Of Paranoid Pilots & Polite Police...

Had a really interesting ride...
I went to this location here to shoot some photos of planes.

Photo Copyright 2012 Google. I claim fair use of this material under
both local and international laws.

I did so and got some shots:

Did the powerlines ruin the photo, or make the photo?

The only case where speeding saves lives!

A very spontaneous thing. I really like reflections from lenses. 

Full moon again...

On approach for landing.

Here is where I was more than a little surprised.

Police obtaining background checks

You see, some pilot must have been really, really bored, or just had a bad day. Because on landing approach, he saw me with Binoculars. Yes. Binoculars. Whatever. Loads of people use them at the public viewing area on Dunreath Drive, and the International and domestic Terminals. Even at the boarding gates in the airport you can take photos. And often at the location I was shooting at; photographers and other airfans gather to watch impressive feats of engineering fly over their heads and then make a loud rumbling noise as tyres strike tarmac with hundreds of tons of people, aluminium, and cargo on top of them...

However, I was alone that day wearing dark clothing, using binoculars, and had a push bike, which apparently is the utter hallmark of the terrorist.

I was doing nothing wrong with the law. Or even according to the airport itself, which encourages photography (see link and above paragraph) . Given that I was not even on Airport at the time of the incident leaves them out of it altogether.

I was on a public road, not causing a disturbance, not causing an obstruction, not doing anything nefarious. Look through this article by Artslaw Australia. Nothing I did broke the law. The only mention of Photography in the security section of Perth airport's website is about photographing security checkpoints and customs officers. No customs or security there.

It is perfectly legal to take photos of planes and gawk at the sheer awesomeness of them through Binoculars.

Plane Spotting is a fairly awesome hobby,  and there are loads of plane spotting sites worldwide. A quick google search will show that fact.

I understand that Pilots are more paranoid then ever. But a harmless hobby should not be looked down upon simply because it makes some pilots nervous. A photograph or pair of binoculars have never brought down a plane.

The Police were still called out however. I started riding back and at 7:33 PM, was stopped by police as you saw in the above photograph. I was simply asked what exactly I was doing, and I was allowed on my way.

Fellow Photographers:

Photography is NOT a crime. You are a photographer, NOT a terrorist. Don't break the law obtaining your photographs, and stand up for your rights if needs be.