Cant use flash at skatepark incase of epileptics?

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Dave Price
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Went down to Cantelowes skatepark in Camden today to get a few shots for my uni project, and was told to pack all of my flash lighting equipment away as there not allowed on the skatepark incase anyone was epileptic?!?!

Anyone else come across this at this park or at any other park?

Cheers
Pricer
 
No i didn't think of that at the time, he just said pack them away or you will be thrown of the premises. Theres also an astro turf, basketball court and an outside gym there. Not sure if the skatepark is park of that complex though? No signs of any sort round the skatepark at all.
 
oh for goodness sake, are photographers only allowed to shoot images within their own homes for not wanting to cause upset, fear or harm to others.....I, like many people suffer with hayfever...perhaps I should demand that the local shop refrains from selling certain plants this year in case I have a reaction!!!!!.....best of luck with your project, sounds like you may need it!!
 
Looks like private property so you're pretty much at the mercy of the landowner/security guard etc.
Just get chatting with some of the skaters/riders etc and shoot them elsewhere. I've used flash at lots of outdoor unsupervised parks and never had a problem.
 
I thought most epileptics, if they are going to be affected any sort of lighting, would suffer from strobing lights rather than teh odd random single flash.
 
Photosensative epilepsy affects only about 5% of epileptics, and it is unlikely to be brought on by a single flash. When they issue the warnings (on the news etc) about flash photography it is when multiple flashes are involved or strobe lighting.

For more information go to the Epilepsy society website.
 
I would have instantly thought that it so it never blinded the skaters/bikers because some of the stunts they pull require extreme precision in order for them not to end up in hospital in critical condition, that's what I would have assumed rather than photosensitive epilepsy which of course as stated affects a few out of every hundred epileptics however you never know what can happen nowadays...
 
Suppose it's just a case if going along with what the (seemingly uneducated) powers that be say, or go somewhere else unfortunately....
 
To be honest mate if it is an indoor park. They can ask you to leave for any reason they like!
 
Pricer said:
Went down to Cantelowes skatepark in Camden today to get a few shots for my uni project, and was told to pack all of my flash lighting equipment away as there not allowed on the skatepark incase anyone was epileptic?!?!

Anyone else come across this at this park or at any other park?
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I suspect you were given the right instruction, but the wrong reason. Most people will remember the rules, but when asked to explain why there is a tendency to make-up something that sounds vaguely right rather then admit they don't know.

TBH, it's a skatepark not a photographers playground, private property and they can decide whatever rules they think appropriate. Don't get upset about it, move on. There is no "right" to photograph.
 
Alastair said:
I suspect you were given the right instruction, but the wrong reason. Most people will remember the rules, but when asked to explain why there is a tendency to make-up something that sounds vaguely right rather then admit they don't know.

TBH, it's a skatepark not a photographers playground, private property and they can decide whatever rules they think appropriate. Don't get upset about it, move on. There is no "right" to photograph.
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i think alastair has hit the nail on the head here, the guy was on the spot to give you a reason and couldn't remember what is in the rule book so he cobbled one together. as said though, if it's private property, they make the rules whether we as photographers like it or not we have to abide by them.

if you approach a couple of the skaters you might get them to agree to an informal photoshoot. throw them a few copies of them landing some moves to stick on facebook and they should be pretty co-operative
 
I had a similar reasoning, but for something else....i actually laughed at the guy and said.... likelihood was slim that they have what is known as photosensitive epilepsy and if anyone had a fit i was probably the best person for them to have in the building and could sort them out (showed them my work id badge).
I was promptly told to leave the premises...obviously people don't like to be told their wrong :lol:
 
Erm not wishing to go against the grain but I once photographed a subject for work, who ended up having an epileptic fit due to the flash guns, it's not impossible , more so as many of the modern flash guns don't fire a single pulse when they flash .
 
