Thread: Arts Freedom Australia

Clean 32

I don't photograph people....

1. Don't do portraits very well.
2. Have you seem the average Australian? way to ugly to waste my time on.

I like the peace and quiet of remote places, or in the case of the image posted here it was too cold for people to be out.

We did go to Taronga Zoo a very public place but everyone had a camera so there were no issues but again there were far better subjects than people.

Ordinarily, when working for a bigger organisation like a TV network - we get a permit simply because you are there and they need to know what you are doing. Getting a permit is part of the process. We have had them for dozens of locations all over the place. It's normally just a formality and a nominal fee.

But.... you do run up against local councils who are just plain annoying.

Bondi is the worst, they have made life very difficult for the media and there may be many reasons for this, but usually it's just a money grab by the local council.

You can't film the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the opera house without a permit (We still did though- stick that).

I was bounced off a footpath with my camera the other day for filming a new building in Brisbane. Security guard said it was "Licensed" and could only be filmed with a permit. I already had the footage so was polite and walked away with a "Good luck with that buddy".

I guess my point is what's the difference between a professional taking it's picture and making money out of it and a Hotel having a window that looks out over it. Do they charge tour buses for looking at this stuff.... if you charge more for a building that looks out over sydney harbour, do you have to pay a license. The ferries have windows, why not block all those off. Or if rembrandt came back from the dead and painted it, would he have to pay a license?

What's the point of making life difficult and expensive for the people who's job it is, and these are not greedy or evil people, to capture the location and use their own resources and time and skill to distribute those images to an audience who could drive past it for free anyway!

Wear and tear?

The irony us that the tourism commissions will spend MILLIONS on ad campaigns telling japanese people to PLEASE come back to Australia, but still sting you and drown you in paperwork to take a shot for an internationally distributed program or publication.

As for privacy. You don't have privacy when you are in a public place. Private places=Privacy. Public places=On view to the world. If you ask someone not to film you they may or may not stop, it's up to them. It's the same as people looking at you.

It's just Australia, full of nice people, run by idiots.

I.