Photography of the LIRR

Two wonderful, artsy shots. Really nice pictures, particularly that boxcar.
I, for one, will comply within the law, but I will never surrender my rights as a free citizen to comply with a police state. History already has painted that picture all too finely.

There are so many way's we can help but it's to there loss by not welcomeing us, and all we ask for is to snap a shutter, no more, no less.

and as for sitting in you car and popping in and out, thats a good one to get you up the creak, it almost landed me a night in the clink, I had a dective calling me caus some fag ass schmuck that could not see my LIRR gear for some reason Blind mabe? called the NCPD on me, what a game. see something say something, but not if you see some one wareing a LIRR sweat shirt, and has railfan gear on. prehaps he never came in contact with this species?

Well I don't wear any "LIRR gear" (again, keep a low profile, don't advertise). I see/hear the gates go down, get out of the car, train pulls in, camera comes out of my pocket, picture gets taken and I'm done. Why you guys can't figure this out is beyond me. For whatever reason - pick one - they don't want non-passengers around, so you have to adapt and not do it "your way". This will pass in time. They had photo restrictions during WW2, too.

Ill' Try Being Less advertised, but still, weather or not I wear something related to the LIRR or not. when the scary cats see a "camera" they say something as the add says.

and if they see the car you drive it's a free map to the PD to find you at your residence. in my case the LIRR shirt had absolutly nothing to do with it, this nut seen me get out of a car take a picture of a WB then EB train both within 5 mins' then got back in my car and left to go get lunch. nothing wrong yet is there?
I was listeningto the train over the scanner when NCPD steped on them and said something about 2 male suspicious subjects shooting shooting trains.
so though i like to keep it some what low and stake out in the car, as long as they can get the tag and or the vin, it's over for you, caus the police can trace it. now im thinking of hideing the car a block or 2 out of sight, go in for a shot, then leave to my car tuss leaving them with a discription of clothing and no more no less.

becaus of this act of a costomer/ walker by, I missed a good shot yeaterday that i was going to pull over to shoot, but i was like never mind, i don't need a cop at my door.

The public is led to beleive that rail photography is illegal, whereas we whom preform it know it's not. that missunderstanding is what is causing these cases. mabe if a formal adress on the news were made and the public award of the truth things might dampin down.

keeping a "low profile" is a "terriost/criminal" way of doing business, shuch as not to get caught. keeping a high profile as we fan's should do, would make it (safer) for "thoes reporting us"

I don't know, but I beleive that a "Low Profile" is more suspicious then makeing your self known and your hobby understanded.

Any thoughts?

Since I know that the LIRR personnel and police are looking out for photographers, I tend to act more suspiciously that I would otherwise. This in turn makes me more likely to be viewed more suspiciously by them - which makes me even more paranoid. It's a vicious cycle

Bob, I Agree With you were on the same page here.

? how large is this group that goes out and photograph trains? are we too huge to make contract with the authority(ies) to have an agreement that we can make these thick heads understnad that we can and will comply in terms of helping them, and all we ask for is the right to photograph?

inorder to do our legal hobby we all need to be criminal minded and act like the the very people the government is trying to catch. if we can only come to agreement and the authorities understnad that if we can "be our selves" and not be criminal minded to be a fan, that it will more or less single out thoes whom they really need to capture and will let them worry about more suspicious subjects. like the pregnenet 17 yo about yo jump on the tracks, or the costomers that play choke the chicken with a triain. lets single thoes out and let us help.

I still feel that with a strongly worded letter and mabe even air time on the news, and a good newsday artical defication will hit the rotary ossilator and we might just get reconized and usefull subjects then "another prospective terrorist"

I think LIRR photographers are much fewer in numbers and have much less clout than, say, Subway photographers (of which I am one, too).

Right now I am trying to solve this issue in a rational and non-confrontational manner. I mentioned previously that I wrote NY1 and Todd Meisel. I just sent out my letter to the NY Civil Liberties Union yesterday and I will wait a while for their responses, if any.

After that I (and I hope several of you) intend to write the LIRR as they said I should do in their email to me, and formally request to take pictures (probably Jamaica on a Saturday since I don't have any good pictures of the renovated station), and see what their response is. Also, I would hope that more of you will question them about photography through their website.

I think that we should be writing letters to the editors of the various newspapers, TV and radio stations and politicians saying that the LIRR is demanding advance notice and insurance coverage in order to take photos, which is in effect a de facto photoban even though no such prohibition is on the books in any law, rule or regulation.

You got it naild bob,

I totally agree. Definatly with getting the media involved.

Whoa, Pardners!!!!

A certain LIRR "historian" tried to embarass the LIRR into restoring a G5s into service by writing editorial letters to the press. It set back our interaction with the LIRR and MTA by 20 years! Don't be stupid!!!
Once you write a letter, the record is permanent, and you can hurt alot of good people by being a jerk. If you want to discuss the problem with the LIRR write a respectful letter to the PR people, but for God sakes, don't place it in Newsday or the NY Times.

If you want to jump from a plane with no parachute, don't take the rest of us along with you!!!!

Oh, never mind.

I will agree with everyone in that we have the right to take pictures, no one's denying that. I gotta agree with Rich here though, if we're TOO agressive with trying to fight for our right to take pictures, the LIRR will fight back harder. The best way to go about this is to just go along with the flow, and we'll be fine. If the company starts feeling like it's being attacked, it'll just shut EVERYONE out. It can do that.

I have an orange coat with a blue at the top, thats the closest i have to LIRR gear. Is there a difference between a long blow and a short blow when your taking pictures of the trains? Most of the times when i take pictures of trains i get a short blows and sometimes i get a long blows.

Depending on the crews and location, youll get a few shorts or sometimes get a short/long combo, and if your real lucky a full 14L that you might need to call ahead for, though youll get what i call a 14LS --o- but all short blasts
14LShort. i have gotten them a coupple of times.

As for putting it in the news paper, I personally am not by no means looking to embaras the LIRR in any way, but rather want to aid them in keeping it safe, and all i ask is to be left alone and alowd to shoot where i want as long as it's in a safe location or alond the ROW in a safe mannor and safe distance from the tracks, while still not tresspassing on RR properity.

if i can do it like that fine, im not looking to embaras the LIRR but more or less the politicians and authorities whom scard the livins out of the people by makeing them thing every photographer is a terrorist.

this can go on and on and get no where. mabe a meeting with LIRR officials, one day and we can discuess a plan with them and make an understanding? doing it like that since we are a small group will not get the "wrong people" IE media involved, and will build a strong positive relationship with the LIRR.

It seems to me they have already shut everyone out. How many of you intend to take out $1 million in liability insurance in order to take some train pictures?

When the MTA NYC Transit proposed the Subway photoban, it was the publicity and public outcry that made them back down.

One point to consider is where you are taking the photo from versus what you are taking the photo of. If you are on public property, not LIRR property, which technically is tresspassing, you can photograph the railroads all day long. If you are on any railroads right of way, including station platforms, trackside anywhere on the lone, and parking lots, they can tell you to leave.

In most cases even if you are in the right though, it isn't worth the hassle and potential detainment, even though you'll probably be let off. I was stopped by CSX police in Washington, and I was on CSX property. The officer took my info and apologized for having to ask me to leave. He explained that he knew railfans were the extra eyes and ears he needed but he had to enforce CSX policy. He proceded to direct me to nearby "public spaces" with great views of the rails for photography.

Jeff
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