Scenic Houston neighborhood trying to ban photo shoots

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A scenic Houston neighborhood frequented by photographers is fighting back with signs that ban "photo shoots" on the esplanades and in a park.

Photographers said they were shocked when the Broadacres homeowners' association posted signs Thursday reading, in part, "No photo shoots."

The sign alleges the park and esplanades are privately owned by the homeowner's association.

Debbie Psifidis, a photographer who has frequently used the neighborhood as a backdrop, said she was shocked by the signs.

"We're all paying taxes," Psifidis told KTRK-TV. "My clients are paying taxes. I didn't realize they could get away with something like that."

Cece Fowler, president of the HOA, said the signs were posted after the number of photo shoots on the block started reaching up to 40 or 50 a week.

"It has gotten completely out of hand," Fowler told the Houston Chronicle. "If somebody wants to take a snapshot with their kid, that's fine, but we get big wedding parties coming in."

She said photographers often set up for hours in the neighborhood, and people have been wandering into residents' yards and refusing to leave.

"There's no way to moderate it without hiring a full-time security person, and we can't afford to do that. We're only 26 homes," Fowler said.

City officials said the esplanades and park are owned by the city, but Fowler said they were deeded to the HOA in the 1920s. She said officials are trying to dig up documentation to prove their ownership.

The city said the signs were removed Monday and will not return until an investigation into the ownership of the land is concluded.