In the interests of providing a forum for discourse on this subject, from time to time we offer differing and alternative viewpoints to be put forth, and to that end, Peter Krogh, former ASMP national board member, author of The DAM Book, Digital Asset Management for Photographers, and a longtime colleague of mine, has sent … Read more
Mr. Lessig, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics, has responded to criticisms of his position which essentially recommends wide-spread theft of intellectual property by re-mixers (and the law will eventually catch up and relent that doing so is ok), by using the … Read more
Fortunately, for we lone photographers, awash in a sea of a litigious society, our rights stand equal to that of the mighty behemoths – Disney, Sony Music, and all of the news photography wire services. Now, don’t get me wrong here, but there’s an old adage – the enemy of my enemy is my friend. … Read more
Often what it comes down to when calling a prospective client is the introduction. Suppose, for example, you want to call Jason Adams* at Spin magazine to shoot portraits for them. Your objective is to engage him with your creative talents, right? Wrong. Your objective is to get his permission to send an email to … Read more
In November of 2009 we posted Wedding Photography Contracts – A Cautionary Tale – about the risks on assignment, as well as the possibilty of a tarnished reputation when things go south. Photo District News posts today – Blushing Bride Loses Underwear Photos Lawsuit – with the update that the photographer prevailed in court. The … Read more
Much has been said critical of Agence France Presse (AFP), and Twitter (and the unrelated yet seemingly related site TwitPic), in the case where, in the early hours following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, photogapher Daniel Morel “tweeted” 13 of his photographs to the outside world via the TwitPic network, and AFP distributed those same … Read more
For years, it has been espoused that, in order for you to use someone else’s property in a commercial way, you needed permission from the owner of that property in the form of a Property Release, much like a Model Release. No so, says the U.S. District Court in Northern California, in a rare case … Read more
As professional photographers, paying attention to all the elements of your photograph is critical. Now, I’m not talking about studio work, or situations where you are in control of the entire environment, for this blog post. Instead, what I am talking about are uncontrolled situations are the regular experiences of wedding photographers, photojournalists, event photographers, … Read more
Your copyrights, and those of your colleagues, are under constant attack. It’s critical to not just police yours, but to help out your fellow photographers, where it seems likely an infringment might be possible.Today, while in-between assignments, I was in Washington DC’s Union Station. There, I stumbled upon Images 4 View (listed here), a kiosk … Read more
Every so often, I post over at the blog of my agent, Black Star. My most recent post is – “In Both the Craft and Business of Photography, Practice Makes Perfect“. I come across so many photographers who seem to think good things should just happen to them — and if they don’t, it’s their … Read more
