Official response to using "professional" cameras and lenses at the 2012 Olympics

nigpd

nigpd

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I asked a question on the London 2012 website asking what the policy will be regarding using a "professional" camera and telephoto lens(es) at the Olympic venues. This is the reply


"Thank you for contacting London 2012 about photography during the Games.

Spectators will be free to take photographs inside London 2012 venues, however flash photography may be restricted at some events.

LOCOG has yet to finalise the spectator filming and photography guidelines. As with other large sporting events there may be restrictions for spectators on the size of lenses permitted into venues. We are working on guidelines and will publish them in good time for the 2012 Games so everyone attending is clear on the policy and can enjoy the events."

It's not a yes, but it's not a no........yet!!
 
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I do despair that the modern Olympics founded to celebrate amateur sport has turned into just one big marketing/branding exercise.
 
They'd be stupid really to stop pro cameras and lenses all together, more photos taken the more that get put online and the more publicity it will get. Plus, more and more people are owning pro equipment.

I can understand a restriction on lens size, you don't want someone with a 600mm 2.8 standing behind you or resting it on your head :D
 
Harvey_nikon said:
They'd be stupid really to stop pro cameras and lenses all together, more photos taken the more that get put online and the more publicity it will get. Plus, more and more people are owning pro equipment.

I can understand a restriction on lens size, you don't want someone with a 600mm 2.8 standing behind you or resting it on your head :D
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Seeing as Getty pretty much own and control the access rights for Press photography you can bet that there are going to be restrictions of some sort. Although by all accounts it was fairly free and easy in Canada.
 
I'd need a bloomin' big lens to get pictures from here, I'll settle for watching on the telly, if I bother of course.
 
mj4456 said:
I'd need a bloomin' big lens to get pictures from here, I'll settle for watching on the telly, if I bother of course.
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You need Canons 5200MM lens, that'll learn 'em!
 
DemiLion said:
Seeing as Getty pretty much own and control the access rights for Press photography you can bet that there are going to be restrictions of some sort. Although by all accounts it was fairly free and easy in Canada.
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On the Getty point, that is not true at all and have no idea why you think that.

On the Canada point, the same restrictions were there as London are suggesting they will implement. Same in Beijing, Athens, Salt Lake, Syndey ... seeing a pattern here?
 
mj4456 said:
I'd need a bloomin' big lens to get pictures from here, I'll settle for watching on the telly, if I bother of course.
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I may be planning a holiday to get out of London when the Olympics are on. :suspect:
 
inkiboo said:
On the Getty point, that is not true at all and have no idea why you think that.

On the Canada point, the same restrictions were there as London are suggesting they will implement. Same in Beijing, Athens, Salt Lake, Syndey ... seeing a pattern here?
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Sorry Gerard, I wasn't having a dig at your mob, but I'd understood that Getty had won the bid to manage the licence allocation for the Games.

My point was that there should be a decent chance to get photos but that it won't be a free for all. :)
 
DemiLion said:
Sorry Gerard, I wasn't having a dig at your mob, but I'd understood that Getty had won the bid to manage the licence allocation for the Games.
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I have no idea where you got that from but it is not true.
 
i have a question related to the pictures of athletes : what if we take someone famous in photo and post if on internet? especially if for some reason the shot become famous or quite popular can we face some legal issues?
 
yannick_reveur said:
i have a question related to the pictures of athletes : what if we take someone famous in photo and post if on internet? especially if for some reason the shot become famous or quite popular can we face some legal issues?
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unless you were in breach of the regulations of the venue, or privacy regulations...no.
 
its says photos taken without press license are for personal use only and cannot be licensed or sold
 
inkiboo said:
I have no idea where you got that from but it is not true.
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I'd be surprised if Getty did this, PA/Reuters/AP/Magnum etc might have something to say if that was the case....
 
Edtog said:
I'd be surprised if Getty did this, PA/Reuters/AP/Magnum etc might have something to say if that was the case....
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In the same way that Burger King are hacked off with McD's and Schwepps with Coca Cola!

I'm not doubting Gerard in the slightest, but that's the info that I was given a few months ago.
 
Original Poster said:
I'd imagine it will all be a bit of a disappointment to be honest...
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Well England & sport... As much as I love my country, and love my sport, we just don't seem to be very good at much do we ? :thinking:

As long as I can get my 7D and a 70-200 or 100-400 in somewhere I'll be happy... But I have a feeling that may be an issue.

Steve
 
Lets not forget this is London we are talking about, some security guards already think DSLR's are the mark of a terrorist, the paranoia will reach new levels while the olympics are on.
 
