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Friday, November 4, 2011
As one who likes taking pictures, this is an experience that sadly has happened to me innumerable times, and I've been mad enough to chew on thumbtacks -> http://thoughtsofashutterbug.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/freedom-of-photography/
When using a DSLR the perception is you're a PRO, but if you're using a Point-n-Shoot you're an amateur. Here's an example of an incident that happened in Las Vegas: A group of Hollywood celebrities were having fun at the rooftop club at The Palms. A fan with a point-n-shoot took some pictures and it was OK, no problem. Then ONE of the members of the Hollywood group took out his DSLR and started to take pictures of the group. Suddenly hotel security appeared and told him photography is not allowed. With a DSLR, the photographer might be a PRO and would sell the pictures to newspapers and tabloids. That MAKES SENSE. But in Manila? Streets of Manila? I don't get it.
i experienced this at Corinthian Hills, it was a good spot to capture the full moon, but the security guard told me it wasn't allowed...i just ignored him & let my cooler head prevail...it is pointless to argue, he was just doing what he was told, though it really is insane for him to follow that command literally...pero siguro kung dayuhan ka OK lang gumamit ng camera...next time i will speak in a foreign language...i'll tell you if it works :)
We should organize a protest in the middle of Ayala and Makati Ave denouncing this stupid, preposterous Bawal Mag-Shoot Dictatorial Rule. Marami na akong inaway at nasabihang gwardiya na gago, pero after a second of reflection kawawa rin naman sila dahil nautusan lang.
Baka naman rule lang yan ng mga security guards. Have you guys ever thought of that possibility? It might be their own way of power tripping. I cannot imagine why a building owner, business, property developer, corporation, etc would prevent people from taking photographs of their property UNLESS they're engaged in some nefarious activities. Military establishments I can understand, perhaps even some government buildings, but Makati commercial buildings? Gimme a break, sabi nga ng Kano.
Fortunately for me, I have never been prevented from taking a photograph anywhere. Knock on wood.
Even before the digital photography explosion, I have had the experience of being shooed away by security forces in Makati, inside malls, in Ortigas District, and the rail stations. I used to shoot documentaries and infomercials with small budget (meaning they didn't have the money to rent huge areas or pay for permits) and sometimes we would sneak some shots, say the exterior of Makati buildings.
could it be in commercial districts shooting would need permits? in the US, government buildings, of historical value & architectural significance, you are prohibited from taking photos for security reasons...baka kasi may masamang binabalak.
and like the above...as I posted in FB...what was painful, is I wasn't using an SLR or DSLR...
diosme..malaki lang tingnan ang Fujifilm Finexpix ko siguro pero 3megapix pa yon...ahahaha--huhuhu (ayan nasiraan na ako ng bait)...
I went at night to a park here in Makati which usually has weekend markets, because I noticed maganda ang Christmas lights nya strung on the trees....
and you can guess what happened next sa guard don (its a parking lot by day *hint, hint*) asking me what I was doing and why was I taking pictures? (ask a stupid question?)
what was painful is that there were 2 girls talking pictures - one with her cellphone, the other one with a smaller but obviously digital camera - so is that fair??
Maybe they should tell these people na may premium small cams na ngayon - so that small or big looking cams e ok pa rin ang picture!
I certainly do not want to play James Bond and be furtive in taking pictures or photos. Even if say in the future I would be selling pictures, WTH are they doing prohibiting these if these are public places? I can understand siguro some sensitive and important buildings/scenes, pero parks? parking lots? front ng restaurant?
abah, if they will prohibit me to take pictures of food and restaurants, lalabas na talaga ang aking pag-kamaldita at aawayin ko sila hanggang sila ang iiyak at ma-tv patrol pa kami!
I think you'd get away with that Doc Philip..mukha naman kayong foreigner...tell me kung anong accent gamitin mo ha...
(though in my case baka as Joel said in FB, kailangan ko mag Mandarin...di naman ako looking European to use French or some obscure Czechoslovakian dialect)
In fairness, I have not (yet) actually come to a stinging debate with a guard or come to blows with them :-)
I have tried my best to talk and ask for a reason and explain my own reason especially as I take pics mostly for memories and maybe some documentation.
The ones responsible for this debacle are the one ones who gave the dont-shoot order and who must be prevailed to be reasonable.
In truth, one security guard (sa parking lot *ehem) told me kasi nga daw e baka picture-ran tapos ebenta ang picture sa mags or whatever.
