Chicagoist: Getting to the Bottom of the CTA Photography Policy

codo

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:21:36 -0600

I'm glad you posted this. I always wanted to know but was too lazy to dig plus it was not on their site. I have had numerous run ins with CTA employees over the past 3 years. I for the most part just ignore them but now that I know this I may be printing it out and handing it to them. I always point out that if it was illegal they would post signs since they post them for everything else they don't want you to do including eating and drinking on the train. I have never had anybody call me out for those activities though. Additionally if you were doing reconnaissance for your terrorist mission you might be a little less conspicuous. This just falls into the area called lack of training. Something the CTA is pretty good at. I did not know you could not take photos of the "bat" either. Too bad I have a lot of them from the 90's. You just need to do what you have to do, be respectful of others and when challenged make them think they are in power. it's all about manipulation and control.

patback87

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:51:36 -0600

I have never had a problem, I always try to stay out of the way. I understand how people can be about photographers sometimes. One of the only places I've had an issue was a few years ago when a friend of mine and I were taking a picture of the "Bat" in front of the Social Security office downtown, and the security guard came out, but was nice and said we could take a picture of the "Bat" as long as we had our backs to the building and it wasn't in the photos. Other than that just crazy people who don't seen to understand what rights photographers have on public streets and sidewalks.

guest

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:35:55 -0600

Here's the policy... http://www.transitchicago.com/news/whatsnew2.wu?action=displaynewspostingdetail&articleid=120073

Badtz

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:52:46 -0600

The CTA document is CTA Rail Service Bulletin R146-03. If you email them they will send you a copy, but it doesnt seem to be available online.

Cletus Warhol

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:35:53 -0600

Tangential Anecdote: Many, many years ago a friend was shooting a wraparound for another friend's demo reel and wanted to have a shot of her getting on the train at the Chicago stop. Seeing as they couldn't afford all the dough for permits and the requisite CPD officer one needed to do it legitimately, he set up his camera in the stairway window of a nearby building and communicated with the actors and the PA (me) via walkie-talkie. We were able to get a nice sequence on the platform without having to pay anything and nobody from the CTA was the wiser (of course this was back in the late 80's when you would have had to do some pretty drastic shit to even get a CTA employee's attention, much less draw their ire).

The New No. 2

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:21:40 -0600

shortBus: You can take pictures but most of the time you aren't allowed to use tripods based on 2 sets of rules. The first and more relevant is that using a tripod takes up space and creates a hazard for other commuters around you. This is also why you can't just setup a rig on the sidewalk on Michigan Ave. It can create a nuisance and in the case of a crowed train platform a real danger. The second reason the rule exists is because the average joe doesn't shoot with tripods. A tripod is indicative of somebody who is serious about their photography and that means that the individual has a pretty decent chance of being a professional. If you are going to sell those pics of the CTA they want their cut which is why they will issue licenses to shoot. This one is all about dollars. Again, this policy is prevalent all over the place from museums to churches. To be honest both reasons are extremely valid even though I wish they didn't exist.

Andre Alforque

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 14:00:11 -0600

Just a few shots for me. Never run into any problems, but then again I'm not on the platforms in plain view of CTA employees when I decided to snap some shots. There seems to be heightened CTA presence due to construction, though.

Zonk

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:19:33 -0600

What a bunch of snotty remarks about CTA people trying to take care of business. Have you heard of Madrid and train bombings? Stop dumping on everyone that doesn't realize how 'special' you are. What does the color of the personel have to do with anything. They have been told to "be on the lookout" for a list of activities. You should be glad they are doing their job. Creating problems where none exist does not help the situation for other photographers.

shortBus

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:13:59 -0600

I was on deadline, trying to make get a shot of the police camera which can be viewed nicely from the Morse el platform. It was about 8:00pm and waaay below zero outside so I was trying to move quickly. Like I said, it was night time so I had to use a tripod to get a decent shot. This guy driving the train got out (surprising because it was so cold), and told me I couldn’t shoot. I replied that I paid my fair and was basically in a public area. He got upset at my resistance and also threatened to have me arrested. I would have waited for the police to come, but it was cold, the CTA guy had a trainload of people waiting, and I WASN”T SURE WHO WAS RIGHT. During our back and forth he did blurt “no tripods” like it came from a list of forbidden objects he was required to learn. Ignorance provides no protection from the law. Rules and regs not clearly posted or available compound the burden. The CTA employee I dealt with upset me because he didn’t try to ask or inform, he just threatened me with arrest. I must have upset him because I didn’t immediately comply without question. Don’t try and be a badass and play a game you don’t know the rules to. Do your homework and learn the CTA rules and regs. If they ever post them..

