Hot Black / Discussions

"The world is full of so many cameras in so many forms these days that there are bound to be those who misuse the technology. With the proliferation of camera phones and smaller and smaller point and shoot type cameras it is almost a guarantee that in any public gathering place there will be dozens of cameras policepresent. Here in the states a few months ago there was a major bridge collapse in the state of Minnesota that happened right in the middle of the evening rush hour. In a matter of minutes after the collapse people were already sending in on-the-scene photos of the disaster from their cars and the surrounding apartments. The abundance of photographic tools is so great that the major news organizations of the day like CNN, and MSNBC routinely ask their viewers to send in any photos they might have of newsworthy events to their websites. This makes a lot of sense, especially from a news company standpoint, because they not only get more up-to-date photos but they also don’t have to pay anyone to do it, it’s all on a volunteer basis. And people love the idea of having their blurry little camera phone photo flashing around on CNN all hours of the day!

"But this abundance of cameras also has a down-side to it because of the heightened threat of terrorist attacks throughout the world. Government agencies, corporations, and people in general have become more and more suspicious of photographers. You already have to have written permission to take photos in most public buildings like museums or offices (and even then, you can’t shoot with a tripod while in the building). But more and more people are reporting being harassed by security officials while taking pictures in front of or even near government buildings, airports, and public areas."