Newslines
In between issues of the ASMP Bulletin, these news items from many sources will keep you up to date and informed.
Posted May 2006
CAPIC honors Douglas Kirkland for lifetime achievements
The Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications (CAPIC presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to photographer Douglas Kirkland at a special ceremony held in Toronto on Saturday, May 13, 2006. Since 1986, CAPIC has honored professional illustrators and photographers who have distinguished themselves with significant contributions to the communications arts in Canada and, internationally, throughout their careers.
Kirkland (an ASMP member since 1960) was born in Toronto. He joined Look in his early twenties, and later Life during the golden age of photojournalism. Among his assignments were essays on Greece, Lebanon and Japan, as well as fashion and celebrity work, photographing Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich among others. His fine-art photography has been exhibited around the world, and he is a sought-after lecturer.
In memoriam: William H. Strode
Bill Strode, a former member of the Ohio Valley Chapter of ASMP, died of cancer on May 15. He was 69 years old.
Born in Louisville, KY, he interned for the Courier-Journal while in college and then joined the staff in 1960. In 1966, he earned the Newspaper Photographer of the Year accolade from the National Press Photographers Association, and served as NPPA president in 1974. He earned two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his exposé of strip-mining and the other for coverage of community reaction to court-ordered busing.
In 1976, he left the paper to work as a free lance, accepting assignments from National Geographic, Life, Time, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, Esquire, The New York Times, The Washington Post and others. He also had exhibitions in the Smithsonian Institution and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
He is survived by his partner, Jane Gentry Vance, three children and two grandchildren. His life has been recounted in the Louisville Courier-Journal and on the NPPA web site.
Patience rewarded by a patent
FotoNation, a developer of digital-camera technology, received U.S. patent number 7,042,505 for a technique that removes “red eye” effects within the camera. This comes as no surprise to the camera makers (many of which license the technology), because the patent application was first filed in 1997.
Documentary highlights work of Jack Mitchell
A recently completed documentary film by Craig Highberger, “Jack Mitchell: My Life is Black and White,” will be shown in New York City on June 6th. It will be screened at the Loews 34th Street Theater (34th St. at 8th Ave) beginning at 5:30 pm. The flick is part of the NewFest film festival, and it will be shown just once. For more information, please see the move website, www.jackmitchellmovie.com.
Jack Mitchell, a semi-retired Life member of ASMP, will be at the screening, as will the filmmaker and some of the celebrated interviewees appearing in the film. One of the interviews is with NY Times picture editor Lonnie Schlein, who details Mitchell’s assignment with the Lennons just three weeks before John’s death.
Early notice for E&P Photos of the Year contest
Editor & Publisher magazine is getting ready for the 7th Annual Photos of the Year contest. In this contest, which is sponsored by Canon, photographers are invited to enter their most compelling (and published) work in different categories for a chance to win a $1,000 grand prize and some high-tech Canon equipment. The winners and honorable mentions in all categories will be featured in the November issue of E&P.
This is an advance notice, so there is no entry info on the E&P web site yet. However, last year’s (and previous years’) winners can be viewed now, and the contest page will probably be a good bookmark if you plan to enter.
Society of Illustrators honors Steve Heller
Steve Heller, Art Director of the Book Review section of The New York Times won the Richard Gangel Art Direction Award for 2006. This annual honor by the Society of Illustrators recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of illustration by a contemporary art director; the recipient is selected by the Past Chairs of the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition.
Mr. Heller has been the recipient of six medals from the Society’s Annual exhibitions for illustrations he has commissioned for the cover of the Book Review section of Times since 1990.
The award is named in honor of Richard Gangel, the influential art director of Sports Illustrated from 1960-1981. Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the promotion of art. It has more than 1,000 members worldwide and is headquartered in an 1875 vintage carriage house in New York’s Upper East Side.