DemiLion said:
I'm not doubting Gerard in the slightest, but that's the info that I was given a few months ago.
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Again, I have no idea where you are getting your information from but it is 100% wrong. The IOC/LOGOC have their own photo departments who deal with everything to do with photography at London 2012.
 
nigpd said:
I asked a question on the London 2012 website asking what the policy will be regarding using a "professional" camera and telephoto lens(es) at the Olympic venues. This is the reply


"Thank you for contacting London 2012 about photography during the Games.
Spectators will be free to take photographs inside London 2012 venues, however flash photography may be restricted at some events.
LOCOG has yet to finalise the spectator filming and photography guidelines. As with other large sporting events there may be restrictions for spectators on the size of lenses permitted into venues. We are working on guidelines and will publish them in good time for the 2012 Games so everyone attending is clear on the policy and can enjoy the events."
It's not a yes, but it's not a no........yet!!
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So it just goes to show that they really haven't got a clue have they, and that in reality it is all about controlling the money. Not that I am in any way a skeptic of course.
 
Professional cameras....... well the photography business is doomed lol
 
Why does anyone think the photographs they can take from the 10,00th row back and 100m up in the air will be of any possible use or interest compared to those taken by professionals trackside :bonk::bang:

All you will do with your 500mm lens is make yourself slightly less popular than Genghis Khan to anyone around you as you smack them about the head with it and ruin the experience of actually being a spectator in the stadium for yourself - so no, don't expect to be able to take anything bulky with you...


Look at http://www.london2012.com/photos/20...ympic-stadium-s-seating-has-started-68856.php this random picture from the seating area in the main stadium and tell there's any point taking anything other than snapshots from that viewpoint...even if you could take any equipment you like?
 
Why not just go to the events which will be easy to photograph - cycling, sailing, rowing. The indoor arenas are just going to be too difficult, and the most spectacular images are going to be from the big action sports. If people want to take images of the top track and field athletes, then how about finding out where the training grounds are, and getting permission to take photographs there?
 
MacPingu said:
So it just goes to show that they really haven't got a clue have they, and that in reality it is all about controlling the money. Not that I am in any way a skeptic of course.
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You don't have a right to take photographs at the Olympics. So they do have a clue and it's the same clue they had in Vancouver, Beijing, Torino, Athens etc etc.
 
Panasonic and Samsung are the official games partners, so I would expect any other brand of camera to be rejected at the turnstiles. :bonk:
 
I've often wondered about this "professional camera" ban in venues/sports. I was at a festival and a guy was getting some grief over his "professional" DSLR his argument was that he was high as a kite and was encouraging security staff to look at his photos to see how bad they were.

to be pedantic, surely if I take my work ID which proves my profession is not photography, surely I can take bad photos with whatever i want?
 
Quite right. They'd do well to drop the flawed justification of 'no professional photogrpahy' and just go with 'no big kit'. A huge SLR stuck in your face is annyoing no matter whether the tog is a pro or not.

The thing that really bugs me, though, is people who insist on using flash even when told not to, in the mistaken belief it'll improve the photo or because they're too lazy to turn it off. I was at the opera at Verona and you wouldn't believe how many people thought the poxy flash on ther P&S would light up an object 150m away. All it did was irritate everyone (well, me at least) sitting near them.
 
jamesb84 said:
I'd give up Gerard, we've both put across what is a far more sensible opinion than most in this thread and it's not worked.

I'm more interested in whether Getty is going "bigger and better" than Beijing!

I'd guess you're playing that one close to the chest though!
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London 2012 will be bigger commercially than Beijing and Getty Images will be covering the Games appropriately!
 
Llamaman said:
Quite right. They'd do well to drop the flawed justification of 'no professional photogrpahy' and just go with 'no big kit'. A huge SLR stuck in your face is annyoing no matter whether the tog is a pro or not.
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I think that most of people have no problem with there being restrictions on photography at the Olympics. What I, and it seems many others, find annoying is that there appears to be no clear indication as to what those restrictions may be. Now I'm not going to be stupid enough to take my 300 + 2X TC (well, I might to the Marathons) but I do want to take some pics, even if I'm not allowed to post them to Facebook. My 70-200 f4 is fairly small and would get me some good memory-joggers, but it's white and therefore, in some minds, professional. Perhaps I need to borrow a 55-250 which, being black, obviously can't take professional photos?

Perhaps I'll just do what everybody else will do and get cheap superzoom and film everything in HD video.
 
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