Comments on: Nearly Getting Arrested in Downtown Atlanta

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:13:51 +0000

This isn’t just something encountered in the states……

I live in England and recently was in a small town called Morcambe, they have a theatre there called The Winter Gardens, an old (built in 1897) theatre on the sea front. The theatre is lovely, great atmosphere, great details, shadows in the right places etc…. and is currently under rennovation. I was shooting away quite happily getting some shots i was happy with and was asked to stop as it was against the Trust’s (the organisation responsible for fund raising the renovations) policies. I obviously respected their views and put the camera away but did a little more digging to find out why.

a year earlier a photographer had taken a photo of another Trust site and entered a competition winning a considerable sum of money, but with no mention of the Trust or the important work they were doing and as such they banned photography.

How do you counteract this sort of negative press towards photographers? Anyone? please?

By: Stuck In Customs

Stuck In Customs — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:02:24 +0000

Thanks yes – the PR posted above… I have seen their response — I won’t break it apart piece by piece publicly, though.

By: L

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:55:33 +0000

I decided after reading most of the comments about your Coke Cola run in to go directly to the problem. I wrote an email & asked them if that was their policy, why and just to let them know that I would not be visiting if it was true. Here is their answer to my email…
Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company. We appreciate the opportunity to respond.

You may be referring to the confusion that took place at the World of Coca-Cola over our photography policy. We are reaching out through the photographer’s blog to apologize and let him know that we do indeed welcome visitors and photographers to take photos for personal use at the World of Coca-Cola, as stated on our web site
(www.worldofcoca-cola.com/html/visitor-info/faq.html).

Our Security Officer and the Atlanta Police Department officer were securing a section of the privately owned Pemberton Park for the evening when the issue arose. We are inviting the photographer to return for another photo shoot if he so chooses.

Please feel free to contact us again should you have additional comments or questions.

Tom Barber
Industry and Consumer Affairs
The Coca-Cola Company

Hopefully, they will be true to their word. Keep us posted if they do or don’t contact you to correct what happened to you!!!
L

By: Steven Erat

Steven Erat — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:27:56 +0000

Although I’ve read Bert Krages Photographer’s Rights handbook several years ago and frequently see forum posts suggesting to carry it in your camera bag, I would think that waving it in front of a police officer anywhere would only escalate the situation. Sure, you might get them to agree that you are technically in the right to photograph property from public locations, but then end up with a disorderly conduct or resisting arrest charge pinned to you.

By: Art Meripol

Art Meripol — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:40:11 +0000

And this ‘officer’ works for COKE?
Really, the more money a law enforcement officer is paid, the less they feel the need to exercise authority. It’s the one’s that’ll work for minimum wage in order to carry a gun you really have to watch out for.
But when you’re the one i the situation, you can only comply. It’s really hard to trip a shutter with your hands cuffed behind your back. Sadly, it comes down to that. Been there done that.

By: DXM

DXM — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:16:28 +0000

the flares in these pictures is rather annoying.

By: D. Alan

D. Alan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:34:52 +0000

I loved Coke but then I changed to Pepsi. Why? If you guys have ever been to PepsiCo in Purchase, NY, you sure will switch to Pepsi. Inside this headquarters, there is the famous sculpture garden. And the best part is, yes you’re right, you can take pictures with almost anything. I once used my old 4×5 over there. The security guards there even talked to me with “You got a good shot? Oh, that’s a good angle/location, etc.”

By: The Silky Fountain – and a new video – Walkin’ around with Trey!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:09:29 +0000

[...] you can see a bit of the situation on the ground and what a threat we were posing! (full article on Nearly Getting Arrested in Downtown Atlanta [...]

By: PL Kojak

PL Kojak — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:55:49 +0000

Love the photo.

I live in Georgia and have never had issues with taking pictures with or without a tripod. If you are on public property, there’s not really a damned thing they can do about you taking the photos. You might issues trying to sell the photos later, though. (Trademark, brand name, yadda, yadda, yadda…)

Come on down to Macon, Georgia. We’ll let you take all the photos you want.

