We had a lot of fun in downtown, but if I may for a moment, vent a little. I am so tired of every store front, business front, parking lot, alley, restaurant, bar and just about every space in the greater Los Angeles area wanting money if you even approach their general vicinity with a camera. "Oh no, we charge for that." News Flash: Not everyone with a camera has a Hollywood budget. Can't two kids in love take a few quick photos on a public street in LA without getting kicked out, asked to leave, told they need a permit or threatened to call the police? It's really gotten to be so sad... If you are a business owner and Mark Burnett asks you for your space then by all means, you should charge. But come on don't you think we have gotten a little carried away? When I go to almost any other state, the conversation goes something like this:
Me:"Hello, could we shoot in your bar for like 30 minutes?"
Shop Owner: "What is this for"
Me: "This couple is getting married and we're doing an engagement shoot."
Shop Owner: "Sure, no problem. Go ahead and use whatever you want"
Notice in the previous conversation, which actually happened by the way, I even asked to shoot inside the establishment.
So to all of us LA people, lets not be so uptight, what do you say?
I got off four frames before we we're told that we could not shoot anything on this side of the street... I still got my shot.
So we had to go to the other side of the street.
Then I just said screw it and we went into the middle of the street.
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Beautiful photos, Luke! Amazing. So so sorry about your experience. I agree. When I first moved to LA, I couldn't believe people charged for parking, I mean, that is just unheard of. Stopping your car and getting out never cost me in any other place I had lived and it about floored me. The saturation of people, cars, filmakers, and photographers, makes everyone look for an opportunity to make a dollar on the little guys :(. Wild!
ReplyDeleteWe live in a greedy culture. Hope your message gets to the right people. Gorgeous pix as usual.
ReplyDeletei had a similar experience just yesterday when i took random pics of a beautiful classic rolls at a meter. the guy happened to walk out as i took a pic and told me i couldn't shoot it, do i have a permit to shoot things w/out asking, i'll call the cops, etc. and got paranoid thinking i was taking close-ups of his plate. i said, buddy, you and your car are in a public place, if i was in your garage i could understand, and if i wanted your plate so bad, i could just as easily write it down. i showed him what i shot and he still threatened to call the police! really l.a. get over yourselves! every photo is not for sell to the highest bidder, some people really do it b/c the object they happened upon was beautiful. and beautiful pics btw. good looking couple and they look completely in love!!! really like the 'art' pic and the one across the street!
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