Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen

Voices whisper in the trees

"Tonight is Halloween!"

-- Dexter Kozen

large version at my blog

...or is it "The Pheasant Plucker's Son"...? :-)

www.toniduarte.tk

Toni Duarte Freelance Photographer

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media

without my explicit permission.

© All rights reserved

Contac: toniduarte[a]cmail.cat

Wikipedia:

Vilafamés (en valencià i oficialment, Vilafamés) és un municipi de la Comunitat Valenciana, Espanya. Situat a la província de Castelló, a la comarca de la Plana Alta.

Les primeres evidències d'ocupació de l'entorn de Vilafamés se centren en les troballes arqueològiques realitzades en l'anomenat "Homo erectus vilafamensis", on es van localitzar restes antropològiques Els seus orígens es remunten al Plistocè Mitjà, segons el descobriment de les restes de l'anomenat "homo erectus vilafamensis "a la Cova de Dalt del Tossal de la Font amb una antiguitat de 80.000 anys. Una continuïtat en l'ocupació del medi estaria reflectida en la Cova del Matutano, jaciment del Paleolític Superior. Les primeres manifestacions artístiques apareixen amb les pintures esquemàtiques de l'Edat del Bronze.

Pel que fa al nucli urbà, el mateix topònim AVilahameç, ABeniffamez, denota el seu origen en època musulmana. D'aquest període es conserven entre altres elements, la fonamentació del castell que corona el turó sobre el qual s'assenta el municipi i el traçat urbà de la zona contigua a aquest, d'estrets carrerons tortuosos. Queden així mateix vestigis de les antigues fortificacions constituïdes per llenços de muralla i restes de torres.

És amb la conquesta de la musulmana Beni-Hamez pel rei Jaume I d'Aragó quan Vilafamés pren identitat històrica pròpia. Aquest fet porta a que, el 30 de agost de 1241, Jaume I comissions a Guillem Ramon de Vielha per donar a poblar el castell a Diumenge Ballester, A. Cabrera i altres, carta de població que s'estableix a fur de Saragossa. Aquesta donació serà confirmada posteriorment pel propi monarca a Lleida el 21 de febrer de 1242.

Posteriorment s'incorpora al patrimoni dels Hospitalaris de Sant Joan a 1264, després d'una permuta real amb aquests per la vila d'Olocau del Rei, que seran els seus amos fins 1317, data en què la vila i el castell queden annexionats a la recentment creada Ordre de Montesa. En 1343, Pere IV el Cerimoniós, s'entesta a l'ordre el mer i mixt imperi, amb les corresponents jurisdiccions, drets i emoluments que pertanyien a la corona.

Joan I d'Aragó, en 1393, concedeix a Vilafamés el privilegi pel qual el Consell pot fer i ordenar tot tipus de establemientos i ordenacions que consideri convenients d'acord amb els furs generals del regne.

En les Corts celebrades a València durant l'any 1403, Martí I l'Humà disposa donar possessió al mestre de Montesa del mer i mixt imperi de la població, aquest fet provocarà la protesta irada del Consell en 1404.

Ja al segle XVI, en 1519, Carlos I d'Espanya promet no separar de la corona la jurisdicció civil i criminal, i el mer i mixt imperi de la vila. Quan en 1635 culminen les desavinences sorgides entre els Justícies, per una banda i l'ordre d'una altra, el "Consell" creu arribat el moment de demanar del Papa Innocenci XII autorització per comprar la jurisdicció alfonsina, adquisició que porta a terme el 16 d'abril pel preu de sis mil lliures. A partir d'aquesta data, Vilafamés queda incorporada plenament al patrimoni real, reservant-Montesa la percepció de certes primícies i el dret d'habitació sobre el castillo.Será al segle XIX, amb els enfrontaments civils que segueixen a la mort de Ferran VII, quan el nom de Vilafamés sonarà de nou dins de l'àmbit històric com plaça inexpugnable. Al març de 1837 pateix el primer intent d'assalt de les tropes carlines. El 29 octubre 1838 la guarnició de la plaça rebutja una segona intentona, que es repetirà de nou el 3 de gener del següent any, aquesta vegada amb Cabrera al capdavant de les tropes, que des de les muntanyes que dominen la vila comencen a assetjar a la població, trencant foc contra la ciutadella. En aquesta ocasió es va fer front al setge per part dels veïns a més de comptar amb l'ajuda d'una columna mòbil enviada per l'Ajuntament de Castelló i un destacament d'artilleria de marina, molt poc nombrós. Cinc dies van durar els continus enfrontaments, rebutjant la població tots els atacs de Cabrera, fins que el dia 7 l'arribada de tropes reals va obligar al general carlista a aixecar el lloc. Amb el més selecte de les seves tropes i recorrent a l'auxili de les de Forcadell, Cabrera intentarà el cop definitiu l'abril del mateix any, establint un campament davant la població. El dia 16 s'obre una bretxa en les muralles, encara que els atacants són rebutjats i resulten infructuosos tots els esforços de prendre la plaça que va resultar semi derruïda.

