Photo Series Pokes Fun at Ridiculous Laws You Probably Didn’t Even Know Existed

foughtlaw1

Living in Alabama, one of the more frequent pieces of trivia I hear mentioned at social gatherings has to do with ridiculous state and city laws that are so ludicrous as to be unbelievable. The thing is, these laws exist, and not just in the great state of Alabama.

In her creative and humorous photo series I Fought the Law, photographer Olivia Locher exposes some of the most ridiculous ones you’ll find across the US.

So far Locher has only covered eight laws (one of which is NSFW and therefore not something we’ll share here) but each photo she takes shows someone breaking a ridiculous law in the most absurd way possible, piling absurdity upon absurdity and making the photographs that much more entertaining.

The photo at the top covers an Alabama law I’ve actually heard mentioned by friends several times: it’s illegal to have an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Alabama at all times. Can’t even count the number of times I’ve been burned by that one… if only I’d remember to keep my ice cream in my front pocket.

Here’s a look at the rest of the series (minus one photo, which you can find on her website):

In Texas it's illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.
In Texas it’s illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.
In Wisconsin it's illegal to serve apple pie without cheese in a public restaurant.
In Wisconsin it’s illegal to serve apple pie without cheese in a public restaurant.
In Delaware it is illegal to wear pants that are "form-fitting" around the waist.
In Delaware it is illegal to wear pants that are “form-fitting” around the waist.
In Hawaii coins are not allowed to be placed in one's ears.
In Hawaii coins are not allowed to be placed in one’s ears.
In Connecticut pickles must bounce to officially be considered pickles.
In Connecticut pickles must bounce to officially be considered pickles.
In California nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.
In California nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.

If you’re hungry for more ludicrous photos, or you just want to learn about more ridiculous laws, have no fear: the series is ongoing. In fact, according to Feature Shoot, Locher intends to mock humorous laws across all 50 states before she’s said and done.

To see more of Loher’s work, be sure to visit her website by clicking here.


Update on 8/30/17: This project has been published as a photo book. You can buy it for $16.95 at Chronicle Books.


Image credits: Photographs by Olivia Locher and used with permission.

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