Thomas Hawk comes to Miami; gets harassed for taking photos

March 21, 2010 @ 9:46PM

Thomas Hawk comes to Miami; gets harassed for taking photos

By Carlos Miller -...

Thomas Hawk, one of the most popular photo bloggers in the country, flew into Miami for the weekend and got harassed for taking photos.

We know he’s not the first tourist to get a rude welcoming in The 305.

But anybody familiar with the San Francisco blogger knows he is not one to back down from such confrontations.

Hawk, who was in town working on his project on photographing the 100 largest cities in the United States, came across a South Beach Synagogue Wednesday when he was confronted by two men who identified themselves as cops.

They threatened him with arrest if he continued taking photos. He told them to call the real cops.

“Their building, our sidewalk, we can shoot here if we want,” Hawk told the cops when they arrived.

The cops agreed with him and allowed him to continue taking photos.

He explains the situation in detail in the above video.

Interviewing Thomas Hawk with my Canon TX1, a camera I really love (Photo by Maria Campo)

On Saturday, I ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening with Hawk and several other South Florida photographers, including Bulldog of Nikon Miami, who piled us all into his short bus and gave us a tour of old neon signs in Miami that night, which is a passion he shares with Hawk.

It was the first time I met Hawk in person, even though I became familiar with his blog three years ago when he reported on my arrest.

Out of all the bloggers who reported on my arrest, he was the only one to call the Miami Police Department and ask for the arrest report, which he posted on his blog and allowed everybody to see how police were contradicting themselves.

He turned out to be one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met; a man with a true passion for photography, sleeping an average of five hours a night and shooting the rest of the time while he was down here.

We introduced Hawk to the Miami Marine Stadium, which has been abandoned since 1992. A few of us climbed up to the roof of the stadium, which provides for excellent views of the city as well as steep slopes and valleys to climb and leap on.

We also took him through Wynwood, a mostly Puerto Rican neighborhood which is going through an art renaissance.

Seconds after interviewing Hawk with my Canon TX1, a Miami police officer pulled up to our group.

But instead of harassing us for taking photos, he warned us to be careful if we ventured a couple of blocks south into Overtown, one of Miami’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

I knew exactly where we were, but some of the others, who were from out of town, didn’t have a clue.

Officer Reyes was a real nice guy. One of the photographers in our group asked him to pose with us for a photo, but he declined, saying he was a rookie on probation.

I hope he maintains that positive attitude for the rest of his career.

Talking to Miami Police Officer Reyes, who was warning us not to venture two blocks south into Overtown, one of Miami's most dangerous neighborhoods. (Photo by Maria Campo)

Leaping on the roof of the Miami Marine Stadium (Photo by Michael Wilbur)

Sitting on the roof of the Miami Marine Stadium (Photo by Michael Wilbur)

Comments

Anonymous

2 years ago

Thomas is a great guy; I’m glad you had the chance to shoot with him. I’ve never met anyone with such a passion for photography. He is truly driven!

What a cool spot that stadium is!
Jeremy Brooks´s last blog ..It’s Music

Anonymous

2 years ago

yeay! we gots to do the bus tours more often!

Anonymous

2 years ago

Unbelievable. I’m glad Officer Reyes was kind and helpful. One of the things I wondered about is if the real cops in the synagogue incident had any concerns about the guys who falsely identified themselves as cops – I thought that was a crime.

Nice to see you guys had some good times out there shooting. Makes me want to drive down and spend a few days there.
William Beem´s last blog ..Shooting the Show

Anonymous

2 years ago

it was great shooting with you and thomas on saturday!!!

Anonymous

2 years ago

I don’t know about Miami, but where I live impersonating an officer is a serious offense. Did the real cops take any action against those two who said they were cops at first, or did they turn out to be legit? Just curious.
Josh Saint Jacque´s last blog ..Vancouver Police Ticket Man for Open Carry

Anonymous

2 years ago

Impersonating an officer is definitely a crime in Miami.

I’m not sure Hawk told the cops that they were claiming to be cops. I should have asked him.

Anonymous

2 years ago

I go through cameras pretty quickly and instead of repairing, I find its more economical to just replace. I don’t mind getting closer to the action when I reach the limit to my 300mm zoom and resorting to Photoshop to get blur I was looking for.

I leave my Nikon dslr at home most times and use it only for weddings and portraits. Do you guys insure your cameras at all?
Guy Freeman´s last blog ..Springfield is a dump, continued

Anonymous

2 years ago

What fun. Wish I could have been with you guys…

Alexander Castaneda

1 year ago

Great blog.. I would like to join your group sometime for a photo session here in Miami..

Best regard..

Alexander Castaneda

1 year ago

Hi, My name is Alexander I was born and raise in Miami and have been here ever since. I am glad to come across this page. Great blog.. If there is ever another group session I would like to be considered to join. I recenty photographed The Miami Marina Stadium..

Thank you..

Anonymous

2 years ago

great to see two of my favorite photographers…

Anonymous

2 years ago

I guess you guys don’t know about the many threats that Jews experience? There have been a number of attacks around the world targeting Synagogues. Some of them have been in this country. Investigations have shown that these attacks on Jewish centers had been preceded by surveillance conducted by those planning the attacks. These attacks are not something that are worried about and do not occur. They really do happen and people have been killed.

Anonymous

2 years ago

So let’s just suspend civil liberties within sight of synagogues?

Citations please on where photography was used and verified as a necessary means of carrying out the specific attacks, and how stopping photography would have stopped the attack.
Michaelk42´s last blog ..Now you’ve done it, Johnny

Anonymous

2 years ago

Hey Carlos. Great hanging out! So good to finally meet you in person after all these years. Thanks for all the good work you do on reporting on issues like these.

Had a blast on Saturday shooting all those great areas with you and especially heading out in Jim’s great bus tour. That was just GREAT!

@KellyP, do you think it should be illegal to photograph synagogues? Just synagogues or all churches?
Thomas Hawk´s last blog ..Color Whore

Anonymous

2 years ago

So lets ban everyone from looking at the synagogue. How about blindfolding anyone who walks down the street? After all eyes are also used in surveillance even more than cameras are.
NYCPhotorights´s last blog ..Secret Service Threatens to Confiscate Cameras

Anonymous

2 years ago

Would love to meet and shoot with Thomas Hawk .. seems like a great guy to hang out with …
Glad all went well here with the photo shoot ..

Anonymous

2 years ago

Kelly,

You do not have an absolute right to be safe in your person. Period.

Shit has happened.
Shit is happening.
Shit will happen.

Please promise me that if anyone ever kills me with a lollipop stick you wont use that as an excuse to ban lollipop sticks. Think of the children.

Anonymous

2 years ago

Is climbing around the roof of an abandoned stadium legal or is it trespassing? Do you have any mixed feelings about insisting the police adhere to the law while (as it seems) you are breaking the law?

Anonymous

2 years ago

@Carlos — Great post!!!
@Thomas — glad to know you’ve been inducted into the bus crew — Did Jim get you to try on the helmet??