The Shard & London Bridge

Today was a funny old day

Crap day in the office loads of emails needing attention and I fiddled around doing a really zzzzzz job and lost the spreadsheet I was working on so started again but didn't actually achieve anything.
Tonight I had a curry and have eaten way too much so feel stuffed.

But earlier I experienced being hassled for taking photographs the first time in over 3 years. I was down on a public footpath at London Bridge, where this blip was taken.

Jovial man in high vis jacket: are you filming?
Me: Nope
Him: Are you a photographer you've been here a long time
Me: Nope I just like taking photographs (I was there 10 mins max, it was raining hard)
Him: Are you taking photographs?
Me: Yep
Him: What of
Me: The Bridge
Him: Have you taken any of this building, coz you're not allowed to coz of security.
Me: Nope but am I on a public area
Him: Yes you are
Me: Well actually you can't stop me taking photographs if I'm on a public ground
Him: Yes I can if it's a security issue, these days security is high due to terrorism
Me: Do I look and profile as a terrorist
Him: You can never be too sure these days they come in all shapes and sizes and if the police were here they'd demand to see your photographs
Me: Not necessarily they need a good reason not just because I have a camera and they cannot make me delete anything
Him: I know that but have you taken photographs of the other building
Me: The restaurant, yep I have
Him: you're not allowed to photograph that building either
Me: Why
Him: Security - the cameras see people with big zoom lenses and we get sent down to investigate.
Me: my lens is smaller in zoon length than most camera phones!!

*Sigh*

Had it not been raining I would have stayed longer much longer to really wind him up. A few years ago I used to carry a sheet I downloaded when the police were being hard on photographers (thankfully never me) of what you can and can't do in different scenarios because its different rules on private land. Perhaps I need to be carrying it again. If anyone is interested this article is pretty interesting. or this guide for security firms.

Good weekend to all