Venues stick to camera-rod bans
Don’t even think about taking a selfie stick into Marlins Park. You’ll strike out.
The Miami baseball stadium is among South Florida venues and events — including museums, nightclubs and music festivals — that have become no-selfie-stick zones.
Wildly popular, especially among tourists, these handy monopods are long rods that clasp onto a smartphone so the user can take a digital self-portrait (a “selfie”) or an expansive group shot.
They’re also, some say, a potential nuisance or, even worse, a potential hazard to other visitors and to their surroundings.
Orlando’s Walt Disney World drew headlines in May for posting “No Selfie Sticks” signs prohibiting them on rides. Closer to home, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum has had the gadgets on its list of banned items since last year, after a visitor tried to use the photo pole to shoot the historic lens at the top of the tower.
“One visitor lost control of the end of the handle and went off-kilter and almost damaged the lens,’’ said Kathleen Glover, the nonprofit’s assistant director. “They were trying to reach way up … That was kind of a nearmiss. That was our wake-up call. ‘Oops, we need to not have those in the tower.’ “
A sign at the entrance to the lighthouse greets visitors, alerting them that selfie sticks along with items including food, drinks and chewing gum are prohibited “to preserve this historic site.”
Safety and preservation come first, Glover said.
“Our first job as a historical society is to make sure that the rarest artifacts on the site are preserved and not damaged, because we can’t replace that lens,” she said. “We have to ensure, the best that we can, people’s safety while they are up there.”
Because the camera rods, also known as GoPro sticks, are a relatively recent trend, other organizations have unofficial rules in regards to their use.
“The whole selfie thing is an unwritten policy where we ask people to not use them,” said Scott Benarde, director of communications at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.
“If the guard sees someone take one out in the gallery, they would ask them to take the picture without the stick and put it away,” he added. “We would hope that most people would be pragmatic about it and understand that you wouldn’t want to bring umbrellas, canes, selfie sticks, machetes, spears or anything that could damage art.”
He said the sticks can be used in the more public spaces, such as the lobby, just not in the exhibition areas.
“We pretty much prohibit them galleries. It’s just too risky,” he said.
The Perez Art Museum Miami, which relocated to the downtown area in late 2013, has prohibited them from the start, according to a public relations manager.
“Photography is not permitted in some galleries due to copyright restrictions. Interchangeable-lens cameras and accessories such as tri-pods and camera extension poles must be checked-in at visitor services,” the policy states.
Revolution Live, a Fort Lauderdale nightclub, bans them at the door and asks patrons to return the camera poles to their cars.
“The sticks themselves are obnoxious. They are in people’s way, they get into people’s view,” said Woody Graber, a public relations consultant for the club. “Whose ego is that big, really? Just enjoy the music.”
Same goes at events, like the Miami Open tennis tournament, Tortuga Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale beach and Ultra Music Festival in downtown Miami.
Selfie sticks “will be turned away and we’ll
in
the probably make fun of you,” Ultra officials posted on the event’s Twitter account.
It’s not all bad news for selfie-stick enthusiasts. Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee makes some exceptions.
Guests here can use the sticks while walking through the park or at specific feeding areas where they can interact with animals. During the drive-through portion of their visit, however, they should not open their car windows to extend their selfie sticks outside.
In February, officials at Lion Country Safari updated maps and literature to state “selfie sticks, photo extension poles or other devices may not be used to cross exhibit barriers.”
“People use them in the giraffe feeding platform area, that is the most common picture,” said Jennifer Berthiaume director of public relations and marketing. “The bird feeding aviary is a very popular place. They are holding the selfie stick within the exhibit that they are standing in. We do not allow them to cross barriers and exhibit space, and that is for their safety and the safety of the guests.”
The website for Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens lists selfie sticks under “Prohibited Items.” And Marlins Park made sure to create a separate selfie stick category on its website to warn visitors.
“Our concerns over their potential to cause injury to our fans was too great, especially if they were not used in the appropriate manner intended,” said Claude Delorme, Marlins executive vice president of operations and events, in an email.
The Marlins will, however, be giving away official Marlins Selfie Sticks during a Social Media Night on Aug. 4, a team spokesman said.
The catch: They will be distributed as fans exit the park.
johnnydiaz@tribpub.com or 954-356-4939