ASMP listens to its Living Legends
On May 9, the ASMP NorCal chapter presented Living Legends, a tribute to its Life Members. The event featured a panel presentation by the veterans, who described their experiences and their expectations for the future.
 |
 |
| The ASMP papparazzi capturing the Living Legends: ASMP Nor Cal Life Members (top row, L to R) Joe Munroe, Wayne Miller, Morton Beebe, Jon Brenneis, Matt Herron; (bottom row, L to R) Bob Cameron, Phiz Mezey. | |
NAPP offers online Photoshop course
The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) launched Photoshop for Digital Photographers with Scott Kelby, a 21-day online training course. In just 5 minutes a day, Kelby takes online students through a special lesson showing them exactly how use a specific Photoshop feature from start to finish. Each lesson is designed to be quick, easy, and straight to the point, without a bunch of boring theory or confusing jargon. The course costs $70, but NAPP members receive a $30 discount.
Do politicians have to honor copyright?
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania state Senate Carol Aichele has been using a photograph of her opponent, Democrat Andy Dinniman, in her campaign literature and TV ads. Just one problem: The portrait, which was taken for Dinniman by ASMP member Rick Davis, was never licensed to Aichele. Davis has written cease-and-desist letters to the Chester County Republican Committee, but that group seems to believe that Dinniman’s status as a “public figure” exempts it from copyright law. Davis has said he will sue.
Magenta Foundation publishes ‘Carte Blanche’
The Magenta Foundation, Canada’s first charitable arts publishing house, has published Carte Blanche, a book of 230 of the best practicing photographers in Canada. The target audience is photo directors, art directors and ad agencies. Its stated purpose is to change the perception of Canadians, and the world, about photographic achievement in that country.
Tamron opens photo contest, sets student discount
Tamron, maker of specialty lenses for digital cameras, is running “It’s a Wild World 2006,” a photo competition for images of animals. To be eligible, images must be taken through a Tamron lens. The prize is a Tamron AF18-200 Di-II lens. Submissions must be received by October 31, 2006 and the winnier will be announced on or before November 15. Contest details are available at the Tamron web site, www.tamron.com.
Through the end of May, 2007, Tamron is offering an educational discount to college students and instructors. It’s designed for individual purchasers, not group buys, and the purchases must be made through an authorized dealer. For info, email the program coordinator, Ruben Dario Cruz, at Tamron.
Flashes of Hope seeks your participation
We see the child, not the disease. Images allow others to do the same.
Flashes of Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating powerful, uplifting images of children fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The photographs, taken by commercial photographers, help children feel better about their changing appearance by celebrating it. And for families of terminally ill children, it’s especially important to have a portrait that forever preserves the bravery, grace and dignity of their child.
Founded in 2001, Flashes of Hope has arranged to photograph nearly 1000 children this year alone in Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Northern Virginia and Philadelphia. In each city, monthly photo shoots in the hospital are facilitated by a local Chapter Director. Once the chapter is established in a market, most photographers volunteer once a year. (The licensing agreement and family release were approved by the national office of ASMP.) Additional chapters will launch later this year and dozens more cities are being planned.
Said founder Allison Clark, “Thank you in advance for your support of Flashes of Hope. From the beginning, we have been amazed by the generosity of the commercial photographer community. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 216-514-7005 or Allison@FlashesofHope.org.”
In addition, several ASMP members are available to answer your questions about the shoots from the photographer’s perspective:
Tony Gray tony@agrayphoto.com or 216-781-7330
Bill Beck wbeck@studiobeck.com or 216-514-7005
Paul Fetters paul@paulfetters.com or 703-641-5859
Poster Planet website an intentional infringer
ASMP member Daniel McCulloch has asked us to alert the photographer community to an online print vendor that shows little regard for copyright. He recently found one of his best images being sold by a Netherlands firm, J.M. Shopping, which does business under the name Poster Planet. (The web site is reachable at www.posters.nl, www.posterplanet.nl and www.JM-Shopping.nl.) When confronted, the site owners proved uncooperative; they would not take down the infringing images and have refused to discuss money. McCulloch is now pursuing legal action.
It may be worth checking the site to see if any of your images are being sold there.
