How to take photos at a convention (and not be an idiot)
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Posted by leswhittaker
#26

Nah, dawg, that's GENCON.  Prolly just before the vendor hall opens where we witness the annual running of the dorks to get limited edition, Con-Exclusive crap that will ultimately be available for substantially less on Amazon in a couple of months.

Posted by jm.spellslinger leswhittaker
#27

leswhittaker wrote:
Nah, dawg, that's GENCON.  Prolly just before the vendor hall opens where we witness the annual running of the dorks to get limited edition, Con-Exclusive crap that will ultimately be available for substantially less on Amazon in a couple of months.

NO RUNNING!

Posted by aldctjoc lord thrifty the cromulent
#28

mstabosz wrote:Oh Jesus... is that the mess that I bought tickets for?Please tell me that's, like, San Diego Comicon or something.

Don't sweat it. That's just the vendor hall crowd on opening day. It's just a bunch of attendees trying to be among the first in the vendor hall for that year. It thins out after a bit.

Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty damn crowded. This is from 2016 (source: http://indianatalks.com/site/2016/12/gen-con-extends-partnership-with-indianapolis-through-2021/ ), and I do believe it's well into the day by this point:

... so yeah, it's still going to be a huge mass of humanity. But it won't quite be cheek-to-jowl with no breathing room like in the opening day stampede.

Posted by armadilloal
#29

Let me link to a YouTube video that will probably give you a better idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLVeGXz70lI

This is from Friday last year.  If you look at the background while she's wandering the building, you'll see that it's not too bad.

Posted by keithbradburn aldctjoc
#30

aldctjoc wrote:
mstabosz wrote:Oh Jesus... is that the mess that I bought tickets for?Please tell me that's, like, San Diego Comicon or something.

Don't sweat it. That's just the vendor hall crowd on opening day. It's just a bunch of attendees trying to be among the first in the vendor hall for that year. It thins out after a bit.Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty damn crowded. This is from 2016 (source: http://indianatalks.com/site/2016/12/gen-con-extends-partnership-with-indianapolis-through-2021/ ), and I do believe it's well into the day by this point:

... so yeah, it's still going to be a huge mass of humanity. But it won't quite be cheek-to-jowl with no breathing room like in the opening day stampede.

A great view of the opening day.
https://www.facebook.com/genconindy/videos/10153961972358155/

Posted by snowleopard lord thrifty the cromulent
#31

mstabosz wrote:Oh Jesus... is that the mess that I bought tickets for?Please tell me that's, like, San Diego Comicon or something.

Well as far as I'm aware, no one has gotten stabbed in the eye with a pen over a fight for seating. ;)

And that picture is of the "running of the bulls" (no running!) moment when the dealer's hall opens on the first day. You will NOT find me there, nope nope nope!

Posted by snowleopard clevelandk1
#32

clevelandk1 wrote:I haven't done a con of any sort since the 1980s, and I've been reading a lot about asking permission before taking any photos, but I'll be at Gen Con for work, and the boss has asked for pictures (cons are completely foreign for most of the folks I work with). So, with that in mind, is it okay to take random "atmosphere" shots to give them a sense of what the event is like without asking permission? This would be mostly fairly wide shots of crowds and the exhibit hall and whatnot done with a phone.

I think in the Gen Con terms and conditions you're agreeing that this is a public space and your photo may be taken. General crowd/environment shots are absolutely ok. If you're taking photos of specific people, always best to ask them for permission.
Also, do not be the guy who ran up to take a photo of the back of a short-skirt demon girl taking a drink from a water fountain! I actually called him out for being creepy as f###. He shot me an annoyed look that implied I wasn't hot enough to take a water fountain shot of. ;)

Posted by spicer leswhittaker
#33

leswhittaker wrote:Can we nominate those people to run for Congress?  We need some real problem solvers around here.
Yeah, recently my last name has been tarnished. I will need to work harder than most...

Posted by snowleopard spicer
#34

spicer wrote:
leswhittaker wrote:Can we nominate those people to run for Congress?  We need some real problem solvers around here.
Yeah, recently my last name has been tarnished. I will need to work harder than most...

