No tripod use in New York City?

[hisham1]

I was on a shooting trip to New York City couple weeks ago on a shooting
trip, I was told by more than 2 NYPD officers that the Tripod use is NOW
prohibited in all of New York City without a special permit.
Could that be true??????????

On my first day I was told by an officer that I could not use a tripod in
time Square, and on my second night I was on 42nd and again was told by another
officer that I can not use the tripod.
On my third night I was shooting outside Grand Central (again outside NOT
inside) and again I was told that I cannot use it, in fact I was told this time
the following:

"you can not use it and in fact we don't like to see anyone carrying it
around here"

What is happening to us? What has happened to NY?


Hisham Ibrahim
www.PhotoV.com




**************
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars.
      (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Zinchik]

this is true indeed. However I heard permits are easy to get.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/permits/permit_download.shtml


On Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 12:31 PM, <hisham1@...> wrote:

>   I was on a shooting trip to New York City couple weeks ago on a shooting
>
> trip, I was told by more than 2 NYPD officers that the Tripod use is NOW
> prohibited in all of New York City without a special permit.
> Could that be true??????????
>
> On my first day I was told by an officer that I could not use a tripod in
> time Square, and on my second night I was on 42nd and again was told by
> another
> officer that I can not use the tripod.
> On my third night I was shooting outside Grand Central (again outside NOT
> inside) and again I was told that I cannot use it, in fact I was told this
> time
> the following:
>
> "you can not use it and in fact we don't like to see anyone carrying it
> around here"
>
> What is happening to us? What has happened to NY?
>
> Hisham Ibrahim
> www.PhotoV.com
>
> **************
> Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
> fuel-efficient used cars.
> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>  
>

--
http://www.zinchik.net


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Dennis Hallinan]

--- In STOCKPHOTO@..., hisham1@... wrote:
>
> I was on a shooting trip to New York City couple weeks ago on a
shooting
> trip, I was told by more than 2 NYPD officers that the Tripod use is
NOW
> prohibited in all of New York City without a special permit.
> Could that be true??????????
>
> On my first day I was told by an officer that I could not use a
tripod in
> time Square, and on my second night I was on 42nd and again was told
by another
> officer that I can not use the tripod.
> On my third night I was shooting outside Grand Central (again
outside NOT
> inside) and again I was told that I cannot use it, in fact I was
told this time

> the following:
>
> "you can not use it and in fact we don't like to see anyone carrying it
> around here"
>
> What is happening to us? What has happened to NY?
>
>
> Hisham Ibrahim
> www.PhotoV.com

Maybe the city is tired of being sued by people who are trained to
stumble on any size tripod :-)

Dennis Hallinan


PS Washington DC has been anti-tripod for decades...and it's not just
tripods. I had an 8x10 camera mounted atop a 10-foot ladder at the
Lincoln Memorial one night and a policeman made a firm suggestion as
to what I should do with the ladder that is anatomically impossible.

[Peter Bennett-8]

Hisham,

If I remember correctly, a proposed law about tripods and permits was
defeated a year or so ago. I think the end result (maybe someone knows the
exactly law) was that permits were needed for two or more people shooting
with a tripod and was geared more towards film and video as opposed to still
photography.

That said, New York cops never let a law get in the way of what they want
you to do, so even with the law on your side, it is pretty useless to get
into an argument with a cop who's making up his or her own rules.

One solution I have is to carry around a table top tripod with me. This came
about more as a result of not wanting to lug around a tripod with me all
day, carrying around a lot of camera gear in NYC can be a back breaking
affair. The table top tripod can be placed on your chest for low light
shooting (verticals are tough though) and put on a mailbox, car or whatever
else is handy for long exposures. It's not a perfect solution, but it does
work well in many situations.

I once had a security guard try to stop me from taking pictures with it at
the old World Trade Center, telling me there was no tripod use allowed. I
explained that it was not a tripod, but a table top camera support (white
lie). Their face got a little screwed up, but they left me to do my thing.

I use a Nikon, which I don't think is available anymore, but you definitely
want one that doesn't have sharp tips at the end of the legs.

Peter Bennett
Ambient Images Inc.
P: 310-312-6640

Specializing in New York and California images
http://www.californiastockphoto.com
http://www.newyorkstockphoto.com





From: <hisham1@...>
Reply-To: <STOCKPHOTO@...>
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:31:29 EDT
To: <STOCKPHOTO@...>
Subject: [STOCKPHOTO] No tripod use in New York City?

 
 

I was on a shooting trip to New York City couple weeks ago on a shooting
trip, I was told by more than 2 NYPD officers that the Tripod use is NOW
prohibited in all of New York City without a special permit.
Could that be true??????????

