Tripod = Terrorist?
Seemingly using a tripod on the land outside the Tower of London could get you shipped inside the Tower – perhaps via Traitor’s Gate. Out shooting one sunny, busy afternoon, I was approached by a gentleman dressed in a Beefeater costume. He told me that the land outside the Tower of London was private and was I taking professional photos? No I replied – just for my own personal use. He said that the tripod wasn’t allowed and walked away before I could continue the discussion. Reassured, being that I was shooting for pleasure rather than profit, I kept shooting. He approached a second time, this time to tell me that he was in fact a police officer (undercover perhaps?!) and that I couldn’t use a tripod due to the terrorist risk. He scarpered before I could reasonably discuss the fact that I was merely taking shots of the same locations that thousands of others had in that day alone. Wearied of the constant harassment photographers face (three ’stops’ that day alone) I decided to move on anyway.
This paranoia about tripods is worrying. No, it’s not a health and safety issue as I’m with it at all times. No, having a tripod doesn’t make me a terrorist. No, it doesn’t mean that I’m planning to print thousands of copies and sell them off the back of a van in Peckham. This theory that a tripod turns an ordinary camera into a powerful money-making terrorist uber-tool should be treated with the derision it deserves.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I think the **** was probably bored and had nothing better to do. I was recently in the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush, taking a few snaps, when the security guard told me it was against the rules,due to public privacy and you guessed it, because of possible terrorist attacks.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I was asked to pack my stuff yesterday evening as I was just about to shoot a landmark (I mean “photoshoot” I wasn’t going to take it down). The guard kindly suggested I took pictures without the tripod… Am I going to explain him that I can’t do without the tripod if i want to shoot at sunset? No point, So I took my gear and went… Doens’t mean I won’t go back this weekend
November 14th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I think the tower were late to give him his daily feed. Sometimes those tiny boxes get a bit stuffy and cramped when hungry and all alone,… being pointed at all day long by tourists and asked completely daft questions persistently. Then you come along with a decent camera and nice tripod doing an honest job….. so he thinks, I want to do that, something I love and get fulfillment from. But rather that show good character and ask you positive questions about your set and gear, he says….. ****off you terrorist! …………. maybe you should have given him a banana before the shot to keep him occupied.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Hehehe! Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning Jake
January 4th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Canary Wharf is the worst, i was stopped by three different police officers and they asked me if i had a permit to take photos since canary wharf is private property. I then decided to move on to greenwich park to take the photos but yet again i was stopped by community support officers which happened to be strolling past, again they asked me why i was taking pictures of canary wharf. All this paranoia is really starting to annoy me.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I was asked to move on or face arrest when out shooting the snow in London (I must admit I did get a bit angry with the plastic policeman and his partner in crime. Do these people really think that a terrorist will get out his tripod to take pretty picture of his/her latest target. WTF? These people really need to wake up, if I was a terrorist surely I would just video my target on a mobile phone. (I take that back, please don’t stop people using their mobiles lol). Are we now a more paranoid nation than America, it would seem so
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June 22nd, 2010 at 12:52 am
Fantastic. It’s the same here in Washington. Can be remarkably amusing, but that’s life in this day and age.