ESP:

Villafamés (en valenciano y oficialmente, Vilafamés) es un municipio de la Comunidad Valenciana, España. Situado en la provincia de Castellón, en la comarca de la Plana Alta.

Las primeras evidencias de ocupación del entorno de Villafamés se centran en los hallazgos arqueológicos realizados en el llamado “Homo erectus vilafamensis”, donde se localizaron restos antropológicos Sus orígenes se remontan al Pleistoceno Medio, según el descubrimiento de los restos del llamado "homo erectus vilafamensis" en la Cova de Dalt del Tossal de la Font con una antigüedad de 80.000 años. Una continuidad en la ocupación del medio estaría reflejada en la Cueva del Matutano, yacimiento del Paleolítico Superior. Las primeras manifestaciones artísticas aparecen con las pinturas esquemáticas de la Edad del Bronce.

Por lo que respecta al núcleo urbano, el mismo topónimo AVilahameç, ABeniffamez, denota su origen en época musulmana. De este periodo se conservan entre otros elementos, la cimentación del castillo que corona el cerro sobre el que se asienta el municipio y el trazado urbano de la zona contigua al mismo, de estrechas callejuelas tortuosas. Quedan asimismo vestigios de las antiguas fortificaciones constituidas por lienzos de muralla y restos de torres.

Es con la conquista de la musulmana Beni-Hamez por el rey Jaime I de Aragón cuando Villafamés toma identidad histórica propia. Este hecho lleva a que, en 30 de agosto de 1241, Jaime I comisione a Guillem Ramón de Viella para dar a poblar el castillo a Domingo Ballester, A. Cabrera y otros, carta de población que se establece a fuero de Zaragoza. Esta donación será confirmada posteriormente por el propio monarca en Lérida el 21 de febrero de 1242.

Posteriormente se incorpora al patrimonio de los Hospitalarios de San Juan en 1264, tras una permuta real con estos por la villa de Olocau del Rey, que serán sus dueños hasta 1317, fecha en que la villa y el castillo quedan anexionados a la recién creada Orden de Montesa. En 1343, Pedro IV el Ceremonioso, empeña a la orden el mero y mixto imperio, con las correspondientes jurisdicciones, derechos y emolumentos que pertenecían a la corona.

Juan I de Aragón, en 1393, concede a Villafamés el privilegio por el cual el Consejo puede hacer y ordenar todo tipo de establemientos y ordenaciones que considere convenientes con arreglo a los fueros generales del reino.

En las Cortes celebradas en Valencia durante el año 1403, Martín I el Humano dispone dar posesión al maestre de Montesa del mero y mixto imperio de la población, este hecho provocará la protesta airada del Consejo en 1404.

Ya en el siglo XVI, en 1519, Carlos I de España promete no separar de la corona la jurisdicción civil y criminal, y el mero y mixto imperio de la villa. Cuando en 1635 culminan las desavenencias surgidas entre los Justicias, de una parte y la orden de otra, el "Consejo" cree llegado el momento de solicitar del Papa Inocencio XII autorización para comprar la jurisdicción alfonsina, adquisición que lleva a cabo el 16 de abril por el precio de seis mil libras. A partir de esta fecha, Vilafamés queda incorporada plenamente al patrimonio real, reservándose Montesa la percepción de ciertas primicias y el derecho de habitación sobre el castillo.Será en el siglo XIX, con los enfrentamientos civiles que siguen a la muerte de Fernando VII, cuando el nombre de Villafamés sonará de nuevo dentro del ámbito histórico como plaza inexpugnable. En marzo de 1837 sufre el primer intento de asalto de las tropas carlistas. El 29 de octubre de 1838 la guarnición de la plaza rechaza una segunda intentona, que se repetirá de nuevo el 3 de enero del siguiente año, esta vez con Cabrera al frente de las tropas, que desde las montañas que dominan la villa comienzan a hostigar a la población, rompiendo fuego contra la ciudadela. En esta ocasión se hizo frente al asedio por parte de los vecinos además de contar con la ayuda de una columna móvil enviada por el Ayuntamiento de Castellón y un destacamento de artillería de marina, muy poco numeroso. Cinco días duraron los continuos enfrentamientos, rechazando la población todos los ataques de Cabrera, hasta que el día 7 la llegada de tropas reales obligó al general carlista a levantar el sitio. Con lo más selecto de sus tropas y recurriendo al auxilio de las de Forcadell, Cabrera intentará el golpe definitivo en abril del mismo año, estableciendo un campamento ante la población. El día 16 se abre una brecha en las murallas, aunque los atacantes son rechazados y resultan infructuosos todos los esfuerzos de tomar la plaza que resultó semi derruida.