Ok, regardless that I've never done that (wala pa ako sa level na ganun), is that fair to prohibit others to take pictures of public places where people pass everyday? If I had a photographic memory and was a good artist and painted the darn place, isn't that in essence ganon din?
dapat nga i-protest ito and I would gladly join that movement...
what really gets my goat is eto na nga, we are trying to help promote tourism to show places here, then this is the kind of thing we face?
tapos, yeah, kung foreigner/tourist walang angal?
take Shanghai for example, o gets ko na medyo seriuoso yang mga Chinese about their security - but I've never had somebody approach met here telling me this old building or this government site or this store is off limits for taking pictures....
di ko lang alam san to ireklamo eh, sa Dept ba of Tourism, sa mga assosasyon ng mga building owners or ano ba...grrr
I respected yung sabi ng guard di dapat pictyuran ng RCBC dyan sa Ayala..ok go..baka naman may suicide bomber who will use my picture (ehem) to destroy the building...
pero yung isang instance lang..yang park dyan sa Salcedo during the November to CHristmas season na may lights sa trees...ano ba ang logic? my poor brain cannot comprehend it...
and if it was historical value and architectural significance, e pootcha...wag na natin picture-ran ang Eiffel Tower, ang White House, and Parthenon, ang buildings sa NYC (e yun na nga it was bombed)
Security guards have to work with a tunnel vision; that I have to understand, but sometimes I really get pissed off. Last year, at SM North, they had this big display about the branch's history - how it has contributed to the prestige of Quezon City, etc. They had long texts and I wanted to use them for the souvenir program of PICCA. so instead of writing them down, I opted to take pictures of them and then refer to them at home. Pitik pitik. May lumapit na isang guard at pinagbawalan ako. Nagpanting ang tenga. "PI! Gago ba ka ba? Ano ba ninanakaw ko dito?!" Naging dalawa ang guards. Inulit ko. "Gumamit naman kayo ng utak nyo! Ipo-promote ko nga ang mall nyo. Eh naka-display nga dyan o para basahin at tignan, bakit bawal kunan?" No answer. Naging tatlo ang guards. Nagusap-usap ang tatlo. "Kung masasabi nyo sa akin kung bakit bawal, titigil ako". I really don't know how it ended, but they let me be. Ako naman, avoiding to step on a fallen guy, so to speak, just wrote down some of the text on display.
same with me...I usually use the cam coz I don't want to write down when its faster to record that way....
and so that reminds me...
remember the Banco Filipino brouhaha? Unfortunately, my dad had funds there (regardless I told him dapat hindi), e di sali sya sa mga funds na nagkaproblema...
so I went to BF main here, sa Paseo de Roxas...where they announcements/instructions displayed prominently on a big wooden board outside their main door ....
It was a long set of instructions, I didn't have paper, and honestly, I thought it was easier to just take a picture of parts of it, para I can refer to it.
Yes, I was told by security guard that I was prohibited by taking picture of the announcement/instructions etc. for the depositors on how to go about getting the funds back (yung mga insured depositors)
O, say mo?
Calmly I told the guard that my dad had frozen funds, he was in Cebu and I was asked to look into it here....pero ganonpaman, para di na ako ma-high blood, e pumasok na lang ako sa loob at humingi ng papel..otherwise I'd blow my top....
It is actually for security reasons, afraid perhaps of somebody taking pictures of the layout or placement/volume of people, but it sometimes borders on paranoia blended with stupidity. And they really don't explain it. And you are so correct, why would others be allowed to get away with it while others are humiliated for alleged blatant violations.
first time that I found out bawal sa SM, was when we were queueing to pay for something at SM Naga City before...sa the grocery cashiers..
I wanted to take a pic of my companions para makita that on the trip we were in SM Naga (we were on a trip to Caramoan) and part of what we did was shopping
ayos...por dios..prohibited!
even if it was just by the side of the candy/batteries stand sa SM na cashier...*hayz*
That's easy. Speak lang ako ng English with an accent na hindi nila maintindihan. hahaha. Pwede rin magpanggap na Hawai'ian tourist with pidgin English-Ilokano accent. Pwede rin ako mag name dropping, Sabihin ko kapitbahay ko si P.Noy sa Tarlac. Pwede rin sabihin ko barkada ko Commissioner ng Agrarian Reform (not sure of this one works hahaha).
