So I debated whether or not I should “actually” post this on my blog…but after thinking it over and deciding that I want to really put my life out there, for YOU to get to know – I decided I’d go ahead and share.
A few days ago, I took another one of my “photowalks,” however this journey led me (us) into a tough spot.
My buddy James Law and I headed to an area south of downtown to get some urban/industrial style photos of different patterns and anything we found interesting. Despite what had happened that day, we came across some REALLY cool locations and ended up with some great shots. (You can see his on the website at the link above)
So we were walking down near the MTS trolley yard when we came across a lot that looked like it had some cool architecture. The gate was wide open, and we casually walked in towards the trolley tracks when – not even 40 yds in – we hear a guy from outside the gate yell, “HEY! COME HERE!” and, “LET’S SEE SOME ID!”
We were both pretty ‘taken aback’ at this point, but calmly walked over and gave him our drivers licenses, talked it over, and let him know we weren’t there trying to get surveillance footage or anything – just some cool artistic street photos. Apparently they take anyone on the property very seriously – as they compared it towards entering into an airport plane lot and sneaking on to a plane. After a few minutes of talking, the whole MTS crew that was there seemed pretty understanding about the whole thing – however after a few MORE minutes a couple other transit police officers showed up – one of them apparently seemed to be having a REALLY bad day.
All in all, walked away with a ticket to appear in court for trespassing and loitering. (PS – I’ve never actually heard of anyone really getting written up for “loitering.”
And while it’s a bit incriminating to admit that I was stopped by police and ticketed for something related to my work, I would hope that anyone that reads this considers the length that we both went as photographers. The purpose of the photography we had done that day wasn’t for a client, it wasn’t a school project, and probably not intended to even be printed out for any type of use. What James and I had set out to do was to improve our abilities as photographers, to recognize the art in the ordinary, and to capture the culture of the city.
As a photographer, I strongly believe it’s necessary to think in new ways, use an unorthodox approach to grow your ability, and strive to create a union between subject and surrounding. Doing these walks, I attempt to understand myself and my surroundings to a full extent, allowing complete freedom for creativity to be expressed in any shot that I do.
I would hope that if a prospective client were reading this they would recognize this characteristic about me, and respect the idea that I go to such great lengths to improve my abilities as a photographer – recognizing that sometimes boundaries need to be broken and you need to think outside the conventional box to transcend your capabilities as an artist.
Or, they might just think that I’m a dumb-ass and should have read the sign outside the gates.
In any case, I hope you like the pictures from the walk – believe it or not, the BEST photos actually came “after” we were stopped by the police!
My On-going Bucketlist | Tim King Blog | Tim King Photographer - [...] I haven’t always been one to follow the rules, so I kind of just went right into making the list and didn’t really pay much attention to [...]February 14, 2011 – 10:10 am
Tim King - Hey Barry – funny thing, the guy never showed! Got off clean on this one!February 24, 2010 – 4:22 pm
Barry - Cops are assholes sometimes man, hope this works out for you and they don’t show up in court or somethingFebruary 18, 2010 – 4:21 pm
Lauren King - Awesome pictures! In court, let the judge know about the gate–if it’s unlikely that the judge would buy that you did not see the signs, say that you saw them but thought that they were inapplicable since the gate was wide open and you did not see any dangerous activity going on (as you had assumed that the reason for the sign was to keep people away from dangerous activity).
Judges have a lot of discretion and may throw out the ticket–preface the above discussion by profusely apologizing, e.g. “I want to first say that I am so sorry to the officers and company guards for inconveniencing them and causing them concern over my and my friend’s safety. The last thing we wanted to do was cause trouble that day. However, we noticed the gate wide open and assumed that meant that it was safe to enter…”February 8, 2010 – 10:56 pm
james - Tim! What a ride man…. I’m glad that we didn’t get in too much trouble.
The final verdict is still out, but Im sure that we’ll be fine!
Great shots man.January 20, 2010 – 6:17 am
Michael Lee - Great story! It’s very appreciative to see the vulnerability in people and it’s humbling to be open and honest. The character of the photographer has a voice in his photos. Like an iceberg, we know that you’re only showing 10% in your photography and pursuits, and the 90% is underneath the surface. I dig that you’re comfortable giving a glimpse of what’s beneath the 10%……. ya dig!January 18, 2010 – 5:59 pm