So she did something about it. Jelly beans for Panda.

...or shrinking at least.

Yellowstone National Park

Hagg Lake, Oregon

Legananny Dolmen is a megalithic dolmen or cromlech nine miles southeast of Banbridge and three miles north of Castlewellan, both in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the slopes of Slieve Croob near the village of Leitrim,[1] in Drumgooland parish, nestled between the farmer's stone wall and a back road. It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland of Legananny, in Banbridge District, at grid ref: J2887 4339.[2]

This tripod dolmen has a capstone over 3m long and 1.8m from the ground.[3] It dates to the Neolithic period, making the monument approximately 5,000 years old. Such portal tombs were funerary sites for the disposal of the dead in Neolithic society. The heavy stones would have been dragged some distance before being set in place. The three supporting stones are unusually long and there are slight traces of a cairn which must have been far more extensive. Some urns were found

The name Legananny is believed(by_whom?) to be derived from Irish Liagán Áine, meaning "Áine's standing stone" – Áine being an Irish goddess.

Cloth/Textile

Back to Remember Me after 5 years ç_ç i love this game i want a sequel or another title in the same universe but open world

A plume of dust from a solo vehicle driving across the plains at sunset.

Grasslands National Park

July 2019

Oregon or Bust Wagon Encampment in Baker City Oregon

A fun day at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center’s “Oregon Or Bust “ , exploring the Oregon Trail history, and watching living history performers and guest musicians. This annual wagon encampment held each Memorial Day typically takes place at the Oregon trail Interpretive Center but was moved to Baker City’s Geiser Pollman Park this year since the Center remains closed due to COVID.

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center sits high atop Flagstaff Hill outside Baker City Oregon, overlooking the ruts of the Oregon Trail still visible today in the Baker valley below. Located along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, an outdoor wagon encampment is the first sights visitors see when they arrive at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

Costumed narrators from the Trail Tenders, and BLM staff provide interpretation and narration for the exhibits and activities throughout the center. For more information about the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center including a list of upcoming events and activities visit www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail

For more information about other Baker County heritage sites, attractions and museums, visit the Baker County Tourism website at www.travelbakercounty.com.

or a Sir Isaac moment?

or if you prefer, spuds, tatties, murphys or earthapples.

Or, could be the spoon of peanut butter in my hand.

YN685 in soft box above camera, another with blue gel aimed at backdrop

www.instagram.com/gwen.estep.photography/

Experimenting with a ND 10 filter I used a faster shutter speed to darken the photo making the shot taken in the middle of the afternoon look like it was a night shot of the moon reflecting on the water

(or are you just happy to see me?)

Europe - France - Paris : Notre-Dame du Travail

All my photos are Copyrighted!

Any use of my photos is forbidden without authorization.

Please send an e-mail to request authorization.

See my profile to know my e-mail address : Profile page

or perhaps that should be ' Don't feed the pigeon'

Trafalgar Square

I feel a little like a country girl in that dress ...

but why not ! ...... is it okay ?

Spanning the Afon Tywi/ River Towy approximately 1.4km S of Nantgaredig.

Also known as Rhynnws Bridge, Pont-newydd or Newbridge.

The River Towy or Tywi (Welsh: Afon Tywi) is one of the two longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales, (the other is the River Teifi) with a total length of 121 km (75 mi). . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.

Shot With Leica M6 Reissue (2022), Voigtländer Ultron Vintage 28mm f/2 ASPH VM Type II and Kodak Ektar 100

Lis Marshall, owner of Full Bloom Farm, photographed in her peony garden with a quadcopter.

All my photographs are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved. None of these photos may be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the Internet without my written permission.

