CBC News reports that nearly 1,000 photographers converged on the Sydney Opera House yesterday in order to protest photography permit laws.
The photographers are members of the group “Arts Freedom Australia” which on their website states..
Back Home700 photographers gathered at Campbells Cove in Sydney to vent their displeasure at some of the many and varied photography policies that exist around the country.
4 Comments at "Australian Photographers Protest"
Funny how the “artists” mentioned that it was ok to charge the “commerical shooter” with clients, gear and cables all over the place.
It’s the amateurs that have no respect for rules or private property that have created laws like this. They want to be able to do whatever they want to do without any interference. Unfortunately THEY are the one’s actions cause like this to be passed.
If you want to “create” and then make money off of it, then pay your dues.
I am all for the protest. The tax on photographers is a double whammy. The free publicity that comes from the images of our tourism icons is quite immense. Some of these icons would only be famous because a photographer took the photo and had it published. Wave rock in Western Australia for example. To make it hard for photographers then governments are cutting off a free source of publicity. It does not make sense. Maybe the photographers should charge for the publicity that comes from the images. Good luck guys. I hope you can make a difference in the laws.
A big thanks to Ken Duncan for getting this together and a great turn out for a just cause
A big phhhhht to our great minister for the arts for not showing his bald head, useless waste
of space like the lot of them ( sorry but true ) others think it, i say it.
So where do we go from here.
Myself and a few others put Coogee on the map as a tourist stopover with photographs since 1993
now you have to pay to do so, not just pros but everyone, well i say dont pay and prove you are not shooting just clouds and the landmark is in the way , its all a joke, next there will be a tax for looking, oh i thought it was yours and my, tax dollars that paid for the landmarks. if i do a commercial shoot with models and assistants i pay fair enough, but no way am i paying to shoot solo for love of art.
i carry id and have 10 million dollars public liability insurance pay my tax , own a photostudio and vote.
@Geo, the dues are already paid, they are called taxes and rates. Should writers have to pay to write? Should painters be required to get a permit to paint? You think photographers should be the only artists singled out?
The councils are only stewards of the Public land, they collect rates etc to enable them to do the maintenance on our behalf. Once that maintenance is paid for we can do what ever we want, as long as we don’t have any more impact than others that use the place.
Simply having commercial gain intent does NOT have any more or less impact than a tourist.
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