The Names Preston…….. Gareth Preston…………

If you are like me then the chances are that you have already been stopped in the past by the police and have been asked by that Police Officer what it is that you are taking photographs of ? Yes, I know……… "You’re a Photographer & NOT a Terrorist".

However, this still don’t’ change the fact that, that nice Police Officer still wants to know what it is that you are taking Photographs of ? Are you involved in some sort of espionage against the state? Are you gathering intelligence about Police Officers or are you taking photographs of "sensitive buildings" in order for them to be used for terrorist activities? No!!!!!!!! I hear you cry……… Your simply doing a little bit of Street Photography and your shooting candid shots of the public as they do walk you buy, so it’s not your fault when you learn that, that member of the public that you have been photographing all along turns out to be a SOC Officer (Serious Organised Crime Officer) who has an international Drugs Baron under surveillance and then there is little old you taking candid shots of him in the process. Right, may I just take some details of you says the Police Officer: Your Name, Age, D.O.B. Address, etc… etc…

Well as you can see from my photograph above people, I now no longer now have to tell that Police Officer my information and instead I now just simply have to hand him over my own home made Photographers Press Card. This little plastic card has all the details on it that any Police Officer would require from my-self i.e. my name, my age, my D.O.B. my address, etc… etc…

The reason why I have made my-self my own Photographers Press Card is due to the fact that this year has seen me attend quite a few crime scenes as a Photographer. First of all there was that young man that jumped off the bridge here in Stockport, then there was the Stepping Hill Murders, followed by the Manchester Riots…. Needless to say I have been pulled by Police Officers and I have been asked to explain my presence at these crime scenes in addition to supplying all the details of my-self which is now found on my new Photographers Press Card………. Any way just thought that I’d share it with you all.  To finish, I do have to say that I do think that my new press card does look kinda cool ;)

Regards

Strober