Are you a photographer? Do you carry a camera? Are you odd? Do you and your camera pose a threat to national security? (i.e., British national security or, for that matter, anyone's national security?) Or are you simply a criminal with a camera?These and other questions weigh heavily on the minds of the United Kingdom's law enforcement personnel.
Last week, as reported in an article in Amateur Photographer, a UK online magazine, British police defended their anti-terror photo campaign: A campaign which targets odd people or people acting odd or maybe odd people acting odd (I'm really not sure which) who also happen to be carrying cameras. The graphical artwork at the top--which seems more than slightly Orwellian to me--is part of the Brits' aggressive media campaign.
The UK, BTW, boasts one of the highest populations of crime-preventing CCTV surveillance cameras in the world! And it seems British police are especially concerned, as part of their anti-terror photo campaign, about (odd) people with cameras taking pictures of... well, of other cameras: Cameras, in this case, being of the CCTV variety. I'm pretty sure all those UK-based, crime-preventing, CCTV cameras have done a really bang-up job of capturing images of the crimes they didn't manage to prevent as well as pics of the (apparently) unpreventable criminals who were not prevented from committing said crimes. So, I can see why the Brits are concerned about, amongst other things, cameras capturing images of the cameras which are capturing images of.... well, of the (odd) people with cameras who are capturing images of the cameras that are capturing images of them-- the odd photographers themselves. (As well as the unpreventable criminals [and terrorists] who, I suppose, the odd photographers might be working with.) Whew! That gets confusing!
It's been my observation that many Americans could give a royal shite less about what goes on, as they say, "across the pond." (Whoever "they" are?) But being the ever-vigilant paranoid that I often am, I get concerned about some of this kind of crap happening here, on this side of the pond. Please remember that George Orwell was a Brit. (See the connection?) And a few of Orwell's books (e.g., "1984," and "Animal Farm") are required reading for many high schoolers here, in the land of the free and the home of the brave. (Leastwise, they were when I went to H.S. back during the last Ice Age.) And while most people understand that Orwell's tales are cautionary, these days it seems like a few of Georgie's cautionary visions have (or might) come to pass.
I think I'm making a point somewhere in this entry, perhaps a cautionary one, and one that is also photography related... or maybe not? If I did (make a point, that is) it's one you'll probably have to determine for yourself. And just so no one feels cheated by me posting a (possibly) pointless update with only that bit of British, police-state, poster art to accompany it, here's a sexy pic of my good friend, Kori Rae, I snapped sometime back. I decided on using this particular image of Kori because I thought the color of her negligee almost matches the background color of the British, anti-odd-photographer-criminal/terrorist, warning poster.
5 comments:
Look there is nothing to worry about. No one is sifting your trash or listening to your phone calls or recording your credit card transactions or monitoring your internet usage or your cable tv watching or checking your mail. So lay your head on your pillow knowing you live in a free America.
Oh there is one thing - the Pope announced some new sins for the world. Seems we didn't have enough. I did check and Pretty Girl Shooting wasn't on the list. Whew.
D.L. Wood
Good article Jimmy. As you know, this stuff has been going on in the UK for a while now.
1. Last week an old guy took a snap shot of his invalid wife in a wheelchair on a trip to a shopping mall. Their camera was seized, and they were searched as potential terrorists. They were told not to photograph around shops again.
2. This morning I took my kids to the train station, and went shopping in our local town. I travelled about 8 miles in total. According to our local statistics, this means I've been recorded by 360+ surveillance cameras.
3. Our blog and web site are monitored. We are regularly checked out by the police, who try to pose as underage models in an effort to trick Rich into photographing them nude.
4. Rich no longer carries a camera when we go out anywhere. Photography will now be confined to our house, studio or landscapes only. Street photography is out of bounds if you want to avoid police questioning and having your equipment seized.
Believe it. This stuff is real. You guys are next.
Uh,..what's your point? :)
RonC
@d.l. wood - Actually, judging by the fight in Congress to give the phone companies immunity for doing it, some one is in fact listening to your phone calls, and if I'm to believe this article, someone will be monitoring your internet usage pretty soon.
Animal farm was required reading in HS over here in the UK. Its not just a cautionary tale, its history! Try the "The Master and Margarita" sometime for a proper police state slash bible on acid trip. I guess we have'nt had the technology for the techno-big-brother of "1984" yet.
Anyone for a run of "odd photographer" t-shirts?
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