Rue Crémieux is a picturesque street in Paris, with lovely colorful facades and old houses. And just like Notting Hill: it has become swarmed by Instagrammers and the residents have had enough. They want their peace back, so they are asking the city government to ban photo and video shoots on weekends and evenings.
Miami Beach Police bust out the blimp to get around surveillance drone ban
Law in Florida forbids the police to use drones for surveillance of citizens. However, it seems that Miami Beach police have found a legal loophole. Instead of a drone, they use a miniature blimp with a camera attached to it.
FAA proposes that electronics is banned from checked luggage on all international flights
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently proposed that the laptop ban should expand to all international flights. This time, it won’t refer to the laptops, cameras and other devices in the carry-on, but in the checked luggage. Reportedly, the United Nations will consider the proposal in the upcoming weeks. If it gets accepted, you may not be able to put large electronic devices in your checked bags, no matter where from or where to you’re traveling.
Greek island bans all foreign weddings over one couple’s photo [NSFW]
I guess all couples want to have interesting and memorable wedding photos. But after a British couple made their photo on the Greek island of Rhodes, they caused quite an outrage from the island’s top bishop.
Matthew and Carly got married in Rhodes. In front of the monastery of St Paul, still in the wedding attire, they simulated oral sex for the photo. The Of course, it was a joke, in accordance with their sense of humor. But the bishop didn’t find it funny, and as a result – all foreign weddings are now banned at this holy place.
Before you proceed, I must warn you that the photo is pretty NSFW, so be careful who’s standing behind you.
Tunisair Stole My Cameras
On Saturday 1 July, £600 worth of cameras and equipment were stolen from inside my rucksack, itself packed into a larger suitcase, during a Tunisair flight from Tunis to London Heathrow whilst they were checked into the hold of the plane.
Like any discerning photographer, or indeed sensible human being, the idea of checking my cameras in rather than keeping them with me in hand luggage was unthinkable, but as it turns out, I didn’t have a choice.
Instagram Lays Down the Banhammer on 3rd Party Apps, Minimizes API Access
Last week, it was revealed InstaAgent, a third party Instagram app, was stealing users credentials and using them to post unauthorized photos to accounts.
In what can only be considered a direct result of this news, Instagram has announced a massive change in policies that will dramatically impact third party apps by limiting how much developers are able to do with its API.[Read More…]
Japan Tightens Lenient Laws after Radioactive Drone Lands on Prime Minister’s Roof
Less than a month after a camera-equipped drone carrying trace amounts of radioactive substances was discovered on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office, legislators are starting to crack down on radio-controlled aerial devices.
Drones have been banned in all 81 of Tokyo’s public parks and gardens, and additional legislation is in the works and will ban using them above “important facilities” such as government buildings, embassies, the Imperial Palace and the Supreme Court.
Now that drones have made headlines in the country and attracted the attention of lawmakers, it is expected that even more laws will be implemented ahead of the G7 Summit in 2016 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Cannes Film Festival Cracking Down on “Grotesque” Red-Carpet Selfies
Just as hunters like to document their trophy kills, many celebrities take every opportunity to capture their own success. The selfie has become an increasingly popular method of doing so and allows easily sharing the experience with their fans, but not everybody approves of this kind of photography.
The prestigious film festival’s artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, introduced the new photography limitation while announcing the lineup of movies for the upcoming event.
The official reason is that the ceremony is slowed down when “people stop every two metres to take a picture of themselves, with themselves”, but it sounds like Frémaux’s personal opinion about the selfie played a major role in the decision.
Colorado Introduces “Right to Record” Bill Punishing Police Officers Interfering With Photographers
In a pleasantly surprising yet most welcome turn of events legislators have proposed a bill that will protect photographers’ rights and increase police oversight, rather than limit them suggested by several recent bills.
Unlike the bill proposed in the nearby state of Texas, banning photography within 25 feet of police, Colorado’s bill seeks to punish officers who interfere with lawful recordings of police activity by imposing significant penalties on violators.
The bill, titled “Concerning Prohibiting A Peace Officer From Interfering With A Person Lawfully Recording A Peace Officer-Involved Incident”, is just one of the steps being considered in order to increase police oversight in Colorado and hopefully it will lead to similar legislation in other states.
First New York, Now Paris? Selfie Sticks Are Under Attack
Following in the footsteps of US museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim, Hirshhorn Museum, and the Getty Center, Museums in Paris are considering the ban of selfie sticks.
The Palace of Versailles seems to be spearheading the ban with its guards already ordering visitors to keep their selfie sticks packed away, and the ban is expected to become formal “within weeks”.
The Pompidou Centre which houses the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Europe’s largest modern art museum, is “heading towards a ban” as well.
The Louvre is said to be concerned, while the Musee d’Orsay has nothing to worry about.
