dslrBlog » news http://dslrblog.com the stories behind the images Wed, 23 May 2012 18:34:49 +0000 en hourly 1 You May Not be Labeled a Terrorist After All http://dslrblog.com/you-may-not-be-labeled-a-terrorist-after-all/ http://dslrblog.com/you-may-not-be-labeled-a-terrorist-after-all/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:30:36 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors http://dslrblog.com/?p=898 I’m sure at least some of you remember the crazy “anti terror” campaign posters around the UK a while back (pictured below). Well the backlash from that bizarre, and more than a little creepy, event has finally starting catching up with them it seems.

Fight Terror with insanity and overgeneralization? No thanks.

According to ‘Amateur Photographer‘, the UK government is set to release a set of specific guidelines and reminders for police policy in regards to photography, which will, among other things, contain the following…

 ’There is no power under the Terrorism Act to prohibit people from taking photographs or digital images in an area where an authority under section 44 is in place. 

If officers reasonably suspect that photographs are being taken as part of hostile terrorist reconnaissance then they should act appropriately, by searching the person under Section 43 of the Terrorism Act or making an arrest. Cameras, film and memory cards may be seized as evidence but there is no power for images to be deleted or film destroyed by officers.’ 

At least, that’s in the draft version. It’s yet to be determined what exactly will make the final cut.

It’s interesting to see the UK government attempting a bit of a proactive aproach with this, though it would be nice if the police could be expected to know how to deal with such things without a written reminder not to abuse their power. If only the US (and to a slightly smaller degree Canada) would at least attempt to deal with the legal issues surrounding the police harassing photographers (and other such people whom they consider a good target for undue harassment).

I once had a run-in with a police officer regarding my taking photos near where he was walking around in Ottawa, and thankfully it didn’t amount to anything other than a few choice words and explaining that I knew my rights and such (which sadly is the case for far too few people these days), and that was that. It could have been far worse.

Anyone have any stories about undue police harassment because of your photography? I’ve heard too many to count, but it’s always interesting to hear just how crazy the world can be sometimes….even if it tends to be high on the “Orwell, 1984″ meter from time to time.

]]> http://dslrblog.com/you-may-not-be-labeled-a-terrorist-after-all/feed/ 0 Zooomr as Stock Agency Details http://dslrblog.com/zooomr-as-stock-agency-details/ http://dslrblog.com/zooomr-as-stock-agency-details/#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:49:07 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors http://dslrblog.com/zooomr-as-stock-agency-details/ More details of Zooomrs Micro Stock plans have been revealed by Thomas Hawk

at Zooomr we are in the process of building what will soon be the world’s largest stock photography agency. We think we can pay photographers out 90% and still operate our business. We also are going to let photographers set their price on their images between $5 and $1,000 for royalty free images.

That looks like a great deal, and in fact has made me search in vain for my Zooomr login details ;)

One question I have, that will obviously become crystal clear, is if they will find paying customers …

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/zooomr-as-stock-agency-details/feed/ 4 Virgin Mobile Flickr Photo PR Disaster http://dslrblog.com/virgin-mobile-flickr-photo-pr-disaster/ http://dslrblog.com/virgin-mobile-flickr-photo-pr-disaster/#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:32:25 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors http://dslrblog.com/virgin-mobile-flickr-photo-pr-disaster/ I just read this fascinating story over at Gillianic Tendencies

What it seems to have happened is that Virgin Mobile, or an advertising agency they hired, decided to save lotsa moola and attempt some good PR (backfiring, obviously) by using Flickr photos with Creative Commons licenses (specifically, the ones that allowed commercial use) in a recent ad campaign. Which, fine, is legal, though, perhaps, cheap-assed. What’s getting people especially crazy over this (and this doesn’t include me, thankfully) is that they’re using these photos without the models’ permissions

It seems some random person has spotted Gillians Flickr photo of a smashed car used on an advertisement. No problem there, it was CC licensed in a way that meant only attribution was necessary. Notification to these Flickr users would have been the polite thing, but ok it’s not a requirement.

The crazy thing though is there are people in these advertisements. Without model releases. Being insulted.

There is more coverage here and over at Flickr.

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/virgin-mobile-flickr-photo-pr-disaster/feed/ 2 Cool Travel Panorama Photographs http://dslrblog.com/cool-travel-panorama-photographs/ http://dslrblog.com/cool-travel-panorama-photographs/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:33:23 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Panorama Photographs taken by Lee & Sachi during their world travels. It's almost like being there but without the dodgy digestion, mosquitoes and sunburn, heh. Here is a small selection to show you what I mean ...

Taj Mahal Panorama









Via: DarrenBarefoot

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]]> Check out these brilliant Panorama Photographs taken by Lee & Sachi during their world travels. It’s almost like being there but without the dodgy digestion, mosquitoes and sunburn, heh. Here is a small selection to show you what I mean …

Taj Mahal Panorama


Via: DarrenBarefoot

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/cool-travel-panorama-photographs/feed/ 0 DSLRBlog Updates – In the post http://dslrblog.com/dslrblog-updates-in-the-post/ http://dslrblog.com/dslrblog-updates-in-the-post/#comments Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:25:46 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Every day for a couple of weeks has been like my birthday, I have gotten to look forward to the postie arriving every morning to see what he might bring me. This has mainly been because of my (admittedly excessive) eBay activities, but also this morning two special deliveries cheered me right up.

My latest eBay arrival was actually one of my first purchases. Big tip, if you want something quick do not pay by cheque, move on to the next auction where paypal is accepted. I "won" this SB-28 flash on the 9th of September, it arrived on the 30th! I will be doing a review of these flashes along with the SB-26 and how they compare to my 580ex soon now I have got some use out of them.

The surprise parcels this morning were my moo cards and my first ever published photograph.

First the moo cards. They are really really nice. I will definitely be buying a set even though I don't really have a pressing need for them like Mark.

I'm not sure what the done thing is with these cards, do you just take a random selection of your recent pictures (as I did with the free 10) or choose only your best work (if not your own choice, in who's opinion? interestingness?) or is it better to actually design an image to use?

The best parcel has to be the British Airways in-flight magazine with my picture in it! For the professionals who see your work in print all the time you will probably think this is really lame but it was quite a moment for me when I opened up this magazine and saw my name under my photograph.





Maybe next time someone might be willing to even pay me...

Seeing as I didn't win the Strobist competition (boo!) I have ordered a set of Dean Collins DVDs and am also considering buying a set of "ebay radio slaves" so hopefully soon I will have another "birthday moment" soon, heh.

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]]> Every day for a couple of weeks has been like my birthday, I have gotten to look forward to the postie arriving every morning to see what he might bring me. This has mainly been because of my (admittedly excessive) eBay activities, but also this morning two special deliveries cheered me right up.

My latest eBay arrival was actually one of my first purchases. Big tip, if you want something quick do not pay by cheque, move on to the next auction where paypal is accepted. I “won” this SB-28 flash on the 9th of September, it arrived on the 30th! I will be doing a review of these flashes along with the SB-26 and how they compare to my 580ex soon now I have got some use out of them.

The surprise parcels this morning were my moo cards and my first ever published photograph.

First the moo cards. They are really really nice. I will definitely be buying a set even though I don’t really have a pressing need for them like Mark.

I’m not sure what the done thing is with these cards, do you just take a random selection of your recent pictures (as I did with the free 10) or choose only your best work (if not your own choice, in who’s opinion? interestingness?) or is it better to actually design an image to use?

The best parcel has to be the British Airways in-flight magazine with my picture in it! For the professionals who see your work in print all the time you will probably think this is really lame but it was quite a moment for me when I opened up this magazine and saw my name under my photograph.

Maybe next time someone might be willing to even pay me…

Seeing as I didn’t win the Strobist competition (boo!) I have ordered a set of Dean Collins DVDs and am also considering buying a set of “ebay radio slaves” so hopefully soon I will have another “birthday moment” soon, heh.

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/dslrblog-updates-in-the-post/feed/ 2 BBC Ripping Off Flickr Photographers? http://dslrblog.com/bbc-ripping-off-flickr-photographers/ http://dslrblog.com/bbc-ripping-off-flickr-photographers/#comments Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:45:31 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Editorial Photographers UK
Mark’s or Sparks’ clever wheeze was to sign up with the photo sharing site, then attempt to persuade his new friends to hand over their work to the Beeb – for free naturally. Of course there’s nothing new in cheapskate editors scouring Flickr for freebies. And the Beeb has excelled in its pursuit of license payers for free content for its viewers’ galleries, all under the terms of an infamous contract that allows the BBC to earn money from the pictures while placing any uncomfortable legal repercussions firmly on the contributor. But the Sparks scam has a whole new spin to it. He doesn’t just want pictures for the viewers’ gallery; nor is he asking if he can use existing material to illustrate BBC stories. He wants people to agree to give him unfettered access to all future material that might be posted on Flickr, thereby creating a constantly updated pool of images that the BBC could access at any time for free, and of course resell at a profit. A picture library for free in fact.


.. it seems also they are not above just taking what they want either ...

But oh dear, what’s this then? Why, it’s a picture lifted without permission and used on the BBC Scotland news website! It’s not as if Sparks and Co couldn’t have asked. The original image had an almost indecent amount of copyright and contact information, not only in Photoshop’s File Info, but underneath it on the website where it was first published. Presumably BBC Scotland work at such a fast pace they simply can’t keep up with the number of pictures they lift without permission.


You can see how a photographer would be flattered and would be willing to offer up their work just for the portfolio/resume potential and bragging rights. The BBC though should be above this kind of thing, they should be leading the way in fair treatment of the public as they are supposed to be there to serve the public. They will get nowhere arguing they are under funded, they are certainly well funded in comparison to other media outlets who do pay and are not propped up by a television tax.

Personally I see nothing wrong with the BBC asking for free contributions. The pictures are submitted voluntarily after all. They just need to get their legal people to be a bit more fair with what they have people agreeing to.

See the full discussion at flickr here

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , ]]> It seems the venerable bastion of public-funded media, “Auntie” BBC, is being a bit naughty when it comes to sourcing photography from Flickr users according to Editorial Photographers UK

Mark’s or Sparks’ clever wheeze was to sign up with the photo sharing site, then attempt to persuade his new friends to hand over their work to the Beeb – for free naturally. Of course there’s nothing new in cheapskate editors scouring Flickr for freebies. And the Beeb has excelled in its pursuit of license payers for free content for its viewers’ galleries, all under the terms of an infamous contract that allows the BBC to earn money from the pictures while placing any uncomfortable legal repercussions firmly on the contributor. But the Sparks scam has a whole new spin to it. He doesn’t just want pictures for the viewers’ gallery; nor is he asking if he can use existing material to illustrate BBC stories. He wants people to agree to give him unfettered access to all future material that might be posted on Flickr, thereby creating a constantly updated pool of images that the BBC could access at any time for free, and of course resell at a profit. A picture library for free in fact.

.. it seems also they are not above just taking what they want either …

But oh dear, what’s this then? Why, it’s a picture lifted without permission and used on the BBC Scotland news website! It’s not as if Sparks and Co couldn’t have asked. The original image had an almost indecent amount of copyright and contact information, not only in Photoshop’s File Info, but underneath it on the website where it was first published. Presumably BBC Scotland work at such a fast pace they simply can’t keep up with the number of pictures they lift without permission.

You can see how a photographer would be flattered and would be willing to offer up their work just for the portfolio/resume potential and bragging rights. The BBC though should be above this kind of thing, they should be leading the way in fair treatment of the public as they are supposed to be there to serve the public. They will get nowhere arguing they are under funded, they are certainly well funded in comparison to other media outlets who do pay and are not propped up by a television tax.

Personally I see nothing wrong with the BBC asking for free contributions. The pictures are submitted voluntarily after all. They just need to get their legal people to be a bit more fair with what they have people agreeing to.

See the full discussion at flickr here

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/bbc-ripping-off-flickr-photographers/feed/ 0 Canon M80 / M30 – Canon Enters Portable Video and Media Storage Market http://dslrblog.com/canon-m80-m30-canon-enters-portable-video-and-media-storage-market/ http://dslrblog.com/canon-m80-m30-canon-enters-portable-video-and-media-storage-market/#comments Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:10:12 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Interesting news from Photokina is Canon announced the M80 and M30 media storage devices. With 80gb and 30gb capacity respectively they should prove popular if the price is right. I keep delaying looking too hard at these kinds of machines because of the price but this coming from Canon does look tempting.

Details at Canon UK
Canon today launches the portable devices, designed with EOS and other digital photographers in mind. The Canon Media Storage M30 and Canon Media Storage M80 devices feature a large ultra-bright 3.7” TFT screen with 160º viewing angle for image and video review, and a 30Gb/80Gb hard disk to store digital images, movie and sound files of various file formats. Both units feature a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface and slots for CF and SD cards.

The Media Storage M30 and M80 feature:

  • 30/80 Gb hard disk
  • 3.7” ultra-bright TFT screen with 160º viewing angle
    CF and SD card reader
  • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connection
  • Support for multiple image, video and sound file formats, including Canon RAW, MPEG, MP3 and WAV.
  • Extended PictBridge functionality
  • 4 – 8 digit image file password protection
  • 1/8” audio-out headphone jack


Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,
]]> Interesting news from Photokina is Canon announced the M80 and M30 media storage devices. With 80gb and 30gb capacity respectively they should prove popular if the price is right. I keep delaying looking too hard at these kinds of machines because of the price but this coming from Canon does look tempting.

Details at Canon UK

Canon today launches the portable devices, designed with EOS and other digital photographers in mind. The Canon Media Storage M30 and Canon Media Storage M80 devices feature a large ultra-bright 3.7” TFT screen with 160º viewing angle for image and video review, and a 30Gb/80Gb hard disk to store digital images, movie and sound files of various file formats. Both units feature a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface and slots for CF and SD cards.The Media Storage M30 and M80 feature:

  • 30/80 Gb hard disk
  • 3.7” ultra-bright TFT screen with 160º viewing angle
    CF and SD card reader
  • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connection
  • Support for multiple image, video and sound file formats, including Canon RAW, MPEG, MP3 and WAV.
  • Extended PictBridge functionality
  • 4 – 8 digit image file password protection
  • 1/8” audio-out headphone jack

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/canon-m80-m30-canon-enters-portable-video-and-media-storage-market/feed/ 6 Sigma SD14 DSLR Announced http://dslrblog.com/sigma-sd14-dslr-announced/ http://dslrblog.com/sigma-sd14-dslr-announced/#comments Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:40:27 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Sigma SD14 DSLR teaser? Well it has been announced and the SD14 website updated with all the info.

Seems most of the assumptions were right, some slightly off. It has 14mp Foveon X3 sensor with a 1.7 crop factor (as compared to Canon APS-C 1.6 and Nikon 1.5). As is the fashion it has dust protection but apparently SD cameras always have.

Biggest news seems to be about its colour capture ability. Enough to steer folks from Canon and Nikon ... you decide.


Technorati Tags: , , , , , ]]> Recall the Sigma SD14 DSLR teaser? Well it has been announced and the SD14 website updated with all the info.

Seems most of the assumptions were right, some slightly off. It has 14mp Foveon X3 sensor with a 1.7 crop factor (as compared to Canon APS-C 1.6 and Nikon 1.5). As is the fashion it has dust
protection but apparently SD cameras always have.

Biggest news seems to be about its colour capture ability. Enough to steer folks from Canon and Nikon … you decide.

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/sigma-sd14-dslr-announced/feed/ 0 Top Ten Things NOT Safe To Photograph http://dslrblog.com/top-ten-things-not-safe-to-photograph/ http://dslrblog.com/top-ten-things-not-safe-to-photograph/#comments Fri, 22 Sep 2006 09:49:51 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Fotolia CEO Detained by Police for Taking Pictures
Early afternoon in Paris today, Fotolia CEO Thibaud Elziere was out for a walk and testing the new Nikon D80 digital camera. However, one image would change the rest of his day.

Walking down the Rue Vaneau in Paris, Thibaud captured an image of a CCTV camera [...] Within minutes, Thibaud was approached by the French Police and detained for the better part of the day.

Unknown to Thibaud he had captured the CCTV camera of the French Prime Minister’s personal residence and caused a great security concern. According to Thibaud, there were no signs or warnings about photography in the area. A simple click and his day was ruined.

The police questioned him about what he was doing in the area, if he had any terrorism connections, about his work, and why he would want to take a picture of a CCTV camera. Thibaud relates that his first answer of “taking pictures for fun” did not satisfy them. He soon outlined his connection with Fotolia and testing the camera. After 8 hours of questioning and background checks, they returned his camera and escorted him home.

It seems from what I read in the article this could have happened to any one of us. You take a picture of a building, for whatever reason, next thing you know you are being questioned by policemen about if you have any terrorist connections. What can you do, stop taking pictures of houses?

We are increasingly being warned not to take pictures of anything (or anyone) which might be construed by the paranoid as a terrorist threat but how was he supposed to know this was the home of someone important without any signs or notices. Just CCTV present does not necessarily imply that the resident is someone of national or defense importance, the guy might have an expensive car etc.

So now we have a new entry in the top ten things you can't safely photograph
  1. Underground/Tube/Buses
  2. Refineries or other Industrial plant
  3. Police
  4. Government buildings
  5. Bridges
  6. Tunnels
  7. Shopping malls
  8. Airports
  9. Office Buildings
  10. Houses
Have I missed any?


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]]> Wow did this guy have a stroke of bad luck. Fotolia CEO Detained by Police for Taking Pictures

Early afternoon in Paris today, Fotolia CEO Thibaud Elziere was out for a walk and testing the new Nikon D80 digital camera. However, one image would change the rest of his day.Walking down the Rue Vaneau in Paris, Thibaud captured an image of a CCTV camera [...] Within minutes, Thibaud was approached by the French Police and detained for the better part of the day.

Unknown to Thibaud he had captured the CCTV camera of the French Prime Minister’s personal residence and caused a great security concern. According to Thibaud, there were no signs or warnings about photography in the area. A simple click and his day was ruined.

The police questioned him about what he was doing in the area, if he had any terrorism connections, about his work, and why he would want to take a picture of a CCTV camera. Thibaud relates that his first answer of “taking pictures for fun” did not satisfy them. He soon outlined his connection with Fotolia and testing the camera. After 8 hours of questioning and background checks, they returned his camera and escorted him home.

It seems from what I read in the article this could have happened to any one of us. You take a picture of a building, for whatever reason, next thing you know you are being questioned by policemen about if you have any terrorist connections. What can you do, stop taking pictures of houses?

We are increasingly being warned not to take pictures of anything (or anyone) which might be construed by the paranoid as a terrorist threat but how was he supposed to know this was the home of someone important without any signs or notices. Just CCTV present does not necessarily imply that the resident is someone of national or defense importance, the guy might have an expensive car etc.

So now we have a new entry in the top ten things you can’t safely photograph

  1. Underground/Tube/Buses
  2. Refineries or other Industrial plant
  3. Police
  4. Government buildings
  5. Bridges
  6. Tunnels
  7. Shopping malls
  8. Airports
  9. Office Buildings
  10. Houses

Have I missed any?

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/top-ten-things-not-safe-to-photograph/feed/ 5 Flickr Umbrella Anyone? … Anyone? http://dslrblog.com/flickr-umbrella-anyone-anyone/ http://dslrblog.com/flickr-umbrella-anyone-anyone/#comments Fri, 22 Sep 2006 09:15:07 +0000 DSLRBlog Editors Ever wanted to view Flickr photographs while in a downpour? Or how about an umbrella-mounted camera? Um ... no, me neither. But some plucky inventors/artists/mad people have invented such a thing! Erm, neat ... ish.
 
The system is constructed by the Pileus Umbrella and the Pileus WebService. User can see and take a photo and video with the PileusUmbrella. User can hand on own experience in rainy day to next user with an umbrella type photoset. User Connects the Grip with the Screen, then the Grip reads the Screen’s ID and login to own Pileus Account. When user takes photos or videos, Pileus WebService evaluates media-type of data and uploads it to Flickr or YouTube, and then set a tag by screen ID. In addition, user twists the grip, it searchs contents at Flickr and YouTube by tag of screen ID, and displays contents in order.


Source:Boing Boing

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,
]]> Ever wanted to view Flickr photographs while in a downpour? Or how about an umbrella-mounted camera? Um … no, me neither. But some plucky inventors/artists/mad people have invented such a thing! Erm, neat … ish.

The system is constructed by the Pileus Umbrella and the Pileus WebService. User can see and take a photo and video with the PileusUmbrella. User can hand on own experience in rainy day to next user with an umbrella type photoset. User Connects the Grip with the Screen, then the Grip reads the Screen’s ID and login to own Pileus Account. When user takes photos or videos, Pileus WebService evaluates media-type of data and uploads it to Flickr or YouTube, and then set a tag by screen ID. In addition, user twists the grip, it searches contents at Flickr and YouTube by tag of screen ID, and displays contents in order.

Source:Boing Boing

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]]> http://dslrblog.com/flickr-umbrella-anyone-anyone/feed/ 0