The cosmetic department in Myer, Sydney. So? I hear you cry. Well yes, it's a totally uninspiring picture, but taken for a purpose. I sometimes play a little game of how long will it take for security to tell me to desist? In this case, it took about two minutes for a very snappily dressed young man with an impeccable hipster hairdo to tell me oh-so-politely that photography was not allowed instore. That was pretty good in my experience - it usually requires me to take at least three or four pictures and make myself fairly obvious (a flak jacket and a tripod helps). Now I know these stores and shopping centerst  have proprietary material they want protect from piracy, but let's be realistic. Anyone with a phone can take pictures equally as good for reference or even publication purposes, and unless you stick your phone in the security guard's face it's unlikely anyone will challenge you. To prove the point, after I was chastised by the security hipster in Myer I then proceeded to wander through the store taking odd pictures with my iPhone, my DSLR tucked out of sight in a shoulder bag. No challenges, no problems. What with the PC police jumping on any photographer within 1000mm lens distance of a child, outdoor market stall owners yelling at you for taking a photo of their crappy hippy colored bead baubles and stores and shopping centres unleashing the dogs of war against anyone who dares to tale a picture of a Clarins counter, one really has to wonder what we've all done to become such pariahs. Ah, the first-world problems of the downtrodden! PS Play the department store game - see how many pictures you can take before being reprimanded. No prizes though - I've already won, it would seem.