THE PICTURE PROFESSIONAL, Autumn 2014 by American Society of Picture Professionals

ISSUE 3/2014

THE

PICTURE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PICTURE PROFESSIONALS

PROFESSIONAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS ISSUE 3 / 2014 THE PICTURE PROFESSIONAL

COVER: © Kirsty Mitchell, The Secret Locked In The Roots Of A Kingdom.

PORTFOLIO: KIRSTY MITCHELL John W.W. Zeiser

PORTFOLIO: MARK NIXON Jenny Respress

PORTFOLIO: JORGE SANTIAGO Lauren Westerfield

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

EDITOR’S LETTER

WHAT’S HANGING

ATLANTA ON THE RISE Grant Olsen

Q/A: COREY ANN BALAZOWICH Ellen C. Herbert

THE LAW Ellen Boughn

SELLING YOUR MOBILE PHOTOS…IN A SNAP Samaruddin Stewart

CLICK Ben High

CHAPTER CAPTURE

BOOK REVIEWS

CONTRIBUTORS

LIFE IN FOCUS Josh Bergeron

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The Picture Professional quarterly magazine of the American Society of Picture Professionals, Inc. 2014-2015 NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2014-2015 CHAPTER PRESIDENTS

PRESIDENT Cecilia de Querol

West Christopher DiNenna

EDITORIAL STAFF

VICE PRESIDENT Anna Fey

Midwest Christopher K. Sandberg

Publisher Sam Merrell

SECRETARY Ellen C. Herbert

Editor-in-Chief April Wolfe

TREASURER Mary Fran Loftus

New England Jennifer Riley Debra Lakind

Art Director Mariana Ochs

MEMBERSHIP Benita Spight Doug Brooks

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Copy Editor Debra P. Hershkowitz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paul H. Henning Jenny Respress John W.W. Zeiser Samaruddin Stewart Ellen C. Herbert Ben High Ellen Boughn Grant Olsen Anna Fey

New York Kris Graves Darrell Perry DC/South Jeff Mauritzen

EDUCATION Susan Rosenberg Jones

2014 SUB-CHAPTER VICE PRESIDENTS

TECHNOLOGY Mayo Van Dyck

Minnesota Julie Caruso

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Lisa Vazquez Roper

Missouri Sid Hastings

EDITORIAL April Wolfe editor@aspp.com NATIONAL PRESIDENT Cecilia de Querol president@aspp.com MEMBERSHIP Benita Spight Doug Brooks membership@aspp.com WEBSITE Daryl Geraci webmanager@aspp.com Tel: 602-561-9535 eNEWS BLOG Jenny Respress newsletter@aspp.com

Ohio Mandy Groszko Wisconsin Paul H. Henning

bers, $40.00 per year to non-members. Back issues: $10.00 when available. Non-members are invited to consider membership in ASPP.

The American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) is a non-profit, non-partisan association of image experts committed to sharing their experience and knowledge throughout the industry. The Picture Professional (ISSN 1084-3701) is published spring, summer, fall and winter as a forum for distribution of information about use, purchase and sale of imagery.

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ASPP is dedicated to promoting and maintaining high professional standards and ethics, and cooperates with organizations that have similar or allied interests. We welcome the submission of articles and news from all sources, on all aspects of the imagery profession. Contact editor@aspp.com

© 2014 American Society of Picture Professionals, Inc. Single photocopies of materials protected by this copyright may be made for noncommercial pursuit of scholarship or research. For permission to republish any part of this publication, contact the Editor-inChief. ASPP assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by the contributors to the Society’s publications. Editorial views do not necessarily represent the official position of ASPP. Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by ASPP of any product or service.

Advertising is also desired and welcomed. We offer a specific readership of professionals in positions of responsibility for image purchase decision making. For our media kit and rate sheet, contact Sam Merrell, director@aspp.com (or 516-500-3686). Space reservation deadlines: February 10, May 10, August 10, November 10. Subscription rates: Free to mem-