By: Chandler Blue

Chandler Blue — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:14:47 +0000

Such a great shot.. I want more! I gotta shoot Atlanta! Keep it up!

By: Alan Scher

Alan Scher — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:09:36 +0000

Since when do the police enforce private companies’ policies?

By: Mike K

Mike K — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:40:20 +0000

The issue isn’t really whether you are a professional or not. It is always:
1. Whether you are on public or private property
2. What you eventually do with the photo.

Coca Cola has the right to control the commercial use of an image of its property, logo, etc. So if you can see it from public property, you can shoot it, but you may not be able to use the image commercially without permission.

Some cities have set up regulations regarding equipment used for a shoot, such as tripods and light stands. Part of this is the hazard, and part of it is the revenue enhancement to the city of requiring permits (money) to allow commercial shoots. One tripod rarely equates a commercial shoot, but if you set up a tripod on a sidewalk in downtown Manhattan, there would be a problem.

As usual, you have police who recite the law as they think they know it, without really having a clue what they’re talking about.

By: Bob Sislow

Bob Sislow — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:21:50 +0000

Sounds like typical big business at work. Who knows, maybe Coca-Cola is paying the police force under the table. Good work Trey!

By: julie

julie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:44:36 +0000

The common theme I find here that most angers me is that everywhere that someone reported being stopped, it is with some random cop or cop-wannabe spouting off about “a tripod is for professionals”… yeah, but what about all the rest of the intelligent people out there who choose to use a tripod for photo quality? I’ve used a tripod an infinite number of times, and yet I’m about as far from a PROFESSIONAL as can be.
Sounds completely assenine that these blasted “law enforcement” personnel and wannabe’s get to decide who in the world is professional. I think I might be forced to question whether or not these jerks are professionals themselves.

By: Joe Savlan

Joe Savlan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:59:09 +0000

Thank you so much Trey, Im printing out your calling me ’smart ex-policeman’ and showing it to my ex wife!

Thanks for the link and retweet.

Joe

By: Stuck In Customs

Stuck In Customs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:35:03 +0000

Interesting feedback everyone. Good and thoughtful.

I agree that no real change has come about for future photographers in places where mobile phone photos are perfectly allowed.. The comment above this one (#80) is a link to a good article from a smart ex-policeman who has a good analysis of the situation.

By: Rights vs Responsibilities – Photographers and the Police « The Rise and Fall of Civilization

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:05:17 +0000

[...] in News items & political observations, Photography Recently on Trey Ratcliffs’ StuckinCustoms blog, he recounts an encounter with a uniformed official where he was threatened with arrest for [...]

By: Eric W

Eric W — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:51:54 +0000

I’m with discarted on this: that was a pretty business-safe “apology”. Sanitized was the word that came to mind, like it came from a committee.

I personally wouldn’t boycott Coke over this (shoot, I barely drink any soda at all – I’d forget about the boycott in the months between drinks), but I sure as hell wouldn’t give them any better publicity by doing Trey’s quality of shots (stop laughing, it could happen!).

By: Eugene

Eugene — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:26:34 +0000

Trey,

The Photo Walk idea in Atlanta sounds great! You may want to create a cap on how many people can attend (perhaps 25 to 50). You can create a sign-up process of some kind, such as through some kind of entry form.
You could even use your newsletter to announce this event, if you wish.

By: bernard

bernard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:57:08 +0000

While it was nice of someone from Coca-Cola to respond and apologise, that still is not the point: this should *never* have happened. If the guy (Trey) was doing something illegal, then he should have been told stop.

This kind of thing happens, because the “security guards” want to be jerks, and scare people.

Instead of inviting Trey back, they should have an “information training session” for their security people to educate them as to what they can and cannot stop.

Good on Coca-Cola for apologising, but it should never have happened in the first place.