From: bjs@uts.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: photog. in Nat'l/State Parks etc.
Date: 10 Apr 92 18:42:05 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

>In article <1992Apr8.182940.3139@odin.corp.sgi.com> michelle@play.esd.sgi.com (Michelle Boyd) writes:
>
>I read something recently which made me wonder
>about selling photos I have taken in National /
>State Parks, Recreation areas, Beaches, and
>Wildlife refuges/preserves.  I assumed that
>since I was a US citizen, these areas belonged
>to me as long as I wasn't doing anything to destroy
>them.  Do I need special permission or releases
>to sell photos taken in these areas?
>
>michelle

Apparently there *is* something going on here.  At a recent workshop wiht
Ray McSavaney he told of a couple of incidents which were very disturbing
to me.  Apparently at some or more California State Parks professional
photographers are now being required to obtain permits.  It seems that
at least a part of the reason is due to liability law suits - people
tripping over the tripods and suing the state under the "deep pockets"
doctrine.  Photographers falling off cliffs and suing the state.  The
photographer is required to demonstrate some fairly significant level
of insurance before being issued a permit.

Appropos of this he told me of John Sexton being chased away from Pebble
Beach State Park (This is a beach south of San Francisco, not the golf course.)
John explained to the ranger that he teaches photography and sells some
of his work.  The ranger told him that anyone using a tripod is considered
to be a professional and must have a permit.  John wound up leaving and
braved the bureaucracy and got a permit.

This is very disturbing to me since I use a tripod and a studio view camera
(albeit rather old and battered).  I'm sure that in such a situation I 
would be unable to convince a ranger that I'm an amateur.  What angers me
is that my rights are infringed without benefit of due process.  And on
public property that I pay to maintain.  I have less of a problem with the
idea of professionals paying a few for use of public lands to make a profit
(some problem but not as much).  

But when I imagine a ranger refusing to allow me to practice my leisure-time 
activity, harming no-one, my blood pressure goes through the ceiling and I 
start to think of the ACLU and violation of 1st amendment rights, and 
lawsuits, etc, etc.

Barry

ranger was told that people using tripods are professionals then I don't
expect 


-- 


|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Barry Sherman, Amdahl Corp.       | "Any fool can face a crisis - it's     | 
| bjs@ruts.ccc.amdahl.com           |  this day-to-day living that wears you |
|                                   |  out." - Anton Chekhov                 |
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| Amdahl, being a corporation, is a legal fiction.  Therefore it is incapable|
| of holding, let alone expressing, opinions.  Unfortunately, this has been  |
| said of me as well.                                                        |
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Newsgroups: rec.photo