If things get rough, you can always hide in the bushes. ;)

Posted by gharris snowleopard
#35

snowleopard wrote:
This year will be very crowded - please don't do dumb when you have a camera! :)
- Sincerely, someone who will barge into your cross-hallway photo-op ;)
(I created this image, but feel free to steal and share far and wide - http://imgur.com/gallery/CwWWErh)

Note that as of this year Gen Con has banned taking pictures in the aisles and walkways. Effectively, outside of the booths that is nearly the entire exhibit hall. So even if you are the people in the image to the left doing the "right" thing, if you are still in an aisle or walkway you are still being an idiot.

Posted by bith
#36

Have they?  I do not think GenCon has changed their photo policy this year.

 

Posted by gharris bith
#37

bithlord wrote:
Have they?  I do not think GenCon has changed their photo policy this year.
 

It was in the last terms of service agreement update that most people probably just clicked "accept" to rather than read it. No impeding traffic in the aisles and walkways for photography and movie taking. 

I was very pleased to see Gen Con starting to take steps to restrict things that cause traffic problems at the convention, especially in the exhibit hall.

Posted by stiehle
#38

This is what I'm finding in the terms of service agreement that folks accepted:


  • Attendees may not block aisles or walkways, impede movement, or disrupt the convention for photo-taking or recording purposes.

I don't see the term 'banned' anywhere, though perhaps gharris read another section of the service agreement I'm just not seeing.  Seems to me that the 'right' way that the op was kind enough to share continues to be the 'right' way for GenCon 50.

Posted by gharris stiehle
#39

stiehle wrote:
This is what I'm finding in the terms of service agreement that folks accepted:

  • Attendees may not block aisles or walkways, impede movement, or disrupt the convention for photo-taking or recording purposes.

I don't see the term 'banned' anywhere, though perhaps gharris read another section of the service agreement I'm just not seeing.  Seems to me that the 'right' way that the op was kind enough to share continues to be the 'right' way for GenCon 50.

"Banned" may have been a poor choice of words, but effectively it will be the same thing. Remember how massively crowded the exhibit hall was last year, even along most of the side walkways? Add a few thousand more people this year. You simply are not going to find a situation where you can take pictures in most of the exhibit hall the "right" way this year without impeding anyone's movement. 

This is assuming that none of the people in the "right" picture want to go to the left- which they frequently do. There are bathrooms, food vendors, exits, cool booths, and friends to the left! Traffic doesn't always move in only two directions.

Note that if you do still manage to find one of these magic spots you may be part of a crowd which is also trying to get to those spots to take pictures without being an idiot- which will start to spill over, impede movement, and make you all idiots anyways.

Note too that this also applies to the groups of people blocking traffic just outside of the exhibit hall who are trying to take pictures of cosplayers, especially the big groups who gather around groups of cosplayers posing for pictures.

This rule was long overdue. 

Posted by austicke gharris
#40

gharris wrote:This rule was long overdue. 

That rule isn't new. It's been there for years.

____________________________________________________
Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group

Posted by gharris austicke
#41

austicke wrote:
gharris wrote:This rule was long overdue. 

That rule isn't new. It's been there for years.____________________________________________________
Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group

Fair enough. Then enforcement is long overdue.

Posted by raidkillsbugsded gharris
#42

gharris wrote:
austicke wrote:
gharris wrote:This rule was long overdue. 

That rule isn't new. It's been there for years.____________________________________________________
Alec Usticke, Unofficial Gen Con Indy Facebook Discussion Group

Fair enough. Then enforcement is long overdue.

Agreed...especially where the Crossroads Concourse intersects with the Hoosier Concourse

Posted by bith
#43

So...it's not banned at all then.  Don't spread misinformation, even if you don't like cosplayers.

Posted by raidkillsbugsded
#44

I'm going to cosplay using an actual steamroller and just make it through the halls that way...feel free to get my picture if you like...

Posted by mbeauparland bith
#45

bithlord wrote:
So...it's not banned at all then.  Don't spread misinformation, even if you don't like cosplayers.
Not really taking a side here because I like cospalyers but don't like them blocking isles... What's the functional difference between "You may not do this" and "You are banned from doing this...?"

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