Sometimes you need to go to Plan C
Of course you back up your image files. But what do you do when the backup fails? One recourse is a data-recovery service. We’ve heard good reports about Ontrack, and we recently read an interesting (if self-serving) article, “When Bad Things Happen to Good Photographs,” that explains when to try software and when you are better off paying a recovery specialist.
Mel Lindstrom breaks record for ADDY awards
ASMP member Mel Lindstrom took a gold and five silver ADDY awards at the recent West Coast Regional ad competition, on top of 16 medals taken at the local level. In all, he has earned one Best of Category, two Gold, nine Silver and four Bronze awards, setting a record. He now advances to the national competition held in June, where his chances are considered good. The ADDYs are the advertising industry’s largest competition, attracting more than 50,000 entries each year.
Taking honors were Lindstrom’s prize works from 2005, including the studio self-promotion piece called The Great Communicators. His intimate series of people shots featuring local construction workers took a top-seated Gold, as did the photos of Burning Man, the popular iconoclastic festival held each year in the middle of the desert.
School of Visual Arts offers resident curriculum
New York’s School of Visual Arts has announced a one-year residency in photography for international students, to begin with the 2006-2007 academic year. Photo Global, as the new certificate program is called, taps into the extensive resources of the College and the city to bring critical rigor to the advanced photographer. Participants have the opportunity to work in technologically advanced facilities and study with a faculty that has helped shape the discourse of contemporary American photography. Guest instructors and lecturers will include photographers Elinor Carucci, Gregory Crewdson, Jessica Craig-Martin, Tim Davis, Marc Joseph, Jack Pierson, Collier Schorr, Larry Sultan and James Welling.
Photo Global is designed to advance the individual work of participants through critique, lectures, dialogue with other participants and museum and gallery visits. Students take a seminar and contemporary photography course, and are encouraged to take photography electives alongside students enrolled in the BFA Photography Department at SVA. Although the emphasis will be on the content of the work, a broad range of technical courses — applicable to both digital and traditional formats — will be available. In addition to the full resources of the BFA Photography Department, the resources of the MFA Photography Department will be available on an informal basis. Participants will receive 30 credits for successful completion of the certificate program.
The application deadline is Monday, May 22 and fall courses begin Tuesday, September 5. For more information, email photoglobal@sva.edu. To apply, visit www.sva.edu/photoglobal.
W. Eugene Smith memorial fund seeks 2006 grant applicants
Applications are now being accepted for the W. Eugene Smith Grant, established in Smith’s honor and currently funded by Nikon. Applications must be received by July 15, 2006. There is no entry fee. For 2006, the grant will be $30,000, with an additional $5,000 in fellowship money to be awarded at the discretion of the jury.
In addition to a résumé of educational and professional qualifications, applicants are asked to provide evidence of photographic ability and a written proposal, which should be journalistically realizable, visually translatable and humanistically driven. Full instructions are available at the Smith Fund’s website.
Don Rutledge featured in News Photographer magazine
Stanley Leary, co-president of ASMP’s Atlanta chapter, wrote a nice piece about the career of longtime ASMP member Don Rutledge. He has graciously offered the article for your enjoyment; it is available as a PDF on his website.
Karen Hirsch garners honors in Adobe imaging contest
Karen I. Hirsch has won an honorable mention in the 2005 Adobe Digital Imaging Competition in the Photo Illustration division. 
Hirsch’s entry, “The Billboard Painter,” is a playful image in which a workman is painting a billboard of a western scene so realistically that a herd of running horses begin to escape from his canvas. She created this collage by skillfully combining a photo that she took at a ranch in Bend, Oregon with a photo that she made of a painter on a ladder outside the Park Hyatt in Chicago. She first saw the painter from her seat on a bus on Michigan Avenue. She went back with her camera to capture the scene, having immediately recognized its potential.
Last year, Hirsch also won an honorable mention in this international contest. Her photo, “Old World Discovery,” a sepia-toned image of a tall ship on a rounded sea merited this award.
