Reply To: Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page…

[fstopper89]

My take on that park permit issue is that it does seem wrong to require a permit for a public location like a park. A commercial business that might set up a stand or a booth or some kind of structure to sell wares or services I could see where there would be a fee for that (such as, in my town we have to pay a fee to rent a park shelter for the day for family reunions and such) but photographers are walking through the park, generally posing people on structures or natural elements already in the park or bringing a few props such as chairs, and spending maybe an hour there.  Photographers use public areas such as alley ways, sidewalks, or other places to take pictures of clients as well. It’s not like they are using the park or any public place as their actual studio. A studio is a private location where only the photographer and the client are allowed to be. A photographer shooting in a park can’t cordon off an area to keep other park-goers from being in the way while they’re shooting. They get the same kind of access as a babysitter taking their clients’ children to play on the playground (which is “commercial” mind you), or the family walking or biking down the park trail, or the couple having a picnic on the grass. As a photographer who uses parks sometimes, I have to deal with the possibility that there may be people where I want to shoot and I have no right to ask them to leave. There have been times I brought clients and had my camera and some props, and people saw me and respected that and kept their activity a reasonable distance to not be in the way. But the point is, the park is shared equally be the public no matter what activity they are engaging in. I can see why the parks department wants to see that photographers are insured against liability, but generally that is covered by the photographer’s business itself and explained in contracts. And if a photographer committed some sort of vandalism (well for one, I don’t know what kind of professional photographer would even think that was acceptable) that is an issue against that particular vandal. My 2 cents.