Police State ? Or just NUTS ?

[SmartWombat]

Apparently the police in Long Beach, California, have a policy that says if a police officer determines that a photographer is taking photos of something with "no apparent esthetic value," they can detain them.

Police Say They Can Detain Photographers If Their Photographs Have 'No Apparent Esthetic Value' | Techdirt

The police are defending this policy, saying that while officers don't have any specific training in what qualifies as "apparent esthetic value," they will stop anyone photographing things they don't consider to be something a "regular tourist" would photograph.

[Axle]

I'm now tempted to take a bunch of photographs that have "no apparent esthetic value."

So am I now!

And I'm no regular tourist ~_^

[mattb]

This is BS! Makes me want to do the same.

[SmartWombat]

Officer Dibble reprimanded for carelessly allowing capture of ICHC images of TC and friends with aesthetic value, despite inane captions.

[Skyman]

Under what law are they being detained? There are so many things wrong with this policy it hurts my head. I think local photographers should have a photo rally in the area. Perhaps as a pr exercise they could ask the local police commander to be a judge of the results.

[Tankus]

In the UK its the anti terror laws
.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6715886/Police-misusing-anti-terrorism-powers-to-stop-tourists-taking-photos. 'misusing anti-terrorism powers to stop tourists taking photos' - Telegraph

sorry ..cant post the link.... just google the above line

[440GTX]

Glad I live in Canada

Fred..

[AgingEyes]

Glad I live in Canada

Anything out in the public area is fair game. Just don't get caught photographing an individual in the streets in Quebec (as in street photography). You could be taken to court by that stranger. It happened. Glad that court decision doesn't apply anywhere else other than in Quebec.

[Franglais]

That's me. (Or it could be)

I've been wandering around doing pictures of walls, electrical cables, billboards, letterboxes, staircases, etc. Sometimes even I wonder why I do it. Some subjects just have an interesting shape that you can turn into an almost abstract image, that still looks pretty.

In the case of the image in question he's got it nice and square (essential - the content can be abstract but you must show control by getting the frame right). There are three different planes. The paint peeled off making a good mass in the middle. I don't like the object on the right, it's blown out, he has to get it under control, preferably a darkish orange colour so it doesn't distract from the lettering which is the main subject.

Here's one I did this weekend which is pretty pointless but I like it.