Back in 2000 when I went home after 22 years of absence, I took photos INSIDE Mega Mall (is that the one on EDSA near Shaw Blvd?) and I was NEVER questioned. I guess itong mga security guards na ito, tinatantya din nila kung sino pagbabawalan nila. If you look like a foreign tourist or balikbayan, most likely hindi ka pagbabawalan kasi kelangan sila mag ENGLISH. hahaha. Mas matindi ang "American" accent mo, mas intimidated sila. But I think POWER TRIP lang ng mga security guards jan yan. Why don't you guys go to the root of this by talking to Mall management/owners? If it's mall policy, so be it. Nothing much you can do. But from what I read here, sometimes it's discretionary on the part of the security guard.
no never been...but in SFO, i remember a reply, one can't take pictures inside City Hall(?) bec. the architecture is beautiful...he said this was bec of 9-11. i suppose there are buildings that are security sensitive, & monuments as tourist magnets are definitely not included in this ban.
Unbelievable! Pati ba naman monumento ni Rizal bawal kunan ng picture? At saka bakit security guards ang mga andun? That's a public park. Dapat mga Manila Police ang nagpapatrol dun, hindi private security guards.
When using a DSLR the perception is you're a PRO, but if you're using a Point-n-Shoot you're an amateur. Here's an example of an incident that happened in Las Vegas: A group of Hollywood celebrities were having fun at the rooftop club at The Palms. A fan with a point-n-shoot took some pictures and it was OK, no problem. Then ONE of the members of the Hollywood group took out his DSLR and started to take pictures of the group. Suddenly hotel security appeared and told him photography is not allowed. With a DSLR, the photographer might be a PRO and would sell the pictures to newspapers and tabloids. That MAKES SENSE. But in Manila? Streets of Manila? I don't get it.
ReplyDeletei experienced this at Corinthian Hills, it was a good spot to capture the full moon, but the security guard told me it wasn't allowed...i just ignored him & let my cooler head prevail...it is pointless to argue, he was just doing what he was told, though it really is insane for him to follow that command literally...pero siguro kung dayuhan ka OK lang gumamit ng camera...next time i will speak in a foreign language...i'll tell you if it works :)
ReplyDeleteWe should organize a protest in the middle of Ayala and Makati Ave denouncing this stupid, preposterous Bawal Mag-Shoot Dictatorial Rule. Marami na akong inaway at nasabihang gwardiya na gago, pero after a second of reflection kawawa rin naman sila dahil nautusan lang.
ReplyDeleteBaka naman rule lang yan ng mga security guards. Have you guys ever thought of that possibility? It might be their own way of power tripping. I cannot imagine why a building owner, business, property developer, corporation, etc would prevent people from taking photographs of their property UNLESS they're engaged in some nefarious activities. Military establishments I can understand, perhaps even some government buildings, but Makati commercial buildings? Gimme a break, sabi nga ng Kano.
ReplyDeleteFortunately for me, I have never been prevented from taking a photograph anywhere. Knock on wood.
Even before the digital photography explosion, I have had the experience of being shooed away by security forces in Makati, inside malls, in Ortigas District, and the rail stations. I used to shoot documentaries and infomercials with small budget (meaning they didn't have the money to rent huge areas or pay for permits) and sometimes we would sneak some shots, say the exterior of Makati buildings.
ReplyDeleteMga gago nga. Now how can they stop people from taking pictures with their phones?
ReplyDeletecould it be in commercial districts shooting would need permits?
ReplyDeletein the US, government buildings, of historical value & architectural significance, you are prohibited from taking photos for security reasons...baka kasi may masamang binabalak.
and like the above...as I posted in FB...what was painful, is I wasn't using an SLR or DSLR...
ReplyDeletediosme..malaki lang tingnan ang Fujifilm Finexpix ko siguro pero 3megapix pa yon...ahahaha--huhuhu (ayan nasiraan na ako ng bait)...
I went at night to a park here in Makati which usually has weekend markets, because I noticed maganda ang Christmas lights nya strung on the trees....
and you can guess what happened next sa guard don (its a parking lot by day *hint, hint*) asking me what I was doing and why was I taking pictures? (ask a stupid question?)
what was painful is that there were 2 girls talking pictures - one with her cellphone, the other one with a smaller but obviously digital camera - so is that fair??
