(03 Jan 2013, 6:03 pm)Brandon wrote Got the Sunderland metro at about ten to four this evening at Haymarket. Once passengers had boarded at Monument, the driver made an announcement over the tannoy. He was making reference to someone who was taking a photo of the approaching metro at Monument and used a flash.
The driver said that not only is he not supposed to be taking photos of metro unless he has a permit; the fact he used a flash in an underground station is "downright stupid" - in his words - and can "dazzle drivers". Bet whomever it was felt pretty stupid after! I certainly wouldn't condone taking photos without a permit; but if you're going to try, then at least do it discretionately by not using a flash! Dangerous more than anything.
Until I started using the Metro as often as I do now, I thought that someone was taking a photo of every train I got on because I kept seeing flashes. It turns out that there seem to be these funny lights that flash just like a camera would as a train is leaving an underground station.
Nexus do seem to be very strict about photography though.
I've not had a problem with taking photos of Metros from the outside before... Then again, I haven't been foolish enough to use flash in an underground station before! Most of my photos don't come out brilliantly though, given the speed these Metros can go... Perhaps my new camera would be better at taking photos of them but I've not thought the interest would be there for them.
I most certainly don't have a 'permit', would have no idea of how to acquire one, and have no intention of trying to acquire one. In his words, the whole idea of getting a permit to take photos of a Metro is 'downright stupid'.