PBW: A Fine Park

Well, it finally happened. My photographic adventures in my quest for the perfect Photo Blog Wednesday have finally led to a run-in with the law.

On a gray, cloudy Sunday, I decided it was long past time that I got myself a tripod. I didn't need anything fancy, and could find something decent in the $15-$20 range. There have been occasions over the years in which lighting conditions have been less than ideal, and in order to get the photos I want I need to switch from the automatic setting and allow for a longer exposure time. Since no one has a steady hand to keep a camera perfectly still for one second let alone fifteen, a tripod is a must.

After finding one I liked, I decided to head to a park near the store to try it out. The conditions couldn't be any worse, and I remembered how bad my pictures came out the last time I shot the same subject matter with my older camera. I look back on those photos and cringe, as I'll no doubt do with the photos taken by my current camera the next time I upgrade.

I noticed a police truck driving slowly along one of the paths, and I paused until he waved me to cross. I got about twenty feet before he honked the horn. I turned, with “who, me?” body language, and the officer waved me over.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm taking pictures.”

“What for? Personal?”

“Huh? Yeah, taking pictures.”

“Personal though, right?”

“Okay....”

“Nothing else. You're not allowed to take pictures in the park otherwise, or you'll be fined.”

I carry a little booklet about photographer's rights, that my pal B13 gave me for just such an occasion. I considered drawing it, but it was cold and I didn't feel like arguing with the guy. He seemed young too, and may have just been overprotective of his route rather than versed in copyright issues. I was concerned if publishing those photos on the internet would be considered something other than “personal”, but since there's zero financial gain and I'm merely sharing them with friends both near and far, I'm going to say it's okay. If they manage to fine a mysterious cloaked figure for posting six low resolution images viewed by less than a dozen individuals, I'll be both surprised and impressed. Still, I’m not going to mention the name of the park this time around, just to be extra cautious....