Why is My Camera a Problem?

I started a conversation recently about how restaurants, venues, and public spaces can feel surprisingly controlling when it comes to photography.

More recently, any time I pull out my professional camera, someone comes running over to tell me it's not allowed. What they actually mean is that a professional camera isn't allowed — but if I were to shoot on my smartphone, that's perfectly fine.

I get it. Most security staff are just regular people trying to keep their jobs and not upset their line manager. But to the management — what gives?

Why are you so resistant to a camera, yet completely fine with a smartphone? Most phones today have incredible capabilities and can produce great shots that get shared immediately. My camera still needs the images edited before anything goes online.

Also — isn't having more images of your space being shared a good thing?

Don't even get me started on how AI-generated images will soon make smartphone cameras look dated too.

I understand there are privacy concerns, but I've faced numerous situations where it's just me and a client in the space — and I'm still being asked to stop.

Can someone explain why this is still being practised — more so today than ever?