Photographing Homeless Banned

tim atherton · Mar 10, 2006

Various photography organizations have today announced a serious effort to stamp out gratuitous picturetaking of the homeless.

Germany's OOF, the French BLIC, English PBOG and America's SMAALP have joined similar Japanese organizations and the Chinese government in supporting the ban. Major universities have decided to follow suit. No longer will pictures of homeless people be considered appropriate for MFA programs or in many major fine art programs... more at:

Photographing Homeless Banned

Bob F. · Mar 10, 2006

April seems to come earlier every year ...

Cheers, Bob.

blansky · Mar 10, 2006

Damn there goes Migrant Mother.

Please define "gratuitous".

Michael

digiconvert · Mar 10, 2006

Always did enjoy Max Headroom but as it says in the article why is it 22 days early ?
I MUST FIND MY JULIAN CALENDAR

Pinholemaster · Mar 10, 2006

Absurd

Should ban the photographing of upper-middle class Social Democrats, or how about all pictures of sailors!

TheFlyingCamera · Mar 10, 2006

I vote for banning photos of Neoconservatives They get too much airtime as it is.

Andy K · Mar 10, 2006

"It's harder to take pictures of squirrels."

I disagree.

Bob F. · Mar 10, 2006

Andy K said:
"It's harder to take pictures of squirrels."

I disagree.

Especially if you nail them to the fence by their ears first...

Cheers, Bob.

Dave Miller · Mar 10, 2006

I have long advocated that we ban everything in order to simplify the work of the thought police. I’m not sure that this should extend to pickling squirrels though.

Andy K · Mar 10, 2006

Hehehe... I just posted the link over on 'another photo forum' which shall remain anonymous. There have been a few sense of humour failures.

noseoil · Mar 10, 2006

This should get moved to the soapbox! What a large load of politically correct crap this one is. The laws are clear. One who is on public property is fair game. Next it will be considered a "hate crime" to take the picture. Let's hear it for the touchy feely crowd. This is lunacy, pure and simple. Gratuitous means "free" in that they want us to pay for the shot, that's a big load of B.S. to me. tim

Andy K · Mar 10, 2006

noseoil said:
This should get moved to the soapbox! What a large load of politically correct crap this one is. The laws are clear. One who is on public property is fair game. Next it will be considered a "hate crime" to take the picture. Let's hear it for the touchy feely crowd. This is lunacy, pure and simple. Gratuitous means "free" in that they want us to pay for the shot, that's a big load of B.S. to me. tim

Thanks for the laugh Tim!

tim atherton · Mar 10, 2006

"sense of humour failures" - now there's an excellent Brit term of great usefulness that I'd almost forgotten in my years in exile (oft used to much useful effect by the average Squaddie)

I must admit I'm getting a perverse delight from some of the Colonel Blimp responses to this in various places... ;-)

Now about the ethics of nailing Squirrels by their ears... hmmm I once got into the most appalling flame war with moggie lovers on the LUG by raising the issue of Schrodinger's cat !

blansky · Mar 10, 2006

Pinholemaster said:
Absurd

Should ban the photographing of upper-middle class Social Democrats, or how about all pictures of sailors!

They damn well better not outlaw pictures of sailors. That is my bread and butter, you're talking here.

Michael

arigram · Mar 10, 2006

I think they should ban photographing for ID/Passports.

I feel my privacy invaded and my soul raped when they do this to me.

Excuse me I need to go cry in the corner...

noseoil · Mar 10, 2006

They just don't wat to show the failure of their own governments. tim

Andy K · Mar 10, 2006

Bwahhh haaa haaa!!!OhGodstoppitnowI'mgoingtodie!!

BruceN · Mar 10, 2006

Now, now! You guys aren't being sensitive to the needs of the many! If photographing the homeless is disallowed it will be much easier to ignore the problem. Then the average person won't have to be bothered or made to feel bad by seeing such images. You should be happy to give up this paltry amount of freedom in order to serve the greater good. Think of the children, for goodness' sake!

JBrunner · Mar 10, 2006

I find myself in complete agreement with the ban, however, the recent legislation prohibiting photography of cats is a bit of a concern.

sunnyroller · Mar 10, 2006

The problem is every time I go downtown to shoot landscapes there is a damn homeless person! Fortunately, I can still shoot pictures down at the Clinton Presidential Library because our City Fathers made a point to clear them out from the area before the opening. Unfortunately, now they are everywhere else. Panhandling at Walgreen's, pushing their carts on the sidewalks and even sleeping in the park! As of a few weeks ago, the Mayor agreed to lease a building that is open for 30 MINUTES every morning so the homeless can come in off the street and get stale donuts and coffee. This is a major accomplishment, since the homeless outreach organizations were banned for going to the homeless camps and feeding them under the bridge. It was considered loitering.

(Please note, the above was written in a facetious tone)

There was a girl in my photo 2 class last fall who obtained a grant to study the impact of "urban revitalization" for another one of her classes. She found some old urban planning studies from the 70's that touted their big plans and went in to those areas and photographed the results. She also went down to the neighborhood around the Clinton center that has been declared blighted and is slated for urban renewal to interview the residents and did a photo documentary. She unbound the urban planning report and added in her own narrative interspersed with the images she made--it was a very powerful counterpoint to the report.

Aggie · Mar 10, 2006

I'm with Ari, but want to extend it to those damn Drivers license photos. Now that is a image that has been raped!

BTW I now weigh less than what I lied about on my old DL. I just might have to have a new one done. Think the DMV will take some photographic help from me on it?

FrankB · Mar 10, 2006

Dave Miller said:
I have long advocated that we ban everything in order to simplify the work of the thought police. Im not sure that this should extend to pickling squirrels though.

Ah yes, pickled squirrels. Another great British delicacy banned by Brussels to further promulgate the myth that the sum total of English cuisine consists of fish and chips and roast beef dinners.

It'll be Uncle Joes Mint Balls next...

Craig · Mar 10, 2006

blansky said:
They damn well better not outlaw pictures of sailors. That is my bread and butter, you're talking here.

Michael

Does this mean there will be sailors at your class at the APUG conference? If so, will we all have to do the YMCA and sing Village People songs as a warm up exercise?

avandesande · Mar 10, 2006

jeez, these people loose their homes and now they're going to confiscate their cameras? The injustice!

Ole · Mar 10, 2006

Aggie said:
I'm with Ari, but want to extend it to those damn Drivers license photos. Now that is a image that has been raped!

You know you really need a vacation whan you look like the picture in your passport...

Photographing Homeless Banned

tim atherton

Bob F.

blansky

digiconvert

Pinholemaster

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

Andy K

Bob F.

Dave Miller

Andy K

noseoil

Andy K

tim atherton

blansky

arigram

noseoil

Andy K

BruceN

JBrunner

Moderator

sunnyroller

Aggie

FrankB

Craig

avandesande

Ole

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Photographing Homeless Banned

Membership Council

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Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency