Poll Shows Most Americans Oppose War in Afghanistan – washingtonpost.com:
Overall, seven in 10 Democrats say the war has not been worth its costs, and fewer than one in five support an increase in troop levels.
Republicans (70 percent say it is worth fighting) and conservatives (58 percent) remain the war’s strongest backers, and the issue provides a rare point of GOP support for Obama’s policies. A narrow majority of conservatives approve of the president’s handling of the war (52 percent), as do more than four in 10 Republicans (43 percent).
Los Angeles Film+TV – Quentin Tarantino Serves Up Hitler’s Head in Inglourious Basterds – page 1:
Some would say he went on to make that movie over and over again, others that he’s one of world cinema’s premier auteurs. Either way, today a surprising number of his contemporaries — among them Hong Kong director John Woo, his hero from way back when — have either dropped off the map or are struggling to stay in the game. For his part, Tarantino has become a durable superstar, crisscrossing the hazy line between studio and indie darling with a steady output (notwithstanding a six-year break between Jackie Brown and Kill Bill) of big successes (notwithstanding Death Proof) under his belt. All but one of his films have come from original scripts he wrote himself, and every last one is a loving homage to the infinite elasticities of genre. The questions remain: Are his films any more than that? Do they need to be?
College Football Media Policy Draws Protest Letter – PDN:
The SEC also says it “shall have the right to purchase prints of any published photographs… at the most favorable financial terms offered to third parties… and Bearer hereby grants the SEC and its member institutions a license at no additional charge to use the photographs for news coverage purposes and for display on their official websites and in their official publications.”
Leagues Restrict Access as Fan and Financial Interests Intersect – NYTimes.com:
The rules are aimed not at the casual fan who might post a few pictures of Saturday’s football game on a personal Web site, but rather those who copy television broadcasts, create their own highlight reels and post them on sites charging for access or advertising.
Behind The Scenes: Latest Threat to Photographers – Lens Blog – NYTimes.com:
Covering Afghanistan is an extremely dangerous assignment for any photojournalist — avoiding ambushes, snipers, roadside bombs and kidnappings take priority over taking photographs. Now there is another concern. Afghan police are threatening photojournalists by pointing guns at them.
When Tim Mantoani’s not shooting on assignment, he’s documenting venerable lens men who have collectively captured decades of culture and celebrity with their own cameras. Legendary rock photographers Jim Marshall and Ethan Russell have sat for 20 x 24-inch Polaroid portraits, as have Walter Iooss, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Pete Turner, Mary Ellen Mark, Elliott Erwitt and Roberto Salas. He sees the story in each face, and in each place, and lives to gives them voice through his work.
“Less is More” with New Pro Compact Cameras from Canon:
Piemonte added that along with dropping overall resolution on the G11 to create larger individual pixels on the imaging chip that absorb more light, the new buzzword for the G11 is its “high sensitivity system.” The system combines the new 10MP chip; optical image stabilization; and the camera’s Digic IV image processor to produce better images in low light at high ISOs, she said.
PDNPulse: Twitter Photographer Asks Sky News to Pay Up:
Neale told OJB that his experience shows the dangers of social media for citizen journalists. We think it also illuminates a new dynamic that’s evolving in news coverage. Social media users can quickly share other people’s photos and videos without assuming any risk. Not so with news outlets—who have budgets and reputations at stake.
Letter from Top News Outlets Protesting Off-The-Record Briefings Sent to 600 Press Secretaries:
Added Rick Blum, coordinator of the Sunshine in Government Initiative: “In today’s age of Twitter and blogs, an ‘off-the-record’ speech will be publicized, just not by reporters. It just doesn’t make sense anymore and the practice should stop.”
Essay: Storytelling With Pictures – Lens Blog – NYTimes.com:
I was nine years old, living in a small town in south Florida, when I read Grey Villet’s “The Lash of Success” in Life magazine — one of the very few extras my family could afford. The pages of Life were filled with images of President John F. Kennedy, the space program and rising stars of television. Yet it was the subject and style of “Lash” — about a businessman sacrificing his humanity in pursuit of success — that had the greatest impact upon me. I have never forgotten it.
Seeing Money: Stop sabotaging your profit margin | RESOLVE — the liveBooks photo blog:
So far in his “Seeing Money” column, Doug Menuez has covered several important topics for starting a photo business: getting loans, managing your expenses, and staying on top of Accounts Payable and Receivables (see his blog for more on cash flow and “must pays”). Here he explains why being “busy” is not the same thing as being profitable — and how to figure out which one you are.
Canon unveils PowerShot G11 : Digital Photography Review:
Professional photographers will benefit from the G11’s greatly expanded dynamic range. Canon’s new Dual Anti-Noise System combines a high sensitivity 10.0 Megapixel image sensor with Canon’s enhanced DIGIC 4 image processing technology to increase image quality and greatly improve noise performance by up to 2 stops (compared to PowerShot G10). The PowerShot G11 also includes i-Contrast technology, which prevents high-light blowout whilst retaining low-light detail – ideal for difficult lighting situations.
Treasures From National Geographic Society’s Underground Trove – NYTimes.com:
“Photojournalism has really only recently been recognized in the fine-art world,” said Maura A. Mulvihill, vice president for the society’s image collection and sales. “And we are sitting on this vast, amazing collection, and started wanting to find a way to get it out into the world.”
Blurb is well-known as a digital book-making company. Their CEO, Eileen Gittins, and I have had a chance to sit down last year when we were comparing notes about putting together a national seminar series, and more recently, we’re both partners to the Magnum Expression Photography Award. PhotoShelter has used Blurb before to develop marketing pieces, and while the end result was good, I always had the desire to have more control over the output than their software allowed (I worked as a graphic designer in college).
So I was very pleased to find that they now support “PDF to Book” capabilities, which means I could design my own book using a product like Adobe InDesign. This new process gives a few distinct advantages
Diversifying with workshops: rewarding but hardly easy | RESOLVE — the liveBooks photo blog:
In the ’90s, Australian photojournalist Jack Picone covered eight wars in ten years. Then, like so many, he recognized that assignments were dwindling and decided to diversify in several areas, especially workshops. Based in Bangkok, Jack brings a non-Western mentality to his workshops, involving local photographers and inviting the community to see the final-night slideshow. Jack’s next workshop, with fellow Australian photographer Stephen Dupont, will be in Sydney and Melbourne in early October and November. But regardless of where they happen, as you’ll see from Jack’s comments, workshops are anything but easy — they are a lot of work for inconsistent money. The big reward is still helping students improve.
London’s Lazarides Gallery looks to open their latest exhibition on August 14th, 2009, featuring the artwork of internationally renown French artist Invader. The show looks to run through September 17th, 2009.
11 Unintentionally Hilarious Hip-Hop Videos | The Rap Up:
Silliness has always been a part of human nature, but it appears to be more fashionable now that we have an assortment of tools to document our goofiness. After all, YouTube and other video sites gave independent directors a chance to showcase their work, prepubescent rappers a chance to gain recognition, and hip-hoppers an outlet for round-the-clock unintentionally comedy. Here are th 11 Most Unintentionally Funny Hip-Hop Videos:
When I am asked about my work, one of the questions that often comes up is ‘How much difference does it make that I am a woman?’ And I have to agree that it does make a huge difference, that plenty of the situations I have been in would not have been accessible to a man, or if a man had been present the atmosphere would have been very different.
Right now I am working in Saudi Arabia and for the first time, in a strange contradictory way, it seems actually to be a disadvantage to be able to get so close. I will try and explain…
The world’s most expensive photography books | Art and design |guardian.co.uk:
The production of limited-edition photography books has provided a lucrative trade for art book publishers, even in a recession. As glossily packaged collector’s items, coffee-table tomes can fetch up to six-figure sums. But are they artworks in their own right? We take a look at some of the most expensive photobooks of all time
