No Cameras In Tim’s
17
My friend Lex had a recent
run in with Tim Horton’s. For you non-Canadian folks, Tim Horton’s is a popular Coffee and Donut chain in Canada.
Some people would even argue that Tim Horton’s is a Canadian insitution. Especially how they market themselves as being a part of the Canadian experience. So you think they would be a company that would encourage you to create memories. I know I personally have a bunch of Tim’s memories especially related to road tripping anywhere along any of the 400 series highways here in Ontario.
This is not the type of memory I thought would be tied to Tim’s
Yesterday I swung into the Tim Hortons location at 111 Carlton for a pack of timbits. I’d just gotten off the streetcar, and was on my way to Allen Gardens to take some photographs in the green houses.
I had my digital camera in hand, and it was on, when I walked into the location. The woman behind the counter immediately, and I mean IMMMEDIATELY, told me “you can’t be in here with a camera”.
No I understand that it would be a problem if Lex was running around the store taking pictures of anything and everything, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
I actually had a similiar experience last Saturday on the Danforth.
Two seconds after taking this shot, a woman unlocks the door to the store and informs me that I am not allowed to take shots in the store.
I proceed to tell her that I am not in the store, I am on the sidewalk.
She closes the door behind her and walks back into the store in a huff.
We then returned to take this shot.
If they don’t want something photographed, then they shouldn’t put it blatently in the window or they should install curtains so no one could see inside. Otherwise I think it is fair game. In any case, it’s not like I was going to make any money off of this image. So I’m not exactly sure what the fear is about.
Have you had any similiar experiences with your camera?
I know Andrew had a similiar experience a couple of weeks back.
UPDATE: In a similar experience I was at a subway station a couple of years ago with Natalie and a TTC employee told me I wasn’t allowed to take pictures on TTC property without permission. According to their bylaws [16. b) ], this isn’t entirely true.
No person shall operate for commercial purposes any camera, video recording device, movie camera, or any similar device upon any vehicle or premises of the Commission without authorization.
As long as I am not selling any of the images I am allowed to shoot on the premises.
Here are some other related links.
* Don’t Shoot off in Bellvue Park [a similar article from earlier this year]
* The Photographer’s Right
* You Can’t take Pictures Here! [a flickr group]
* Photo Taking and the Law [a discussion on flickr central]
* Assult on Photography Going from Bad to Worse [thread on the photoblogs.org]
I am fairly sure I was told quite some time ago that Tim Horton’s was purchased by a US outfit. I have not drunk a coffee at a Tim Horton’s since, but that is primarily because the coffee I make myself is so much better.
At the same time, this hassle and “similar experiences”, to which you linked, have introduced some great work on sites that are new to me. Thanks for sharing your own good work, and for the links as well. If you get a chance, Rannie, stop in Burlington for a cup of real coffee.
hehe… If I had a dime for every time I’ve gotten kicked out of a place for taking pictures…
I’ve been hassled in many public places for taking photos of buildings. I think that as long as you’ve got a tiny p&s camera or cameraphone, and you’re taking photos of people (your friends/family) they’re okay with it… but as soon as you bring a larger camera (like an slr) and you’re photographing buildings, shops, etc, they get really suspicious. This is the result of post sept. 11 paranoia… which really sucks because they treat me like a criminal, while all I’m trying to do is appreciate the architectural beauty in my city.
Anyway, great article Rannie, and here’s a related blog:http://blog.photoblogs.org/2005/07/assault_on_phot.html
I had a pimply faced security child tell me that I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the Exchange Tower (the smaller tower next to the BMO building downtown). I was standing on the public sidewalk, taking pictures of the building. He said I wasn’t allowed, for “Security Reasons”. I said “Oh, ok” and continued shooting. He went back inside without another word, which I felt was kind of… odd.
A few years ago in New York I took a picture of a building near Federal Plaza because it said “City of New York” – what I didn’t know was DUbya was in town that day. Let’s just say that if I wasn’t a Polite Canadian White Guy I probably would have ended up in some little room somewhere. Scary. And it wasn’t even a good pic.
