Nuisance Photographers

tijuana taxi

tijuana taxi

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Have read before about over keen photographers disturbing nesting birds, now its causing damage at preserved railways

Apparently they have broken fences, damaged track ballast and trespassed on private land containing livestock.
Also seen complaints from the heritage railway fraternity about freeloaders turning up at photo charter events that others have paid for.

Obviously only a very small minority, but not behaviour I would usually associate with such a harmless hobby.
Maybe worth mentioning to stop and think when in pursuit of that great photo although I doubt anyone here would be that irresponsible
 
It's not just photographers though, it happens in almost every sport/hobby & is becoming commonplace in society in general. It boils down to lack of respect & discipline. (+ lack of consequences as a deterrent!)
 
I live in Nottingham and visit my mother in Minehead now and again, How am I to know that the nice steam train has been chartered by photographers?
 
Can somebody help me to understand how on earth it's possible to damage track ballast?
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Can somebody help me to understand how on earth it's possible to damage track ballast?
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If when climbing up you move the ballast away the rails can become unstable as the are supported by the ballast
 
"I live in Nottingham and visit my mother in Minehead now and again, How am I to know that the nice steam train has been chartered by photographers?"

Of course not, my fault for not explaining properly
This refers to events often outside of opening hours which give specific photo opportunities to those who have paid.
Freeloaders look to see when these events are on and turn up with alarming regularity

I agree that disregard to people and property is endemic in today's society. One of the biggest problems these days and very hard to cure, needs addressing urgently though.
 
Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Railway geeks are some of the most irritating people on the planet. You can't get a decent photo at a Ffestiniog event for the sea of middle aged farts with 5Ds or the amateur videographers with tripods everywhere. Hell you only have to look at model rail forums to see the bitching that goes on about the average rail enthusiast at an exhibition!

One thing I was pleasantly surprised to see the Bodmin & Wenford railway do is a trackside permit for photographers. Had I known about it before my hols I'd probably have applied for one.

(Not all railway enthusiasts are complete planks, though, I have met some great people, and I am myself lovely of course!)
 
I tend to shoot in relatively quiet locations in Scotland whether it's off on my own shooting landscapes or beside a loch shooting wildlife or birds.

I guess the nearest I come to being amongst other photographers is on the rare occasion I visit a hide and on the whole I find people to be conscientious to each other and the wildlife.

That said I've experienced a few inconsiderate individuals at some of the well known 'tripod worn' landscape locations which I tend to avoid if I'm left to my own devices.
 
Strangely enough Alan it was specifically the B and W railway that complained about the photographers behaviour.
Perhaps the reason it has introduced the permit although I believe other railways do something similar.
Often for annual members and once a trackside safety course has been undertaken
 
dinners said:
I tend to shoot in relatively quiet locations in Scotland whether it's off on my own shooting landscapes or beside a loch shooting wildlife or birds.

I guess the nearest I come to being amongst other photographers is on the rare occasion I visit a hide and on the whole I find people to be conscientious to each other and the wildlife.

That said I've experienced a few inconsiderate individuals at some of the well known 'tripod worn' landscape locations which I tend to avoid if I'm left to my own devices.
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You should have seen the bells bridge on fireworks night in Glasgow, full of togs. Clear night, still water, fireworks - perfect condtions always lure them out, myself included.
 
ST4 said:
You should have seen the bells bridge on fireworks night in Glasgow, full of togs. Clear night, still water, fireworks - perfect condtions always lure them out, myself included.
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My idea of hell ;)
 
tijuana taxi said:
Strangely enough Alan it was specifically the B and W railway that complained about the photographers behaviour.
Perhaps the reason it has introduced the permit although I believe other railways do something similar.
Often for annual members and once a trackside safety course has been undertaken
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I've not seen anything from other railways, if the Llangollen do similar I'm in! I suspect the one or two photogenic spots on the B&W are also the ones where they have issues. The wording of their permit T&Cs seems to imply a long standing problem neighbour, and there is not much in the way of footpath access or any open access country around the line, save in the least photogenic bits!

