recently have heard the rumbling of several changes that are currently or soon to occur with significant impacts on issues that are close / directly related to visual media. while unclear now as to the outcome i think that each of these changes will have far reaching affects.

copyright :: talking with a german journalist lately she was filling me in on royalties she gets through a government program there. asking what the hell she was talking about she filled me in on the concept. basically, on behalf of writers throughout the country (you have to prove that your published, how many words your write, etc) the government asses a tax on all copy machine manufacturers. it’s a type of royalty for her based on the use, or possible use, of her work.

in this same respect, asmp released a bulletin late last week detailing a ‘landmark’ settlement between google and the authors guild. the ag “has been the published writer’s advocate for effective copyright, fair contracts, and free expression since 1912.” in that capacity they went after the google monster for putting page after page of millions of books online thereby infringing on copyright. this is my favorite clip from that bulletin,

Many of these were older books in the public domain, but millions of others were still under copyright protection. Nick Taylor, then the president of the Guild, saw Google’s scanning as “a plain and brazen violation of copyright law.” Google countered that its digitizing of these books represented a “fair use” of the material. Our position was: The hell you say. Of such disagreements, lawsuits are made.

in the end the settlement is still awaiting final approval but google listened and will hand over nearly $45 million for authors and publishers to dole out. so much like our german brothers and sisters word wranglers may be looking at a bit of royalty in the form of $60 or so dollars.

search :: it’s always exciting to see if you can stay one step ahead and guess what kind of wacky pitch will come out of this field next. though the verdict is still a ways off i see the latest work by imagespan as having huge potential. this is especially true in a time of declining digital railroads and larger outlets and growth in the everyman digging in heels in regards to copyright and usage. they are now offering a service called licensestream that can essentially license, track and manage your work.

it goes as far as tracking individual images based on proprietary backend work that’s embedded in each image. you can then distribute anyway that you see fit knowing that the software will track and license the images according to your parameters and your royalties will automatically accrue. need to see a bit more on this one but the concept is cutting edge. after all, we have potential distribution channels at our disposal and the best we can put out is second rate grab shots of our kids because we’re huddling in the corner trying to protect our work and make a living.

of course search doesn’t stop with still images. the video technology, which is only becoming more vital now that hi end pro cameras feature hd video such as the soon to be released canon 5D mark II. the wall street journal recently reported on technology by a company out of ca called VideoSurf Inc that can actually search the content of the video - not just tags and keywords as is the current format. the result they claim is that their “computer vision algorithms” produce more relevant search results. essentially there’s a massive change going on with the very nature of our search capabilities. in the same way that google and search in general altered the online landscape, visual media is overdue for an upgrade.

white space :: and lastly, where all the speed may come from to disseminate said media. if you haven’t heard about the move to all digital tv in early 2009 there’s some bandwidth opening up. and everyone wants their slice. in recent rulings the FCC has decided (5 to 0) to dole out some of this space, known as white space, to internet providers thereby increasing speeds noticeably. businessweek has more here as does this computerworld blog. it sounds good, wonder what kind of a time frame we’re talking about.

who would of thought this was the kind of change that everyone’s been talking about for the past 18 months all scheduled for this week.

glad that’s over…

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
- Matsuo Basho

here’s a little fun for the weekend.

glen friedman is a one man history show.

hailed by the washington post, “one of the greats of his generation”.

a one man documentary machine of skating & music history. he has covered iconic artists such as Fugazi, Black Flag, Ice-T, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, The Misfits, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., KRS-One, and Public Enemy, as well as classic skateboarding originators such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Alan Gelfand, Duane Peters, and Stacy Peralta.

his ‘fuck you‘ series has been exhibited worldwide and put into books. and he’s done it all with style and dare i say grace.

this is what passion can do - it has carried glen far beyond what he ever thought but he’s one dedicated mofo who deserves it.

so the orphan works bill is still floating around and there has been some recent attention as it’s fate fluttered between life and death. as it stands now, everything’s on hold while congress is on recess. no doubt though that we’ll be starting all over once the next session swings back to work.

