Photographers escape site fees

PROFESSIONAL photographers in the Northern Rivers are happy to be free of the cash squeeze being put on their city colleagues.

But they say they disagree with moves by authorities in Sydney to demand fees for shooting photographs at beaches such as Bondi, or where iconic sites such as the Harbour Bridge are included.

Neither Ballina nor Byron shire councils charge for still photographers to shoot in their areas, even when it is for commercial purposes such as weddings.

Jillian Pratten, Ballina Shire's manager of open spaces and reserves, said councils had to follow a Department of Local Government protocol that said they could not ban photography or filming in public places.

No fee was charged for still photography, she said.

However, fees are required if film crews exceed 10 in number, or disrupt traffic.

Iconic sites such as the Byron Bay Lighthouse come under the auspices of National Parks and Wildlife Services, and it requires a permit be issued for commercial photographers. An annual fee for the permit is $275.

Photographers think that any charges are unjust.

David Young, who has worked in Byron Bay for 15 years, said: “I have taken thousands of images of Byron Shire and many of them have been used to promote it.

“They have always shown the region in a positive light, and it constitutes a form of free advertising.

“As such we shouldn't be charged for it,” he said.

Alberto Sanchez said he no longer used the Byron Bay lighthouse as a backdrop for his wedding photography.

As soon as they see a tripod, or a fat camera, the ‘photography police' come over, he said, and ask if you have a permit.

“So now I have to find alternatives. It means that I have to be more creative.

“I love the lighthouse but it's a bit of a cliché and now I look for other settings,” Mr Sanchez said.

Craig Parry, of EyeReflect in Ballina, said he ‘strongly disagreed' with photographers being charged a fee.

“I lived in Verbier, Switzerland, for a year with a professional photographer.

“The local council paid my mate to promote and sell his photos of the area because they believed it encouraged tourism,” Mr Parry said.