Mastermind and the road to Damascus

[Roland Perry]

In article <a9f4d96f0902260737o5211f439s235187dda465bce@mail.gmail.com>, 
John Wilson <tugwilson@gmail.com> writes

>There's the UK Photographers Rights sheet http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php

I've seen that before, and there's only one paragraph in it about these 
Terrorism Act issues. I think such a document needs to be specifically 
endorsed by an organisation like the NUJ, to be properly effective.

>The BFP issue members with a laminated card with a summary of rights
>http://www.thebfp.com/index.php?page=8&newsid=8

That's more useful, although the BFP lacks public profile (eg I'm 
interested in these issues and have never heard of it before).

The apparent inability to download a copy of the "Blue Card" from their 
website makes it laughably non-transparent.

This may be what it says, although it would be nice to know from the 
"horses's mouth", so to speak: http://www.ephotozine.com/download/43

>Railway Photographers have special problems. If they are on stations
>they are on private property and therefore have no general right to
>take photographs.

At the risk of repeating tiresome debates on uk.railways, there is no 
need for a "right", any more than there is a need for a "right to wear 
brown suede shoes".

> Railways have also been identified as likely
>terrorist targets (not unreasonably - when you consider how many
>people Railtrack can kill by sheer incompetence a few men with big
>spanners could probably cause real mayhem). So if you take photographs
>of railway infrastructure with a big black camera and even worse if
>it's on a tripod then the boys in blue will be along. (tip to
>terrorists - use a little silver camera).

There are real, and non-terrorist, safety concerns about large equipment 
like tripods on stations. But photos are a less likely form of 
"information" likely to assist a terrorist than a timetable. Of course, 
the law has a "reasonable excuse" defence, and "being a trainspotter" 
seems to be a candidate there.

-- 
Roland Perry