last week i had the chance to catch up with MT senator jon tester during his trip through the area to try and discuss the orphan works bill. unfortunately he had little time and awareness about the current intellectual property rights concerns that face creatives. but it was a start, his staff now has a few photographers they can consult as i wasn’t the only one there. (hats off to another local shooter who has taken upon himself to contact and speak or meet with all three of MT’s reps).

with this in mind i wanted to let everyone know that PACA (Picture Archive Council of America) is working within the creative community to further copyright education and to that end has created the Jane Kinne Copyright Education Program and posted a video. this via creativepro.com,

“In support of this effort PACA developed the Jane Kinne Copyright Education Program, which can be streamed online or ordered on DVD. The free one-hour presentation provides a thorough review of copyright law in the United States and how it applies to the use of imagery in advertising, the news media and fine art.” The video touches the finer points of what we all need to be familiar with as covered by counsel Nancy Wolff.

and fresh off the press this am on wired.com comes a short concept on “Who Should be the First US Copyright Czar?”. with the president signing the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act just monday, we could be in for an interesting argument to determine who might fit this bill. in true wired style they’ve already got a poll going so you might want to check it out. so far Lawrence Lessig, Founder of Center for Internet and Society & a Stanford professor is in the lead.

the basic idea behind the copyright czar would be to mirror the drug czar and to implement a nationwide plan to combat piracy and then report directly to congress and the president. with the right person engaged, this could be a huge boost for intellectual property in my mind but it will be fascinating to see who that might be and how the powers that be, google, yahoo, etc, can serve their influence.

largest thanks ever to the california crew and merrell. crazy good week shooting all over norcal and have the entire gang that pitched in to thank. merrell was fabulous to work with and their agency was pure sweetness. all 20+ of us were on the same level (hard work, early mornings and dirty one liners) and it shows in the final product. can’t wait to see the video clips but we’ll have a few scenes of our own up soon. four days, one skinny dip, one wharf jump, a handful of pumpkins, some pine cones, a few yurts, 1000 miles, 10,000 images and the best laughs in a long time.

and wanted to pass along props to merrell for walking the walk. in spite of the nature of the shoot (RV, driving, flying, etc) merrell bucked up for carbon credits with Native Energy. i’m really pushing to make this a project standard as there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. talked about it many posts ago but it’s great to see it taking hold.

in that vein, it’s exciting to see a few more options being made available as well. car rental site vroomvroomvroom.com “has pledged to pick up the cost of the carbon footprint for anyone booking through (the) site and (will) spend money on neutralizing that carbon with various green initiatives.” more here. and world dominator google has forked over a few washingtons on a plan to save energy as well - $4 trillion to be exact.

good week all across the west this first week of oct 2008. here are a few things that were i not working in california i would definitely consider.

pdx - the grassy knoll gallery in old town (right around the corner from the old cal’s skate shop) is hosting an eye-catching reception for first thursday - 10.2.08 - ward jenkins will be presenting his exhibtion “b-boy”. and to really add to the authenticity of the event a slew of pdx’ best breakdancers will be on site performing including Randm-1, Impulse, Skywalker of Moon Patrol Crew and guest DJ Computer Fam. ward dabbles in a bit of everything and is the brains behind The Ward-o-Matic blog about in his words “art, animation and anything aesthetically pleasing to the eye”.

seattle - killer photographer charles peterson, himself a b-boy and rock n roll fan, spits out a brilliant new book entitled cypher. it chronicles petersons adventures with breakdancing across 6 years and events in pdx, seattle, la and nyc. and to add to the fun he did it mostly in medium format - superb touch charles. i wish there was an actual event for this, maybe in the near future. here’s the blurb from the publisher;

Acclaimed rock photographer Charles Peterson is back with a new subject—the world of contemporary breakdancing. B-boying, as it’s referred to by its adepts, centers around the “cypher” (circle) created when b-boys and b-girls gather to practice or to “battle.” Bigger and badder than ever, breakdancing has grown since its beginnings in the early eighties to become a global youth phenomenon today. Yet it remains a highly individualized practice—all one needs to get down are some beats and a smooth floor (and, of course, scads of strength, style, and brio).

With Cypher, Peterson takes a fresh look at this phenomenon with his own brand of fine-art documentation: part Larry Fink, part Barbara Morgan, with a heaping dose of the spirit that defined his previous powerHouse monograph, Touch Me I’m Sick. He focuses not only on some of the most radical performances by today’s most talented breakers, but also on the fans, the sidelines, and the camaraderie of the crews in order to put you inside the world of the b-boy.

Taken primarily with cumbersome medium-format cameras, the photographs have the depth and resolution normally associated with high-end fashion and portrait photography— even when the subjects are caught spontaneously in mid-air! Despite the awkwardness of the method, the photos still have all the buzz and excitement found in Peterson’s iconic images of the grunge movement, with an added twist of unexpected elegance.

montana - if you find yourself anywhere near the rockies it would definitely behoove you to check out one of the best creative events around. hatch fest out of bozeman is now in it’s fifth year and going strong. the list of supporters includes a ski resort, a university, getty images and gibson guitars among others so you know this is a wide ranging affair. the idea is to connect industry veterans with young new artist’s in whatever field they’ve choosen - filmmakers, musicians, photographers, designers, architects, writers, and more are all represented.

so if you’re learning a language by far the best way to do it is not in school. i can say this because i’ve done it. sitting in class in osaka i remember wondering if i wasn’t better off skipping my test and heading out to drink with my japanese compadres. there’s acquisition in both cases but one would definitely be more natural. the biggest problem with rote learning is that it’s the end goal. as obstacles pop up it’s intensely frustrating because they block your entire purpose.

on the other hand, if you are to take up language to reach a family member, or say a lover, well then you’ve just eliminated a fair chunk of the frustration involved with the language itself. at that point language is merely a hoop to work through to get to your end goal of personal communication.

this is how i feel with a majority of the work i do. it’s not the individual projects that attract me to photography as much as i do truly enjoy them. rather it’s the personal evolution involved with the ongoing process of visual creation. in fact, i think of photography as a language that i’m commissioned to use to translate a clients concept into a viable vision for public consumption.

why am i talking about this. for one, language and images have always fascinated me and are tied much closer than most people consider. secondly, after a challenging job, such as i had this week working on a cover for a magazine, you have to keep it all in perspective. out for a fall/spring shoot in glacier national park we encountered five different versions of whether or not the road was open or not before 9am. eventually it actually opened and we headed out to find up to a foot of snow in places and a howling wind. the scenery was spectacular but let’s just say the behind the scenes wasn’t.

keeping a long term vision of your work and path is as imperative as an email address and phone line in my mind. if you don’t have a vision to give vision to then you’re never going to hit any target consistently.

I’m not sure exactly why, though I’d guess that it stems from an overt sense of US self-importance, but every time the subject comes up of living near the northern border or working north of the border you get that look like you just ran into a wall. Even some of the most well intentioned individuals I know make asses out of themselves with their lack of knowledge and awareness of Canada. In complete disclosure I am actually half Canadian myself and have more family there then anywhere else in the world though unfortunately don’t know them. Regardless, it’s a shame with what little gusto we as ‘creatives’ pursue projects and work northward.

Photography, being the way it is, leads you down many paths. The variety of locales that you find yourself required to head always keeps things interesting. And I’ve found this especially true across the border as I’ve worked there with a handful of US and Canadian companies without a hitch. And though it’s ’same, same but different’ there is always the border to work through - a simple reminder that you’re not in the US anymore, this is not just another sovereign state.

With recent advertising work taking me to Calgary I decided to look into regulations a bit more. In fact, I actually spent time talking over Canadian Customs law with a border guard.

So, directly from the horses mouth, it boils down to this:

• If you’re working for a US company you need no more than you would for work in the US other than you’re passport.
  

• If you find yourself on contract with a Canadian company you’ll need to have that client secure a load of paperwork in addition to taking along your passport.
  

The basic premise being that working for a Canadian company you’re essentially taking a job from our Canadian counterparts and thus need government approval. Detailed info can be found with the Canada Border Services Agency including wait times if you’re driving. Additionally, you can always consult the Canadian Embassy nearest you for specifics. Lastly, more info can be hatched by referencing travel agencies or organizations such as AAA that regularly deal with border crossings. Other travel oriented sites abound with info as well such as gonorthwest.

Other than that, have your stuff in order and be polite. Tell the truth and you’ve got nothing to hide and it’ll no doubt go smooth. Of course, you’ve still got to deal with US customs when you come back home and that’s often the most confusing and intimidating part of the entire process.

update via a graphic designer contact in portland:

i read a little of your blog and found the part about canadian customs interesting.
i’ve been going up there a bunch this year working for a canadian company and its no problem that i’m a graphic/web designer taking jobs away from canadians, but the one time i mentioned at customs that there was also a video shoot i would be sitting in on (in addition to my other stuff), i got held at customs for 4 hours and they almost sent me home. the same reason you stated. they let me in after calling all the people i’m working for up there and customs made them promise that i wouldn’t be at the video shoot.
photography and video, no. graphic design, ok.

to follow up on my last post regarding ethics in photography, it’s no doubt a can of worms. the photographers i spoke with about it are conflicted on each side. regardless of the specific issues the argument boils down to “i’d never touch that kind of dirty money” or “i’d take every red cent and do something with it”.

i firmly believe that no matter the work there’s always someone who will take it. with that in mind by passing on such an offer you’re serving it up to someone who may or may not have your scruples. they may not be as ethically aware as you are and the money would go entirely in their own pocket. if it’s an issue i felt strongly enough about i would personally take the job, bid it up even, and then dump all of the funds into a cause that more accurately reflects my beliefs.

photographer and photoshop guru dave marx put it best when he wrote me, “vote with your wallet because money trumps morals when it comes to [insert cause here]“. in my book that’s right on the money.

and speaking of dave, he’s the brains behind the blog computers for photographers i’ve mentioned before. great place for all the latest tech news pertaining to computers within our realm including the latest on CS4. dave has details covering his take on four big changes the newest version will provide photography - three dimensional imagery, 360 degree stitching (more on this soon), seam carving and motion. but perhaps the best part of the update is his take on the future of where our field is going - what is a photograph? how will motion play into things?

and with these dimensions rapidly expanding in every direction canon has upped the ante again with today’s announcement of the 5D MkII. It’s all over dpreview and wired but in a nutshell they’ve kept the beloved size of the 5D and packed that body with a kick ass 21mp CMOS sensor, an expanded ISO range and full 30fps HD movie capibility. due out in november, there’s no looking back now.

for more on the new 5D canon has a press release out here. slient mode, varible RAW sizes, live view … sounds like kit from knight rider reborn. and aside from all the attention swirling around that the new G10 squeeked out as well. not as big of a jump as the 5D from what i’ve seen but both substanial additions to the market. talking with my tech guy gary today at calumet and he’s got me on the list for a new one so we’ll see soon enough.

spending time in a brand new environment last week in missoula put me in a unique headspace. as much traveling and dialogue as this career entails many times it can be variations of similar themes. not the fault of anyone it’s the creative dilemma we all face - seeing (and thinking) with new eyes not necessarily new places.

at a roundtable discussions i put together to hash over ideas of green practices, or lack thereof, in photography there were numerous good ideas we came up with - carbon credits, recycling specs, battery concepts - but the most interesting piece was is below. this hypothetical situation was off the top of my head and the point lies not in the specific cause nor the roots behind it but rather with the decision making process.

if you as a photographer were approached by a large corporation that specializes is razing old growth timber for massive scale developments to photograph a project for them what would you say? the scope of the project is one day and the use is very reasonable but the fee is quite considerable - say $50,000 for the single day.

how do you react to this? why? where exactly would that money go if you did accept?