Comments on: The Great Wildlife Documentary Ripoff http://www.techimoto.com/2008/05/06/the-great-wildlife-documentary-ripoff/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:54:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: n8ture http://www.techimoto.com/2008/05/06/the-great-wildlife-documentary-ripoff/#comment-225 n8ture Sun, 11 May 2008 11:11:14 +0000 http://www.techimoto.com/?p=347#comment-225 Ed, the only thing that being a small film group will get you is that you don;t have to pay location fees. Yellowstone National Park wanted to charge me $65 an hour to have a ranger follow me around with a group of professional still photographers because I wanted to shoot some video stock footage. It would have amounted to several thousand dollars. So I had to cancel my trip this past February because I couldn't afford those fees. Ed, the only thing that being a small film group will get you is that you don;t have to pay location fees.
Yellowstone National Park wanted to charge me $65 an hour to have a ranger follow me around with a group of professional still photographers because I wanted to shoot some video stock footage.

It would have amounted to several thousand dollars.

So I had to cancel my trip this past February because I couldn’t afford those fees.

]]> By: Ed http://www.techimoto.com/2008/05/06/the-great-wildlife-documentary-ripoff/#comment-214 Ed Thu, 08 May 2008 03:19:42 +0000 http://www.techimoto.com/?p=347#comment-214 According to this National Park Service document at home.nps.gov/applications/digest/permits.cfm?urlarea=permits there is no fee for 1 to 2 people using a camera and tripod only even if for commercial or video use. The fees do go up for anything beyond just a camera and tripod and more people. The above post did cause me to look around at permit rules posted online and some, especially in California, can appear to be draconian. There, the rules seem to have been written with major motion picture making in mind but are all inclusive and seem to apply generally to everyone. What is not clear in all this is - does merely having a professional camera tag you as doing professional still or video photography? The answer is - it is not supposed to but everyone admits that overzealous agency staff do occasionally confront people with professional equipment. In some areas, "professional" means "has a tripod", a large camera, or big lenses. I'm headed to California in a couple of weeks and think I will take the little Canon HV-20 instead of the serious camera to avoid any hassles. According to this National Park Service document
at home.nps.gov/applications/digest/permits.cfm?urlarea=permits

there is no fee for 1 to 2 people using a camera and tripod only even if for commercial or video use.

The fees do go up for anything beyond just a camera and tripod and more people.

The above post did cause me to look around at permit rules posted online and some, especially in California, can appear to be draconian. There, the rules seem to have been written with major motion picture making in mind but are all inclusive and seem to apply generally to everyone.

What is not clear in all this is - does merely having a professional camera tag you as doing professional still or video photography? The answer is - it is not supposed to but everyone admits that overzealous agency staff do occasionally confront people with professional equipment. In some areas, “professional” means “has a tripod”, a large camera, or big lenses.

I’m headed to California in a couple of weeks and think I will take the little Canon HV-20 instead of the serious camera to avoid any hassles.

]]> By: Daryl L. Hunter http://www.techimoto.com/2008/05/06/the-great-wildlife-documentary-ripoff/#comment-213 Daryl L. Hunter Wed, 07 May 2008 17:37:20 +0000 http://www.techimoto.com/?p=347#comment-213 This inhibits aspiring photographers and filmmakers from even being able to start a career. Isn’t it just like the government to put up another roadblock for those who aspire to entrepreneurship! This inhibits aspiring photographers and filmmakers from even being able to start a career.

Isn’t it just like the government to put up another roadblock for those who aspire to entrepreneurship!

]]> By: Don http://www.techimoto.com/2008/05/06/the-great-wildlife-documentary-ripoff/#comment-212 Don Wed, 07 May 2008 16:13:07 +0000 http://www.techimoto.com/?p=347#comment-212 Whats so surprising about this. The Government is making it very hard on families to go to the parks. The entrance, camping, and food cost have increased to the point where only the well off or people from other countries can enjoy "our" natural resources. Look at the $250,000 and up motorhomes that are lined up every night at the campgrounds etc. A hot dog cost $5.00 soon they'll be charging to go into the visitor centers. When will people wake up! If they haven't realized that Senators and Congressman don't care about the middle class they never will. They are so far removed from the hardships we are facing and so involved in lining their pockets it will never stop!! Buy the way a move has been going on to charge any photographer who sells one of their images a fee to photograph in a National or State park. North American Natures Photographer Association (NANPA) has been fighting this issue and so far has been instrumental in holding it back. Whats so surprising about this. The Government is making it very hard on families to go to the parks. The entrance, camping, and food cost have increased to the point where only the well off or people from other countries can enjoy “our” natural resources.

Look at the $250,000 and up motorhomes that are lined up every night at the campgrounds etc. A hot dog cost $5.00 soon they’ll be charging to go into the visitor centers.

When will people wake up! If they haven’t realized that Senators and Congressman don’t care about the middle class they never will. They are so far removed from the hardships we are facing and so involved in lining their pockets it will never stop!!

Buy the way a move has been going on to charge any photographer who sells one of their images a fee to photograph in a National or State park. North American Natures Photographer Association (NANPA) has been fighting this issue and so far has been instrumental in holding it back.

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