Asha said:
oh for goodness sake, are photographers only allowed to shoot images within their own homes for not wanting to cause upset, fear or harm to others.....I, like many people suffer with hayfever...perhaps I should demand that the local shop refrains from selling certain plants this year in case I have a reaction!!!!!.....best of luck with your project, sounds like you may need it!!
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If you suffered from epileptic fits you would not compare them to hayfever.

zilly said:
Erm not wishing to go against the grain but I once photographed a subject for work, who ended up having an epileptic fit due to the flash guns, it's not impossible , more so as many of the modern flash guns don't fire a single pulse when they flash .
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Plus - if they let one person use flash then lots of people will use it and you could easily end up with strobing.
 
Photosensative epilepsy is generally brought on by strobing at a particular frequency, a bigger issue is where is this going to end, no flash anywhere?
 
swanseamale47 said:
a bigger issue is where is this going to end, no flash anywhere?
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A bigger issue is the increasing assumption that photographers have a right to their "art" and the rest of the world will have to accomodate it.

Maybe noone else fully read the original post, but I noted that the original poster had set-up "all of my flash lighting equipment" before being told to remove it. At no point in this description to I read a mention of the common courtesy of having asked either the owners of the private skatepark or the skaters themselves. I have no sympathy for the OP at all in this circumstance.
 
As an epileptic, yes its possible for a single flash to trigger a seizure. However if someone were epileptic that wasnt properly controlled I dont think they would be skating to be honest!

I agree with Alastair that they probably used this as an excuse, its a common illness that seems to be the scapegoat for a lot of things. I'm sure there are loads of skateparks for you to use, good luck :thumbs:
 
Alastair said:
A bigger issue is the increasing assumption that photographers have a right to their "art" and the rest of the world will have to accomodate it.

Maybe noone else fully read the original post, but I noted that the original poster had set-up "all of my flash lighting equipment" before being told to remove it. At no point in this description to I read a mention of the common courtesy of having asked either the owners of the private skatepark or the skaters themselves. I have no sympathy for the OP at all in this circumstance.
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I don't see it mentioned he had set up anything he says " I was told to pack all of my flash lighting equipment away" that doesn't say he had a flash set up just he was told to put it away, nor does it mention a private skate park in the OP.
 
munch said:
Photosensative epilepsy affects only about 5% of epileptics, and it is unlikely to be brought on by a single flash. When they issue the warnings (on the news etc) about flash photography it is when multiple flashes are involved or strobe lighting.

For more information go to the Epilepsy society website.
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:thumbs:

Having once been tested for Epilepsy (albeit a long time ago) it involved putting me in a chair attached to an Electroencephalograph (EEG) sticking a pair of strobes in-front of my eyes & doing a slow sweep of flash rates - basically to try and induce an epileptic response.

The only thing I can think of that might cause a problem would be when some cameras use a quick burst of flashes to find focus - but I still don't think it would be problematical.

Paul
 
private property - tuff poo poo they can do what they want
public park - they have no right to inforce such a daff rule.


Pricer said:
Went down to Cantelowes skatepark in Camden today to get a few shots for my uni project, and was told to pack all of my flash lighting equipment away as there not allowed on the skatepark incase anyone was epileptic?!?!

Anyone else come across this at this park or at any other park?

Cheers
Pricer
Click to expand...
 
It's council owned so I suggest the best thing is to speak to the council after speaking to some skaters.

If you can go to the council with a plan of shooting x number of skaters on a specific day and time, then you might be more successful, rather than just pitching up with a lot of kit.

Have you thought of shooting without flash?

Contact details are here:
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/conten...sionid=A188D04079B8F7E3FE13771FB06094A7.node2
 
Thats Crazy
 
POAH said:
private property - tuff poo poo they can do what they want
public park - they have no right to inforce such a daff rule.
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Public park - yes they do. It might contain the word Public in the title, butthat gives you no right of access or freedom to act as you wish.
 
