TWiP #152 – Controversy
Shoot and get shot! BP gets slippery with photographers, and David duChemin talks ebook publishing.
Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Richard Harrington, Joseph Linaschke, and Ron Brinkmann
NEWS & DISCUSSION
Recent increases in Facebook and YouTube videos that depict police abuse, has given rise to a new trend in law enforcement. It is now illegal in at least three states to record any on-duty police officer. “Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway.”
Apple Releases the next iPhone
The latest version of the iPhone was announced at WWDC with new features including a hi-res screen, improved 5 mp camera, digital flash, ability to shoot and edit HD video, and a front facing camera for video chat.
BP's Photo Blockade of the Gulf Oil Spill
According to photographers, BP and government officials are preventing them from photographing the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
AFP Suing Photographer It Stole Images From
PDN – David Walker – “It's hard to explain a mind-blowing mess like this one, but AFP is suing a Haitian photojournalist for “antagonistic assertion of [his] rights” after it distributed his news-breaking earthquake photos all over the world without his permission.”
Camera Bits Rules Out iPad Version of Photo Mechanic
DPI – Rob Galbraith – In an open letter to Photo Mechanic customers, Camera Bits President Dennis Walker says his company can't create an iPad version of its venerable pro photo browsing, captioning and transmission application. Walker blames limitations of the device's hardware and the iPad Camera Connection Kit, and slams restrictions he says Apple has placed on third party apps to directly access photos. He sums up the situation this way: “At this point it is darn near impossible for us to provide what we would consider a useful app, something besides a gimmick or curiosity.” The letter is here.
INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DUCHEMIN
This week, Fred sits down with photographer and author David duChemin, to talk about eBook publishing and what it means for photographers.
You can learn more about David by visit his website www.craftandvision.com or at www.pixelatedimage.com or follow him on Twitter.
LISTENER QUESTIONS
Question #1: Darren Crown asks: About a year ago I purchased a Canon rebel xsi which was my first digital SLR camera. since then I have added a 50mm 1.8 , a 70-200mm 2.8, and an 11-16mm 2.8 lens. I feel as if I am reaching the limits of what the Canon Rebel can do for me and I am interested in upgrading to a newer Canon camera body. What camera body would you recommend? I love to photograph people (portraits/creative moments) but have also worked taking pictures of sporting events and landscapes/Pano's. I have noticed that the 7D has a far faster frames/second rating than the 5D mkII but the low level lighting performance is not as good. Should I buy one of these cameras or is there another camera that I should be considering instead?
Joseph: I look for durability when recommending cameras. Both would definitely be a step up from the Rebel in terms of build quality. One other big difference between these two cameras is that the 5D Mark II is a full-frame camera so my preference would be to go with the 5D Mark II unless he's shooting a lot of sports. One downside is that if he has a lot of crop sensor cameras (e.g. the white dot cameras) they won't work on a full frame camera.
Question #2: From Johnathon Swafford: I am trying to pick out my first 50mm lens. I want to know the benefit of the 1.4 over the 1.8 and if it's worth the extra cash and what is the difference between the af-d and af-g?
Ron: On the Canon side, you typically get better light characteristics and and build quality goes up. That translates to a more solid lens and faster focusing. The AFD and AFG has to do with the fact that one of them has an on the lens capability to change the aperture whereas the other one has to be done in camera.
Question #3: Alejandro Rossano wants to know: I have a question regarding multiple focus points. I usually only use the middle focus point to focus and then recompose. Is there a difference between focusing and then recomposing and selecting the focus point to mark where your subject is?
Richard: I think it depends on the speed and the shot your going for. I like to play with my focus points rather than recomposing and moving your camera position.
Joseph: The biggest disadvantage to recomposing is that it takes time so you could miss certain moments while you're recomposing. Also there is a chance if you move the camera and shooting with a shallow depth of field that you could throw them out of focus. I'm a big advocate of learning to control that focus point and adjusting it on the fly.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Richard: Photoshop World – Sept 1st – 4th in Las Vegas. Early bird discount now -$100. Richard is doing a pre-con session on 8/31 on DSLR Video
Joseph: iPhone 4
Ron: Plastic Bullet for iPhone
Fred: Image Capture on the Mac
WRAP UP
Join the Flickr critique group. You can also join our Facebook group.
Ron Brinkmann – www.digitalcomposting.com or www.twitter.com/ronbrinkmann
Joseph Linaschke – www.apertureexpert.com or www.twitter.com/travel_junkie
Richard Harrington – www.rhedpixel.com or www.richardharringtonblog.com
Frederick Van Johnson – www.frederickvan.com or www.twitter.com/frederickvan
CREDITS
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Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com
or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke
Bandwidth provided by Cachefly. Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro
I have been a photojournalist for over 20 years. After 9/11 police, security went into rabid dog mode. In many ways it has gotten better but also worse.
Form the rentacop to the cop on the beat. They are less likely to get into trouble if they make you leave an area, or prohibit you from shooting than ignoring you being there.
Most of the police I deal with now will automatically call PR officer if I show up on a scene. The issue that I have run into more and more is the police departments and security where the supervisors are clueless.
I can forgive a field agent not knowing media law, but the supervisor needs to learn it. As the law stands right now if you can see it without trespassing you can shoot it.
The federal courts have upheld this. My favorite example is Area 51 https://www.dreamlandresort.com/area51/ one of our most secret bases is photographed daily with images published.
I do have one minor suggestion can we go an episode without mentioning an African Safari.