by Jim Zuckerman
There are many situations that you will encounter in your travels domestically as well as internationally where picture taking is prohibited. In addition, there are times when moving something, or gaining a particular vantage point, or having lights turned on would enable you to take a great shot. . One of the things I’ve learned over many years is that permission can sometimes be granted to allow you to take the pictures you want. It just takes time, perseverance, sometimes money, and always resourcefulness.
Let me give you a few personal examples where I was able to get permission to take the pictures I wanted, and let this serve as an inspiration to you in your travels. Let me say at the beginning that in all of these situations, my name in the photographic industry meant nothing. The people I spoke to didn’t know me, they didn’t know my work, and to be honest they couldn’t care less. Everything is dependent on your approach, your timing, the mood of the person you are talking to, and serendipity.
Keukenhof Gardens
The most beautiful gardens in the world are just outside of Amsterdam. In late April when the tulips are blooming, they get literally millions of people visiting, photographing, and enjoying the incredible display. Keukenhof Gardens consists of 80 acres of manicured perfection. I didn’t even see a weed, and I was looking for one!
When the gardens open at 8am, busloads of tourists start pouring in. That means that landscape photography like you see in photo 11887 becomes impossible because of all the people. All you can do, then, is macro work and patterns of color. This is nice, but to be able to show the beauty of large sections of the gardens is the ideal.
Therefore, I contacted the office by email and asked if a photo group could enter earlier. Much to my delight, they said yes, they do this all the time. I arranged to have my group arrive at 6am where the friendly staff gave us an orientation as well as coffee and tea, and after paying the entrance fee we enjoyed two hours of fantastic photography before the hordes arrived.
Another advantage of arriving early is that there is a better chance of overcast weather and/or fog. For floral photography, that’s the best case scenario.
Baptistry Doors, Florence, Italy
When I visited Florence, I wanted to get a perfect shot of the famous doors on the Baptistry. It is covered in scenes from the Bible, and it’s one of the most famous doors in the world. What I saw, though, was less than ideal. There is a gate that keeps people back a few feet to protect the door 
, and while it doesn’t ruin the picture, it’s not what I wanted. I wondered to myself how this gate could be opened, and I noticed that there is a cut in the cement at the base of the gate where it could apparently be lowered. I asked a security guard nearby if the gate could ever be removed allowing for a clean shot of the door, and he directed me to an office two blocks away and told me to ask the person in charge.
I walked to the office and explained that I was a photographer from America and I’d love to get a perfect shot of the door without the gate blocking it. The manager said to me, “When would you like to do this?” I said, “How about tomorrow morning, at 7 o’clock?” He replied, “Ok.” Just like that. Needless to say, I was surprised at my good fortune.
The next morning two officers were there because it required two keys to lower the gate. Now that I had permission, the two men kept other tourists from walking in front of my camera! To keep the vertical lines of the door parallel with the edges of the frame, I moved back about 30 feet and used a medium telephoto lens.
Vienna Opera House
The opera house in Vienna is classically beautiful. The entry is a three-story marble structure, and the theater itself is dazzling. I went to a performance and tried to get some pictures of the interior, but of course no tripods were allowed. 
Plus, there were many other people in milling about and it was impossible to get the high quality shots I wanted. Therefore, I went to the ticket office and asked to whom I could speak to get permission to take pictures when the opera house was empty.
The next day I walked a couple of blocks away to the office in charge of the opera. I asked if it was possible for me to take pictures with a tripod and with all the lights on, and I was told, it was possible, and the fee would be $100. I agreed because I thought it would be an exceptional experience to have complete access to such a stunning interior. I spent an hour and a half photographing the lobby and the theater – with a tripod – and the theater people turned every light in the building on for me. It was awesome. I was using medium format film at the time, and the pictures look a bit different than had I been shooting this now with digital technology and HDR. But I still cherish the images and the ability to have the entire building to myself.
I took the picture of the interior of the theater from the stage, and I shot the amazing lobby with tungsten balanced film which is the equivalent of using tungsten or incandescent white balance today.
Taj Mahal
No tripods are allowed on the grounds of the Taj Mahal, and in order to get permission to bring one in, you must contact the Ministry of Antiquities in New Delhi. To be honest, you really don’t need a tripod to shoot successfully. However, if you are there at sunrise and the morning sun is diffused by atmospheric dust, the light level is low. If you include elements in the composition that are close the camera position, depth of field is important and requires a small lens aperture. This was the case with photo MS-6152. Hence, the need for a tripod.
Instead of trying to negotiate the Indian bureaucracy myself, I asked the tour company I use in India to do it for me. No fee was required, but the application for permission had to be done at least four months in advance. Once we had permission, the document was presented to the security people at the Taj and I was able to bring a tripod on the grounds.
In India, you must be very specific as to where the tripod may be used and for how long. If this detail is addressed, you’ll have no problems in using a tripod at famous archeological and historic sites.
Mulu National Park, Malaysian Borneo
When I corresponded via email with the director of a national park in the Borneo portion of Malaysia, I found out that in one of the spectacular caves – the Deer Cave – tripods were not allowed. This seemed pretty strange to me, but that was the rule. I told the director I was coming from halfway around the world to shoot the cave, and I’d really appreciate if he could make an exception for me. To my surprise, he agreed. It was simply an arbitrary decision on his part, and one that to be honest I didn’t expect. However, if you don’t ask, you’ll never get what you want.
It turns out the cave is massive (several 747 aircraft could fit inside), and I was the only one there. Good pictures would have been impossible without a tripod.
Twin Towers, Pre-9/11
I was in New York doing a stock shoot in the early 90’s, and I took the typical shot of the Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground with lower Manhattan in the background. Everyone takes that picture, but I really wanted something different. I looked around and thought how great it would be if I could get permission to get on top of one of the nearby buildings for an elevated view of the bridge and the skyline of New York.
While I was shooting from ground level, a woman walked up to me and asked what I was doing. She had an interest in photography and was curious about my Mamiya RZ 67 medium format film camera. I explained what stock photography is, and then I told her it would be so amazing if I could get on top of that building over there – and I pointed to the rooftop that I thought would give me the best vantage. I was shocked when she told me that she happened to know the man who owned it! I asked if she would consider calling him and ask if we could go up there, and she did and he said yes. I couldn’t believe it. In a city of 8 million of people, the chances of this happening were 8 million to one.
We gained access not to the roof but to an upper floor with a window that could open, and I was happily shooting the beautiful scene when a red tug boat just happened to pass under the bridge. This picture has sold many, many times.
Don’t be hesitant to ask permission. So many times you’ll end up taking pictures that you thought initially were impossible to get, and these may be some of the best images in your photo library.
Jim Zuckerman has been a photography educator for 40 years. You can see more of his work, as well as a listing of his ebooks, webinars, and photo tours at jimzuckerman.com.