Maybe they should tell these people na may premium small cams na ngayon - so that small or big looking cams e ok pa rin ang picture!
I certainly do not want to play James Bond and be furtive in taking pictures or photos. Even if say in the future I would be selling pictures, WTH are they doing prohibiting these if these are public places? I can understand siguro some sensitive and important buildings/scenes, pero parks? parking lots? front ng restaurant?
abah, if they will prohibit me to take pictures of food and restaurants, lalabas na talaga ang aking pag-kamaldita at aawayin ko sila hanggang sila ang iiyak at ma-tv patrol pa kami!
I think I heard one friend na shoed away sa Luneta...hehe....ewan...
ReplyDeleteI think you'd get away with that Doc Philip..mukha naman kayong foreigner...tell me kung anong accent gamitin mo ha...
ReplyDelete(though in my case baka as Joel said in FB, kailangan ko mag Mandarin...di naman ako looking European to use French or some obscure Czechoslovakian dialect)
In fairness, I have not (yet) actually come to a stinging debate with a guard or come to blows with them :-)
ReplyDeleteI have tried my best to talk and ask for a reason and explain my own reason especially as I take pics mostly for memories and maybe some documentation.
The ones responsible for this debacle are the one ones who gave the dont-shoot order and who must be prevailed to be reasonable.
In truth, one security guard (sa parking lot *ehem) told me kasi nga daw e baka picture-ran tapos ebenta ang picture sa mags or whatever.
Ok, regardless that I've never done that (wala pa ako sa level na ganun), is that fair to prohibit others to take pictures of public places where people pass everyday? If I had a photographic memory and was a good artist and painted the darn place, isn't that in essence ganon din?
we can try to be smart alecks by asking the guard "saan ang written order"...'kausapin ko boss mo", " pwede mag pa pictyur?"
ReplyDeletedapat nga i-protest ito and I would gladly join that movement...
ReplyDeletewhat really gets my goat is eto na nga, we are trying to help promote tourism to show places here, then this is the kind of thing we face?
tapos, yeah, kung foreigner/tourist walang angal?
take Shanghai for example, o gets ko na medyo seriuoso yang mga Chinese about their security - but I've never had somebody approach met here telling me this old building or this government site or this store is off limits for taking pictures....
di ko lang alam san to ireklamo eh, sa Dept ba of Tourism, sa mga assosasyon ng mga building owners or ano ba...grrr
pumunta ka dito, let's see how you handle it :-)
ReplyDeletevideohan ko pa at i post sa youtube..
I respected yung sabi ng guard di dapat pictyuran ng RCBC dyan sa Ayala..ok go..baka naman may suicide bomber who will use my picture (ehem) to destroy the building...
ReplyDeletepero yung isang instance lang..yang park dyan sa Salcedo during the November to CHristmas season na may lights sa trees...ano ba ang logic? my poor brain cannot comprehend it...
and if it was historical value and architectural significance, e pootcha...wag na natin picture-ran ang Eiffel Tower, ang White House, and Parthenon, ang buildings sa NYC (e yun na nga it was bombed)
malas nga lang at 10 pm na yon sa kin, but I do ask these sometimes...yun lang maisagot "bawal po kc order ng ...insert building owners here"
ReplyDeleteciguro kc isip cellphones = bad pictures
ReplyDeleteDo we know (from the guards) why it is prohibited?
ReplyDeleteSecurity guards have to work with a tunnel vision; that I have to understand, but sometimes I really get pissed off. Last year, at SM North, they had this big display about the branch's history - how it has contributed to the prestige of Quezon City, etc. They had long texts and I wanted to use them for the souvenir program of PICCA. so instead of writing them down, I opted to take pictures of them and then refer to them at home. Pitik pitik. May lumapit na isang guard at pinagbawalan ako. Nagpanting ang tenga. "PI! Gago ba ka ba? Ano ba ninanakaw ko dito?!" Naging dalawa ang guards. Inulit ko. "Gumamit naman kayo ng utak nyo! Ipo-promote ko nga ang mall nyo. Eh naka-display nga dyan o para basahin at tignan, bakit bawal kunan?" No answer. Naging tatlo ang guards. Nagusap-usap ang tatlo. "Kung masasabi nyo sa akin kung bakit bawal, titigil ako". I really don't know how it ended, but they let me be. Ako naman, avoiding to step on a fallen guy, so to speak, just wrote down some of the text on display.
