http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/ <a title="Freedom To Photograph" href="http://freedomtophotograph.com/"><img border="0" alt="Freedo To Photograph" src="http://freedomtophotograph.com/banners/88x31-1.gif"/></a><p/>Because Photography is not a Crime... Yet.<p/><a title="Freedom To Photograph" href="http://freedomtophotograph.com/">www.FreedomToPhotograph.com</a> http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1125884158&archive= A freelance photographer working for Reuters is to be held for another six months at the Abu Ghraib prison for reasons unknown, American military authorities have declared.TV cameraman and journalist, Ali Omar Abrahem Al-Mashadani, will be detained in the Baghdad prison for 60 days without any contact, after his unexplained arrest on August 8.The 36-year-old was reportedly seized by US Army officials after they searched his home and found images on his camera.Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the action, calling for Al-Mashadani to be granted access to legal counsel, or be released outright.Yet the US army has told Reuters that their freelance will not be released for another six months because he “remains a threat to the people of Iraq.” http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1125883845&archive= New York, August 8, 2005—A Polish photojournalist was expelled from Belarus on Saturday and banned from the country for five years. The Committee to Protect Journalists said today it is disturbed by the expulsion of Adam Tuchlinksi, 25, of the weekly news magazine Przekroj.Belarusian security agents detained Tuchlinksi as he was about to board a Poland-bound train in the western city of Grodno, according to international reports. Agents took him to a local police station where he was held for several hours and told he lacked proper accreditation to work in Belarus. He returned to Poland on a later train on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.Tuchlinski was visiting Belarus on a tourist visa, the Polish news agency PAP reported, citing information from the local Polish Association of Belarus. It was unclear whether he had done any journalism work during his visit to Grodno, which has a sizeable population of ethnic Poles. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1125883734&archive= PRESS RELEASEAugust 8, 2005Posted to the web August 9, 2005On 4 August 2005, Desmond Kwande, chief photographer of the "Daily Mirror", was arrested in Harare by municipal policemen while taking photos of destitute people being rounded up in the city center. The arrest came despite Kwande having identified himself as an accredited photojournalist. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1125883557&archive= Español: Policía agrede a reportero gráfico del periódico "Diario de São Paulo" Country/Topic: Brazil Date: 31 August 2005 Source: Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) Person(s): Wladimir de Souza Target(s): photographer(s) Type(s) of violation(s): other Urgency: Threat (IPYS/IFEX) - On 10 August 2005, "Diario de São Paulo" photojournalist Wladimir de Souza was manhandled by police officer Antonio Honório while covering the questioning of a presumed drug trafficker at the civil police's narcotics investigation department (Departamento de Narcóticos, DENARC, Policía Civil). The incident occurred after he photographed the detainee's face while Honório was receiving the man's statement. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1125883404&archive= PRESS RELEASEAugust 31, 2005Posted to the web August 31, 2005On 24 August 2005, Angolan police harassed and censored a photojournalist with the independent weekly "Angolense", allegedly for reporting in an area without prior authorisation.Photojournalist Francisco Zua was taking photographs in one of the more crowded streets of the capital, Luanda, when a policeman stopped him and said he had no authorisation to report on the area. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1123557713&archive= "Gregory M" of Philadelphia, PA sends us this story:[quote]I was taking photographs in Philadelphia's 30th Street Train Station, and I noticed a ticketing machine that was under repair. I took a photograph of the machine at about a 75 degree angle relative to the screen, and from a safe distance away.As soon as I proceeded to move on to other subjects, one of the train station employees asked me to stay where I was. I complied, since I was not breaking the law, and I understand the grief station personnel receive from irate passengers.[/quote] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1120430301&archive= Tim V. of Lincoln Nebraska writes in to tell us this...[quote]A Lincoln Nebraska police officer stopped me from photographing my child while at South Pointe Mall. He said that I could be "casing the joint". It seems that the stores have their security systems on the front of the windows. I was using a 75/300 lens with a f/4.5, shooting from a distance of about 15 feet from my son (focused on his eyes). You could not make anything outof the background except blurred colors. I was treated like a criminal and askedto leave. What a great way to ruin an outing with my son. [/quote] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1119200419&archive= Morning Edition, June 16, 2005 · Photographers across the country have complained of getting harassed by law enforcement officials citing security concerns since the September 11 terrorist attacks.