Photography prohibited?

i think TFL needs revise the plans to update the rules bringing up to 21 century where mobiles and smartphones have photos so i believe if person who wants photo (flash) then he should get permit from TFL office but for non flash - the photographers should be allowed without permit if they have no flash camera or mobile or smartphone which is should accepted (other transit systems already allow it)

It would also set a dangerous precedent for every Tom Dick and Harry to start charging for photography on their premises - together with the resultant arguments about whether someone taking a camera into a location could be charged even if the claimed they weren't going to use it.

And, as I said earlier, it's all pretty moot now because there is no way that anyone can tell whether someone using a mobile phone with a camera is taking a photograph or receiving/making a video call.

It's just a pity that people who want to take decent photographs may be prevented from doing so whereas people snapping on a mobile will carry on regardless. (Although you can get some pretty good shots on mobiles, now.)

You could argue that Enthusiasts are helping to create a photographic record of LULs evolving history. To my knowledge TfL/LUL hardly take any official photographs these days. Unlike the 60s, & 70’s when LT took great care to photograph the many aspects of its operations. The database of which is available on line through the LTM. However the archive seems to fizzle out in the mid 80’s. Which perhaps ties in with the various measures taken in that era to reduce costs.

So without people volunteering their time and trouble to photograph events, such as the arrival of the first S stock train, the loss of various stocks etc, these momentous events would be lost forever.

I suspect that many of the books on sale in the LTM have photos obtained by enthusiasts in much the same way. I wonder if they all obtained a permit!

The closest to an official photographer is on Flikr - bowroaduk

i think the best thing to do in any situation now would be to just have a nice quiet chat with the supervisor and just let them know your intention would be to be there for say 5/10 minutes to take a few pictures do they mind.

if they say yes thank them for there time and try else where at the end of the day the supervisor is in charge of the station during there shift so staff and customers must abide by there rules

So TfL say one thing, LUL says another, and the Station Supervisor say something else?

There may be temporary issues with (parts) of a station that an enthusiast might not be aware of that would give a good reason why photography wasn't permitted at the time you were there, and station supervisors need to be able to enforce that. Where possible though they should advise you that these reasons exist and what they are, and definitely shouldn't make up reasons where none exist.

The only things that come immediately to mind would be maintenance work that reduced the space available on a platform to a level that was safe for passenger loadings but anyone hanging around would get in the way; or if there had been an incident on the station that was being investigated.

I think the key is in the wording that you have highlighted: "you shouldn't have a problem". That's not to say you won't, but on more occassions than not it will be fine. I think that the latest response you have received is probably the best you can hope for, they are not saying the SS was wrong (and are thus supporting their staff in their decisions made) but at the same point they accept that you have not broken any "rules". Depending on how militant you're feeling you could keep a print-out in your camera bag.

Or maybe you could try this approach that I have seen advocated:

Official: You're not allowed to take photos here.
Photographer: I'm sorry, I thought I was. Why am I not allowed?
Official: It's in the rules.
Photographer: Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I was allowed to.
Official: No, it's not allowed.
Photographer: I'm so sorry, I really didn't know. Thank you for telling me, I hope I've not caused any trouble. Could I take your name so that I can write in and tell them what a good job you're doing?
Official: My name is on my badge, it's Fred.
Photographer: Ok Fred, that's great thanks. You wouldn't have a pen and paper so I can write that down, I wouldn't want anyone else getting the credit. No. Oh, perhaps I could just take a picture of your badge then?

[/tongue in cheek]

As an ex meber of LUL/TfL staff and there fore a TfL pensioner I receive evey year a calendar. On looking at this calendar it can be seen TfL still have photographs taken of cuerrent subjects. These are in fact available by contacting Tfl's visual image service which I believe can be reached via 55 Broadway or Widsor House.

I`ve just read this thread with interest and would ask what are the rules referred too here and are they valid in English law, are they part of the Conditions of Carriage or bylaws, or simply an advisory/guidance?

Only read the first part of the thread, someone had already answered

Fare evasion? What nonsense - I assume you all had valid tickets!

Yep! Must have been having a slow day or something!

What happened on Friday (5 September 2014) makes me partially regret that I ever returned to the UK after a successful self-directed study trip to Barcelona.

As many may be aware, the D78 Stock is getting withdrawn and I am hoping to get a satisfactory photo of every D78 motor car for historical benefit without absolutely no money involved, much like what the fellow railfan website nycsubway.org tries to do.

At West Kensington station, I asked the supervisor in the westbound platform if I could take a few photos of the motor cars and he said as long as there is no flash which was fine. However, less than ten minutes later he told me to get out in a rude manner, claiming that he "received complaints from the line controller", and when I went to complain to the station supervisor at Hammersmith about his behaviour, he threatened to call the police on me.

Being a very vulnerable person, I was left being unable to travel home alone because of the intimidation, and I alerted a station supervisor at Victoria. She, and a passing police officer that I summoned, both assured me that they had no power to threaten and chase off me like that just for photographing the motor cars, but the level of intimidation by the two supervisors at West Kensington and Hammersmith left me too scared to travel home alone that my carer had to collect me.

The incident has hurt my trust on the District line, considering the fact that I am already racing against time before the first D78 motor car heads for the scrapyard. The behaviour of the two supervisors at West Kensington and Hammersmith has a potential to drive out the network's fanbase.

If such behaviour continues in response to my innocent efforts, I show intention in returning to Barcelona forever and become an ex-pat, given the fact that TMB was so positive towards my efforts on Twitter. My mental health is already extremely poor and I was just trying to make most of what little remains of me.