On my first day I was told by an officer that I could not use a tripod in
time Square, and on my second night I was on 42nd and again was told by
another
officer that I can not use the tripod.
On my third night I was shooting outside Grand Central (again outside NOT
inside) and again I was told that I cannot use it, in fact I was told this
time
the following:

"you can not use it and in fact we don't like to see anyone carrying it
around here"

What is happening to us? What has happened to NY?

Hisham Ibrahim
www.PhotoV.com

**************
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars.
 (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 
   

[Robert Claeson-5]

On 18 Jun 2008, at 19:38, Peter Bennett wrote:

> If I remember correctly, a proposed law about tripods and permits was
> defeated a year or so ago. I think the end result (maybe someone  
> knows the
> exactly law) was that permits were needed for two or more people  
> shooting
> with a tripod and was geared more towards film and video as opposed  
> to still
> photography.
>
> That said, New York cops never let a law get in the way of what they  
> want
> you to do, so even with the law on your side, it is pretty useless  
> to get
> into an argument with a cop who's making up his or her own rules.

What about using a monopod, then? I tend to carry a monopod much more  
frequently than a tripod.

Robert

[hisham1]

In a message dated 6/18/08 1:38:58 PM, pb@... writes:


> One solution I have is to carry around a table top tripod with me.
>

Thanks Peter, I actually do have a table top tripod and use it sometimes, I
never really use a tripod unless I am doing night photography, and the kind of
pics I usually try to get could not be done with a table tripod.

The sad thing is that you feel that you are being treated as a criminal as
long as you are carrying a tripod, this is the way I felt this trip to NY.

I was taking the subway one night and I had my tripod with me, it was heavy
and I have been walking all day, so while waiting for the train I put it on the
floor instead of carrying on my shoulder, and guess what, within a minute I
was approached by the officer who was sitting in a small booth and he told me
if I could please carry the tripod because it MAY look to someone that I am
taking a picture with it. I have to say that he was very nice and very polite so
I did.


Hisham Ibrahim
www.PhotoV.com



**************
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars.
      (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Singh, Shangara-5]

On 18 Jun 2008, at 18:38, Peter Bennett wrote:
>
> If I remember correctly, a proposed law about tripods and permits was
> defeated a year or so ago.
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/nyregion/29camera.html?
pagewanted=print

> That said, New York cops never let a law get in the way of what  
> they want
> you to do, so even with the law on your side, it is pretty useless  
> to get
> into an argument with a cop who's making up his or her own rules.

"Nevertheless, the New York Civil Liberties Union says the proposed  
rules, as strictly interpreted, could have that effect. The group  
also warns that the rules set the stage for selective and perhaps  
discriminatory enforcement by police."

This casts more light on recent events:
http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2007/10/nyc_film.html

"The new draft of the rules will allow people using hand-held  
equipment, including tripods, to shoot for any length of time on  
public property, sidewalks, and in city parks as long as they leave  
sufficient room for pedestrians and do not block or impede traffic."

See PDF:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/downloads/pdf/fprp.pdf

Haven't found anything here http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/index/ 
index.shtml that says the draft rules have become (by)law.

There are parts of Central Park where you cannot use a tripod. Maybe  
the cop's SatNav playing up?

The Following Is Prohibited:
• Use of Tripods, Props or Lighting in the following areas:

     * East Green
     * Great Lawn Area
     * Hernshead
     * North Meadow
     * North Woods Area
     * The Ramble
     * Sheep Meadow
     * Strawberry Fields

If a member lives in NY, maybe they can ring the mayor's office of  
film, theatre and broadcasting and find out what became of the draft  
rules?

Regards,

Shangara Singh.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::
:: Keyword Catalog Software www.keyword-catalog.com
:: Blog www.shangarasingh.com/blog




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[hisham1]

In a message dated 6/18/08 2:03:01 PM, eforums@... writes:


>
> See PDF:
> http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/downloads/pdf/fprp.pdf
>

Thank you very much Shangara, that was very useful.

Hisham


**************
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Peter Bennett-8]

From: <hisham1@...>

The sad thing is that you feel that you are being treated as a criminal as
long as you are carrying a tripod, this is the way I felt this trip to NY.

Hi Hisham,

Having grown up in lower Manhattan, I can tell you that I felt like I was
treated like a criminal quite a bit of the time. Nothing new there.