Licensing Photography hits the bookshelves
Increase the profitability of your images by properly controlling and pricing the rights to your work! In Licensing Photography, a veteran photographer and an intellectual property attorney explain the complicated subject of licensing in clear layman’s terms, so that readers can craft licensing agreements, price the values of those licenses, and negotiate fees successfully. Readers will also find clear explanations of laws of privacy, publicity, and trademark that impact licensing rights. Real-life examples, model agreements in both forms and letter style, a complete Q&A section, and pricing formulae are also provided, along with a dissection of the similarities and differences for licensing for print and electronic and other non-print media.
The book was written by two longtime ASMP staffers: Victor Perlman, ASMP’s general counsel; and Richard Weisgrau, ASMP’s former executive director. Licensing Photography is priced at $20 and is being distributed through book stores, or it can be ordered directly from Allworth Press online or phone 1-800-491-280.
International Color Awards presentation will be online
You are invited to the inaugural International Color Awards winners and nominees celebration, commencing Sunday, May 7th, 2006. The event is a global awards show recognizing excellence in color photography by shining a spotlight on the finest professional and amateur photographers in the world’s premier photographic showcase of color photography. The winners have been chosen by a jury of art directors, agencies, editors, galleries, curators, and publishers; and the prizes include $12,000 cash and various promotion tie-ins.
To make the event truly global in scope, the ceremony will be streamed over the Internet. It will be live, so the starting time depends on which time zone you are in: London at 8pm, New York at 3pm, Los Angeles at noon, and so on. (In Tokyo, it will be 5am on Monday!) To register for the feed, use the RSVP page.
Black and White Spider Awards deadline is May 31
Do you shoot black and white? Black and White Spider Awards is accepting entries for its 2006 contest through the end of this month. The competition and judging are international in scope; the entry fees are low ($30 for amateurs, $35 for pros — except there is a 10% discount for members of any professional society); and the prizes include exhibition and publication in various venues. Full details at www.thespiderawards.com.
LACDA shows ‘New Math’, opens contest
From May 11 through June 3, 2006, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art will present an international group exhibit of artists using computer algorithms, math-based image generators and custom software for the production of abstract works. The show includes videos of animated algorithmic renderings, architecturally based works, internet-generated images, 3D stereoscopes, art based on organic growth, as well as interactive pieces where visitors can create their own images.
The gallery is located at 107 West Fifth St., Los Angeles CA.
Separately, LACDA has announced the 2006 juried competion for digital art and photography. All styles of 2D artwork and photography, where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images, are acceptable. The winners get exhibition space and prints they can sell; the entry fee is $30.
City of Chaves sponsors Festimage competition
Festimage, the International Image Festival, is currently accepting submissions of still digital art. The festival is sponsored by the City Council of Chaves, Portugal. However, it is open to all, regardless of nationality. There is no entry fee, but each person may enter only one image. The top prize is €5,000 cash. Entry deadline is May 15.
Brooks reactivates alumni association, names board
Brooks Institute announced the re-establishment of the Alumni Association of Brooks Institute (AABI) and named 13 individuals to serve as the Board of Directors for the Association. The Alumni Association board will be instrumental in creating programs aimed at enhancing student life on campus, establishing alumni connections and offering networking opportunities after graduation. The AABI also will provide educational seminars, guest speakers, scholarships, free career counseling to Brooks Institute students and alumni, and will promote alumni achievements through its web site and alumni newsletters.
The board members were selected based upon their involvement in the photography industry, enthusiasm and passion for serving on the board and vision for the Association. Each board member will serve for a term of three years. The following individuals have agreed to serve: Ashlyn Jones, Charles Kay Jr, Mark Mosrie, Doug Brooks, Deborah Van Kirk, Dan Callahan, Dick Fletcher, Elissa Mraz, Elizabeth Price, Grant Johnson, John Lewis, Kevin Schochat, and Steven Arnold.
The Alumni Association has scheduled its first official meeting this summer. It is currently planning for the annual alumni reunion in New York to coincide with the PhotoPlusExpo, the largest photography expo in the nation.