Visa pour l'Image International Festival of Photojournalism

“If it’s your first year at Visa pour l’Image, be prepared. It. Is. Scary. You will find yourself among thousands of photographers who are, just like you, trying to make it in a very competitive market. My first year at Visa, five years ago, was dreadful. I didn’t know who to talk to, I didn’t know where to hang out, I didn’t know what to do. But don’t give up. Come back the following year, and the one after that. And you will get the hang of it.” -Photojournalism Links’ Guide to Visa pour l’Image and Perpignan – Sunday 02 September 2012

Professional Week has just started at the Visa pour l’Image International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, and it can be a daunting experience. Photojournalismlinks.com just published a beginner’s guide to visiting, and it’s required reading if this is your first visit to the festival this year (or you’re planning to go next year). The guide has a good map, tips about where agencies and magazines will be located during the festival, and other useful information such as if you want to have a feast on Sunday celebrating a week well spent, you’d better buy your food on Saturday, since everything will be closed the day of.

Police arrest OccupyBoston protesters at their second encampment at Rose F. Kennedy Greenway a block from Dewey Square, in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, USA. - M. Scott Brauer

While covering these events police may ask to see your images, recordings or files. Be aware that you do not have to consent to such a request. They may try to intimidate, coerce or threaten you into doing so but “consent” must be voluntary. You should know that absent consent or “exigent circumstances” an officer may not seize your camera. Exigent circumstances only exist where an officer has probable cause to believe a crime has been committed AND that you have captured evidence of that crime on your camera AND that there is also a strong likelihood that such evidence may be lost if the camera is not seized.

Are you planning on covering the Republican or Democratic National Conventions at the end of August and beginning of September? You should be aware of legal and practical issues that may arise during the process of documenting both the conventions and the protests around the conventions. The National Press Photographer’s Association has a handy guide that covers the basics of covering both conventions, ranging from what to do if you’re arrested to how to stay safe in a crowd to dealing with the heat. The guide also includes a brief survey of local and federal ordinances and laws that will apply to people on the scene and educated guesses on how police may treat journalists based on recent actions of police in Chicago during the NATO summit protests earlier this year. For instance, items that could be considered weapons will not be allowed close to the convention areas and include items photographers might bring along such as tripod, monopods, and ladders.

Stay safe out there!