FOTOLIA CEO DETAINED BY POLICE FOR TAKING PICTURES
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Deciding to put the new Nikon D80 through its paces, early one afternoon in Paris this week, Fotolia CEO Thibaud Elziere found himself on the wrong side of the law and, while innocently snapping away, one image would change the rest of his day.
Walking down the Rue Vaneau in Paris, Thibaud captured an image of a CCTV camera similar to the one shown above. Within minutes, Thibaud was approached by the French Police and detained for the better part of the day.
Unknown to Thibaud he had captured the CCTV camera of the French Prime Minister’s personal residence and caused a great security concern. According to Thibaud, there were no signs or warnings about photography in the area. A simple click and his day was ruined.
The police questioned him about what he was doing in the area, if he had any terrorism connections, about his work, and why he would want to take a picture of a CCTV camera. Thibaud relates that his first answer of “taking pictures for fun” did not satisfy them. He soon outlined his connection with Fotolia and testing the camera. After 8 hours of questioning and background checks, they returned his camera and escorted him home. In a good faith effort and without request Thibaud deleted the image.
Thibaud said he feels no malice or bad feelings towards the police or the prime minister but due to the current terrorism issues in the world, his experience was an inconvenience and should be a warning to other photographers.
In an effort to help photographers avoid this problem in the future, Thibaud makes the following recommendations:
1. Avoid photographing security and highly sensitive areas
2. Always carry personal ID and work ID (like a business card)
3. Be polite and answer questions honestly if approached by the police
4. Do not joke with security personel and police
Technorati Tags : Fotolia | CEO | Police | Terrorism | Paris | Photography |
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