People have asked me how I shot my images for my Fellowship Panel in the London Underground – was I doing it covertly? was it permitted? and other questions. Here are some answers.
Firstly, yes, you can take pictures in the Underground; but there are rules to follow and a policy on the matter is published on the TfL Website. It’s on the “passing through” principle where you do not linger in one location doing photography for any length of time – generally considered to be 15 minutes or so. There are some grey areas – I have seen people eating their lunch on a station platform seat and taking a lot longer than 15 minutes! But doing the same with a camera in hand?
It boils down to:
- Individuals can take photos for personal use – ie not commercial
- Don’t obstruct others or cause disruption.
- Don’t use flash photography or additional lighting, for obvious reasons
- Tripods are not allowed.
So, I hopped from station to station as I made my journey, avoiding lingering in one place for too long, ensuring that I was at my destination and through the barriers before the system timed me out – 90 minutes in Zones 1 and 2.
My approach was low-key. The camera was in plain view at all times; I didn’t want to be sneaky. I took the photos sitting on a platform seat where I would be out of the way and not causing an obstruction. The camera was alongside me on the seat mounted on a Platypod to give some stability; there for anyone to see. A Platypod is essentially a ball head attached to a plate and is very compact. Some people saw it; a lot didn’t. The camera was triggered by a remote.
Most of the time I wasn’t taking photographs – just sitting there watching the world go by, reading a newspaper to pass the time, looking at my mobile (great 5G reception on the Victoria Line!) or having a snack; and waiting for that elusive doorway tableau. To anyone taking an interest, I would have looked like someone sitting on a seat waiting for something or someone.
Was I challenged? Yes, once or twice by staff who wanted to know if I was alright, as they had seen that I hadn’t got on the train that had just left the platform. I was impressed by their concern; they could easily have walked past. I always thanked them for asking.
Was I worried about my own safety? Only once, late on a Saturday evening when it was relatively quiet but there were quite a few rowdy parties of young men definitely under the influence.
That’s pretty much all there was to it. For more details of the photographic challenges involved, see my next post – Shooting my F Panel – Getting the geometry right
Mike Hawkridge Photography 
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