Re: [Leica] Shooting on Gov. Lands

[ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>]

Eric and others have written many things about being charged to shoot in
national park areas, but here's one about shooting a building in a big
Canadian city.

<<<Just wait and see. Someone will want to charge us to take a
picture of anything they think they can get away with.>>>>>

Vancouver: Pan Pacific Hotel and Vancouver Conference Centre:

Some of you who have visited Vancouver know this location on the Vancouver
harbour, you can't miss it in the centre of almost any frame you shoot of
the skyline.

When this building opened it was deemed by the owners that any
"professional photographer" shooting the Vancouver skyline and featuring
the site had to pay a fee for using the picture as stock of any kind! This
included those of us shooting assignments for editorial.

It was almost a futile picture taking situation as any photograph of the
Vancouver skyline included the building. Of course there wasn't anyway they
could enforce it, as every tourist and pro who comes to the city usually
goes home with a frame or two of the skyline from Stanley Park across the
harbour.

Those of us who shoot stock and always receiving requests for updated
skyline images went crazy when this location was finally completed, as it
made the skyline look quite incredible with it's gleaming new white look.

By the way this fee included anyone shooting aerials! Figure out how they
collected on that one! :)

Several photographers were given heavy duty legal letters after their
pictures were published in magazines and a few tourist organizations
received the same. Whether any fees were collected or not I've never heard.

When pictures started to appear showing Vancouver and the building wasn't
in any of the frames it raised questions of, "Where is the new Pan Pacific
Hotel?"  Nothing like a computer to remove unwanted garbage! :) I believe
they learned the error of their ways and I haven't heard anything about
fees any longer.

However, if any of you folks are visiting Vancouver on a commercial shoot,
just for the hell of it drop into the Pan Pacific management office and
find out about a permit. :)  

Hey this is a true posting, as I got challenged one day shortly after it
opened why I was and who was I taking pictures for.

And as I've been challenged before and told them to go fly a kite the
response I've had, "hey your making money from shooting this assignment and
stock. Why shouldn't we get a piece of the action?"

And that puts a whole new twist to the question of paying to shoot pictures
for commercial gain. Doesn't it?

So Eric as you say,"some day we'll be paying to photograph anything that
moves!" Certainly where someone sees they can money on it.

ted