David Saxe has an interesting article over at BlackStar on whether Street Photography should be protected for the photographer as a right to photograph people in public places — or whether it is “rude and offensive to photograph a subject when they are unaware and without permission. [...] I even get the impression that they would like laws passed to enforce this notion.”

In this social age where privacy is being trampled right and left, we understand the desire to protect our privacy, but banning or outlawing street photography is not the way to go. David Saxe explores what a world without street photography would be like.

Read the article at: BlackStar.

How does a professional photographer approach his or her wedding day assignment? Jesselynn Quinn, an international wedding photographer based in Oxford, England, shares with us “3 Rules for Portraits Worthy of a Wedding Day” — concentrating on “posing subjects and trying to capture for them one of life’s real milestone moments.”

Read the Black Star article “3 Rules for Portraits Worthy of a Wedding Day“.

When established magazines and news sites shamelessly pilfer images online without permission, we know we have reached a point of no return: the value associated with a photograph has been permanently diminished to zero. The reasoning goes something like this: “Since anyone with a decent enough digital camera can take this [snap]shot, it therefore has no monetary value and I can use it on my site freely.”

And truth be told, in some ways they may not be that far off the mark. Digital cameras have made it so easy to take high quality snapshots of newsworthy events by almost anyone who can aim and press the shutter release button. For well-covered events, there are many such snapshots for a news magazine to choose from. These snapshots won’t necessarily win a Putlitzer Prize, but they are good enough to illustrate the story for the day. And tomorrow is another day and we’re in search for the next photo, yesterday’s already forgotten, with the photographer feeling slightly used and discarded.

Can all photographers, pro and amateur alike, band together to stop this? John Harrington over at BlackStar Rising think we can in an article titled, “Putting the Value Back into Photography”, but readers claim it’s now way too late to do anything about it? What do you think?

Read the article at: BlackStar Rising.

Getting paid for your work may be one of the most challenging part of being a freelance photographer. Brandon Cotter shares in a BlackStar article, titled “Getting Paid: It Starts with the Invoice,” various ways to ensure you get paid for work done.

Read the article at: BlackStar.

From livesome

In this video, Beate Chelette shares her single best tip for negotiating your fees for photography jobs.

source blackstar

Paul Melcher has an intersting article over at Black Star about how we are losing the battle with social networks as far as who has the rights to the photos we post online on these sites.

He states categorically:

It’s time to accept the fact that if you post your images on a social network, there is a 110 percent chance you will lose complete control of that image.

The title of this post is also a direct quote (though I added the “right”).

Basically, Melcher says we got only three choices as a photographer.

Read about them at: Black Star.

Agree, disagree?

From livesome

In this video posted at Black Star, Beate Chelette addresses the question of “What’s the next big thing in Photography?” Video? Check. And, what else? She makes an interesting point about the need to effect a mindset change, especially if we are still holding on to the traditional definition of what good photography is all about.

Read the article at: Black Star.

Emily Chow, a student at Northwestern University’s Medill School, is pursuing a bachelor of science in journalism. She writes in a Black Star article about her not-so-thrilling encounters with whatever is left of professional photojournalists… and her firm belief that visual journalism may change but will continue in one form or another.

Read the article at: Black Star.