Anyone take photos while on the train?

[PVD]

Many people don't realize the myriad of subtle differences that come into play. Patents, trademarks, copyright, royalties, and licensing are huge areas of legal practice. much of that is covered under Federal laws, but "personality" use issues are almost exclusively handled by the states. There is a reason why IP law is one of the few growth areas in corporate law today. Funny thing, I have a few DVDs of old tv programs where some of the music is changed, the original rights deals didn't cover anything other than tv use, because home video didn't exist. When a deal could not be made, the music had to changed to release the show....

 

[jis]

I thought this article gives a pretty good set of guidelines, which I tend to follow myself. And yes, I do a lot of candid photography that is seldom shared with anyone, but is well within the bounds prescribed by this article.

https://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/street-photography-and-the-law-7-things-you-need-to-know/

I have taken a lot of general photos in Coach and Business Class cars on Amtrak, Brightline and other passenger rail outfits in the US, and in passenger rail cars outside the US, where the subject was the interior and not in particular any individual, though often many get caught in the photos. I have never had a problem.

OTOH usually when a person that is individually identifiable is the subject I tend to be much more careful about it, unless it is a long telephoto shot out in the hills or even on a street. High quality telephoto zoom lenses makes this an interesting challenge on the whole. But in that case in general the "expectation of privacy" test is the most appropriate one to use. Also the discussion about "public place" in the article is of relevance too.

Just IMHO.

 

[Maglev]

The OP requested pictures of people, and here's a couple more that I have. The first is a shot of sunset over Puget Sound from the wrong side of the train. The single seats on the older (more comfortable) Talgos are usually on the opposite side from the water. The second shot is of bags of linens from the Coast Starlight in Klamath Falls. How and why are linens taken off there? The guy in the center seems to have made eye contact with my camera, and didn't have anything to say to me.

 

[BCL]

The one thing I got from that article is to be cognizant about how one's photography may be disrupting others. There's nothing more annoying than when I'm driving in San Francisco and someone is just standing in a crosswalk taking a selfie. And even credentialed photographers often get it wrong. One time I was at a baseball game sitting with a group of regulars I knew. There was a credentialed photographer who seemed to not quite understand what was or wasn't acceptable. Most credentialed photographers work in camera wells set up for them, but they are allowed to roam the venue. However, she was blocking the view and eventually security came to her telling her that her credential didn't give her that privilege.

 

[Ryan]

I thought this article gives a pretty good set of guidelines, which I tend to follow myself. And yes, I do a lot of candid photography that is seldom shared with anyone, but is well within the bounds prescribed by this article.

https://www.clickinmoms.com/blog/street-photography-and-the-law-7-things-you-need-to-know/

I have taken a lot of general photos in Coach and Business Class cars on Amtrak, Brightline and other passenger rail outfits in the US, and in passenger rail cars outside the US, where the subject was the interior and not in particular any individual, though often many get caught in the photos. I have never had a problem.

OTOH usually when a person that is individually identifiable is the subject I tend to be much more careful about it, unless it is a long telephoto shot out in the hills or even on a street. High quality telephoto zoom lenses makes this an interesting challenge on the whole. But in that case in general the "expectation of privacy" test is the most appropriate one to use. Also the discussion about "public place" in the article is of relevance too.

Just IMHO.

Brilliant article. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Gracious Traveler]

With regard to the Amish and other Mennonites; one must understand that a photograph is a "graven image", and their strong religion forbids it. Period. (Exodus 24:6) If they know they are being photographed, someone is sinning in so doing. It is a transgression of divine law. These lovely "plain people" are driven in everything they do by biblical laws. Please respect them. Please. It's what we do in Pennsylvania. Chat with them. And remember that English is not their household language. They speak a dialect of German now known as "Pennsylvania Dutch" (Deutsch) or in Ohio, a Swiss/German dialect. I am inspired by them - and their work ethic, if you didn't guess.

 

[Railroad Bill]

With regard to the Amish and other Mennonites; one must understand that a photograph is a "graven image", and their strong religion forbids it. Period. (Exodus 24:6) If they know they are being photographed, someone is sinning in so doing. It is a transgression of divine law. These lovely "plain people" are driven in everything they do by biblical laws. Please respect them. Please. It's what we do in Pennsylvania. Chat with them. And remember that English is not their household language. They speak a dialect of German now known as "Pennsylvania Dutch" (Deutsch) or in Ohio, a Swiss/German dialect. I am inspired by them - and their work ethic, if you didn't guess.

Thank you for sharing this information about our Amish communities in Ohio. We live near several Amish groups, they sell products at our farmer markets at church and partake of many stores and businesses in our town. Do not take photos of them at short distances or for personal photos. Respect their beliefs. They ride Amtrak quite often from Cleveland on the LSL & CL. Would never take their photo in the station or on the train.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Some of us have equally valid non-religious beliefs that drive our desire to avoid becoming a subject in someone else's narrative. I know that I've ended up in numerous photos and videos of others by genuine accident and I have no problem with that. It's the people who seek to turn a stranger into an identifiable subject covertly or against their wishes who bother me. I saw many posts that seemed to equate on-board photographs with street photography, but if you actually tried to photograph people aboard Amtrak from a street corner you'd see darkened windows in the daytime and silhouettes at night. Not to mention in the era of easy doxing and deadly swatting the law's outdated concept of reasonable privacy has a long way to catch up.

 

[PVD]

From a legal perspective it is more or less comparable to street photography. Being legally able to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do in every circumstance. Being rude or disrespectful of other peoples feelings or wishes is generally not ok, regardless of legality.

 

[BCL]

A graven image means idolatry. The issue with photography of the Amish is far more cultural than religious. And again they're not monolithic either. Different communities apparently have their own interpretations as I've even seen posed photos and video done with permission. Obviously there are communities that are less restrictive than others when it comes to photography. As an example, look up Yoder's Restaurant & Amish Village in Florida. Here's a photo of their founders:

Of course nobody wants to be a curiosity or a freak show. Its always OK to be respectful.

I dont worry about people ending up in the background of my vacation photos. I dont go around looking to invade anyones privacy, but I know I end up in the background too and can't really complain.

 

[RichieRich]

Didn't the Amish have their own Reality Show once???

 

[Gracious Traveler]

Yes. It was called "Breaking Amish", and was about former Amish who left their Amish past, and the struggles they had in the "real world". There were no Amish in the show. This forum is about trains, so we should really drop this and move on. But before we go on to another subject, might I add that there are Mennonites, Amish Mennonites, Old Order Mennonites, Dunkers, Hutterites, and Brethren. Each has a different set of "rules" - often shown in slight variations of buggy color - even hub-cap color!, dress. etc. Yet they are often bunched into being called "Amish" by many. (side story: The "Whoopie Pie" is of Pennsylvania Amish origin. Field workers and school children did need some dessert after their hearty packed lunches. Cake was nice, and icing was imperative, but messy. So they put the icing safely in the middle! No icing in the lunch pail!)