Went to look at a new photographic studio in Southampton today and on the way decided to stop and take some photographs of St.Mary's. Well St.Mary's is set in an exclusion zone as far as car parking goes and whilst there are car parks on the site itself I was aware that there was a home match against Watford and didn't think there would be much chance of a freebie before hand.
Anyway, nothing ventured nothing gained, as Gilbert O'Sullivan might have once sang, and I drove up to the security barrier at one end of the ground and told the security guard that I wanted to take some photographs of the ground and was there any chance of parking up for half an hour - he said no problem and showed me where I could park.
I worked my way round the ground and by the time I had reached the Northam Stand I was aware that I was being watched a little bit closer than when I had been hidden away between the Kingsland Stand and the railway line. I continued shooting, past the ticket office and when I was standing outside the main entrance (but on public rather than private land) a security guard came running out of the main building, past the statue of Ted Bates and asked me what I was doing. Obviously CCTV had been watching me!
"What are you doing?"
"Taking photographs of the ground."
"Who do you work for?"
(Slightly puzzled) "Nobody. It's a hobby."
"Taking photographs."
"Yes."
"But you've got a professional camera."
"The camera may be professional but I'm not, these are for Flickr. I shooting football grounds for a project. Today it's here and I'm off to Pompey after a bit of business over the road."
(I realised at this point I'd be crap as a spy if anybody should decide to interrogate me on a sunny Saturday morning in October )
"I see. It's just....well, we have to be careful."
"No problem, I know the club doesn't have a good......no, I shouldn't say anymore."
"No go on."
"Well the owners don't like the press do they. Anyway, I'll be done in another five minutes."
"So, you're not selling them."
"Hardly. Look it's just a hobby and I happen to be passing (he lied)."
"All right mate, have a nice day."
Now the weird thing is that I know the editor of the Echo in Southampton and the owner (the one who sacked Alan Pardew when they were top of the league and unbeaten) fell out with them big time, rescinding all previous agreements and taking the licensing of photographs in house - something that all clubs are perfectly entitled to do by the way. And yet there were people with mobile phones and compact cameras posing for photographs in front of the stadium, by Ted Bates and yet I was the only one who looked professional.
As I left the car park I lowered the window and said, "Thanks for your help," to the first security guard I had spoken to, he was wired for sound and no doubt and heard everything. I have been in the ground before, on a software course, and it is a decent ground for the Championship with some very good facilities, the club offers tours for £9 and I am tempted to return with a compact camera and take some 'snaps' inside the ground - although that wasn't the plan for this project originally.
ps - it was 27.5 c in Southampton today, 1st October 2011, it was like being an extra in a remake of The Day The Earth Caught Fire.
7 comments:
Nice. before I got past the second paragraph I was thinking that you'd better hope there's no terrorist incident in the short term at St Mary's.
weather is great isn't it? 29 degrees in places (I'm in Somerset)
It's certainly hot and I hear we are due to have snow before the months is out!
At Newcastle Arena you're not allowed to take "professional" cameras in. Quite what the criteria is I've no idea.
I took some photos at the Stadium of Light a year or two ago and no-one bothered me at all.
It's funny about your experiences at Sunderland because looking at some messageboards it seems that most clubs are the same although the law clearly states otherwise. Apparently Everton even run a competition for supporters photographs and one month the winner was from the changing room!
What does the law say?
The law says that on private property you have to comply with the owners requests - well all the Premiership and League football clubs in England signed their image rights over to a company called dataco and they say that only approved professional photographers can take pictures inside a ground.
Thanks, Paul: I never knew that.
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