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CECILIA DE QUEROL

GREETINGS, MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF ASPP! I hope you all had a wonderful summer; I’m always a bit sad to see it go. But at the same time, I feel newly energized and ready to dive into the buzz and excitement of fall activities—October Photo Month, Medium Festival of Photography in San Diego, Fotoweek DC, New York Visual Connections Image Expo, the PACA Conference, and so many more. Fall is definitely photography season, and we’re bringing our own programming into the mix. We know that the members of our community are the best people to go to for answers, brilliant ideas, and new perspectives. And the best way to unlock a problem is to bring people together in a room—a real room with walls and chairs—and start talking. Conversation flows in real time. It’s a diverse and evolving discussion, where everyone can contribute and everyone can learn. You can’t get this from reading blogs. This is why we launched our series of ASPP Town Hall meetings. Our first was held in New York on July 30 and was led brilliantly by Darrell Perry, our New York chapter co-president. The room was filled with energy, as attendees from all parts of our industry shared their challenges, ways of coping, and strategies for the future. Time flew by, so we’re doing more! Our friends from the ASMP New York chapter invited Darrell to host one of these sessions for our combined memberships, and by the time you read this, Darrell will also have hosted a Town Hall for ASPP West in LA. We’re planning a summit conference to gather and distill the discussions from the local events, taking complete notes at each, collating the information, and looking for trends.

Each successive Town Hall will build on key points that have percolated from previous ones. All of this will be shared on our members-only website. Other panel discussions and chapter events will be built around subjects that require more detailed exploration, and we will invite experts to write about them for this magazine and our website. We’re dedicated to being not just an essential networking organization, but a vital tool in your career. ASPP is the focal point for a large and expansive professional portrait. ASPP is where we can make ourselves and our skills and talents known to the other members of our community—whether through our job boards or through networking events. We want to let the world know the value of the professional skills and expertise of our members, and with our collective voice at the Town Halls and other events, we can do just that. After the NY meeting, a photographer commented that what was said by editors and researchers reminded him of what photographers went through years ago during the transition from film to digital. We’re all transitioning in one way or another, and there is so much we can learn from our colleagues who have weathered similar storms in the past. We need not go it alone. I’m very excited about the Town Hall project. We’ve just started, but the conversation is already flowing, and people are buzzing with ideas. Together, we have so much knowledge and so many ideas to discover and share. We’re on a roll, and I invite you to join the conversation.

CECILIA DE QUEROL president@aspp.com

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EDITOR’S LETTER

APRIL WOLFE

DEAR PICTURE PROS, It is that lovely time of year again—fall, autumn, harvest, etc.—and we’re serving you up a nice helping of comfort food in the form of photos, news, and reviews. In this issue, Kirsty Mitchell’s gorgeous Wonderland shots of lush English gardens and extensively styled models draw inspiration from the oldest fairy tales and children’s stories. Jorge Santiago explores the little-known world of Mexican basketball in his hometown in Identity At Play, and Mark Nixon gives us a handsome collection of threadbare characters from his MuchLoved series. We’ve also got a review battle of sorts, with Samaruddin Stewart delving into Snapwire and Ben High covering EyeEm Market; both are risingstar apps seeking to reinvent current assignment and stock models with a little ingenuity. On the legal side, Ellen Boughn tells us everything we need to know about becoming or securing an expert witness, and Ellen C. Herbert interviews Corey Ann Balazowich of the Photo Stealers site to talk about what image creators can do to curb image stealers. In a new series, Grant Olsen visits Atlanta to highlight a phenomenal photo market outside of the usual Los Angeles–New York–Chicago landscape. If you reside in an area outside of the big three, we’d love to hear about your photography community.

Yet again, we all thank you for your support and readership. Before I let you get to your reading, I want to show my sincere appreciation for the people who donate their time and resources to get this thing off to the printer every issue. Debra Hershkowitz, your copyediting is a godsend. Sam Merrell, your dedication to making this thing as good as possible is not without appreciation. Ophelia Chong and Jain Lemos, you’re not even officially working with us anymore, but you’re still sending us amazing stories and topics. Ellen Herbert, these pages would be half-empty without you. Mariana Ochs, you are a design warrior. Anna Fey, your generosity abounds. And ASPP Chapter Capture contributors, you’re the frontline reporters that remind us why we do this. Cecilia de Querol, Michael Masterson, all our chapters and board, thank you. We hope we’re reaching your corner of the world, but we also know our membership is constantly evolving, and we want to bring you content that speaks to your career and your passions. If there’s a subject near and dear to you we haven’t covered, please do let us know. Sincerely,

A WOLFE editor@aspp.com

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WHAT’S HANGING

Photo exhibitions near you

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY (ICP) 1133 Avenue of the Americas New York Sebastião Salgado: Genesis September 19, 2014–January 11, 2015 Beginning with Workers in 1993 and Migrations in 2000, Genesis is the third in Salgado’s long-term photographic series dealing with global issues. Including more than 200 of his spectacular black-andwhite prints of wildlife, landscapes,

Right: © Sebastião Salgado/ Amazonas images-Contact Press Images. Sebastião Salgado, Marine iguana. Galápagos. Ecuador. 2004.

seascapes, and indigenous peoples, this exhibition has been traveling around the world since 2013 and is booked solid for two more years. ICP is the first American venue for this exhibition, curated and designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado. She also designed the two fully illustrated TASCHEN books that accompany the show. Must see!

