BBC 4 Series: "The Genius of Photography"

A fantastic BBC4 documentary series, "The Genius of Photography," is currently available on YouTube.  It's not hosted on an official BBC YouTube page, so who knows how long this series may be available.  (It's also one of the growing number of items available in higher quality--go to the originating page, and click the "Watch in High Quality" option beneath the screen, lower-right).

There are several Episodes online, with each episode broken down into parts.  The clip below kicks off with Martin Parr and John Gossage on a road trip.

Metro Hypes False Fears Over Photographers

Metro has begun to hype false fears over photography, despite the system's own regulations allowing camera use in the system.

In an irony of ironies, fellow photographers' rights activist Erin McCann discovered Metro's new hyped-up warning after she emailed Metro regarding their policies. In an automated response, Metro signed off with the following:

"Metro would like to remind you that customers play an important role in keeping our system safe. Please remember to be watchful for...

* Unusual persons or activities

* Unattended bags, packages, boxes, backpacks, etc.

* Persons photographing, sketching or documenting activity at or around Metro stations"

John Catoe, Metro's general manager, fielded a question about the warning in an online chat today. While Catoe reiterated that photography is permitted in the system, he said the warning was the result of a policy that encourages riders to "be on the lookout for suspicious behavior. Tourists taking snapshots is one thing. People who go to the edge of the platform taking photos of darkened tunnels is another..."

That latter distinction may be fair enough, and Catoe is a respected manager with a sysiphian task, but Metro's clarion call for riders to keep an eye out for anyone photographing anything around Metro can only serve to ratchet up irrational fears over photography. Metro's warning could also result in some Metro employees taking a negative approach to photographers in the system, which would only compound Catoe's customer service challenges.

Metro would be wise to get in touch with security expert Bruce Schneier, who reminds us that: "The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn't photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building...Photographs aren't being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn't known for its photography."

If you're concerned about Metro's approach in this instance, take a moment to share your concerns here. And remember: Metro's policies explicitly state that "still photography that does not require a tripod, special lighting, film crews, models, impair the normal ingress/egress or operation of Authority services and can be accomplished by a hand held camera by one person is not regulated." [WMATA Use Regulations, Section 100.8; page 10 here]