Microstock Calendar

We've all, no doubt, had an unpaid internship (or two) in our lives and while they can be a rewarding experience, there are some people out there who seek to take advantage of the lowly struggling intern.

Consider the case of Sophia Schechner, a photo intern who says she was humiliated by "a fashion and beauty photographer" in downtown Manhattan who she identifies only as "A."

Among the abuses Sophia cites in the short video below are getting repeatedly called "Alex" by the photographer, and being forced to tickle a model's feet to generate a "happy" expression.

Ok, we've heard worse horror stories than this but it did get us wondering who this photographer is. Anyone want to hazard a guess in the comments on the identity of "A"?

(Via A Photography Blog.)

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Back in May, we reported the case of AFP v. Morel, in which AFP allegedly downloaded and distributed photographer Daniel Morel's exclusive Haitian earthquake photos without permission. After he sought compensation from AFP, the wire service sued him for defending his rights too aggressively.

Now comes another case in which a photographer has accused AFP of stripping his credit off an image (shown here) that happens to show Barack Obama’s Chicago residence, and distributing the photo to third parties without the permission.

Photographer Wayne Cable filed suit against the agency for copyright infringement, Digital Millenium Copyright Act violation, deceptive business practices and other claims. He alleges that a Chicago luxury real estate firm hired him to photograph the interior and exterior views of a certain house, in order to put the images online and entice potential buyers. The Obama residence happened to be next door, so Cable photographed it as part of the exterior view shown here. He provided this and other images to his client with the stipulation that any use of the images—beyond displaying the images to sell the house-- had to be approved by Cable. He further stipulated that the photos had to include his credit line, and a hot link to his Web site. The client complied.

AFP found the picture of Obama’s house, allegedly stripped the credit and hot link off of it, and distributed it worldwide as the purported licensor, all without Cable’s permission.

AFP filed a motion to dismiss several of Cable’s claims, including the Digital Millenium Copyright Act claim. The DMCA makes it illegal to remove or alter copyright management information. AFP didn’t dispute that it removed Cable’s name and hot link; they argued instead that from a legal and technical standpoint, Cable’s name and hot link weren't copyright management information as defined by the DMCA.

The judge didn’t buy it, and in a decision handed down last week, he rejected AFP’s arguments for dismissal of Cable’s other claims, too. Cable still has a long legal fight ahead, but the preliminary decision in his favor clears the way for a trial.

Both cases raise questions about AFP's policy regarding the distribution of photos that don't belong to them. But so far, AFP has not responded to a request for comment.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has concluded that the Thai government has "done little to bring anyone to account" for the deaths of dozens of people and injuries of hundreds at anti-government protests in Bangkok this past spring.

Among the dead were freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi of Italy and Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto of Japan. The CPJ called the Thai government's investigation of those deaths "incomplete and opaque." The CPJ also accused the Thai government of obstructing efforts by news organizations, foreign governments, and family members to investigate the journalists' deaths independently.

CPJ says a Thai government fact-finding committee has stated publicly that it doesn't intend to assign blame for the deaths, making it unlikely that security forces will be held accountable for any abuses.

The violence erupted after government troops moved in to downtown Bangkok to forcibly remove protesters, who had occupied sections of the city for weeks in an effort to topple Thailand's dictatorship.  

Security forces denied using lethal force except for self defense, and protest organizers said demonstrators were peaceful and unarmed. But CPJ concludes that "both sides engaged in lethal recklessness that led to the deaths of two journalists along with injuries to nine other reporters and photographers."

CPJ says its findings were based on extensive interviews with journalists at the scene.

Polenghi died of a gunshot wound May 19 while documenting police efforts to dislodge the protesters. CPJ says the photographer's family has been given conflicting information about the location of his wounds. (Polenghi was cremated before his family saw his body) They repeatedly requested an official autopsy report, without success, and they report that his camera, cell phone and other belongings are still missing.

Reuters investigated Muramoto's death and concluded he was killed by a high velocity bullet shot from street level. Protesters and security forces alike were using high velocity weapons, so it is unclear who is responsible for his death, CPJ says.

CPJ's full report is available here.

The day after news reports that experts had authenticated glass plate negatives –bought for $45 at a garage sale in Pasadena-- as the work of Ansel Adams, dealers of Adams’ prints are casting doubts on the negatives’ authenticity and estimated market value. 

Bill Turnage, managing director of the Ansel Adams Rights Trust, which holds the copyright to Adams’ images and licenses his name and work, tells the AP that he’s considered legal action against Beverly Hills art dealer David W. Streets for using Adams’ name to promote the sale of the negatives. “It’s an unfortunate fraud,” says Turnage. 

Turnage also disputes the value of $200 million which Streets has set on the negatives. A print Adams made sold for $722,500 at auction last year, but Turnage insists the value of such a work is in Adams’ printing techniques, not the negative. “"Ansel interpreted the negative very heavily," he says. "Each print is a work of art."

It may be impossible for anyone to say definitely who created the negatives in question. Rick Norsigian, who bought the collection in 2000, and his lawyer, Arnold Peter, have assembled experts who have declared “"with a high degree of probability" that they were created by Ansel Adams. These experts include art historians, a meteorologist who compared the locations shown in the negatives with some of Adams’ favorite sites,  and handwriting experts who said the notes on the envelopes appear to have been written by Adams’ wife, Virginia.  

On the other side, Turnage and others who have dealt in Adams work and protected his legacy claim that evidence is flimsy at best.  

 

Matthew Adams, the photographer’s grandson and the head of the Ansel Adams Gallery in San Francisco, viewed the negatives last fall. He says, “There is no real, hard evidence. I’m skeptical.”  He says it’s unlikely that his grandfather, who taught in Pasadena during the 1940s, would have misplaced 5,000 negatives or left them in a warehouse. "Ansel was very meticulous about his negatives," says his grandson, who notes that the photographer lost much of his work in a studio fire in 1937. "He kept them in a bank vault in San Francisco after the fire."

Regarding one of the weaker pieces of evidence, Matthew Adams tells AP that he doubts the notes on the envelopes were written by his grandmother because the names of Yosemite sites are misspelled. "She grew up in Yosemite. She was an intelligent, well-read woman. I find it hard to believe she would mispell those names," he says. 

Yes, it had to happen. Earlier this year we broke the news on the Canon White Lens coffee mug that was being distributed at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the Internet nearly exploded. Now a Nikon version has surfaced.

(Gulp.)

Don't know if it's an "official" Nikon release, but this simulated Nikon AF-S 24-70mm F/2.8 lens thermos coffee cup looks pretty sweet. We especially like the gold box treatment and the drawstring carrying bag.

It's selling for $23 here where they've got a few more choice photos of it.

Get 'em while they last!