niece?) at a dress shop, buying a prom dress or something. The younbger girl asks, "what are you doing and looking for?" to the agent. He shows her how he is sanning the entire area and just checking everything. She again asks and his answer is, "I will know it when I see it." He was looking at someone dressed too warm in the summer, meaning possibly carrying a weapon. Or someone taking a little too long loitering. Or a guy looking at stuff mostly only women would care about.



The guard at Boulder Station handled it right IMHO. You were alone and taking pictures but not of what most people take pictures of, thus he investigated. You were polite back to him and he saw no reason to hassle you. But he was letting you know you were being noticed. Probably happens a few times a week.



The Guard at Arizona Charlies INHO overreacted. But again, he was doing hid job, checking things out.



BTW: If the NTSB did this kind of profiling instead of wanding 5 year old kids traveling with clearly traveling on a family vacation I'd feel more safe. It is simply good police work. A hassle, yes.

Thanks for all the comments. The piece that is still missing for me is what is the common way to abuse exterior casino pictures? Or do guards just hassle anybody doing anything out of the norm? When the AZ Charlie's guard asked "Who are you with?!," I got the impression that it is a common and organized thing to take such pictures. But why? Somebody sent me a message suggesting concerns over terrorism. However, what terrorist is going to target Arizona Charlie's on Boulder Highway?



There is a similar story at ' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-got-backroomed-by-casino-security.html] pokergrump.blogspot.com about a patron who was back-roomed for taking a picture inside the Cannery. Good reading.

My sister in law collects Halloween stuff. A couple years ago she was taking pics of kids in unusual costumes who came to her door. A mother got irate and called the cops. She stood on the sidewalk till they arrived and they told her you have a right to take pics of someone who comes on your property, even kids. These are paranoid times we live in. Casinos obviously feel pictures can be used to compromise them in some way. They aren't smart enough to think of it themselves, I'm sure some lawyer told them to do it.

Nevada casino security guards illegally detain man after taking photos

Quote: Carlos Miller

A Nevada man was illegally detained by casino security guards after taking photos of a mural inside the casino Wednesday night.



Robert Woolley said several security guards whisked him into a back room of the The Cannery in North Las Vegas because he refused to show them the images from his cell phone.



He was released 90 minutes later when police arrived and told the security guards that he had not broken any laws.



Nevertheless, the casino permanently banned him from ever entering the casino again.

...

You want me to track them with the rest of us schmoes in the Sport Betting Thread I started?

I like the "Please don't bet on these picks because of any faith in me" line. Which begs the question... What is the opposite of a tout?

"You want me to track them with the rest of us schmoes in the Sport Betting Thread I started?"



Sure!

I have the same results with golf. I'm 21 years old and I haven't golfed since I was probably 17. I can never hit the ball square. I either top it, slice it, or on the occasion that I do hit it square, it turns out that I was aiming the wrong direction.



For this very reason, I never golf. My friends ask me to go with them all the time. I always have to decline, otherwise I would embarrass myself.

Glad to know I am not the only one - I know my problem (I always stand up when I swing the club) - I have rarely played since I was in my early 20's - only occasionally play a scramble format. Even then, my drives rarely crack 125 yds. Good thing they only need two of em. When people at work ask me why I don't play, my answer is simple - someone has to be here when the other 10 people go out golfing on a nice day. :)



-B

Thanks for the support, guys. If I had any sense I would turn down invitations to play too.

you have to see Charles Barkley try to play golf to feel better!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s50K65PNeBU

I hope that "every game that involves a ball" doesn't include roulette.

Anyway, poor golf ability is pretty common. Most people play like Jack Nicholson.

Thanks, that video did make me feel better.

>> I'm lousy at every game that involves a ball.

Does that include roulette?





But seriously, I feel your pain.



The only golf I will play is if the course has windmills and loops. And I suck at that.

I've golfed since I was about 3 yrs old. Like a lot of things, golf is a game that is about 1000x easier for kids to pick up than adults. Most anyone that I know and have played with that are decent/good players started prior to age 15. Most players that pick up the game as adults are solidly on your side of the bell curve. My father has played the game constantly for 40+ years and he is worse now than ever. Like you, he'll only play with people he is very comfortable with, out of fear of embarrassing himself. On the flip side, when I played in junior golf events around the state, I'd see 8 yr olds that could shoot par.



As far as training devices there are literally thousands of them, but most of them are pretty worthless. Probably the closest thing to what you describe is the SuperSwing Trainer. What makes hitting a golf ball so difficult, is that that the swing must be on the proper plane throughout the swing. Most high handicappers swings are WAAAY off plane, thats why they spray the ball all over the place. Of course, none of this helps with the short-game, which is where most of the strokes add up.

I'd be glad to steal your clubs. Just bring them on the next coffee around May 2011. I swear I'll find a high bidder to give them a good home ;)

I am not an awful golfer, and my handicap is probably around 35. If you took lessons from a golf pro, you should be playing decently enough to not upset your partners. So I would just stop playing. You're not good at it. But you won't give up on it, will you?



Which actually surprises me. You know math, so you should know something about physics. Maybe your head is too much into the game. Try the driving range for awhile and get some practice. There's no one counting strokes, nobody behind you, nobody in front of you, no rough to hit out of. You just practice your swing there. Once you get to the point where you are hitting the ball consistently (either short and straight, or long and wild), you should try the course again. When you are at the range, try all of your clubs out. And, make sure that you work out a stroke that works for you, not the one that Tiger Woods uses, just one that will get you enough distance and enough consistency to work.



Good luck. You're not going to get any better if you play less than once a week, as your body doesn't remember what worked and what didn't.



I'll take you golfing next time we come to town. It'd be a great diversion from the casinos.

Last time I golfed I was happy I could finally get the ball through the windmill!

My handle, "niblick," probably accurately indicates that I am a golf nerd.



For the folks who speak of their games like you just did, I tell them this:



"If you look at the drawings done by the Golden Age Architects (guys prior to the Depression), you'll note that very few of them make reference to par. Why? Because for them, golf was about the journey--they felt par set a benchmark for failure."



These guys had it right.



Pro's who practice constantly screw up; so just go out and have fun and forget about how you play. Enjoy the company and the course and to Hell w/the score.



You'll be a lot happier for it.

I'm not a great golfer (I usually shoot 55-60 per 9 holes.) I used to be much worse, like the Wizard, even after taking lessons. One thing I eventually figured out on my own is that I wasn't warming up enough. Now I make sure to hit at least a small bucket of balls on the driving range prior to teeing off. It's helped a lot. I find that I have increased consistancy from it. I also tend to get more distance on my shots too.

Very nice. The University of Michigan has a similar program -- Camp Michigania, in northern Michigan. I went there for about 12 or 13 years, until we all got too old for it. Fortunately, my brother is graduating from there so we can utilize his "membership" in the future. I believe UC Berkeley has one, too, somewhere in the Sierra Nevada. I take it this center is open to everyone, not just UCSB alums?

Yes, I've heard of some other schools doing it too. I can't make any comparisons, but I think the concept is a great idea. While I am a UCSB alum, you don't have to be. However, if you are, it is a lot of fun to revisit the ol' campus and relive memories. I've been known to give a lot of unsolicited advice to the staff on classes and majors, most of who go to UCSB.