The tulsi carnival: ‘This is not a carnival’: Photographer captures the tulsiya carnival
By MATT FERNANDEZ AUBENGAARAPASHA | FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Last week, the city of Brisbane put up signs saying “No photography in the Tulsiya” and warned photographers that their pictures of the festival would be taken down if they tried.
It was just the latest in a series of controversial signs in the city and the Queensland government has since stepped in to enforce the rules.
But photographer Mark Doss, who has been photographing the TULI carnival since the event started in January, is still not happy with the city’s decision to restrict him from taking pictures.
“It’s very difficult to work in a festival, there’s not many opportunities to work.
I was in the middle of a festival and I was trying to capture the carnival, but when I went to get the permit I was told that I couldn’t because of the signage, and I said, ‘It’s ridiculous’,” he said.”
I think the city needs to be a bit more aware of what they’re doing and how it affects people.
I mean, the festival itself, it’s not that big, it is just a couple of hundred people.”
When you look at the pictures and see that they’re not working they need to get on the phone and talk to people, maybe get the festival organisers to change it.”‘
I think it’s ridiculous’In May, the City of Brisbane issued an advisory to its citizens advising them not to take pictures during the Tuli carnivals.
It said that because of concerns about public safety, the signage had to be altered and that if anyone did attempt to take photos, they would be “in violation of the law”.”
It is also against the City’s Code of Conduct, which includes the prohibition on photographing in public places, and the City does not condone the taking of any photographs that may be taken,” it read.”
This applies to photographs taken on public roads, within the confines of festivals, during the period of the Festival, and during the festival hours.
“A photographer is allowed to take photographs, but not when photographing within or near the premises of a Festival.”
Last month, the Queensland Government released a list of rules for photography at festivals.
“The City of Queensland has established a Code of Practice and Guidelines for the Safety and Protection of Photographers at the Festival,” the document read.
The guidelines also say that photographers must adhere to strict safety procedures and not take photographs that “may be offensive to people”.
“This includes taking photographs that are inappropriate or pose a risk of harm to any person,” it added.
Mr Doss said he was not happy that the City had so severely restricted his freedom of speech and had to agree to sign a document saying that he could not take pictures at the festival.
“People shouldn’t be punished for being there and people shouldn’t have to sign to say ‘no’,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane.
“The only way to be safe is to have people at the festivals to do it and not be there.”
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