Unique, rare, or otherwise odd leaders can be found on any train on any railroad, really, but there are few times when something special appears on the last of the roadrailers. NS256 is one of only two surviving roadrailer trains, and it is almost always headed by NS AC44C6M rebuilds, however this time we got something a bit special. The BNSF Fakebonnet 751 took the charge of the eastbound roadrailer, which was a real treat. With the longevity of these two roadrailer trains heavily in question these days, getting a fun leader like this made for a nice change of pace. The faded red and purple henbit in a field near Sidney are a nice change of the usual black and white of the NS-led Triple Crowns. A fine treat for sure.

So the next time some single-minded profit-seeking bastards want to come and mess with you and your community and try and irreversibly change it for the worse, follow the advice of how the New Era Estate came TOGETHER, fought them off and WON. So even if Russell Brand self-destructs and becomes that risible discardable figure, it won't matter much because local direct action is all we've got, with or without him. Anyway, other high-profile people can be sought to raise the exposure for the cause. In the end, 93 families have kept their homes in Hackney, East London, and these courageous resident campaigners will undoubtedly inspire countless others who find themselves in similar predicaments whether it be housing or fracking or the like. This for me is what brings hope in 2015.

The Oudeschans, or Oude Schans (Old Rampart), originally the Nieuwe Gracht, is a wide canal in the eastern part of the inner city of Amsterdam.

Location

The Oudeschans canal continues the line of the Zwanenburgwal, to which it is connected by the Sint Antoniesluis, a lock that is crossed by the bridge where Sint Antoniesbreestraat turns into Jodenbreestraat. It runs northeast to the Oosterdok, which in turn is connected to the IJ. The 16th-century Montelbaanstoren is on the canal, which is sometimes called the Montelbaansgracht. The canal forms the western shore of the city island of Uilenburg on the border of the Lastage neighborhood .

The quays on either side of the canal are called Oudeschans, with the exception of the section between the Waalseilandgracht and the Oosterdok at the Prins Hendrikkade. There, the northeastern quay is called the Kalkmarkt and the opposite quay is called 's-Gravenhekje. Next to house number 10 there is a "corridor" to a back area on which the De Waag Playground is located. The artist Su Tomesen designed a gateway for this. The Snoekjesgracht, Rechtboomssloot and Waalseilandgracht open into the Oudeschans from the northwest. The Houtkopersburgwal and Rapenburgwal open into it from the southeast.

The odd-numbered southeast side of the Oudeschans lies on the island of Uilenburg, which can only be reached via three bridges:

From the direction of Nieuwmarkt via Keizersbrug (bridge no. 286) at Korte Koningsstraat.

From the direction of Jodenbreestraat via Steenvoetsluis (bridge 291) at the Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat / Houtkopersburgwal,

From the direction of Prins Hendrikkade / Rapenburg via the Peperbrug (bridge 281) at the Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat / Peperstraat.

The Montelbaansbrug (bridge no. 280) is an extension of the even-numbered side of the Oudeschans over the Waalseilandsgracht at the Oude Waal and the Binnenkant. The Kikkerbilssluis (bridge no. 279) spans the water of the Oudeschans at the Prins Hendrikkade.

History

In 1512, troops from Guelders attacked the city and plundered the Lastage, the industrial area with shipyards on the eastern side outside the city. Between 1515 and 1518 an armof the Amstel was dug out, the Zwanenburgwal, leading to the Nieuwe Gracht, as the Oudeschans was then called. This became the defensive moat for the east side of the city. A defensive wall was thrown up with the earth dug out, on which a wooden palisade was erected. The Montelbaan tower was built in 1516 as part of this defensive work.

At the end of the 16th century, during the Second Expansion, three islands southeast of the Nieuwe Gracht were included: Uilenburg, Marken (later called Valkenburg ) and Rapenburg. When a new city wall was erected to defend against the Spanish, it included the new islands. The Nieuwe Gracht and the old redoubt lost its defensive function.

In 1602 a channel was cut through the Sint Antoniesdijk on the south side of the Oudeschans, and the Sint Antoniesluis (a lock) was built so that ships could sail to the Amstel via the Zwanenburgwal.

The West-Indian warehouse is on the 's-Gravenhekje, where the Oudeschans flows into the Oosterdok. This monumental complex, built in 1642, was the headquarters of the Dutch West India Company between 1646 and 1674.

In 1833, after a rumor that ghosts had been seen, the Oudeschans was nicknamed the ghost quay.