ReplyDeletesame with me...I usually use the cam coz I don't want to write down when its faster to record that way....
ReplyDeleteand so that reminds me...
remember the Banco Filipino brouhaha?
Unfortunately, my dad had funds there (regardless I told him dapat hindi), e di sali sya sa mga funds na nagkaproblema...
so I went to BF main here, sa Paseo de Roxas...where they announcements/instructions displayed prominently on a big wooden board outside their main door ....
It was a long set of instructions, I didn't have paper, and honestly, I thought it was easier to just take a picture of parts of it, para I can refer to it.
Yes, I was told by security guard that I was prohibited by taking picture of the announcement/instructions etc. for the depositors on how to go about getting the funds back (yung mga insured depositors)
O, say mo?
Calmly I told the guard that my dad had frozen funds, he was in Cebu and I was asked to look into it here....pero ganonpaman, para di na ako ma-high blood, e pumasok na lang ako sa loob at humingi ng papel..otherwise I'd blow my top....
It is actually for security reasons, afraid perhaps of somebody taking pictures of the layout or placement/volume of people, but it sometimes borders on paranoia blended with stupidity. And they really don't explain it. And you are so correct, why would others be allowed to get away with it while others are humiliated for alleged blatant violations.
ReplyDeletefirst time that I found out bawal sa SM, was when we were queueing to pay for something at SM Naga City before...sa the grocery cashiers..
ReplyDeleteI wanted to take a pic of my companions para makita that on the trip we were in SM Naga (we were on a trip to Caramoan) and part of what we did was shopping
ayos...por dios..prohibited!
even if it was just by the side of the candy/batteries stand sa SM na cashier...*hayz*
Ano ba yan? That's a PARK! Photography is expected.
ReplyDeleteYou can speak with a French accent pretending to be a Vietnamese tourist. Maraming Vietnamese marunong mag French.
ReplyDeleteayos! haha! oui Monsieur!
ReplyDeleteThat's easy. Speak lang ako ng English with an accent na hindi nila maintindihan. hahaha. Pwede rin magpanggap na Hawai'ian tourist with pidgin English-Ilokano accent. Pwede rin ako mag name dropping, Sabihin ko kapitbahay ko si P.Noy sa Tarlac. Pwede rin sabihin ko barkada ko Commissioner ng Agrarian Reform (not sure of this one works hahaha).
ReplyDeleteNOT SURE about that Doc. Have you ever been to Washington, DC?
ReplyDeleteBack in 2000 when I went home after 22 years of absence, I took photos INSIDE Mega Mall (is that the one on EDSA near Shaw Blvd?) and I was NEVER questioned. I guess itong mga security guards na ito, tinatantya din nila kung sino pagbabawalan nila. If you look like a foreign tourist or balikbayan, most likely hindi ka pagbabawalan kasi kelangan sila mag ENGLISH. hahaha. Mas matindi ang "American" accent mo, mas intimidated sila. But I think POWER TRIP lang ng mga security guards jan yan. Why don't you guys go to the root of this by talking to Mall management/owners? If it's mall policy, so be it. Nothing much you can do. But from what I read here, sometimes it's discretionary on the part of the security guard.
ReplyDeletemaybe the agencies...kc usually security guards are from agencies instead of yung sa building's own...
ReplyDeleteno never been...but in SFO, i remember a reply, one can't take pictures inside City Hall(?) bec. the architecture is beautiful...he said this was bec of 9-11.
ReplyDeletei suppose there are buildings that are security sensitive, & monuments as tourist magnets are definitely not included in this ban.
You're right Doc, like The Pentagon, military installations, military bases, and similiar structures..
ReplyDeleteSumali ba kayo dito - http://globalnation.inquirer.net/17633/photogs-protest-restrictions-on-shooting-rizal-monument
ReplyDeletehmm...I think this is a group I recently joined in FB (na-invite yata ako or add ni Joel, Sir B's bro)...mabasa nga...
ReplyDeleteaha..yun nga, may invite for Luneta Park from 9-12 today...which I had to decline due to work..
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! Pati ba naman monumento ni Rizal bawal kunan ng picture? At saka bakit security guards ang mga andun? That's a public park. Dapat mga Manila Police ang nagpapatrol dun, hindi private security guards.
ReplyDeleteayan ang sinasabi either Wow Philippines..or Only in the Philippines...
ReplyDelete