We should charge for photos

[auld argonian]

Technically, I think here in the States that anyone can take anyone's picture in a public place.

Ron

Boy...now you're getting into my territory....I love it when I get flack from people for photographing in public areas. The Grand-daddy legal case of all was one called Arrington v. The New York Times...if you want a good read, check that one out!

Can we change the sign from "Your Picture on a Pony" to "Your Picture with a Kiltle?"

Best

AA

[canawler]

If you ever question how rude some people with cameras can be, just visit Pennsylvania Dutch country. The Amish (for those not familiar, the Amish are a religious order who shun modern technology and live basically pre-20th century lives) in this area do not tolerate having their pictures taken due to the Biblical commandment about no graven images. All the tourist trap visitor centers make sure to tell everyone not to take pictures yet people will stop in the middle of the road to get out of their cars, cameras in hand, at the first site of an Amish farmer. How would they like it if people stopped and gawked while they were out mowing their yards.

[Graham]

Jim, I'm sure that most kiltwearers sympathise with the Amish. They dress differently, so do we, but I'm flattered by people showing interest in my mode of dress, rather than being reclusive about it.

They seem interesting people.

[JackK]

Technically, I think here in the States that anyone can take anyone's picture in a public place.

Ron

I was once taking pix of a woman selling flowers under a 'no soliciting' sign at a post office in South Carolina. She got uppity, screamed at me "how dare I take pictures of her". I walked up to her drill instructor close and told her she was on in a place, I was using a normal lens and that I could take her photo anytime I wanted. I then looked at the sign, asked if she would like me to go in to the postmaster and have her removed.Walking away my exwife absolutely freaked.

Jack

[Frank McGrath]

Because my father was handicapped, I seem to have taken up the handicapped parking cause. I photograph blue sign violators and sen the pics to the local cops. I walked up behind a man parking his car and calmly waited for him to hang the permit on his mirror. No permit. I took the shot just as he turned to leave the car. He screamed an obscenity. I then explained what I was doing. All he said was he wouldn't be long. Just then......a cop drove thru the lot. The guy flagged him down to complain about my actions. The cop gave him a ticket. A BIG ticket. I was told to be more discreet. Life is good.

[auld argonian]

As i think about it, I guess that we should be good sports about it. It's still unusual for some folks to see a kilted individual outside of a parade or a festival and people do have a tendency to want to photograph things that are outside their usual sphere of experience. I agree that there should be a line here that people don't cross; they should be sensitive enough to be able to know when they're making a subject uncomfortable and mature enough to stop...but we all know what has happened to that "sense of civility" in our societies lately.

A buddy of mine did a whole series of photos of homeless guys that lived in the neighborhood around his studio. I had to express my reservations to him that it made a good, poignant photo essay but I felt that he had invaded the privacy of a bunch of people who were in no position to disagree or protest. I have a shot of mine of a homeless guy sleeping on a park bench in front of a row of luxury high rise buildings...shot in public area, not used for anything but editorial purposes but I still feel like it was "off sides" of me to have taken it...just couldn't resist at the time.

In the case of those of us who go into the world kilted, I hope that we can be positive about asking to pose with people because it helps put a positive spin on kilt wearing...perhaps these folks will figure that regular guys wear kilts and that they, themselves, should consider picking up at least one for their won wardrobe. It's like I said about going to a production of MacBeth with my daughter's grammar school class...either they're going to show the photo and say "...look at the weirdo in the kilt." or they're gonna say "...check out this cool guy...he wore a kilt to MacBeth...it's so phat...I'm gonna get me one of those!".

What's the line? "You have the power to be the change that you want to see in the world." ?

Best

AA

[bubba]

I believe the courts have all ruled that you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place, which has been used to support surveillance cameras in public areas. The only limit on it is a picture taken of a person in a public place cannot be used for commercial purposes without the subjects permission.