I should probably come clean too and say I don't always stay on footpaths etc for my railway pictures, but equally I don't go in for damaging property and I sure as hell wouldn't want to inconvenience the railway or anyone else with my own stupidity being somewhere totally inappropriate for example.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Strangely enough Alan it was specifically the B and W railway that complained about the photographers behaviour.
Perhaps the reason it has introduced the permit although I believe other railways do something similar.
Often for annual members and once a trackside safety course has been undertaken
Click to expand...

The South Devon Railway operating out of Buckfastleigh also does track side permits.
 
The North Norfolk Railway also does track side permits.
 
tijuana taxi said:
This refers to events often outside of opening hours which give specific photo opportunities to those who have paid.
Freeloaders look to see when these events are on and turn up with alarming regularity

I agree that disregard to people and property is endemic in today's society. One of the biggest problems these days and very hard to cure, needs addressing urgently though.
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If it is from public place you / they have no grounds to complain. This may obviously fall out of the "ethical boundaries" a little bit, but let's face it is not illegal or even harmful in any way unlike the other cases you mention. Trespassing on railway is £1000 fine or worse and similar goes for badly messing with wildlife nests.

P.S. Where can I freeload in the highlands ?! :) :p
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I should probably come clean too and say I don't always stay on footpaths etc for my railway pictures, but equally I don't go in for damaging property and I sure as hell wouldn't want to inconvenience the railway or anyone else with my own stupidity being somewhere totally inappropriate for example.
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How does the right to roam affect his? Just curious as I am unable due to health conditions to 'get off the beaten track'
 
Zero etiquette out here, especially amongst the professionals. They're like a pack of animals.
 
ChasG said:
How does the right to roam affect his? Just curious as I am unable due to health conditions to 'get off the beaten track'
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If it's access land then no problem, otherwise I risk being told to clear off. :)
 
UaeExile said:
Zero etiquette out here, especially amongst the professionals. They're like a pack of animals.
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I've only met 2 professional railway photographers, and they were both great people, and in both cases we were well away from the herds. In one instance I think we are the only two in existence to use that particular spot!
 
Hmm. I can't say I blame them for gatecrashing the photo charters, if it is the event company (or rather, individual) I am thinking of that organised them. I found him very, very full of himself and selfish in the fact that he would stand in front of the people that had paid their money to be there in order to get his photos - Yet he has done it many times before. I'm not the only one to notice this, either.

On the other hand damaging property in the search for photos is not on!
 
Don't know this individual, but does sound like a complete arse

Never been on one of these charters, just pay for an all day rover ticket at whatever railway and snap away.
Do know of some who never pay a penny, but take loads of photos some of which they make money from.
Wouldn't hurt these people to cough up, just tight and if everyone was like that the heritage railways would cease to exist
 
tijuana taxi said:
Have read before about over keen photographers disturbing nesting birds, now its causing damage at preserved railways

Apparently they have broken fences, damaged track ballast and trespassed on private land containing livestock.
Also seen complaints from the heritage railway fraternity about freeloaders turning up at photo charter events that others have paid for.

Obviously only a very small minority, but not behaviour I would usually associate with such a harmless hobby.
Maybe worth mentioning to stop and think when in pursuit of that great photo although I doubt anyone here would be that irresponsible
Click to expand...

It has frustrated me that access at preserved railways is so restricted. Ropes everywhere, lack of viewing areas. I understand your frustration that people take liberties, but maybe it's about time these venues gave better value for money by providing what people want.
 
I'm very tired with the attitude from UK authorities in general who seem to focus on curtailing activities instead of enabling.

Example, in our parks it's keep off the grass. no riding, no horses, no barbeques, erm, no fun. In Sydney, which I visited back in the 1990's, the central park has separate tracks for joggers, cyclists, riders. There are brick built barbeques with gas and all you pay for is the gas via a slot meter. The people own the park so give them what they want.
 
