As a photographer, have you ever been told that you were prohibited from photographing something?

This past Saturday my neighbor/friend/fellow Bronx aficionado, Matt and I decided to take a photography walk. We began at our lovely art deco building in Bedford Park, stopping for a quick bite at Jerome’s Pizza (my neighborhood favorite.) If you know the area, there are quite a few photogenic subjects to be had. Matt is a licensed tour guide, has a Master’s in history, and is always good for some Bronx trivia.

After the slice we arrived upon the Bedford Park Blvd. overpass, peering into the MTA’s Concourse Yard, a subway storage facility. There are always trains coming in and out, making their way onto the 4 and B/D subway lines, which makes an interesting photo. I’m a personal fan of the retired redbird car series. They can often be seen painted yellow, reinvented as a worktrain or if you’re lucky, as we were, in its original glory. Matt quickly pointed out that getting the right depth of field would totally negate the chain linked fence surrounding it, the only thing obscuring our view. Sweet!

Making our way past Lehman College, we discussed the benefits of an auxiliary flash, something I seriously could have used during my Bronx Fashion Week shoot. We stumbled upon one of those water sampling stations that just happened to be opened and running. Matt was quick to take a photo. I’d never seen one open and had always wondered what was inside. Ah, but within a second of snapping the photo, an overzealous DEP employee appeared out of nowhere and barked at us that we were not allowed to photograph the water station, quickly shutting its door and hiding its contents. Really? We questioned him, as it was a public fixture, thus there was no way he could prevent us from taking a photo. He backed down and disappeared.

This would not be the last time we would be told no that day.

Back in Colombia, I’d gotten into my share of problems with photography. Most people don’t realize, for example, that the cerro— or hill —that you see in all the postcards of Bogotá actually encompasses a strategic military lookout, thus is technically illegal to photograph. I learned this the hard way. Standing on a footbridge, I used a point and shoot to capture the picturesque landscape. I caught the eye of a soldier and naturally, my battery decided to die at that very moment. “No photographs, please!” He instructed me to delete the photos or have my camera confiscated. I took out the AA batteries, alternating them, and was miraculously able to turn the camera on, erasing said photos. I was definitely popular the day I attempted to photograph the changing of the guards at Palacio Nacional. Oops, my flash went off accidentally, betraying me. I was just a naive kid.

The Hall of Fame for Great Americans

Meanwhile, Matt and I decided we should head to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. We continued south onto the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, which is paved and snakes in between buildings. Recently renovated, it is still popular among a transient population. One such man jovially asked us to take his photograph. Posturing demonstratively for the camera, he jokingly made us promise to share some of the riches “when we made it big.” “Even $20 is okay!” he laughed as we continued down our path.

The University Heights neighborhood west of University Avenue holds some architectural gems and little known hiding spots. There are entire enclaves of middle-class families occupying private homes with gardens and decorative ornamentation. You can tell by St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church and the character of the buildings that this was no ordinary neighborhood. In fact, prior to the devastation of the Bronx in the 1970s, NYU occupied what is now Bronx Community College.

No Photographs, Please

Upon our arrival to the entrance, I saw the security kiosk by the stairs and realized that we’d likely be asked to present photo IDs, as the Hall of Fame is on the Bronx Community College campus. What I didn’t expect was that upon seeing our Canon DSLRs, we’d be told that we weren’t allowed in without prior permission.

Incredulous, but never the shrinking violet, the look upon my face revealed me. Just to make sure we were understanding the correctly, we asked him to repeat what he’d just said. Apparently, we learned, not only was prior permission a prerequisite, we’d also only be able to access the site during weekday hours. Apologetically, he offered to let us speak to his supervisor if we needed any clarification.

As a Bronx activist, I’m wondering what the rationale is.  You have a tourist site in the middle of a neighborhood that few, if any, non-New Yorkers will ever visit and there are restrictions on who has access and when. It’s one of those practices that somebody clearly spent some time thinking up yet just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. If you have some insight as to why this is, please comment below.