Is this a Secret Building? .:. grubbykid.com

Is this a Secret Building?

As my friends know I love to take photos, and when I'm forbidden to by some idiot rule - such as in the Whitney or at the less-than-mediocre exhibition Ashes and Snow exhibition, I tend to do it anyway.

But what really irks me, is when some civilian or rent-a-cop tries to stop me from taking photographs in public areas or anywhere I have the legal right. So this is a pretty awesome retort to rent-a-cops who make up rules to forbid photography:

So yesterday I was walking around downtown Pittsburgh with my camera. When I found myself next to the PPG building, I pointed my camera upward like a tourist and took a shot.
...
I had time to shoot *one* frame before I heard, "Excuse me, sir, but they don't like it when people take pictures of this building."
...
At this point, I lept on my opportunity. "Oh!" I said, a shocked look on my face. "Is it a secret building? Because if it is, I'll stop."

"What?"

"The building. Is it a secret? Because I really thought the cat was out of the bag already, since you can see it from ten miles in every direction, but if it's a secret I'll stop. I wouldn't want to be the one to get the word out to the terrorists about it."

Full story after the jump.

So yesterday I was walking around downtown Pittsburgh with my camera. When I found myself next to the PPG building, I pointed my camera upward like a tourist and took a shot.

(If you've ever seen a skyline shot of Pittsburgh, you've seen this building; it's the distinctive mirrored one with the points on top. If you're a photographer, you've probably seen a shot of the Pittsburgh skyline, since it's the best view east of the Mississippi.)

I had time to shoot *one* frame before I heard, "Excuse me, sir, but they don't like it when people take pictures of this building."

I looked over and saw the private security guard there. I said, "Um, oh. Okay. That's kind of too bad, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?" he said.

"It's a public area," I said.

"Well, technically it's private property."

"It's open to the public," I said, looking around at the hundreds of people milling around and/or playing in the fountain. "Are you telling me to leave?"

"Well, no."

"All these other people are taking pictures, too."

"Well, they don't mind eye-level stuff, but when you point the camera up, they start to get nervous. Since 9/11, you know, terrorism."

At this point, I lept on my opportunity. "Oh!" I said, a shocked look on my face. "Is it a secret building? Because if it is, I'll stop."

"What?"

"The building. Is it a secret? Because I really thought the cat was out of the bag already, since you can see it from ten miles in every direction, but if it's a secret I'll stop. I wouldn't want to be the one to get the word out to the terrorists about it."

At this point he realized it was a rhetorical question. "I don't know, sir, that's just what they tell me."

"You know it sounds absurd, right?"

"Well, I don't know about that."

"You said that eye-level pictures are okay."

"Yes."

"So if I go around taking pictures of the best places to plant explosives, or ways to break into the building, that's okay, but if I take a shot of the 25th floor, which I can't reach, that's bad. This kind of tells me the policy isn't very well thought out."

"I don't know, sir. That's what my boss says I'm supposed to say."

"Well, I guess you're just doing your job, but I'm not going to stop unless you order me off the property. I mean, the police don't seem to have any problem with it." (There were police visible, who were entirely uninterested in my activities.)

He shrugged, clearly not knowing how to respond to that. At that point, I walked away from him, and he did not pursue.

Comments

niklas says:

Kudos to this ballsy, but obviously battle-tested, photog. Fortunately, in most cities, exchanges like this won't get you arrested - all cities in fact, except DC. I don't even test the waters anymore. I'll squeak off one or two shots, but when the gov't blues roll up (note: this will never be the DCPD), it's time to move on.

Posted by: niklas at June 10, 2005 12:45 PM #

plemeljr says:

I know... while I talk a good talk, saying "No, I'm going to continue to take photos" to an actual police office is just beyond crazy. Often I just chat them up, and try to explain what/why I'm doing what I do. Often I try to get a shot with me and the cops out of it - by holding the camera up towards us, of course.

I keep meaning to print out a small "mini-portfolio" so that I could just show what I do.

Posted by: plemeljr at June 10, 2005 1:49 PM #

dad says:

Poor Rent-A-Cop is still talking to himself!!