Knowing the Boundaries - Your Rights as a Photographer

The right to take photographs in the United States is being challenged more than ever. People are being stopped, harassed, and even intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were taking photographs of subjects that made other people uncomfortable. Recent examples have included photographing industrial plants, bridges, buildings, trains, and bus stations. For the most part, attempts to restrict photography are based on misguided fears about the supposed dangers that unrestricted photography presents to society.

Ironically, unrestricted photography by private citizens has played an integral role in protecting the freedom, security, and well-being of all Americans. Photography in the United States has an established history of contributing to improvements in civil rights, curbing abusive child labor practices, and providing important information to crime investigators. Photography has not contributed to a decline in public safety or economic vitality in the United States. When people think back on the acts of domestic terrorism that have occurred over the last twenty years, none have depended on or even involved photography. Restrictions on photography would not have prevented any of these acts. Furthermore, the increase in people carrying small digital and cell phone cameras has resulted in the prevention of crimes and the apprehension of criminals.

As the flyer states, there are not very many legal restrictions on what can be photographed when in public view. Most attempts at restricting photography are done by lower-level security and law enforcement officials acting way beyond their authority. Note that neither the Patriot Act nor the Homeland Security Act have any provisions that restrict photography. Similarly, some businesses have a history of abusing the rights of photographers under the guise of protecting their trade secrets. These claims are almost always meritless because entities are required to keep trade secrets from public view if they want to protect them. 

Cleaning your Camera by Jerry Griffin

Notes taken during Tom Johnson's talk, Close-up Expeditions, February 2002

General
a) use a clean towel on the table to put everything on. This will keep things from rolling around, falling on the floor and getting dirty.
b) NEVER clean lenses/filters dry on dry. ALWAYS supply some moisture!

 
Outside of Camera Body and Lenses
a) Use Boars Hair Bristle brush ( shaving brush) to clean outside of camera body and outside of lenses. Do not use on lens glass or on filters. Keep this in a separate container.
b) You can also use a toothbrush (unused) to clean outside of camera body.
c) Use a damp washcloth (wring it out!) to wipe outside of camera body.
 

Lenses and Filters
a) If you want to use lens cleaner for something like a fingerprint, use ROE or Singh Ray cleaners. Do not use Kodak lens cleaner as it has a tendency to leave a film on the lens. Put lens cleaner on a lens cleaning tissue and NOT directly on the lens or filter.
b) Use a microfiber cloth and breathe on the lens/filter. Using the condensation as a moisturizer, gently wipe the lens/filter from outside edge towards the center. If you work from the inside out you will leave residue at the edge of the lens.
c) ALWAYS clean from the outside to the inside in circles.
 

Inside the Camera Body
a) Always clean camera upside down by holding camera up above you and letting gravity help the dirt fall out.
b) NEVER use canned air inside the camera.
c) Use a small hand blower (an ear syringe is fine) to blow out loose dirt from camera body.
d) Use a camel's hair brush to clean mirror by gently wiping it across.
e) Use a camel's hair brush to clean film pressure plate by gently wiping it across.
f) Using denatured alcohol (not rubbing or isopropyl alcohol) dip rolled up Q-tip into alcohol. Gently go over the camera lens ring, the metal parts of the camera body inside (like the film tracks) and hot shoe contacts. Treat contacts GENTLY! Also use C)-tip with denatured alcohol to clean metal contact points at back of lenses.
g) Use clean new pencil eraser to clean battery contacts.

Your Camera Cleaning Kit should include:
a) small amount of denatured alcohol in leak proof container
b) Q-tips in zip lock bag
c) Camel’s hair brush in zip lock bag
d) Boars hair bristle brush in a container to keep it fresh
e) Small blower in separate container to keep fresh
f) Unused toothbrush (optional)
g) Lens cleaning solution
h) Lens cleaning tissues
i) Microfiber cloths (you can never have enough of these)
j) Pencil eraser in a zip lock bag to keep fresh

How to Avoid the High Cost of Specialty Photo Gear

For a fraction of the cost of purchasing that 400mm lens, professional-grade DSLR or other special-purpose equipment, here are a couple alternatives:

• Shop for used equipment instead of new.  Most all the major camera equipment retailers accept trade-ins from their customers looking to upgrade their equipment.  Most photographers appreciate quality equipment and take good care of it, and the stores thoroughly clean, check out and/or recondition incoming trades, and even offer a limited warranty for their resales.  Used item descriptions often include a rating of condition ranging from like new to well-used, and they're priced accordingly.  For example, B & H Photo Video listed a used Canon 7D body for $930, or about $500 less than the new 7D.  A Nikon 400mm f/2.8 telephoto that would run $9,000 new was listed used for a thousand dollars less in near-new condition.  In fact, a professional photographer who spoke at a recent meeting stated that he rarely buys new equipment, but often shops on E-Bay, another source for used photo equipment.
   
• Borrow instead of buy. Does it make sense to spend $1,500 for a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens that will be only occasionally used?  Perhaps so, but BorrowLenses.com will rent that lens for three days for $45, one week for $65, two weeks for $113 or four weeks for $178.  Or test-drive a $12,000 Canon 600mm telephoto for a week for $340. Want to get acquainted with a $3,500 Canon 5D Mark III?  Rent it for a week for $147. The prices include delivery to your home and return shipping.   Optional insurance is extra (probably a good idea for that 600mm monster). They have a large stock of equipment by the major manufacturers  from which to choose, and the transactions are done online.  For all the details, visit their site: www.borrowlenses.com.

So if you want to upgrade your equipment just for that special photo event or job, or "try before you buy," this is an alternative to look into.