Still photographers can need them too when using models or props, using a location crew, asking for privileges beyond normal park visitors, or photographing products. You may also have to pay for the time of a ranger to be asigned full time to you for traffic control, etc, if you are causing a disruption or working in sensitive areas requiring special supervision. You should also be prepared to add the NPS to your liability insurance in amounts suffucient meet NPS criteria, and probably sign some kind of hold-harmless agreement with the parks in case of accidents, just to make sure that you and not the park service bite the bullet if your activities go haywire.
If in doubt about your activities, it always pays to stop by the headquarters beforehand to introduce yourself, ask questions, and let the park know where and what you want to do.
Here is a really useful link on the subject. I keep a copy in my camera bag in parks. I can't find the link at the moment, but I also keep a copy of the actual regs just in case I run across NPS personnel that aren't acquainted and tend to make up their own rules.
On the same note, state, city and county parks almost certainly have regs for photogs, and the US Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (refuges) do have regs separate and distinct from those of th NPS. We pay an annual fee to our local state park for example, because we frequently use it for wedding and portrait shoots. And we're happy to support them!
It behooves you to track down the relevant regs and get acquainted them, both to stay out of trouble and to be able to stick up for yourself if you run into one of the unfortunate employees who cover their ignorance with official sounding pronouncements having nothing to do with fact.
Hank said it well. I also carry a copy of the permit policy because it's very likely that any ranger you run in to that asks questions will not be familiar with it.
In general, you will NOT need a "special use permite" for photographing in National Parks.
I have a Commercial Use Authorization permit from the NPS for Arches & Canyonlands NP for my guiding and workshop business. I anticipated that the process would be costly and time consuming. I couldn't have been more wrong. The application was simple to complete and it took only 4 days to process before I received my permit. Of course, I'm sure performance will vary with each park but we seem to have a great crew here in Moab who are very capable and customer service oriented.
The NPS does require that you carry liability insurance and that you are CPR & First Aid certified. Very reasonable requirements, in my opinion.
My experience is pretty the same as Bret's. The permits are fairly easy and painless to get though it varies from park to park. The pain in the butt can be the insurance, but that was fairly easy as well.
Discussion
6 repliesStill photographers can need them too when using models or props, using a location crew, asking for privileges beyond normal park visitors, or photographing products. You may also have to pay for the time of a ranger to be asigned full time to you for traffic control, etc, if you are causing a disruption or working in sensitive areas requiring special supervision. You should also be prepared to add the NPS to your liability insurance in amounts suffucient meet NPS criteria, and probably sign some kind of hold-harmless agreement with the parks in case of accidents, just to make sure that you and not the park service bite the bullet if your activities go haywire.
If in doubt about your activities, it always pays to stop by the headquarters beforehand to introduce yourself, ask questions, and let the park know where and what you want to do.
Here is a really useful link on the subject. I keep a copy in my camera bag in parks. I can't find the link at the moment, but I also keep a copy of the actual regs just in case I run across NPS personnel that aren't acquainted and tend to make up their own rules.
On the same note, state, city and county parks almost certainly have regs for photogs, and the US Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (refuges) do have regs separate and distinct from those of th NPS. We pay an annual fee to our local state park for example, because we frequently use it for wedding and portrait shoots. And we're happy to support them!
It behooves you to track down the relevant regs and get acquainted them, both to stay out of trouble and to be able to stick up for yourself if you run into one of the unfortunate employees who cover their ignorance with official sounding pronouncements having nothing to do with fact.
Hank said it well. I also carry a copy of the permit policy because it's very likely that any ranger you run in to that asks questions will not be familiar with it.
In general, you will NOT need a "special use permite" for photographing in National Parks.
Lon
I have a Commercial Use Authorization permit from the NPS for Arches & Canyonlands NP for my guiding and workshop business. I anticipated that the process would be costly and time consuming. I couldn't have been more wrong. The application was simple to complete and it took only 4 days to process before I received my permit. Of course, I'm sure performance will vary with each park but we seem to have a great crew here in Moab who are very capable and customer service oriented.
The NPS does require that you carry liability insurance and that you are CPR & First Aid certified. Very reasonable requirements, in my opinion.
The BLM, on the other hand...
rod