Imagine this. It’s a beautiful sunny summer afternoon and you’re strolling around NYC with two of your closest friends. The light breeze and flowery scents from nearby Central Park are irresistible. You all start clicking away at what’s around you–”Hey there’s the 5th Ave sign,” ..snap..”Look there’s Trump Tower”..snap…”Guys, let’s go shoot the carousel in the park” and . . . that’s where THEY get you. You’re surrounded by them. Cops. They want to see your picture-taking permit and your $1 million liabilty insurance you took out to shoot in Central Park that day with a couple of friends.

Believe it or not, this is a scenerio that could play out soon. NYC Mayor Bloomberg is at this moment considering a proposal that would require a permit to photograph and film in public places. The rules would pertain to any group of two or more people who want to shoot in a public location for more than 30 minutes or any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod for more than 10 minutes, including set-up and break-down time.

The vagueness of the prosal by the Mayor’s Office on Film, Theater and Broadcasting has prompted threats of a lawsuit by New York’s Civil Liberty Union. To be fair, the rules do exempt news media and photographs of demontrations and parades. And while the permit process is lengthy and administrative-laden with red-tape, they are free. The $1 million worth of liability insurance required is another story.

The proposed rules don’t address tourists or semi pros or pros just photographing for pleasure. And PLEASE will someone tell me what your planning to do with busloads of tourists getting off at one stop, all with camera straps hanging from their necks. I thought NYC was trying to buoy tourist dollars.

The first comment period on the rules has ended but since the whole issue was on the table so surreptitiously, the comment period was reopened until August 3rd. Public comments can be sent to Julianne Cho, assistant commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, jcho@film.nyc.gov. Questions can be answered by the NYCLU at 212-607-3300.

Think this could never happen in your town? This week I saw similar stories about proposed public space photography bans in downtown Rockville, Md. and problems of photogs. getting harrassed in D.C. The point is, this is not only unconstitutional but an egregious misuse of police resources (that tax payers pay for). I can just see it now: “Dispatch all police units to Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the top of the Empire State Building. Hurry. People are taking pictures.”

Editor’s note: As of August 3rd, pressure from protesters has forced the Mayor to revisit the proposed rules. This process will be followed by another public comment period. Eye Openers will keep you posted.

For more check out www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/nyregion/28film.html?_r=1&oref=slogin”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Alysha Sideman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.