Howdy All, I just thought I'd share a little bit of information with everyone relating to Photography on BART. According to the BART permits page ( http://www.bart.gov/about/business/permits/photopermits.aspx ): "If you are a paying passenger making your way from point A to point B, then there is no specific prohibition to taking photographs in areas that are accessible to the public provided you do not appear to be a security threat, involved in a commercial activity or harassing other riders." So as a member of the transit riding public - you can take pictures without a permit. Though I suggest if you plan on taking any amount of photos around BART - keep a printed out copy of this page handy.
The reason I share this is because I had not previously been aware of the rules, after all it is PUBLIC transit so I treated it as any PUBLIC location. While I've taken hundreds of pictures on, around and of the BART system today I had an interesting run in with a station agent. The agent asked me what I was doing (after I had taken a picture of the ticket gates). I explained to her that I was taking a picture for my own personal use (me being artsy and all). She informed me that it was against the rules (possibly law, I don't remember) to take pictures on any mass transit system and then threatened to have me arrested, demanded to see my ID... and all that fun stuff. I managed to escape the cops or arrest (barely), but that isn't the point here.
Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know, since I know I've emailed about the lack of pictures on Commons of Bay Area topics, and specifically BART stations. So just be careful if you do take pictures around BART - you might end up in jail. (Hey, it's a free country, they can arrest you for no good reason).
-Jon [[Commons:User:ShakataGaNai]]
After reading it, there's also the possibility that you could take pictures on behalf of an educational entity (school, WMF as a secondary education facility), and state that you'll be posting them on Wikipedia.Since contributing to Wikipedia is an educational activity. As a student, the photography permit is only 25 dollars, and you get a BART escort, I think.
Jon wiki@konsoletek.com wrote: Howdy All, I just thought I'd share a little bit of information with everyone relating to Photography on BART. According to the BART permits page ( http://www.bart.gov/about/business/permits/photopermits.aspx ): "If you are a paying passenger making your way from point A to point B, then there is no specific prohibition to taking photographs in areas that are accessible to the public provided you do not appear to be a security threat, involved in a commercial activity or harassing other riders." So as a member of the transit riding public - you can take pictures without a permit. Though I suggest if you plan on taking any amount of photos around BART - keep a printed out copy of this page handy.
The reason I share this is because I had not previously been aware of the rules, after all it is PUBLIC transit so I treated it as any PUBLIC location. While I've taken hundreds of pictures on, around and of the BART system today I had an interesting run in with a station agent. The agent asked me what I was doing (after I had taken a picture of the ticket gates). I explained to her that I was taking a picture for my own personal use (me being artsy and all). She informed me that it was against the rules (possibly law, I don't remember) to take pictures on any mass transit system and then threatened to have me arrested, demanded to see my ID... and all that fun stuff. I managed to escape the cops or arrest (barely), but that isn't the point here.
Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know, since I know I've emailed about the lack of pictures on Commons of Bay Area topics, and specifically BART stations. So just be careful if you do take pictures around BART - you might end up in jail. (Hey, it's a free country, they can arrest you for no good reason).
-Jon [[Commons:User:ShakataGaNai]] _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-SF mailing list Wikimedia-SF@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-sf
Jon wiki@konsoletek.com wrote:
The agent asked me what I was doing (after I had taken a picture of the ticket gates). I explained to her that I was taking a picture for my own personal use (me being artsy and all).
I can sympathize with both of you. What is the agent going to say, if she let you go and a supervisor asked her about it? "It's okay, he said it was for his personal use."? Doubtless, they are leaned on just as you were leaned on -- and they have a greater need to cover their you-know-whats.
I fully appreciate them covering their rears, and I'm not a stranger to being asked to not take pictures. Wandering around and taking pictures of things for Commons, I've gotten talked to by more than a few security guards in my time (up to several times a day). But every time up until now has been a pleasant encounter. The Station Agent skipped the step where they inform me of their "No Photography" policies, and ask me politely to stop - and I always do. The agent today skipped directly to the "I'm going to call the cops" step, as if what I was doing was illegal in the first place - which it ISN'T. They can ask me to stop, and to leave - they can't call the cops.
What is right and wrong isn't the point though. The attendant did what they thought was right (I guess). I just wanted to warn everyone else so no one actually ends up in jail because they were out taking pictures for Wikipedia/Commons.
-Jon
On Sun, Jul 27, 2008 at 7:51 PM, Jason Dusek jason.dusek@gmail.com wrote:
Jon wiki@konsoletek.com wrote:
The agent asked me what I was doing (after I had taken a picture of the ticket gates). I explained to her that I was taking a picture for my own personal use (me being artsy and all).
I can sympathize with both of you. What is the agent going to say, if she let you go and a supervisor asked her about it? "It's okay, he said it was for his personal use."? Doubtless, they are leaned on just as you were leaned on -- and they have a greater need to cover their you-know-whats.
-- _jsn
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