Tonia

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:59:10 -0600

A couple years ago, I wanted to take a picture of the fare booth used in the movie "While You Were Sleeping." I asked the employee sitting in it if it was okay. She said it was as long as I didn't use my flash. Weird.

Zac

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:40:13 -0600

I really would have just insisted I was doing nothing wrong. I've taken photos all the time and never had a problem. I suppose if they threatened sending me to jail, I would ask for the station manager. Clearly CTA employees do not have the right to arrest anyone. As for people almost getting run over by busses, I suggest considering your size with relation to the bus, and the fact that you probably don't realize you are the one getting in the way of traffic, not the bus getting in your way. I ride my bike every day through all of the busiest bus routes and keep a distance from them and always try to make sure I am not a nuissance, to busses and other drivers. I am kind of starting to feel like a lot of cyclists take the same attitude as a lot of CTA employees. There's this extreme sense of self-righteousness that somehow the drivers are out to get you. Remember, as a biker, you are probably running a lot of stop signs and red lights, cutting people off, even unintentionally, and generally in the way a lot. I'm not condoning rude drivers, but try not to be a rude, self-important biker in return. On the other hand, no one on here deserves to be called a "shitbird." There should be a way to flag certain comments. Sorry for the tangent.

ozu

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:25:52 -0600

DXO - dramatics? a single employee out of thousands? Which CTA are you using? It's certainly not the one I ride on.

DXO

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:05:15 -0600

Please w/ the dramatics. A single employee out of thousands got his facts wrong while he was trying to do his job. Has that ever happened at your work?

maurice

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:02:35 -0600

Q: What's a photographer to do? A: Go ahead and take your pictures. If you get bothered again, ignore them and click away. Many people love to take pictures of trains. It's not a crime, and you won't be going to jail. You just ran across a person with a false sense of authority. This has happened many times in many U.S. cities, especially in the years since 9/11. See numerous relevant threads at flyertalk.com and amtraktrains.com.

The New No. 2

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:14:19 -0600

First of all, good article. Secondly it isn't that complicated at all. Pay your fare and feel free to shoot whatever you'd like. Don't wait on a platform for 2 hours shooting every train that rolls by, and don't hop any fences and you should be within your rights. The policy was on the CTA website a couple years ago but after a redesign they took it off. I suspect they did that because it would allow them to change the policy at a moments notice and nobody could then claim that they saw something different on the website. What this issue is really about is the attitude of many city workers abusing their position of authority and overstepping their responsibilities. It happens all the time. People want to feel important in life, and when you have a job like working in the CTA stations you are going to exert whatever small dose of authority you have to feel that you are doing something worthwhile. If it means that you jump all over people taking a family photo then so be it.

cp

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:08:55 -0600

I hope the 2nd poster meant Northwest Airlines. What do you expect with a CTA bus on the streets of Chicago? Happy bike ride, shitbird.

The Curmedgeon

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:03:14 -0600

Well, you know what they say: What do you get when you spell Chicago backwards? FASCISM!

Mr. Smith

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:49:59 -0600

Well done, Olivia. You'd think the CTA could use some positive press. Pictures on Flickr that remind people that the rails can be a beautiful thing would be a good start.

woodlawnchuck

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:46:34 -0600

MJK to be fair, state the correct percentage of whites working for the CTA: it's less than 20, if it's even that high.

