Thomas Hawk takes lots of photos of downtown San Francisco, some of them quite good. Apparently though, photography is equated with terrorism in building management's minds, for pasta-only-knows reasons best ignored.
Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection: Photographing Architecture is Not a Crime, Thomas Hawk vs. Building Security Episode 118 So today there I was minding my own business shooting 45 Fremont in downtown San Francisco when all of a sudden a Shorenstein Company employee security guard decides to give me the finger in my photographs of the building. Next thing you know I get the typical hassle. Except normally when the guards come out all polite like and all this guy instead comes out middle finger a blazing and telling me that I'm not allowed to photograph the building from the public space.He goes on to tell me how he doesn't like to have his photograph taken, etc. (hint, if you don't like your photograph taken, probably best not to come swaggering out of a public building middle finger a blazin', remember any old asshole can have a blog these days). And insists on telling me how if I want to photograph the building I'm going to need to get approval from building management. blah, blah, blah.
Well, this guy got off on the wrong foot with me in the first place so I politely inform him that despite his objections that I'm on public property and as such have every right to photograph whatever I want and if he'd like he can feel free to call the police and the three of us can have a conversation. Of course he asks me why I need to be such an asshole and I remind him that he was the one giving me the bird, etc. etc. All I am is a lowly photography hobbyist but that since he was being so nice and all that he could look forward to his photo being on the internet.
He asks me if I *really* want him to call the police. Again, I answer nicely, yes. At this point he goes back inside. I go around to shoot the other side of the building and his boss comes out and he's pissed. You're not allowed to photograph this building he says. “Says who,” I say. “Says me, I'm the owner,” he says, you're on my property.“
Now I've seen Walter Shorenstein, San Francisco's real estate mogul, before and this guy definitely ain't Shorenstein. So I object. I remind Mr. fake Shorenstein that I'm on public property and that I have every right ot shoot the building. He asks me why I'm shooting the building and (only because I'm pissed at this point) I tell him that this is none of his business. Now with this he flips it. Some third party seems it's his business to chime in and sides with the security guard and tells me, you know he's right, your not allowed to take photos of this building (um. ok Chet).
The security guard then seems fit to chime in, post 9/11 you know. They don't want photos of the building.
read more, including photo of the enraged security guard, here.
As I mentioned last week, I had a small run-in with a Boeing security guard, but in that instance, I ducked and ran because I didn't have time to argue, and I was standing on Boeing property. Next time, I'll at least take a photo of the security guard for posterity.
The problem is that in our climate of fear and mistrust, photographers are being besmirched as evil-doers, and not enough of us are standing up for our rights as citizens.
Tags: Patriot_Act, /Photos
There was lots of hysteria a few years back in Maryland because a "Middle-Eastern" family were taking video as they crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Several witnesses called police and the car was stopped and in the local news they were "obviously" terrorists, because who would want to take a video crossing a long bridge over the Chesapeake?
Ridiculous.
Ri'lly ri'lly irks me, this preoccupation with shutting down freedoms in the name of security. Such utter bullshit. Invariably involves some class-room bully, now wearing gun and badge.