(no subject)

An email that I just penned and sent to one Ms. Joyce Shaw, whose name can be found on the 'contact us' section of the CTA web-site as the person responsible for "Information for using CTA facilities for movies, commercials (print and television), and photography."

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Dear Ms. Shaw;

I hope you can answer some questions I have regarding the permissibility of amateur photography within the publicly accessible confines of CTA transportation stations in general, and specifically within Ogilvie station.

While in Chicago a few months ago, I attempted to use a small point-and-shoot camera to take a couple of pictures of a friend who was standing against a striking marble wall near the bottom of one of the escalators. After taking a couple of shots, I was approached by a security guard who informed me that photography within Ogilvie station is not allowed.

I of course complied and put away my camera. However, I have to confess to some curiosity about the reasoning behind this restriction. Since the advent of mass encouragement of the public to begin reporting any actions they may find 'suspicious' to figures of authority, there have been a significant number of documented incidents lately involving security guards taking it upon themselves to hinder or prevent photography by members of the public even in spaces where there are no official proscriptions of that action. So, my first question is whether you could please confirm for me whether or not there is any such prohibition and, if so, what entity is responsible for it.

Secondly, if there is such a prohibition, I would appreciate it if you could tell me with whom I might address what I see as questionable reasoning behind that prohibition. My travels frequently take me through the beautiful interior of Ogilvie and it would be very unfortunate if I could not record some images of it's interior as part of the photographic record I like to keep of my trips through the majestic city of Chicago.

Thank you very much for your time;
(My name)

(no subject)

Holy shit! My journal entry is the number five Google result for "Ogilvie station photography". That was quick! I guess it doesn't take much....

(no subject)

Can you tell that there isn't a whole lot to do at work today?

I just made an appointment to have my truck looked at by our mechanic on Tuesday. The power steering leak has become dramatically worse; I put three quarters of a bottle of fluid in yesterday at lunch and it was gone by the time I got home. As well, they're going to check out the vibration at high speeds that It's been having for a while but hasn't bugged me enough to check on.

My left wrist has been really hurting today. It's slowly getting better through the day, but I can't do things like pick up boxes or operate camera controls with it, or even just turn it the wrong way, without risking sharp pain. I hope it continues to improve over the weekend. It's probably time to think about seeing a doctor about it. *sighs*

The idea came to me this morning to shoot people who are stuck in traffic on the way to work. If I do that long enough, I could probably accumulate a really interesting variety of subjects! I have a three quarter shot of a car from behind with a woman's face perfectly framed in her side mirror and an "I love my basset hound" sticker on the rear of the car. I like the touch of personality that adds.

(no subject)

Hey, check this out!


From: joyce Shaw [mailto:jshaw@transitchicago.com]
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 3:36 PM
To: (my email address)
Subject: Re: Ogilvie station photography


Dear (my name):

Thank you for your e-mail. Please call me to discuss. I'll be back in the office on Tuesday.

Sincerely,


Joyce A. Shaw
Project Coordinator, Advertising
CTA
567 West Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60661-1498
(312) 681-2741 p
(312) 681-2795 f
jshaw@transitchicago.com

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Thank you so much for your time; I'll give you a call then.

It was pointed out to me by a friend earlier today who I mentioned having written a letter to you to, that Ogilvie Station itself is not actually CTA property; the building proper is owned by Citicorp and the station is owned by Metra rather than CTA, so please accept my slightly embarassed apologies regarding those locations. Still, I'd love to talk with you about rules and regulations regarding other areas on the CTA lines and will give you a call next week.

Thanks again;

(My name)