I had a similar experience photographing the Scotia tower. The security guard asked me to stop taking pictures of the building, on the sidewalk, and I politely told her to call whoever it is she needed to call and that I’d happily explain to them why I would in fact not be stopping taking pictures.
Know your rights and assert your rights. Its the only way to keep them.
I was stopped outside the new Federal Reserve on the street in Houston by a guard. I was 100 yards away in the public right of way!
What the hell? I take pictures at Tim Horton’s all the time! Well, not all the time, but I have several pictures taken there. And I’m really obvious about it too. I also have a picture of me with a smiley cookie somewhere.
Two and a half years ago, I won a mountain bike in Tim Horton’s “Roll Up The Rim To Win” campaign. The day the store (in Woodbridge, ON) phoned me to tell me that my bike was in, I was on the way to a wedding, so I decided to stop by and pick up my bike on my way back between wedding and reception.
I showed up, digital camera in hand, in a wedding suit and a bike helmet (just to be a nut). I took pictures of me riding it in the store, and some of the staff even posed for photos with me inside the Tim’s. I think I took them by surprise, but I must have taken a dozen shots in there without anyone saying anything.
a couple of years ago – september 2003 to be exact – i needed a photo of lacy underwear to accompany a particular post, and was shooting a lingerie shop’s sidewalk display when i was very rudely shooed away (i ended up finding suitable graffiti to use)..and recently, at a sunday open-air junk market in amsterdam, a stallholder also shooed rachel and i away in a very unpleasant manner. i have serious doubts about their right to discourage photography when their wares are in a public place, but, after voicing my take on the situation, i usually just shrug my shoulders and avoid confrontation..
Maybe you look like a terrorist to them Rannie
I had a confrontation with a Cop in Boston last year as I was adjusting the settings on my digital camera while walking out of Mass General Hospital after visiting my father. Of course it was around the time of the Democratic Convention and security was tight. But still, what did they think I was going to do. It’s nuts. If they want to be afraid, there are plenty of real fears to worry about.
i tried shooting the grazing bulls in the financial courtyard (i think in between rbc plaza and td courtyard and scotia plaza) on a public holiday a few years back. being a public holiday, the streets in the financial district were deserted and not a soul roaming around in the area. so my friend and i, whip out our camera’s and are about to shoot when a security guard comes out of nowhere, threatens to confiscate our film if we don’t vacate and/or arrest us and we just stood there flabberghasted. all i wanted to do was shoot some bulls!
I worked in a store that created plaster mouldings and my boss instructed me to not let people take pictures of, in and around the store. He was worried of product theft obviously.
Maybe they thought you were Plankton, come to steal the secret of their Crabby Patty timbits?
TTC security and railfans have butted heads more than once about the issue of photography on the system. The people at the top have been very clear: ONLY COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY REQUIRES A LICENSE. Non-commercial photography on the system is perfectly legal, and should not offend any TTC supervisor. Despite this, incidents of railfans being harrassed by TTC supervisors continue.
thanks for posting all the information on this topic. i love street photography immensely but the thought of being assailed by police, security guards and other aggressive people have, sadly, dampened my enthusiasm for this topic.
Glad to see its not just us Londoners who are dealing with this crap!
I finally had enough and developed a laminated card which explains the rights of photographers in the UK.
This was handed out yesterday at the European Photobloggers Meetup and it was in use a couple of hours ago.
Best thing is to know your rights and show the people who think differently that they are in the wrong
I came across this, http://krages.com/phoright.htm, earlier today actually – although it’s US based it might still be a good read.
I was talking to a guy a couple of weeks ago who actually got hauled into the police station after he was asked by mall security to stop taking video with his cell phone a few times. He had to go through and show them all the shots to make sure he wasn’t doing the whole downblouse, upskirt thing
This is his output – http://www.motofilmproject.com/archives/mguez/index.html
I had a similar incident happen to me last night. Deets at
http://www.pxleight.com/journal/rants/freedom-of-photographic-expression/