DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

NYPD

Flying a drone over Hart Island mass graves got a photographer cited and his drone seized

Apr 17, 2020 by Dunja Djudjic 38 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in New York City is alarming. Because of this, there have reportedly been more mass burials on Hart Island than ever. Photographer George Steinmetz was recently documenting a burial ditch on Hart Island with his drone, which put him in legal trouble. His drone was confiscated by the police and he was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket.

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

NYPD Wants to Charge a TV News Network $36,000 for Body Camera Footage

Jan 19, 2016 by Liron Samuels 3 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Events such as Ferguson led to increased usage of body cameras in police departments across the U.S., but as the cameras’ popularity soars so do the questions about who owns the footage and how much of it should be made available to the public.

As Arstechnica reports, one question hasn’t been discussed as often – how much should it cost to obtain the footage from the wearable cameras under state open-access laws – and as a Time Warner Cable News operation found out, it’s currently ridiculously expensive.

As one might expected, the matter is now going to court.

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Photographer Defeats Unlawful NYPD Search in 7 Seconds

May 14, 2015 by Liron Samuels 40 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Recently it seems like every other day there’s a story in the headlines about police officers abusing their power and violating civil rights.

Shawn Randal Thomas, an event photographer from New York City, is the kind of person who fights for his rights and firmly believes in civilian oversight.

As such his YouTube channel hosts a variety of videos recording law enforcement officers during one activity or another, pointing fingers at those he thinks are bad apples.

This probably won’t come to you as a surprise, but spending so much time around cops and always against them won’t get you on their good list. In fact, Thomas has been arrested six times (as of May 2014); though no matter the charge he was never found guilty.

The video below, which has been viewed 380,000 times in just 4 days, shows Thomas putting his knowledge of the law, experience and what many think is a too-large serving of disrespect, to brush off a couple of NYPD officers who ask what he’s carrying in his bag.

While he succeeded to avoid answering the cops’ question and was left alone, one must wonder if his provocative behavior doesn’t attract police and give photographers a bad name.

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Mayor Candidate Records a Police Beating, Gets Arrested for “Menacing” the Cops Involved

Aug 16, 2014 by Maaz Khan 10 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

A few days ago, NYPD Chief Phillip Banks issued a memo reminding police officers that people have the right to fill them while they’re on duty, and that they can’t interfere and try to stop it from happening. It took only three days since then, unfortunately, for that memo to be forgotten.

Yesterday, an previously New York Mayor candidate named Randy Credico was arrested and jailed for recording the aggressive arrest of a man by officers in street clothes. While on his way to a campaign interview, Credico saw the two officers taking control of the man at the Van Cortland Park subway station, located in the Bronx.

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Trending Quizzes

DIYP Quiz: So, you think you know film cameras?

quiz film camera from the back

DIYP Quiz: Cameras in the movies

diyp quiz cameras movies

DIYP Quiz: How much storage does it have?

diyp quiz how much storage

more quizzes

New York City Police Department Issued Memo On Photographers Rights…Finally

Aug 12, 2014 by Tiffany Mueller 4 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

In a memo handed down to New York City Police precincts on Wednesday, the Chief of Department, Philip Banks, reminded his staff that photographers do indeed have the right to photograph on duty police officers. This comes two long years after the Washington DC police force issued a strikingly similar notice to its officers. It also follows the tragic death of a Staten Island man that was killed after being placed in a chokehold by a member of the NYPD. The memo instructs police officers to not interfere or interrupt photographers unless the are explicitly interfering with operations being performed by the officers.

“Members of the public are legally allowed to record police interactions. Intentional interference such as blocking or obstructing cameras or ordering the person to cease constitutes censorship and also violates the First Amendment.”

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Recording Shows, NYC Drone Incident Was Not Risky To The Helicopter

Jul 10, 2014 by Udi Tirosh 15 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Yesterday we shared a story about a couple of drones flying at an NYPD helicopter and putting it at severe risk. Well guess what, A recording from LaGuardia airport Air Traffic Control tells a different story all together.

Yesterday’s story was about two individuals, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza, who were flying their quadcopters  over George Washington Bridge in New York while a police helicopter was patrolling the area. Yesterday, the story was about how the helicopter had to take evasive action to avoid a hit. Remy and Wilkins were arrested.

Today, Motherboard shares that a recording of the air traffic control from LaGuardia airport was posted by the website liveatc.net. Hear below.[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Two Drones Nearly Hit a Helicopter, and the Men Responsible React in the Most Immature Manner Possible

Jul 9, 2014 by Maaz Khan 15 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

At about 12:15 midnight, Remy Castro and Wilkins Mendoza were flying their two quadcopters over George Washington Bridge in New York; at the same time, an New York Police Department chopper was present and patrolling the area – the two remote controlled quadcopters were headed straight for it. Luckily, the NYPD officers present noticed the two of them, and had to divert the chopper’s direction to avoid hitting the two of them.

Had one of the quadcopters hit the propeller of the chopper, things could have gotten ugly. There were a number of ways things could have gone wrong in this situation, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place if we expect to be able to keep our right to freely use quadcopters in the US. If you follow this website at all, you know our stance on photography and how it relates to the law; but as supportive as we are of the right to use these devices, we can’t be surprised when regulations get put up because of things like this.

The two men that manned the quadcopters were immediately arrested after the NYPD traced the flying devices back to them. And even after they were taken in, they spewed out dialogue that was nothing short of immature and inexcusable. One of them told the Criminal Court that it was “just a toy” and that they “were just playing with it“.[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Removing The Camera Drone from the Scene of the NYC Gas Explosion Was the Right Thing to Do

Mar 14, 2014 by Maaz Khan 11 Comments
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

On Wednesday, Harlem’s community suffered tremendously when a gas leak explosion brought down two apartment buildings, killing 8 people and leaving over 70 injured. The NYPD was again faced with the task of digging through rubble to find any signs of survivors in a demolished area, bringing back memories to many people of what happened back on 9/11. A bizarre incident, however, did manage to make an appearance in the midst of everything when one photographer, Brian Wilson, caught some attention for his camera’s setup; it was on a flying drone.

The flying drone, a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, managed to take a (pretty well done, might I add) aerial shot of the debris from the explosion that morning, and the photo was posted to the photographer’s Instagram account. It wasn’t, however, until the drone caught the attention of the NYPD that things got slightly controversial. I take that back; it already started turning heads of other people before it got noticed by the police, and even the people themselves got worried.

[Read More…]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Peak Design’s Micro Clutch is the perfect solution for holding small cameras
  • SmallRig PowerADC brings USB charging to Canon, Sony and Fujifilm batteries
  • Irix announces native E mount versions of its 15mm f/2.4 and 150mm macro lenses
  • SheClicks launches brand new Women in Photography podcast
  • Expert advice for photographers: How to use Google Search Console

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy