Weeks Top Review

Some good reads from the week… and I’m cheating from my rule of only five.  We’ll let it slip since I only have five categories 🙂

1.  COPYRIGHT. Something that has been on my mind heavily lately.  I’ve found text stolen from my website and posted on someone else’s (more than once), I’ve found images of mine posted other places, I’ve had models steal my images and remove watermarks…honestly, I could write an entire post on theft alone.  Most often, its a case of well meaning people who are uneducated or majorly struggling in their own ability to be creative or original.  The following videos are awesome on providing a bit of education 🙂

Highly recommend THIS VIDEO documentary of one photographers discovery of just how many times his photograph has been stolen (its been used in magazines, book covers, its been sold online, and credited to numerous other people.)  It details how you can find out if you’ve had work stolen, and helps us understand a little bit of the risk but also the balance between wanting to be published (even if you don’t get paid).

AND, if you’re really up for an academic discussion, I recommend THIS VIDEO of a panel discussion on copyright that includes fabulous photographers, but also lawyers, and federal representatives in the copyright department.  Never knew that such a topic could be so amazingly captivating as this discussion provides. I felt like a grad student again, but with a different purpose.  One of the most intriguing points is that the copyright laws we have today were largely established in the 1960s in a very different world than what we live in today.  Our media has changed as well as the amount of proclaimed creators…this panel helps discuss some of these problems and potential solutions to evolving the laws to match the current issues.  Definitely an hour well spent.

2.  PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTING TECHNIC: How to Create Beautiful Portraits in Harsh Sunlight (or at least deal with it) by the Youngrens, as well as another complimentary article on Utilizing Natural Light Effectively Indoors from iheartfaces blog.  These are some of my favorite solutions, and they do a great job detailing how you do it.  As I preach all the time, “you can get great shots any time of day, as long as you know how to work with the light instead of against it.”

3.  PHOTOGRAPHER/SUBJECT INTERACTION: Your Best Lines to Make Clients Laugh or Act Natural was a fun post with some great comments to supplement the topic, as well as a great complimentary post on Capturing Real Moments and Connecting with Your Subjects

4.  PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURES: Just in case you don’t know about it yet, The Framed Show is a new video series online that features a great selection of varied photographers with the opportunity to peak into their shooting style and get a little bit of fun Q&A thrown into the 15 minute feature.  Even though my aesthetic and approach is quite different from many that have been featured, its always enlightening to see how other people work and learn what the substance and vision is behind their creations.

5.  CREATIVE INSPIRATION: Loved this post Words of Inspiration by Deb, who is quoting Cheryl Nicolai on “Words Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know”… such fantastic words.  Particularly loved this snippet:  “Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.” Good advice for any creative, seasoned pros or aspiring amateurs.

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