[Leica] Re: Banning the professional

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

Ted,
A subset of your rant is that people just don't make clear what behaviour is
desired.  Up front with a big sign tell me no flash and no tripod, I'm fine
with that and I don't need any other explanation.  It is their property and
the owner gets to set the rules.  You can't expect the guys and gals on the
street to sweat the nuances of policy; just give them the acceptable
behaviours allowed and the acceptable penalties for non-compliance.

In your case, if the Gendarmes had just said, excuse me, no tripods are
allowed in this location you would have been fine with that and would have
known instantly what to do to get your image and not piss off the guys with
guns.  Clear, concise language is always preferable.

Don
don.dory@gmail.com


On 7/16/06, Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:
>
> Subject: [Leica] Re: Banning the professional
>
> ted said:
> >> And the ridiculous assumption of the bureaucrats who think everyone who
> >> is a
> >> professional makes thousands of dollars from their pile of rocks? Bull
> >> shit!
> >>
> >> Get real Frank, it isn't TV! It's real life!
>
> Larry offered:
> > Frank, Ted - Can't we just get along?
>
> True! Sorry, I owe Frank an apology for the language use. Sorry Frank.
> ted
>
> Larry continued....
>
> > My wife, a curator of a major art gallery, assures me that the directors
> > of museums and historic sites are not trying to ban professional
> > photographers, as such. They are trying to ban TRIPODS and flashes, a
> > practice encouraged by their insurance companies. <<<<
>
> Hi Larry,
> I well understand the rules and agree with them absolutely! Simply because
> we have amateurs and pros who use tripods creating a "walk way blockage"
> bigger than a Mac truck. Because they don't know any better nor do they
> consider others.
>
> Over the years I've surprised " museum clients" more often than not when
> I've been assigned to shoot various situations particularly when I walk in
> "sans tripod, lights." And do my simple KISS  "click-click" and ready to
> move on to the next site. Usually I get this response... "How do you do
> that? The last person took what seemed for ever and held-up things for
> quite
> some time."
>
> >>> "Tripods interfere with the flow of patrons to the site and constitute
> a
> >>> safety hazard. The rule of thumb assumption is that a professional
> uses
> >>> a tripod, the amateur does not.<<<
>
> This is an assumption on the part of many locations. In my case as
> recently
> in Paris a couple of years ago at night at the Arc de Triomphe while I was
> on holiday, so basically a tourist amateur. ;-) Yeah I know great line eh?
> ;-) But it's true. :-)
>
> I put an R8 on a Leica table top tripod right at roadside, remember it's
> night about 10 pm or so and I'm on my knees to make an exposure down the
> Champs Elys?es. A few lost looking tourists were close to a hundred yards
> to
> the back of me. In front vehicle traffic and the Champs Elys?es straight
> ahead. As I was about to make an exposure two police officers came and
> told
> me to stop because I was a professional using a tripod and it wasn't
> allowed. I smiled.
>
> My smart young niece who was my guide and interpreter fluent in French
> explained I was her old uncle visiting from Canada... a tourist who merely
> wanted to make a quick picture of the Champs Elys?es and on my way. The
> officers responded I was a professional because "I was using a tripod and
> had to move immediately because I was in the way of the people walking
> about."
>
> Like two cops, Christine and myself! :-) Man it was really crowded! ;-)
>
> She explained to me what the problem was.... the tripod! OK if that's the
> problem I'll fix it. Removed the camera, handed her the  tripod, set
> camera
> on road and made a dozen or so bracketing frames while the officers stood
> there making sure I didn't use my Leica table top tripod! But that was OK
> as
> I became an amateur simply because I didn't use the tripod. I still took
> up
> the same amount of space just from my body size alone. Quite frankly I
> think
> I got a  better picture because the camera was right at ground level! ;-)
>
> The frustrating part in many of these situations is, the folks enforcing
> the
> rules do not use some common sense in applying them, certainly in this
> case
> "at night, hardly anyone in sight." Then allowing me to shoot the scene
> simply because I took the camera off a small table top tripod which in
> their
> mind made me a professional by what they saw, not what they knew.
>
> Oh well the world changes all the time and things like "using a flash will
> damage the painting or artefact" is a neat way to keep the happy snappers
> under control and not taking pictures they may or may not sell later.
>
> ted
>
>
>
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