Alert but not alarmed photographed

Interesting article in today's Age about Southgate banning photography.

While I find it very difficult to believe that the management of large public buildings can really be that concerned about potential terrorists taking snapshots of their blow-up worthy premises, it seems that we're just catching up with the rest of the world.

For those of you too lazy to read that link, it's the blog of Tony Hawk, a San Francisco blogger who has had a number of run-ins with local security people while taking photos of buildings on the streets of San Fran.

There are a number of things that I don't like about this but one of the most troubling is this:

Southgate management has erected "no camera" signs around the Yarra River retail and dining centre after security guards tried to force tourists to delete photos taken of "obscure" parts of buildings.

The police were called when they refused.

The report does not go into detail about what happened when the police actually arrived. Presumably the security guards involved were told to stop being such officious tossers and to let the photographer(s) head off on their merry way.

Since when has it been acceptable to detain someone until police arrive for refusing to either delete a photograph of a public building (or at least an "obscure" bit of it), or refrain from taking said photo in the first place? Not only is it a position that is entirely untenable, it's just patently ridiculous.

Southgate management said exceptions would only be made for photographs of things such as the Ophelia sculpture on the Yarra promenade.

I think the idea of Southgate centre management making decisions about what is photographically worthy is brilliant! I suggest we put them in charge of all Melbourne's cultural icons, let's give them the Melbourne Festival to run, ooh and the National Gallery, the Potter, and the MTC.

If we were talking about a military installation or a nuclear power station I can understand people being cautious, but not even those examples warrant this type of behaviour and the fact that this is Southgate is just an insult to the city and everyone who lives in it.

Get over yourselves Southgate centre management. If Flinders St station, Federation Square, the Rialto, the MCG, the Tennis Centre, Spring St, 101 Collins and countless others don't feel threatened by someone taking photos of 'obscure' parts of their buildings, then I think you might be over-reacting. Just a touch.