© Sebastião Salgado/Amazonas Images - Contact Press Images. Typically, the women in the Zo’é village of Towari Ypy use the “urucum” (Bixa orellana) red fruit to color their bodies. It is also used in the cooking. Brazil. 2009. American Society of Picture Professionals

ILLINOIS COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO LIBRARY 624 S. Michigan Ave., 2nd Floor Chicago Michael L. Abramson: Pulse of the Night September 2–December 19, 2014 This collection of original black and white photographic prints from the late 70s, with all their sensuality and subtleties, document the nightlife of black blues clubs on Chicago’s South Side. Dressed to the nines in gold, mink, elegant hats, and fine jewelry, Abramson’s subjects danced, drank, and smoked—and perhaps celebrated a recent success or maybe just forgot their troubles. The work earned Abramson (1948-2011) a National Endowment of Arts grant in 1978 and launched his successful photojournalism and portraiture career. These images of Chicago’s South Side nightclub scene were what originally stirred his heart, and this exhibition—co-presented by Columbia College Chicago’s Library and Museum of Contemporary Photography—offers us the chance to discover why.

WHAT’S HANGING CALIFORNIA FRAENKEL GALLERY 49 Geary Street, 4th Floor San Francisco Robert Adams: A Road Through Shore Pine September 11–November 15, 2014 Robert Adams has received a Guggenheim Fellowship (twice), a MacArthur, and won both the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and the Hasselblad Award. With this exhibition, he delivers a small, sentimental body of 2013 work, eighteen never-before-seen photographs shot in Oregon’s Nehalem Bay State Park on medium format and printed by Adams at 11” x 14”. The prints fairly burst with detail. Concurrently, Fraenkel Gallery is also presenting Robert Adams: The Complete Books, 1970–2014, a deep dive into his passion for the form—more than sixty published during almost forty-five years of work. Make haste: the show runs for two brief months.

Left: © Asia Kepka. People Watching, 2014. Below: © Asia Kepka. Accordion, 2014.

MASSACHUSETTS GRIFFIN MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY 67 Shore Road Winchester Horace and Agnes: A Love Story October 14–December 4, 2014

“On a hot July evening in 2013 I asked Lynn Dowling to put on a rubber horse mask and pose with me (as a squirrel) for a portrait.” –Asia Kepka Between them, photographer Kepka and writer Dowling created a quirky series of photographs that explores how people can be transformed by

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assuming a disguise. In this exhibition, the identity of each person behind the mask is kept secret, and the process of creating each photograph varies. Sometimes it’s a spontaneous accident, and other times a long painstaking process of wardrobe selection, set building, and prop collection. A disguise can offer protection or dissemblance, as well as entertainment. The mask is an opportunity to embrace and challenge our usual selves while, at the same time, create a safe place from which we can reveal our most intimate details. These clever photographs are the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. ●

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Once

Upon a Time KIRSTY MITCHELL’S WONDERLAND

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BY JOHN W.W. ZEISER ÂŠ Kirsty Mitchell. Once Upon a Time.

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PORTFOLIO: KIRSTY MITCHELL

runway show—Mitchell interned with McQueen years earlier. But the real protagonist in Wonderland is the English countryside. Its incredible secrets and magic, as Mitchell calls it, were painstakingly documented. Mitchell says that in the landscape she found a “completely unexpected emotional bond.” As with any good relationship, it wasn’t easy. The landscape, changing seasons, and especially the flora were a constant inspiration to Mitchell, but they’re also fleeting things. For example, English bluebells only bloom for two weeks a year, forming a stunning carpet of color. But Mitchell, who was designing everything by hand didn’t have time to execute an entire shoot before they disappeared, so she had to wait a whole year to return to the location. Now, Mitchell has grown beyond Internet fame, and has made the plunge into the life of a full-time fine artist— the most difficult decision of her life. As difficult as it was to leave a ten-year career in fashion, it gave her time to take Wonderland seriously without being stretched by other commitments. This paid off and when she left her job in 2011, mainstream press and galleries began to take notice of her unique aesthetic and the full scope of the project. The photography itself is nearly complete, but Wonderland’s journey is far from over. Mitchell is looking for space to produce a large show in order to unshackle the seventy-six images—some of which, when printed, stand at over six feet—from the computer monitor. Her plan is to make it multisensory, including props and costumes as well. She's just found an incredible New York publisher for the Wonderland book, but it's hush-hush for now. Mitchell hopes to collate all of the material from the website, including the diaries. “I feel the real-life story of how this has all happened and why it began, is a big part of understanding the project as a whole, and is a reason so many people feel so strongly towards it.” Despite the project’s multifaceted context, each image stands alone as a moving vignette from a much larger story. ●