E

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:45:52 -0600

Just beacuse Flickr has a ton of pictures tagged or mentioning "CTA" (12,138 as of this writing), doesn't mean that "the CTA is one of the most popular subjects for photographers' lenses." I'm sure it's not even close.

phred©

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:37:16 -0600

Damn. Looks like I'm taking my camera on subway trips from now on. Gotta document the madness.

geekgrrl

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:23:22 -0600

tony - CA? and which station was it?

MJK

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:17:08 -0600

All CTA employees feel they are somehow above the law or parallel to it. It must be something with the uniform. If I can get passed the lazy accent and mouths full of marbles, I might have a little more respect for them. I sometimes think the most polite CTA employees are the ones that don't exist at all. And I don't meant to pull this one, but was racial favoritsm played? Far too often, I've seen employees take care of their own kind. And just to be fair, half of them are white. Something tells me, if you were the same as them, you could've drained your battery on that platform.

Tony C

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:18:43 -0600

I've had mixed experiences. Although, I often am out taking pictures of transit, and rarely have had problems. Never use flash in the face of an incoming train--not only does it temporarily screw with the vision of the rail operator, it also really gets under people's skin. Don't take pictures of employees--I think people get nervous that they'll be seen in a photo somewhere and get in trouble (of course, if you're doing your job, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about). It's a comfort thing, I suppose. I've been on platforms to be told "Hey, you know you can't take pictures down here." I've been filmed for CTA Connections (it's done by a contractor) and even they had trouble, despite us being accompanied by a bus manager, when we entered Addison/Red--they called control to verify permission. I've been on chartered tours and been OK to take pictures, but had an employee express discomfort of me taking close-ups of the turnstiles. The best thing is definitely to put it away when asked. If someone threatens you or yells at you, though, that's just poor customer service (assuming you're not causing a dangerous situation). I have the sense that CTA doesn't like it any more than we do, since it hurts the agency's image (it's because of incidents with nasty security contractors that a few of years ago they published the Rail Service Bulletin that specified that personal photography is allowed in the first place--to make sure everyone knew it was not OK to be yelling at tourists who wanted to take a family picture in a real live subway). To be fair, I've also had really pleasant people, where I've asked permission to take photos, including with them in them, who've been more than happy to accommodate--including one CA working on the last night a station was open who was happy to pose for me, laughingly, in the old agent booth. And when Francisco reopened, I went out and the security guard and her supervisor were both happy to let me snap a bunch of photos inside and around the station to document how nice it was. And, lastly, if you really want to clear yourself, having a pleasant tone and asking permission as though you're wanting the photos for something positive definitely seems to help.

geekgrrl

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:51:27 -0600

i've taken plenty of cta-related pics, including lights (gasp!). haven't been spoken to once. indeed, it seems up to the (sometimes questionable) discretion of whatever employees happen to be around.

kookybites

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:48:38 -0600

Great article, Olivia! I've never had any problems taking pictures of CTA buses or the El... but I've nearly been by a bus while on my bike on more than one occasion.

kookybites

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:46:39 -0600

I've never had any problems taking pictures of CTA buses or the El... but I've nearly been by a bus while on my bike on more than one occasion.

Byron

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:35:50 -0600

Don't EVER hesitate to contact customer service with complaints or praise about CTA employees! Email customer service [ctahelp@transitchicago.com] and, as Olivia suggests, provide the employee's badge number. These comments are taken seriously by the CTA, and it is usually the only way to communicate specifically and directly to CTA administration about the usually good, and sometimes terrible, customer service.

mike

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:34:28 -0600

I've never been approached when shooting on an L platform—not that I've done it that often. I don't like people seeing me take pictures; I usually do it when no one is looking.

disgruntled

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:18:36 -0600

Olivia, Was the CTA employee who threatened jail time a shitbird? I hate 96% of the CTA employees. They are worse than the Wicker Park Post Office. They can all go to hell. I love how when I'm riding my bike every day, I have the bus driver who runs me out out of my lane and nearly kills me, or on the rare occassion that I do drive, they come right into my lane as if they own it. And what happens when you say something? How about a little N.W.A.

Paris

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:03:44 -0600

Taking pictures of trains is hot.