Escalating a security risk
I refer to 'Photograph ban rules stupid' ( South China Morning Post, December 2).
I am also a Hong Kong-based freelance photographer. Not too long ago I was commissioned to follow a celebrity chef from the United Kingdom and a television team around Hong Kong as they were filming a series here.
As I began to shoot him on the Mid-Levels escalator I heard a voice saying 'You are not allowed to make pictures on the Central and Mid-Levels escalator system, please put your camera away.' Looking around I didn't see anyone so I continued to shoot.
As I turned the corner on Hollywood Road I was greeted by two men dressed in blue uniforms. Standing with their arms crossed they announced to me once again that I was not allowed to take pictures of anyone riding on 'the Central and Mid-Levels escalator system'. I was told that the only way to do this was to first secure written permission from the office of the 'Central to Mid-Levels escalator system'. This is ridiculous.
The escalator is something that is in public view and, on top of that, you and I pay for its operation with our taxes. 'What is the problem with shooting here?' I asked. 'It's for security reasons that you cannot,' they told me. How can I be of a security risk? Certainly it's no secret that we have the longest people-mover in the world.
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