Shooting in New York City

In all of my travels I have never shot a single frame in New York City, nor have I ever aspired to. In all of my years as a photographer I have heard nothing but horror stories about shooting in NYC. The NYPD seems to behave more like thugs and vigilantes than as police officers. Over the years I have heard and read story after story after story of photographers being harassed and even arrested, especially if you are carrying a tripod. In fact, taking a tripod to New York seems to be the easiest way for an American to go to Cuba, specifically Guantanamo.

Finally, the Mayor's Office has now set official permitting rules as described in this article in Variety. It will take months if not years for the police on the street to learn what the rules actually are, probably only after another civil liberties lawsuit or two, but at least there is hope.

As described in Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting Adopts Permitting Rules (where you can download the rules in their entirety:

Under the adopted rules, a permit would be required for filming if equipment or vehicles, as defined in the rule, are used or if the person filming asserts exclusive use of City property. Equipment does not include hand-held devices (such as hand-held film, still, or television cameras or videocameras) or tripods used to support such cameras, but a permit would be required in certain situations when the person filming asserts exclusive use of City property while using a hand-held device.

And also, from the actual rules PDF:

For purposes of this subparagraph, standing on a street, walkway of a bridge, sidewalk, or other pedestrian passageway while using a handheld device and not otherwise asserting exclusive use by any means, including physical or verbal, is not activity that requires a permit.

b. The following activities do not require that a permit be obtained pursuant to this chapter:

(i) Filming, photography, production, television or radio remotes occurring on City property, as described in subdivision (a) of this section, involving the use of handheld devices as defined in paragraph three of subdivision (a) of § 9-02, (A) if such activity does not involve the assertion by any means, including physical or verbal, of exclusive use of one or more lanes of a street or walkway of a bridge or (B) if such activity does not involve the assertion by any means, including physical or verbal, of exclusive use of more than one-half of a sidewalk or other pedestrian passageway or, in a situation in which the sidewalk or pedestrian passageway is narrower than sixteen feet, does not involve the assertion by any means, including physical or verbal, of exclusive use of the sidewalk or pedestrian passageway such that less than eight feet is otherwise available for pedestrian use.