Practical Photography

Society has gone mental recently, with media fuelled fears of murders, terrorism, privacy and child protection, freelance and amateur photographers are being discriminated against.

Photographers are being pulled of the street and made to delete their photographs even when other members of the public are happily snapping away on their mobile phones. Situations such as turning on the Christmas lights, bonfires, or carnivals are examples of times when photographers can use these public exhibitions to get good shots but police are stopping them from doing so due to Political Correctness gone mad! Even Amateur photographers who have nothing to gain but a good quality image for their collection and memory of the day are being pulled aside by police like common criminals. Actually not like criminals at all as criminals, murderes and kidnappers get treated a lot better.

Yesterday over 200 MPs signed their support of Austin Mitchells Early day motion to protect photographers in public areas from police discrimination and harrassment. The BFP, Bureau of Freelance Photographers are supporting this motion with a Blue card to be issued to every member so if faced with a situation in fromt of an officer the member can produce this card as a reputable photographer.

This initiative is hoping to be successful but we need the support of the police orders need to be issued from above be it local goverment departments or central government it is down to MPs to rule to police officers that the Blue card is acceptable. Time will tell how this works out, fingers crossed this could be a movement away from the ‘Big Brother’ society we are heading towards at the moment.