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January 9, 2008
There's nothing we want you to see here.
A few months ago I went to Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's busiest districts, to try my hand at some panorama photography. You know the style – shoot several photos which overlap and can later be stitched together in Photoshop. I had the idea of creating some kind of urban jungle image: skyscrapers towering above busy city streets, shoppers dwarfed by colossal billboards, video screens promoting the latest teen stars. Easy, I thought. I'll just wander around Shinjuku until I find a suitable skyline, set up my tripod and fire away.
And that's exactly what I did. Perched on a footbridge at the southern end of Shinjuku Station, I began getting ready to shoot. That's when a security guard wandered over to me and asked me what I was doing. “I'm just taking a few photos,” I said. “No photos here,” he replied in Japanese. “Really?” I replied, genuinely shocked that here, outside in the heart of Shinjuku, photography would be prohibited. “I'm sorry. You can't photograph here,” was all he would say.
This wasn't the first time I'd been stopped by a security guard and told I wasn't allowed to take pictures. But it was the first time I'd been warned off outdoors and in such a public place. What gives? Such heavy-handedness towards photographers seems to be on the increase not only here in Tokyo, but elsewhere as well. Only a few months ago, New York City was considering requiring all photographers to get a permit and insurance before shooting on the city's streets. And this week, in her photography blog on About.com, Liz Masoner asks readers if they have ever 'faced a photography confrontation', citing a reader's run in with three security guards. How about you? Ever been in a similar situation? Even if you've only been politely asked not to take photos, feel free to add you thoughts to the comments below.
Posted by Marcus at January 9, 2008 8:50 AM
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Comments
No one has ever stopped me there.
But maybe I was just lucky.
Posted by: Hasi at January 12, 2008 8:47 AM