Purdue photojournalist detained, and his equipment seized covering a shooting

On January 21, 2014, Michael Takeda, Purdue University Exponent newspaper photo editor, was attempting to photograph the aftermath of an on campus shooting in the Electrical Engineering Building.

Mr. Takeda reports he was at the entrance to the building near the skywalk where there were no police barriers or signs telling anyone not to enter the building, and identified himself to the Purdue University Campus Police as an Exponent photographer. Mr. Takeda had a Nikon camera in each of his hands at the time.

Florida Photography: A New Law Gone Mad!!!

You're traveling in Hamilton County Florida and see a gorgeous farming landscape with hay bales shiny from the setting sun, and get a great photograph of the scene. Perhaps you come across a great river scene along the Indian River in Florida, with rows of orange trees in the background, and snap a photo of it.

Come this July, you could be charged with 2 counts of first degree felony photography, punishable by serious jail time, if a proposed Florida statute becomes law.

Florida State Senator Jim Norman (R) (Tampa) has proposed to make it a first-degree felony to photograph a farm without first obtaining written permission from the owner. A farm is defined as any land "cultivated for the purpose of agricultural production, the raising and breeding of domestic animals or the storage of a commodity."