Is Photography a Crime?
What is our great nation becoming? Photographers both amateur, as well as professionals are being threatened, harassed, and sometimes even physically attacked for simply taking a photograph. All in the name of national security? I have been an avid amateur photographer my whole life and really enjoy going on photo-walks. Today while photowalking, I was grilled by a security guard who didn’t like where I was pointing a camera. Even though I was photographing from a public street, that didn’t stop him from grilling and generally harassing me about doing something so “suspicious” as photographing a building. Now, I certainly understand the need for extra security precautions these days, but it’s gotten to the point where we are letting our fears trample our freedoms. Any terrorist can obtain any number of photographs on just about any structure or location, in the USA, simply by surfing the internet. Our freedoms are what makes this nation great. We can’t let fear, chip away at our civil rights. Photography is not a risk to national security.
