New York Times reports: City May Seek Permit and Insurance for Many Kinds of Public Photography.
“Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.
New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance. The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.”
(The city recently extended the comment period until August 3rd)
For some reason I don’t see this as a good sign – usually when things like this become laws in NY or CA the rest of the country tends to follow suit. In this climate, could Garry Winogrand or a new version thereof exist?
If not, that’s a real shame.