I've been meaning to post this for a while. Recently, friends and I went to see a friend's band, "No Second Troy," at Iota Cafe in Nova.
At the door, Steve, a fellow photographer, was informed he could not bring his camera in. He had an old 35mm manual camera, and it was on his shoulder. I respect the club's decision to not allow photography, and it is posted that no photography is allowed. The doorman said that he had to have permission, so I suggested our friend in the band say he was there to take photos. Well, that didn't work. By now, this was a pain in the ass, he just wanted to take photos of his friend's band.
What makes this particularly annoying is that at least 6, if not more, other people had small digital cameras, the type to fit in pockets easily, and they were snapping away like crazy throughout the night. So, if a club is realy going to have a no photo policy, they really need to be fair about it and enforce it, otherwise, this is a most pointless restriction.
Rant over. thoughts?
5 comments:
I've shot at Iota before. I was asked by the singer in the band performing that night to come and shoot. When I got there, the bar tender told me I couldn't shoot, I told him the guy in the band asked me to take photos that night...and that was it.
I think the policy should be the choice of the band...otherwise, why does the club care really?
erin? robert? anyone else?
nothing like responding a month later, huh? anyway, if i'm hired to shoot somewhere and i think it might be an issue, i will clear it with the venue before hand. i just don't want any issues when i arrive, ya know? i've been told i'm not allowed to take photos at times when i'm just shooting for myself with no real plan beforehand, and i just go with it... sometimes venues have issues with being "shopped" - competitors coming in and gathering data to either copy or outdo each other. so yeah, it can be touchy and not always the choice of the band. same thing with churches and wedding services in general... the couple may say i can do anything i need to in order to get the photo, but the minister might say differently, and i always abide by the "house rules." so i can understand where they're coming from, and i can also understand why we as photographers would be upset! why can't we all get along???
:)
hey, for some reason the name / link feature freaked out on me. that last post was me (erin). i see you're on beta... that might be why. now i have a heads up!
the club's policy is that you ask the owner or manager for permission. them's the rules. protects folks that dont want their photo taken, protects a whole host of things--and it is a pretty common policy at clubs. so if you want to take a picture, get permission, and have fun!
Anonymous. You must be in some way related to the club. thanks for filling us in on the club's policy and getting your voice in here. I would like to give you two things to consider in response:
1. John, the band member (of the band that was playing that night) asked a manager, or someone in a similar position, and if they couldn't ask a manager for him if they didn't have the power, well..
2. What say you about the mass amount of digital cameras in the club and being flashed all night. One of the main issues here is that the rules (not only in this case) are not enforced and it leaves photographers with visible cameras out, while 10 to 15 people get to take photos.
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