The photo police hit Spencers Street

[kipper]

Reading the User Comments section of the Herald Sun today. It appears that a photographer was stopped while taking photos of the works being carried out at Spencers Street and informed that photographing the area was strictly prohibited for Security Reasons.

[Nnnnsic]

What's happening down there?

[Greg B]

Good grief.

a. Because it is ridiculous, and
b. because kipper is reading the Herald Sun (AKA The Hun, The Dirty Document, etc)

[PiroStitch]

WTH? You've got to be kidding me :S

[MHD]

Thats where you ask for his name and make a real rant about it!

[kipper]

Greg B, have to have a laugh about something, and the HS provides a lot of that. I just love Mark Knights cartoons and Andrew Bolt is amusing

[PlatinumWeaver]

What's happening down there?

Redevelopment of the station. ( I think that's what you were asking )
http://www.spencerstreetstation.com.au/
Goddamn crappy flash site doesn't work in Firefox..

[sirhc55]

Ridiculous - the problem is that if you pointed a rocket launcher at them they would not have said a word.

[kipper]

Yeah they would of probably gone "Ahh look, it's those whacky Taliban guys"

[PiroStitch]

Right after they crapped their dacks!

[darb]

How dumb, thers only what, a few thousand high rise around it with private apartments and businesses where someone could so easily photograph the site ... so the assertion that someone photographing at street level is a "terrorist threat" is SO retarded I have trouble understanding how these people got jobs.

[Deano]

At risk of going slightly off the (photography) topic, I do wonder what instructions these security people get and how almost anything can be justified "for security reasons".

For example at my local Bunnings (aka Mecca) there are normally two "security" people at the front door as I exit. They always ask for my receipt and without looking at it or the goodies I have bought they stamp the receipt and let me on my way. The stamp says Security Checked. Twice I have asked why they want to stamp my receipt and I get the answer, "for secuirty reasons." In both cases I continued to ask why and the security droids had no idea.

Next time I am determined to say no when asked for my receipt and see what happens.

I'm gald to get a chance for this rant - my wife thinks I'm an idiot (I suppose that goes without saying).

Cheers
Dean

[PiroStitch]

Dean,

Good approach at Bunnings I'd rather try it at Bunnings when the products bought are not worth more than the D70 I've had a run in before with a security guard and I challenged him to give me reasons which he couldn't do :S

Go the Gung ho attitudes of the politicians and society...this gen and gens down the future are not going to have a fun life.

[gstark]

Next time I am determined to say no when asked for my receipt and see what happens.

Remember to have your questions to them prepared in advance. See if you can entice them into suggesting that you're absconding with goods, but without having paid for them. That's when the fun begins.

FWIW, that sort of practice is one taken from the US, where at a great many stores they now have untrained security monkeys perfoming this useless ritual as you leave the stores. Fry's, Best Buy, The Good Guys, Sams Club, etc all have been doing this for years.

I don't stop for them, forcing them to follow me as I walk out of the store.

And I never wait for them: if they're not ready for me as I come through, that's their problem, not mine.

[embi]

Reading the User Comments section of the Herald Sun today. It appears that a photographer was stopped while taking photos of the works being carried out at Spencers Street and informed that photographing the area was strictly prohibited for Security Reasons.

This is amazing. I have to walk the length and breadth of the station each day as I walk around it to go to work. Only this arvo as I was stopped by the Security guard as he waved a truck through did I think what a great photo opportunity. I imagined setting up a tripod and doing a long exposure of the work going on. Blurred motion etc.

I didn't have my camera today and I was annoyed at the time I didn't. Now I am determined to get those shots.

Stay tuned.

[PiroStitch]

Embi, did he stop you for security reasons

[embi]

I might just get my "decisive moment" shot now

Will it be the workers, working?

Will it be the security guard coming over to talk to me?

Will it be the hand of the security guard covering the lens?

Or will it be my mug shot (Russell Crowe style) as I'm led to the police car?

[phillipb]

I might just get my "decisive moment" shot now

Will it be the workers, working?

Will it be the security guard coming over to talk to me?

Will it be the hand of the security guard covering the lens?

Or will it be my mug shot (Russell Crowe style) as I'm led to the police car?

Just remember, when they ask you why you refused to hand over the D70, say for "Security reasons"

[Nicole]

That's just really odd that you can't take photos. Makes no sense to me.

[Wacky]

Next time I am determined to say no when asked for my receipt and see what happens.

Do it...as far as I am aware, they have no legal right to demand to see your receipt...you can keep walking out, for if they try to stop you - correction - , if they DO stop you, it is false arrest and you should threaten to call the police. Any further trouble, call them (the police) immediately and start to have fun.

[Rick]

I can understand Bunnings security checks, in Sydney when Bunnings was BBC a team of brickies I had working for me reconed BBC stood for "Barries Budget Cement"

His scam was to pick up a ton of cement in the morning, go back in the afternoon tell the boys to load a ton while he went in and paid, came out waved the morning docket at the gate keeper and was on his way, 2 tons for the price of 1.

Now if the docket is stamped it can't be used twice.

But i still think it is crazy to use security to try stopping photography in public places, so far it has'nt happened to me, must be my innocent good looks.

[tasadam]

Geez I used to live in Merlbourne. I'm a bit behind the times (goes without saying as I'm now in Tassie... )

What is that building??

New Spencer Street railway station at a guess. By golly where DOES your government get the money? Consolidated revenue contributed in part by fines collected from the Photo Police??

[Deano]

An update on the Bunnings story...

On Saturday I refused to provide my receipt until the security guys could tell me why he wanted it. I finally got the answer and it was as Rick suggested. They are protecting against someone coming back with their receipt and taking another product. He actually said it was in case I dropped the receipt in the carpark and someone else came back with it. At least he had the sense not to infer that I would try to rip off Bunnings.

No loss really as I was wondering what I was going to do with two tonnes of cement.

Cheers
Dean