IT’S BEEN A LONG FIVE YEARS for Kirsty Mitchell. But it’s

been a five-year burst of artistic creativity. As is often the case, great sadness marked the point of departure for her project, Wonderland. Mitchell’s mother, an English teacher of thirty years, died of a brain tumor in 2008. The following months saw Mitchell retreat into an alternate existence mediated through her camera lens. There she dwelled on childhood memories of her mother telling fairy tales. This escapism slowly coalesced into a project aimed at honoring her mother’s memory and encapsulating her gift of storytelling and love of literature. Mitchell culled fragments of childhood memories of her mother reading to her and informed her shoots by as many of those books as she could find: “Many of these had the most extraordinary illustrations—entire art forms in their own right by artists such as Errol le Cain, Jan Pienkowski, and the little-known Pauline Martin.” The result is an impressive series of photographic stories without words. They embody what Mitchell calls “blurred hybrids.” Full of richly costumed models, ornate sets, hazy nostalgia, and the “real life magic” of the English countryside, Mitchell imbued her images with a bold palette and an astute knowledge of fashion photography. Wonderland, which was entirely self-funded, wasn’t supposed to last five years. Mitchell made props out of newspaper and chicken wire, found junk on eBay and in scrapyards, scouted locations herself, designed and executed costumes, but soon the project took on a life of its own. Says Mitchell, “As the series developed, it quickly became a form of therapy for me.” This spilled out beyond the borders of photographs, which were first posted on Flickr. Her website then housed the photos and a public diary, describing inspiration, grief, process, and behindthe-scenes moments, which gave her work context and exposure and built a fan base. The series focuses on ornately costumed models out of some Tim Burton world, or an Alexander McQueen

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PORTFOLIO: KIRSTY MITCHELL

The real protagonist in Wonderland is the English countryside. Its incredible secrets and magic, as Mitchell calls it, were

painstakingly documented. Mitchell says that in the landscape she found a “completely unexpected emotional bond.”

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aspp.com © KIRSTY MITCHELL

PORTFOLIO: KIRSTY MITCHELL

Mitchell made props out of newspaper and chicken wire, found junk on eBay and in scrapyards, scouted locations herself, designed and executed costumes, but soon the project took on a life of its own.

ÂŠ Kirsty Mitchell. Above: Moondial. Right: The White Queen. Previous spread: She'll Wait For You In The Shadows Of Summer.

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TRANSITIONAL OBJECTS: MARK NIXON’S

MUCHLOVED

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PORTFOLIO: MARK NIXON

BY JENNY RESPRESS names Irving Penn’s Street Material series as half of the inspiration for the project, the other half being his son Calum’s devotion to his stuffed Peter Rabbit. “The idea of making an everyday object, something so familiar that it’s invisible, become visible again appealed to me,” writes Nixon. The result is that Nixon’s portraits elevate these “everyday objects” to the status of art while also reflecting the personality of each stuffed bear (or rabbit, or dog, or giraffe) with dignity and gravity—no less than if they were heads of state rather than teddy bears. There’s Teddy Tingley, who wears a worried frown, perhaps reflecting the time he was nearly left behind on a railway platform. Bright blue Bobo has an air of mischief owing to the fur that has worn away to form a lopsided smile on his face. Bunny—who gets hidden away when owner Ben has visitors—looks sad, as if he knows he could soon be outgrown. If a portrait captures a truth about a person, what then does a portrait of his or her favorite toy say? What do the animals of MuchLoved tell us about their owners? Perhaps that they are individuals who haven’t lost touch with the children they once were—tenderhearted, compassionate souls who look after the little things of the world. Engaging with the photographs and stories of MuchLoved is likely to leave you with a lump in your throat. The project may as well be called MuchNostalgia, because you can’t help but be reminded of a favorite childhood toy and remember some of the joys and sorrows of your own childhood. For Nixon’s second act, he’s thinking of doing a celebrities-only version of MuchLoved. The enduring appeal of his first book signals there might just be a market for more of these heartfelt stories and photos. ●