The Oudeschans and the parallel Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, were located in the heart of the old Jodenbuurt (Jewish neighborhood) of Amsterdam.

In 1927 the municipality built a block of 72 homes in the style of the late Amsterdam School in collaboration with the Bouwfonds Handwerkers Vriendenkring. The block was designed by Jan Hendrik Mulder Jr. (1888–1960) and built on the Oudeschans / Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat. The ground floor areas, with the monumental natural stone entrance at Oudeschans 21, were originally designed as storage for the goods, stalls and carts of the Jewish street market on Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat, which was popular before World War II. The complex is used as an exhibition and studio space, and offers space for artists and young entrepreneurs.

The Korendrager warehouse on Oudeschans 73-77 was destroyed by fire in 1949. Between 1974 and 2004, the Bimhuis stood here. When this concert hall for jazz and improvised music had found a new home in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, an apartment building was built on the site in 2007 based on a design by Tekton architects.

(Wikipedia)

Die Oudeschans, auch Oude Schans geschrieben, hatte zuerst den Namen Nieuwe Gracht (deutsch Neue Gracht). Gelderse Angreifer überfielen 1512 das Industriegebiet Lastage, daraufhin wurde zwischen 1515 und 1518 – als äußerste Verteidigungslinie an der östlichen Stadtseite – ein Seitenkanal bei der Amstel bis zur Nieuwe Gracht gegraben. Mit der ausgehobenen Erde wurde ein neuer Festungswall gebaut, der dann die Oudeschans wurde. Auf Höhe der Waalseilandsgracht erhebt sich an der Oudeschans der ehemalige Wartturm Montelbaanstoren. Der nach dem späteren Statthalter der Spanischen Niederlande – dem Herzog von Alba – benannte Turm wurde 1516 errichtet – nachdem zuvor die Lastage wiederholt von den Geldernschen in Brand gesetzt worden war. Als der Montelbaanstoren für seine ursprüngliche Funktion nicht mehr gebraucht wurde, erhielt er 1606 eine von Hendrick de Keyser entworfene hölzerne Turmspitze im Renaissancestil inklusive einer Turmuhr mit Schlagwerk. Die Amsterdam Gay Pride, eine jährlich stattfindende Canal Parade, führt gelegentlich auch durch die Oudeschans.

(Wikipedia)

Imaging telescopes or lenses: GSO 8" f/5 Newton

Imaging cameras: ZWO ASI 183 MM PRO

Mounts: SkyWatcher NEQ6 Pro Goto

Guiding telescopes or lenses: GSO 8" f/5 Newton

Guiding cameras: Astrolumina Alccd5L-IIc

Focal reducers: Pal Gyulai GPU Aplanatic Koma Korrector 4-element

Software: DeepSky Stacker Deep Sky Stacker 3.3.4 · PhotoShop CS5 · PHD2 Guiding · FitsWork 4 · CCDCiel

Filters: Baader Planetarium O3 1.25" 8.5nm · Baader Ha 1.25" 7nm

Accessory: TSOptics TS Off Axis Guider - 9mm

Dates:June 26, 2020

Frames:

Baader Ha 1.25" 7nm: 7x600" (1h 10') (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1

Baader Planetarium O3 1.25" 8.5nm: 7x600" (1h 10') (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1

Integration: 2h 20'

Darks: 37

Flats: 25

Flat darks: 100

Lever de soleil en forêt, sur le Grosmann

(70/366) Well Tuesday's Avocado photo certainly divided opinion, seems they are like Marmite you either love them or hate them. So how about Avocado oil? I hope this qualifies as "green food" for the Weekly Colour Challenge?

This is one of the dresses I made my Blythes. This is also a better look at her custom eye chips that I purchased off of a seller on Etsy. I <3 my precious little Claire.

NOT 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 HOT----------------------------

Answers;

I just got back from shooting for a week in Los Angeles and have to say that the highlight of my trip was shooting industrial stuff down in Long Beach Harbor with Photographer David Sommars. David is an amazing photographer who regularly shoots industrial stuff around L.A. and he shared with me some of the most fantastic vantage points to shoot this sort of photography in Long Beach.

Unfortunately our photowalk around the Port of Long Beach was not without incident. Three times we were blinted while photographing. I've been stopped plenty of times while legally shooting in the past. Most of the times I've been able to be respectful but insistent on my legal rights to shoot wherever I'm shooting. Every so often though an incident turns into a more serious altercation.