[link=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4705698]Full Story[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1113567699&archive= From iPhotoforum.com member [quote=turnstylepoet]I received a call from the FBI today because I was photographing a power plant at night last month. A security guard at the power plant stopped me, requested to see my identification and then asked me to leave. Not wanting to cause a problem, I did what the security guard asked me to do. I did manage to make one photograph before I was approached. Now mind you, I was on the side of a public street at the time and I never set foot on private property.The FBI agent wants to meet with me to discuss what I was doing, why I was doing it, who I was doing it for and he would like to see the photograph I made that night. I agreed to meet with him at a coffee shop, but I am a quite concerned about this whole thing. I am just a photographer who happens to like to do urban night photography. I know that the world has changed since 9/11, but this level of anxiety over photoraphy alarms me.Have any of you ever experienced anything like this? I don't really know what to expect from my meeting with the FBI agent.[/quote][link=http://iphotoforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14057]See the full thread here[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1107769718&archive= [link=http://newurbanist.blogspot.com]newurbanist[/link] at blogger, pointed out this new phenomenon that has been reported by the Chicago Reader.[link=http://newurbanist.blogspot.com/2005/01/copyrighting-of-public-space.html]Public funding to build a park and pay for art, but now you need a permit to even take a picture.[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1096654398&archive= [link=mailto:jmcgee@vividlight.com]Jim McGee[/link] of [link=http://www.vividlight.com]Vivid Light Photography[/link] gives his take on the injustices happening to photographers and how rights are being diminished.Read on.- [link=http://www.natemc.com]Nate MC[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1095846839&archive= Apparently we were featured as a [link=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/hotsites/2004/2004-09-09-hotsites.htm]Hot Site on USA Today[/link]...It was a few days ago, but welcome to everyone that has stumbled onto our project from there. -[link=http://www.natemc.com]Nate MC[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1094695856&archive= I have been stopped 6 times by local and transit police because of my photography. This is the most recent occurance and the most annoying as well. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1094603205&archive= I visited Sergeant Lincoln tonight and spoke with him regarding yesterday's incident.The meeting was quite short. He began by informing me that they will give me permission to photograph the exteriors of the campus; however I may be stopped on occasion by police asking for identification. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1094603157&archive= I was declared a terrorist, today. As I was walking around campus photographing art, buildings, cars, people, I was stopped by police... http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1090277468&archive= [link=http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=8&u=/nm/20040719/ts_nm/security_refineries_photographer_dc]Reuters Via Yahoo[/link] reports that the authorities are looking for a man for taking pictures of texas refineries."While it is not illegal to take pictures of a refinery from a highway or street, officials would like to talk to the man to find out his reason for taking the photographs."Maybe he just like industrial areas, I know they are much more interesting than the suburbs.[link=http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=8&u=/nm/20040719/ts_nm/security_refineries_photographer_dc]Full story at Yahoo[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1089934133&archive= You heard about it here before Tacoma residents read about it, But here is their take on the story.[link=http://www.tribnet.com/news/local/story/5301601p-5239252c.html]Photographer's rights violated?[/link] http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1089404189&archive= Seattle resident Ian Spears and his run in with the Seattle PD[link=http://www.brownequalsterrorist.com/artiststatement] The Artist's Statement[/link]Yes folks we are still active, but it's been a busy summer. Best of luck to everyone and I hope I don't hear more stories like Ian's at all. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1072634413&archive= While shooting pictures of my car last night in one of my favorite spots, I was accosted by police 2 times. The first time, permission was granted, the second time, 8 cops rolled on in and accused me of working for Al-Queita. http://www.freedomtophotograph.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1071866145&archive= Today, I was walking around downtown, photographing buildings as I usually do when I'm downtown. When I was photographing some moulding on the Liberty Building, a security guard came up to me and demanded I leave AND apologize. I said "this is public domain and it's obvious that I'm not photographing the insides." He replied "You taking pictures of this building could be a potential danger to the building and he didn't want to take that risk." I replied "I've never heard such crap in my life." He proceeded to tell me "If you don't leave the premesis or put away your camera, I will call the cops." I decided to not put up with his crap, so I left.