It's always been the case that if you want to film professionally, you have to get permits to do so in National Parks, Monuments, and in PA, state parks as well. Imagine spending your money to travel somewhere to see natural beauty, and when you show up, there's a film set interfering with your enjoyment of the park. This is just equal application of the rules to everybody. Now, if you're just using your phone or gopro, and you happen to make a few cents off ad revenue, I don't think you necessarily need to jump through all the hoops. But I don't want to have to compete with a bunch of idiots who are trying to "produce content" for their IG, youtube, whatever when I want to enjoy a public resource. I've been a photographer most of my life, and usually if it's a popular spot, most of the "real" photographers will kind of take turns getting shots, or at least don't actively interfere with each other. And I really try to avoid any behavior that would impact anyone else's enjoyment. But in today's "Me!, Me!, Me!" culture, not a lot of people have common courtesy.
Even more frustrating, although understandable, is the restrictions on drones in parks. I've gone round and round with DCNR here over their ridiculous rules, they only recognize the insurance from ONE organization, and they put the "approved drone flying area" at the ass-end of the park, as far away from anything you want to film as possible. I ended up telling the ranger (and other busybodies who've tried to impose their stupid "policy") that I'll just fly from just outside the park, and as long as I stay at least 40' AGL, they have no jurisdiction, as that puts me in FAA-controlled airspace. They'll usually bluster and bluff, but they know there isn't much they can do about it. They just want to control the majority of people. I always follow strict safety and courtesy protocols when I'm flying, and I'm a licensed pilot according to the FAA. And interference with a pilot is a pretty serious offense, even for local or state LEO.