JennyGW said:
Example, in our parks it's keep off the grass. no riding, no horses, no barbeques, erm, no fun. In Sydney, which I visited back in the 1990's, the central park has separate tracks for joggers, cyclists, riders. There are brick built barbeques with gas and all you pay for is the gas via a slot meter. The people own the park so give them what they want.
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Ive never seen a park with a keep off the grass sign , and the reason for no barbeques is that f***witts have them on wooden picnic tables and start fires or cause damage / and or have them on the ground and scorch the grass, then chuck the whole thing in a bin while its still hot and set fire to that as well. If you tried a gas BBWQ with coin op in most british parks the coin op would be ripped off in the first night and the gas shortly thereafter.

Likewise the no skating rules come about because people sue when little jonny falls off and hurts himself , or when old mrs miggins gets knocked over by jonny and his mates, and the no horses happens because a minority of riders are incapable of sticking to bridleways and instead cut a path straight across the football pitch

The people don't in fact own the park - in most cases it is owned by either a private trust or by a cash strapped local authority, and the people get what they deserve for (a proproption of them) acting like arseholes.

even out here in the ruralness its not unusual for memorial benches to get trashed within a week of us putting them in, or for fences /steps/sign posts etc to be broken up and used for firewood
 
i think all the park keepers have been fired in the name of austerity now ;)
 
big soft moose said:
Ive never seen a park with a keep off the grass sign ,....
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There's one quite near to me!

Not sure why they have the sign tbh, it's only used by the oldies, where they put a rubber mat down before walking to the other end.....then back again, ad infinitum. I mean FFS the mat aint gonna protect the grass unless they use more than one. :confused: wtf is that all about!? :rolleyes:
 
big soft moose said:
Ive never seen a park with a keep off the grass sign , and the reason for no barbeques is that f***witts have them on wooden picnic tables and start fires or cause damage / and or have them on the ground and scorch the grass, then chuck the whole thing in a bin while its still hot and set fire to that as well. If you tried a gas BBWQ with coin op in most british parks the coin op would be ripped off in the first night and the gas shortly thereafter.

Likewise the no skating rules come about because people sue when little jonny falls off and hurts himself , or when old mrs miggins gets knocked over by jonny and his mates, and the no horses happens because a minority of riders are incapable of sticking to bridleways and instead cut a path straight across the football pitch

The people don't in fact own the park - in most cases it is owned by either a private trust or by a cash strapped local authority, and the people get what they deserve for (a proproption of them) acting like arseholes.

even out here in the ruralness its not unusual for memorial benches to get trashed within a week of us putting them in, or for fences /steps/sign posts etc to be broken up and used for firewood
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Nice rant :) And your point is ? lol
 
Steve Smith said:
Only when I was a child... in The Beano and The Dandy (and probably later in Viz). Complete with a jobsworth park keeper in full uniform.


Steve.
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Trust me, they exist. (When I was a child, Viz didn't exist .. wish it had though!)
 
JennyGW said:
Nice rant :) And your point is ? lol
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that your post was full of crap , that theres a reason why british parks are like they are and its not that the managers are a bunch of miserable misanthropic gits, but due to the behaviour of some of the users.

and with regard to the OP the same thing applies - the reason that railways have guide ropes and do not signs all over is the absolutely f***witted behaviour of some of their visitors
 
big soft moose said:
that your post was full of crap , that theres a reason why british parks are like they are and its not that the managers are a bunch of miserable misanthropic gits, but due to the behaviour of some of the users.

and with regard to the OP the same thing applies - the reason that railways have guide ropes and do not signs all over is the absolutely f***witted behaviour of some of their visitors
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Thanks for your lovely reply.

So they should deal with "some users", not treat everyone the same? Does it make you wonder why Australia and SO many other countries have one set of rules and we have another?
 
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