TheFantasticG

The Question: You've been in the photography business almost 20 years. This isn't your first gig. How do you act in a National/State Park while photographing a couple?

The Story: I had a wonderful time as did my Wife and my two friends on their wedding day. We have been planning for months to visit the Valley of Fire for post-wedding photography and knowing that there might be a permit required I decided to contact the park. I emailed Mrs. Sandra twice, and then called. During that call I was informed that since this was not a commercial event i.e. no financial gain from the photography, and the party is well under XX people (I don't remember the exact number), there was no need for a permit. I was the best man in the wedding for my best friend of almost twenty years. After the ceremony and the post-wedding lunch, my wife, the new bride & groom, and myself went to the Valley of Fire. We were awe struck by the bueaty of the park. I could see now why this is a popular venue for wedding photography. We stopped at the Bee Hives first, then looked at the map and agreed on the Arch Rock. Had fun there then went onto the Seven Sisters. That was when our fun began... There was a photographer from "Scenic Tours" who was there performing commercial work at the Seven Sisters site around 15:00 Saturday afternoon when the winds were gusting furiously upwards of 40-50 mph. This "professional" photographer, Trey Tomsik, decided that his permit covered the entire state park which included no one using any other part of the park. and took it upon himself to harass myself and my two friends whom I was not paid by to image their wedding photos at the park until we started heading back to our car. I tried rationalizing with him that I had checked previously with park Management (Mrs. Sandra Huffman) so that if I needed a permit I would get one but because of the reasons we discussed on the phone it was decided I did not need a permit. When I tried kindly to tell him that the park does not issue a permit of such magnitude he started getting irate because we would not leave right away. He kept repeating he has the park permitted. No other wedding photography (unpaid or paid) is to be occurring at the same time anywhere else in the park. So, we took a ride to the range station four miles in on the left from the entrance to the park for me to speak with personnel there. After confirming with a nice lady (whom remembers me calling a few months ago about the permit requirements) that I do not need a permit under these stipulations and "Scenic Tours" cannot permit "the entire park" as he stated. In fact, she said if there wasnt already an emergency in progress they would have had the resources to deal with a commercial entity harassing other paying tourist. Bothers me that if he had such all-inclusive permit why would he not simply produce it and we can be on our marry way? Why get belligerent, argumentative, and rude when we were showing no disrespect to him? I.e. staying out his shots. It's understood on my photography web sites and forums that the Valley of Fire is a well known destination for wedding photography and cinema projects. I've been to many many state/federal parks in the southeast US and have never run into any one who had been so grotesque in character and manners. The Valley of Fire has been the first venue that I got into an altercation with any person holding a camera. I honestly thought at one point I was going to be forced to use self protection measures for my Wife and friends.

The Answer: If you are in the middle of performing on location spot at a national/state park do not act in such a matter so that one could describe you as having a grotesque character and monsterous manners. You're doing it wrong.