The first two times Sommars and I were stopped we were stopped by private security agents working for Securitas on behalf of BP's Carson Refinery. They asked us not to shoot the refinery and suggested that it was a "double standard" that we'd insist on our constitutional rights to shoot in public while not honoring BP's request that we not shoot their facility from a public sidewalk. I couldn't quite get my arms around the "double standard" argument coming from BP. Ironically one of the shots that I took of their refinery was probably the largest United States flag I've ever shot. Let's hear it for Patriotism.

The hassle from BP's agents though didn't really bother me all that much. We were insistent on our rights to shoot the facility and they seemed to understand that in the end there was nothing that they could do about it. Their security guard snapped photos of both of us with his camera phone (and I returned the favor of course) and then they followed us when we left in my car in order to get my license plate, but they seemed to pretty clearly understand that while they were free to ask us not to shoot the plant, it was clearly within our rights to do so.

The more disturbing incident came later when we were atop a bridge, again on a public sidewalk, shooting another plant and long exposure bridge shots. Here we were stopped by real cops this time, rather than security guards. The cops in question were from the Long Beach Harbor Patrol. Their officer explained to us that it was his job to monitor the side of the bridge that we were on while L.A.P.D. had jurisdiction over the other side of the bridge.

Basically the conversation went something like this.

Long Beach Harbor Patrol Officer: "I'm going to have to ask you guys to leave."

Us: "But, why, were simply taking art photographs."

Long Beach Harbor Patrol Officer: "You're not allowed to photograph these plants."

Us: "But we're on a public sidewalk. What law doesn't allow us to photograph here?"

Long Beach Harbor Patrol Officer: "You'll need to come back tomorrow and get a permit if you want to shoot in the Harbor."

Me: "I'm only down in Long Beach for tonight and won't be able to do that."

2nd Long Beach Harbor Patrol Officer (shrugging her shoulders): Oh, well, you're just going to have to leave. Photography is not allowed here without a permit."

During this altercation both David and I were asked to present identification to the police. They used our IDs to run background checks on both of us.

Now personally I have no problem with the cops stopping to talk to us and check out what we were doing. I also had no problem with Securitas photographing me earlier or following me to get my license plate number. But I think that it went too far when the Long Beach Harbor Patrol ran background checks on us and I think it also went too far when they required us to leave our shoot location. As far as I'm aware there is no law which requires permits in order to shoot the Long Beach Harbor from a public sidewalk. And to kick us off of the bridge that we were legally on was not justified and violated our constitutional rights.

We repeatedly tried to argue for our right to shoot at this location for about a half an hour. The entire time the cops were insistent that we were not allowed to shoot there without a permit. David showed the cops in question photos of his on his iPhone in order to share the type of photography that we were after, but none of this seemed to matter. We were on their turf and they weren't going to stand for that. He just kept repeatedly bringing up 911 over and over telling us that we were going to need to leave.

What bothers me even more is that this is not the first time that David (who shoots in Long Beach Harbor more regularly than I do) has been harassed by the cops there. David has had lots of previous run ins there. David told me that he's been stopped about 10 times in the last six months while shooting in Long Beach Harbor. About half of those stops involved actual police in addition to security guards. On one occasion the cops actually handcuffed him and in another incident 4 police cars and a black SUV converged on him. He's also had FBI agents call on him over his photography. Personally I think it's wrong to handcuff peaceful photographers for the "crime" of photography while questioning and detaining.

I've contacted the media relations department at Long Beach Harbor regarding this incident but have yet to hear back from them. I'll post more from them once/if I do hear back.

What I am tired of though is the harassment that photographers face on a regular basis while out documenting our world. Photography is not a crime. 911 didn't suddenly magically turn photographers into criminals. And as long as photography is not a crime, I think that cops, security guards and other authority figures should be required to live within the legal system as it now stands. Maybe some day they will pass a law that shooting Long Beach Harbor is in fact a crime. Or maybe they'll actually pass a law that permits *are* actually required to shoot there. But until that day happens (and I'd be one vocally opposing any such rule like that) this sort of harassment ought not take place. And it's unfortunate when it does.

Update: Art Wong from the Port of Long Beach's Media Relations Department has contacted me and told me that he's asking their officers for information on this incident. I will post any update from the Port of Long Beach as it becomes available.

Update 2: On Digg here: digg.com/travel_places/Thomas_Hawk_s_Digital_Connection_L...

Update 3: The Port of Long Beach's Assistant Director of Communications Art Wong, responds to this incident here.

Crazy Tuesday