Peter Bennett
Ambient Images Inc.
P: 310-312-6640

Specializing in New York and California images
http://www.californiastockphoto.com
http://www.newyorkstockphoto.com










[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Bob Clay]

Perhaps talk to the mayor and any other politician who passed this law.
politicians do like having flatering photos taken of themselves, and we
all know how easy it is to take not so flatering photos of em.
Suggest talking with NYC news photographers who come in contact and
shoot these people regularily.
a long long time ago in a city far far away, called San Francisco, I
was a photojournalist and was a staff photographer for a news paper. In
that capacity I had numerous conversations with a number of SF mayors.
One time a law was past requiring an exspensive business liscense for
all businesses with any income (including stock photographers). Since I
also sold stock back then and earned a little income in addition to my
union newspaper wages, I complained about it during a talk with a mayor
I was about to photograph doing something. They do listen and can be
sympathetic to our situation when u explain things to em.
It was not eliminated but did change requiring businesses with incomes
over a certain amount to get liscesnes. cannot remember the figure but
back then most stock photogs fell under it.
I would venture a guess that a number of press photogs in NYC also have
stock incomes and might lend a sympathetic ear who might find a
political s symp ear and act upon it an other issues efecting stock.
just a thought which might be worth looking into if ur really upset and
cramped by the no tripod hassle.
Robert Clay


>
> If a member lives in NY, maybe they can ring the mayor's office of  
> film, theatre and broadcasting and find out what became of the draft  
> rules?
>
> Regards,
>
> Shangara Singh.

[Mary Ann Melton]

I ran across this interesting article that many of you will find  
interesting about another incident of police in the NYC area harassing  
photographers:

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0824,shoot-first-hand-over-film-later,464895,2.html


>





Mary Ann Melton

Mary Ann's View Nature Photography Website
http://www.io.com/~hmelton/maryann/

Mary Ann's Blog
http://maryannmelton.blogspot.com/

[Michael Vitti]

The Mayor's Office for Film, Theater and Broadcast (MOFTB) is the  
group that was urged by a NYS judge to codify the laws after a middle  
eastern american filmmaker was stopped from shooting video in Times  
Square.  He simply asked the cops what was the law, rule, guideline  
and there really wasn't any.  Or isn't any, still.

The last draft of the rules is located here, see the "click here" pdf  
link near the bottom of the page:
<http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/110107_moftb_issues_new.shtml>

Today, we have this new codification (apparently still in draft form),  
but they left some things ambiguous.  It says that small unit video  
(and this should apply to still photogs too)  can shoot without the  
need of a permit if they are mobile (or not tied to a specific spot),  
have no more than a tripod on the ground and don't block traffic.  
Unfortunately, the code doesn't identify 'traffic' or stipulate if a  
tripod and/or photographer can be judged an obstruction itself.

As Mr. Bennett has pointed out, NYC can be an extremely competitive  
space.  Seemingly intelligent people descend on NYC daily and (I  
swear) leave their brains elsewhere.  The herd instinct takes over and  
they can act as one, dumb animal.  Nothing Surwickian here, but as a  
street shooter, you have to be aware that the cops are, usually,  
seeing the street around you from a security perspective, security for  
the heard.  If nothing else, the filing of incident reports prompts  
them to act in any way they can to avoid filling out incident reports.

So, how do you deal with this?  know the code, know how to avoid being  
noticed, and when a cop confronts you, think about his/her avoidance  
of incident reports.  Sometimes they just want to ask you to move  
along because the herd is watching you.  Sometimes they see a  
potential safety issue that you don't.  A 5 minute spin around the  
block, and the herd is gone. PS, don't shoot infrastructure, this  
makes the cops really uneasy.

BTW, tabletop tripods are a must here, also a super clamp with a small  
head on it works well too when the right post or railing is in the  
right place.

If you have a question, ask the nice people at the MOFTB, they need to  
hear from still photogs about their needs.

Julienne Cho, Assistant commissioner, jcho@...
Katherine Oliver, Commissioner, koliver@...
John Battista (former NYPD, I think), Deputey commissioner, jbattista@...


Yours,




On Jun 20, 2008, at 11:01 AM, Mary Ann Melton wrote:

>
> I ran across this interesting article that many of you will find
> interesting about another incident of police in the NYC area harassing
> photographers:
>
> http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0824,shoot-first-hand-over-film-later,464895,2.html




Michael Vitti
   VittiPhoto Productions, NYC
     stills + motion + motion graphics = visual storytelling

    646-327-3662
     http://www.vittiphotoproductions.com
     michael -at- vittiphoto -dot- com






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Michael Vitti]

Hisham,

I think it'll take another couple of months for the new procedures to  
trickle down through the NYPD ranks, but today the MOFTB announced  
it's final rules on street film and still photography.  Check out the  
article in Daily Variety that just published:

<http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988931.html?categoryid=13&cs=1>

The final rules should be posted here:
<http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/070108_moftb_adopts_rules.shtml>

What the reporter forgot was my community affiliation with the Moving  
Pictures Collective of NYC, <http://www.mopictive.org>


