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Your Rights In Public Spaces

by EveNSteve

A very interesting video that illustrates a situation many photographers, myself included, have found themselves in from time to time.

Most photographers- and as this video illustrates security guards- are unaware of their “real” legal rights with regards to photographing in public spaces and being photographed in public. There are countless articles online regarding this topic but I have found this one (see link below) to be especially good… of course the law varies from country to country so do your homework first and then shoot with confidence.

http://www.danheller.com/model-release.html

Viva la Revolution- Stephen

Article for Consideration 2

by EveNSteve

First look at the images in this link by New York Times photographer Damon Winter’s photo series, “A Grunt’s Life”:

http://www.poyi.org/68/17/third_01.php

Now read this post:

http://www.e-ariana.com/ariana/eariana.nsf/allDocs/384DCFFD0D8AC102872578380074884A?OpenDocument

My quick thoughts…

1. A good image is a good image.

2. It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer. The camera is just a tool. No matter how much you spent on a camera, in the end it is a dumb block of mechanics that needs your vision and creativity to work. For those who feel that the iPhone app Hipstamatic is somehow “altering” the image I would say this:

What about grain? That’s not “natural.” What about the particular color palette of a film- Velvia, Kodachrome (had to get that one in for historic sake!)? What about TX pushed? What about print size, lens choice, framing decisions, depth of field— all of these affect the visual quality of the final image and are not “real” or neutral… and I have not even touched on the darkroom or Photoshop as editive creative elements! All photography is manipulation, all photography is editive!!!

3. Photojournalism has the word PHOTO in it for a reason.

Viva la Revolution- Stephen

PS- Thanks to Art for sending me these links and for helping start this conversation here on FR.

Something for the Holidays

by EveNSteve

The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, Fourth Edition is a must-have for every serious photographer… period.  An earlier edition was a constant resource for me while at RIT and now this newer edition is my Xmas gift to myself this year… it is expensive but well worth it. It is quite thick and full of very useful content on just about every photographic topic imaginable from film to digital and beyond… and if the heat bills get too high this winter I can burn it to stay warm… or my wife could throw it at me to knock some sense into me or perhaps I could learn something about this wonderful medium we all love… either way it will be my constant companion for the dark winter months here in VT. Be sure to add this gem to your holiday wish-list today!

Viva la Revolution- Stephen

LINK to Amazon