Unlucky OP, sounds like since it is private, that's the end of it. I mean you could stand your ground, but really do you want to be getting confrontational with expensive photography gear around...in a skatepark? I'd politely move on, or even try chatting to the owners or peopel that run it and see if you can arrange a photoshoot purely for free and that you will provide results for free on a website. You would HAVe to keep this as a FREE thing and make it so that there is no benefit for yourself other than hobbyist photography providing nice images for all to see...kind of thing. :)
Maybe that could work?
 
Public parks are usually owned by the local council, and the public have the right of free access for recreation etc, subject to any lawful restrictions/conditions of entry imposed by the council.

There are very few places where you're free to do as you please, even on private property
 
Asha said:
oh for goodness sake, are photographers only allowed to shoot images within their own homes for not wanting to cause upset, fear or harm to others.....I, like many people suffer with hayfever...perhaps I should demand that the local shop refrains from selling certain plants this year in case I have a reaction!!!!!.....best of luck with your project, sounds like you may need it!!
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That's a ridiculous statement, you just cannot compare the two ailments. A number of things are known to trigger epilepsy, the most well known is flashing lights. Having been diagnosed when I was 17 I'm lucky enough to have been fine for many years since being on the right medication. However I can thoroughly see the owners/operators views in that they can reduce the possibility of it happening by enforcing this policy.

The answer is to find a park where they don't have such rules and fork around your problem.

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
I photograph a number of professional skaters at various parks in the north west, both private and public. I have a couple of slave units I set up and the guys always come towards me so I dont have to run after them and keep them in the light. Ive never had any jobs worth come over and say anything to me except for thats a nice camera....
 
Jelster said:
That's a ridiculous statement, you just cannot compare the two ailments. A number of things are known to trigger epilepsy, the most well known is flashing lights. Having been diagnosed when I was 17 I'm lucky enough to have been fine for many years since being on the right medication. However I can thoroughly see the owners/operators views in that they can reduce the possibility of it happening by enforcing this policy.

The answer is to find a park where they don't have such rules and fork around your problem.

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
Click to expand...

The problem there is flashing lights are all around us all the time, and it's photo sensitive epilepsy thats trigered by flashing lights, and normally only in a fairly narrow frequency range 16-25 hz, around 5% of epilepsy patients have the PS version.
 
the OP stated it was a places called 'cantelowes skatepark'

to me, that doesent sound like a public park, which means that its there call regardless

however, it might be that it isent an official policy, just some staff member assuming. if it was me id try talking to the manager/owner and asking if itd be ok. if that didnt work, id ask about afterhours, offering to trade promotional material, then try to get some skaters arranged for it

best of luck, matey
 
Some skate parks are cool with photography (and some even love it) but most in my experience are not.

There is a difference between a "skate park" as in "paid for activity" and a few ramps setup in the local park/street though.

Just keep looking and keep trying, you'll find somewhere that doesn't give you the knock back in the end - frustrating as it is, thats all you can do.
 
I'd say that in general, you'd want to avoid the staffed parks (indoor or outdoor) as these will likely be private property with a heap of rules/jobsworth staff members etc and goto the unstaffed skateparks that are in many "public" parks.

I've just had a quick google of Cantelowes Skatepark and the first thing I notice is that they have opening times, I'd avoid any outdoor parks with opening times and go for the ones that are just there, in a park etc for people to use whenever. You might need to choose which one you goto more carefully as unsupervised skateparks can often be the habitat of the ned or townie but find a good park that's well used and you should have no problem shooting there.

If you are going down alone and trying to find people to shoot, be careful of who you talk to so you don't become another "p**** photographer found lurking in public park" headline for the Daily Mail.
 
Yes, best to go with one or more skaters that you know, start shooting them, then see if anyone else is interested in photos and offer copies to them or a link to a website or something.

Generally, most enjoy the chance to be photographed but try to avoid the smaller kids...

Worth pursuing as it is great fun to shoot.
 
I seem to remember seeing a good spot on the south bank, somewhere between HMS Belfast and westminister, it was a sort of shelter place with loads of graffiti, it was a while ago though.
 
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