HTH's,




On Jun 18, 2008, at 12:31 PM, hisham1@... wrote:

> I was on a shooting trip to New York City couple weeks ago on a  
> shooting
> trip, I was told by more than 2 NYPD officers that the Tripod use is  
> NOW
> prohibited in all of New York City without a special permit.
> Could that be true??????????
>
> On my first day I was told by an officer that I could not use a  
> tripod in
> time Square, and on my second night I was on 42nd and again was told  
> by another
> officer that I can not use the tripod.
> On my third night I was shooting outside Grand Central (again  
> outside NOT
> inside) and again I was told that I cannot use it, in fact I was  
> told this time
> the following:
>
> "you can not use it and in fact we don't like to see anyone carrying  
> it
> around here"
>
> What is happening to us? What has happened to NY?
>

Michael Vitti
   VittiPhoto Productions, NYC
     stills + motion + motion graphics = visual storytelling

    646-327-3662
     http://www.vittiphotoproductions.com
     michael -at- vittiphoto -dot- com






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[hisham1]

In a message dated 7/15/08 12:48:39 PM, lists@... writes:

> I think it'll take another couple of months for the new procedures to 
> trickle down through the NYPD ranks, but today the MOFTB announced 
> it's final rules on street film and still photography.  Check out the 
> article in Daily Variety that just published:
>
> <http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988931.html?categoryid=13&cs=1>
>
> The final rules should be posted here:
> <http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/070108_moftb_adopts_rules.shtml>
>

Thank you very much for the info., that is great news.
I have checked the final rules in the link you provided and I very much like
this part:

"A permit is not required for filming that uses hand-held cameras or tripods
and does not assert exclusive use of City property. Standing on a street,
walkway of a bridge, sidewalk, or other pedestrian passageway while using a
hand-held device and not otherwise asserting exclusive use of City property is not
an activity that requires a permit."

I feel like planning another shooting trip to New York very soon.


Hisham Ibrahim
www.PhotoV.com



**************
Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music
scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com!
     
(http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Singh, Shangara-5]

On 15 Jul 2008, at 05:45, Michael Vitti wrote:

> <http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988931.html?categoryid=13&cs=1>

Above says: The rules have been published in the City Record, making  
them official city policy as of today, coming into effect Aug. 13,  
after decades of no official policy.

>
> <http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/070108_moftb_adopts_rules.shtml 
> >


Above says: The rules, which were published today in the City Record  
and will go into effect thirty days after publication on August 13,

Do I see a disconnect?


Regards,

Shangara Singh.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Keyword Catalog Software www.keyword-catalog.com
:: Blog www.shangarasingh.com/blog

[Nancy Catherine Walker]

Just make sure you print the rules and have them on you. Notification to police is probably not on the same schedule as notice to the public.

 Nancy Catherine Walker
www.ncphoto.net



----- Original Message ----
From: "hisham1@..." <hisham1@...>
To: STOCKPHOTO@...
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 1:25:05 PM
Subject: Re: [STOCKPHOTO] No tripod use in New York City?



In a message dated 7/15/08 12:48:39 PM, lists@vittiphoto. com writes:

> I think it'll take another couple of months for the new procedures to
> trickle down through the NYPD ranks, but today the MOFTB announced
> it's final rules on street film and still photography.  Check out the
> article in Daily Variety that just published:
>
> <http://www.variety. com/article/ VR1117988931. html?categoryid= 13&cs=1>
>
> The final rules should be posted here:
> <http://www.nyc. gov/html/ film/html/ news/070108_ moftb_adopts_ rules.shtml>
>

Thank you very much for the info., that is great news.
I have checked the final rules in the link you provided and I very much like
this part:

"A permit is not required for filming that uses hand-held cameras or tripods
and does not assert exclusive use of City property. Standing on a street,
walkway of a bridge, sidewalk, or other pedestrian passageway while using a
hand-held device and not otherwise asserting exclusive use of City property is not
an activity that requires a permit."

I feel like planning another shooting trip to New York very soon.

Hisham Ibrahim
www.PhotoV.com

************ **
Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music
scene in your area - Check out TourTracker. com!

(http://www.tourtrac ker.com?NCID= aolmus0005000000 0112)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

   


     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Michael Vitti]

Perhaps sloppy reporting.  Standard procedure is once the rules are  
published, they become part of City Code in 30 days.

If that isn't to your liking, may I suggest Boston, MA. Nice place.

Yours,


Michael Vitti
   VittiPhoto Productions, NYC
     stills + motion + motion graphics = visual storytelling

    646-327-3662
     http://www.vittiphotoproductions.com
     michael -at- vittiphoto -dot- com






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]