From the BJP .....why not join ?
Hundreds of photographers, both professional and amateur, have pledged their support to the 'Not A Crime' campaign, launched last week to raise awareness of increasing restrictions on shooting in public.
More than 400 photographers have joined the Flickr group associated with the campaign, and close to 100 have submitted portraits of themselves holding 'I am not a terrorist' and 'Not a crime' signs.
'Increasing concerns about terrorism, paedophilia, health and safety, and personal privacy have resulted in a deep mistrust of photographers,' said BJP's editor Simon Bainbridge. 'Police routinely invoke anti-terror legislation to prevent photographers from carrying out their work, and photojournalists are constantly filmed at public gatherings and their details kept on an ever-growing database.'
He continued: 'Having lobbied the Home Office and police authorities to take a more sensible to approach to public photography rights and to honour existing agreements, we found a lack of willingness to address the problem, which requires not so much a change of law but a general recognition that photography is not a crime. If this issue matters to you, I urge you to join us in our visual petition, post a picture, and help spread the message.'
The 'Not A Crime' campaign has already got the backing of two of Britain's leading photographers, including Stuart Franklin of Magnum Photos. We invite you to join him by posting a self-portrait of yourself together with a sheet of white card with the phrases 'Not a crime' or 'I am not a terrorist' (in your first language) and a camera to the Flickr group BJP has created.
To join the campaign, visit www.not-a-crime.com.
Labels: marc byram british journal of photogrphy "photography is not a crime"
