Update to this story: "No Phonecams in NYC: Ban on Unauthorized Photography on City Subways?"
"The Village Voice is holding a Forbidden Photos contest to shoot cool, arty pix of the NYC subway, and to kick it off, they've interviewed a bunch of photogs who shoot underground all the time about why they work on the subway" (BoingBoing):
"Mike Epstein [Satan's Laundromat] is not a terrorist, but if a proposed ban on photography on New York trains and buses goes into effect, he might very well find himself treated like one. "How can they ban photographing unusual sights aboard trains and in stations?" wonders Epstein, who operates Satan's Laundromat , a website dedicated to "urban decay, strange signage, and general weirdness." "What about when someone boards the 1 train with bags full of fully inflated orange and red balloons that almost exactly match the colors of the seats: Do they really expect me to keep my camera in my pocket?" (villagevoice)
Among the photographers are Rion Nakaya (rion.nu), Joe Holmes (joesnyc.streetnine.com), Holly Northrop [producer of villagevoice.com] and others. How it works:
Submit your own digital photos of the New York City subway for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the New York Transit Museum Store Online or five $20 Metrocards.
Email digital photos in jpeg format, no wider than 620 pixels and no larger than 100k to subwayphotos@villagevoice.com by July 9, 2004 for a chance to win. (villagevoice)
The VillageVoice has interviews with six photographers/mobloggers covering the situation before the ban.
Related article "Photographer's Rights Protest":
We have nothing to fear but fear itself
Photographer's Rights Protest:
Sunday, June 6. 1 PM.
Meeting at the info booth, main floor of Grand Central Terminal.
This will be a peaceful demonstration against the MTA's proposed Photography Ban, conducted in the spirit of Rosa Parks. We will simply ride through Manhattan with our cameras, taking as many photographs as we please, of whatever we please. This is a completely legal protest, as photography within the subway system has not yet been banned (even though the police seem to have been told otherwise). The proposed ban of photography in the subway system will only serve to compromise security instead of increasing it. Furthermore, it is "Too little too late", as key information about the subway system is easily available in numerous books, magazine articles, and websites. [partly via blog.photoblogs.org]
See also the official website "MTA NYC Transit - Rules of Conduct: Proposed Changes to New York City Transit’s Rules of Conduct" and the NPPA Press Release:
National Press Photographers Association opposes subway photography ban
CONTACT: Todd Stricker, President of the National Press Photographers
Association at (210) 558-7968, or president@nppa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 21, 2004):
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) opposes the New York City
Transit proposal to prohibit photography and videotaping in subway and bus
systems. Photography, both still and video, is an essential form of speech and a
fundamental part of the Constitutional right to freedom of the press and
freedom of expression.
This proposal is one of an increasing number of efforts which curtail free
press and freedom of expression in the name of security.
While media reports indicate that permits could be obtained in advance we
don't believe that this is a solution for several reasons.
1) News photographers don't have the luxury of advance knowledge of breaking
news and could be unable to obtain the necessary permits in a timely manner.
Media from throughout the world may find themselves in New York City on any
given day, and may not have the necessary permits or police identification
needed.
2) This could put the transit authority in the position of denying access if
they disapprove of a story, a media outlet or an individual photojournalist,
with no mechanism for appeal. This effectively enables a government agency to
license the media and decide who can and cannot report the news. Regardless of
the intentions of those currently in control, the potential exists for this
power to be abused in the future.
3) Photography is often driven by inspiration and immediacy. A scene that is
visually perfect from the standpoint of the photojournalist, and the decisive
moment which best illustrates a news story may only exist for a matter of
minutes. Again, the need for a photographer to obtain permission would be
crippling.
4) In addition to the constraints that this would place on regular news
media, we believe every member of the public should be afforded their
constitutional right to freedom of expression, whether verbal or artistic.
Our constitutional rights are an essential part of our society, and we should
not allow our enemies to frighten us into curtailing these rights. We do not
believe that making allowances for the media would eliminate the chilling
effect of this proposed rule.
"Rules like this, while they are designed with the best of intentions are
truly ineffective and hinder working photographers everywhere." said NPPA
President Todd Stricker. Mr. Stricker goes on to explain that the ease and
availability of hidden cameras and other methods of observation would make the rule
ineffectual against anyone with criminal intentions.
"They'll get their pictures," he said. But in the meantime, legitimate
journalists and even members of the public with good intentions will be harmed.
"It's one more rule that they can use to harass somebody."
The NPPA calls on the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reject the proposed
ban on photography and remove it from the list of rule changes which it is
considering.
National Press Photographers Association
3200 Croasdaile Dr Ste 306
Durham NC 27705
919/383-7246 phone
919/383-7261 fax
