>>3896285I have some experience with this op. I've photographed military bases & national labs. Talked with security on four occasions.
Just use ordinary, common sense. And don't be a spy.
Ordinary, common sense:
1) Don't be sketchy. Don't try to hide from them, don't try to hide what you're doing. When they walk up to talk to you, be polite, friendly, sober, and do #2.
2) Don't lie to them. I hope this is obvious. Omitting certain details is a grey area which I did on all occasions, but you better be on your feet. Be honest, tell them what you're doing, and why you're doing what you're doing. They are paid to be curious about strangers, and they are likely human in which case they are also naturally curious about why you're trying to take a picture of what. It goes a long way if you can articulate a reason beyond "I wanted to take photos of things you don't want photographed, sheerly because you (the US Government) don't want them photographed."
I had a "reason," such as it were, for the sites I went to: once I explained it, they just kicked the question up the chain of command until an answer filtered back down.
If you're a spy or you're just trying to take photos of things because they are secret (or secret-adjacent), bring your deceitful A-game so our people can learn from you.
3) Be prepared to leave if they don't seem chill with what you're doing. Leaving them with a "yes sir, sorry sir, I'll be packed by the end of this conversation so you can escort me to the gate"-impression at least is better than nothing if you decide to try the (metaphorical) front door next and talk to their media relations person. Don't despair if they take down your information. I haven't given them a reason to not let me do my thing. I do get the sense they read information from some internal system for these sorts of sites, because my last interaction took longer than any before it. Still, I walked out of the security office with a wave and a "have a nice day" from them.