MARK NIXON’S MUCHLOVED SERIES—for which he pho-

tographed cherished stuffed animals belonging to both children and adults—went viral last year and prompted a call from Abrams to publish the book. What is it about beloved teddy bears that gives them worldwide appeal? These toys have had their fur rubbed off, their stuffing ravaged; they’ve lost eyes and ears and limbs. Some have been repaired over and over again, while others wear their scars proudly. Sweet reminders of the past, many of the stuffed animals photographed for MuchLoved have been with their owners from birth or early childhood well into middle age. Some of them are shared between parents and children, while others are kept in remembrance of those who have passed on—like Teddy, who belongs to Nixon’s departed friend Isobel Smith and is currently looked after by her nieces. Some bears have even been the companions of famous people, like One Eyed Ted/Aloysius, the one-eared friend of beloved Irish radio host Gerry Ryan; or Rowan Atkinson’s costar Teddy from the Mr. Bean television series. But each comes with a story. As Nixon explains in the book’s introduction, “The stories and memories became integral to the photographs, adding significance to them and bringing them to life.” These stories are inseparable from the toys they describe. They cover the spectrum of human experience from humorous to reflective, tension-filled to heartbreaking: “Ted was a present from Frances’s father’s sister. Frances never saw her aunt again after the day she received Ted and only heard of her once after that: She turned up drunk when her father was dying and was thrown out of the house.” In the introduction to the book MuchLoved, Nixon

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PORTFOLIO: MARK NIXON

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ÂŠ MARK NIXON

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TEDDY TINGLEY

ONE EYED TED/ALOYSIUS

GERRY THE GIRAFFE

BELONGS TO: NICKY GRIFFIN

BELONGS TO: GERRY RYAN

BELONGS TO: SOPHIE FARRELL

Teddy Tingley belonged to my oldest brother who gave him to me the day I was born. I remember when I was three years old, we were heading off on holiday by train. I had just settled down in the carriage with my brothers for the journey and as the train started moving I glanced out of the window to see, to my horror, Teddy sitting on my bundle of comics on the station platform. Thanks to my mum roaring like a mad woman out the window, “The teddy! The teddy! I just want the teddy!” some kind person ran with Teddy as the train picked up speed, reaching up to the window just in time for Mum to grab him. This mad woman then had to sit down and face the other passengers for the rest of the journey. To hell with them and the comics. Teddy was what mattered.

Gerry and his brother Mano both owned this bear as children. Gerry took to carrying him around as an adult, after watching Brideshead Revisited, and renamed him Aloysius. He often spoke of him on his radio show. There is still a trace of lipstick visible that Gerry’s mother Maureen applied at one point. One Eyed Ted has now been passed to Gerry’s daughter Babette.

Gerry was a christening gift for Sophie. He plays music when you pull his string. Sophie’s teacher knitted a jumper for Gerry to stop his stuffing from falling out.

TEDDY

EAR OPEN

PETER RABBIT

BELONGS TO: ISOBEL SMITH, CARED FOR

BELONGS TO: MAEVE WHELAN

BELONGS TO: CALUM NIXON

Ear Open was given to me in 1981 by my grandparents for my first Christmas, just before we moved to Luxembourg, which, in the 80s, felt like the other side of the world. When I was two years old, I named him Ear Open. I used to carry him around by his ears (which have holes in them). He has seen me through every stage of my life and is a very understanding, resilient creature. He started losing his fur roughly ten years ago. I brought him to the Teddy Bear Hospital [a famous stuffed animal restoration shop] to see about getting him some new fur, but I was told his teddy leprosy was incurable and he would need a totally new fur coat, which could never match his original one. I decided against him having this procedure, so now his once bright, glorious yellow fur is hanging off, but I love him all the more for it.

Peter Rabbit was the inspiration for this project. Calum’s ninety-nine-year-old great grandmother Eva bought Peter for Calum when he was born, and he has slept with him every night ever since. Of the scores of teddies and soft toys now residing in black sacks in the attic, Peter stuck; Great Granny knew what she was doing.

BY ISOBEL’S NIECES ROBIN AND LAUREN

Isobel was a friend of mine who sadly passed away a few years ago. Her brother, who I didn’t know at the time, heard me talking about the MuchLoved project on a radio show and brought Isobel’s teddy to be photographed. It was only during the shoot that I realised whose teddy it was.

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New website. New collections. www.akg-images.com

Fine Art | History | Photography

A boy and a girl in traditional Zapotec dress await a ribbon-cutting ceremony in San Pedro Cajonos that would celebrate the construction of a new roof over the primary school’s basketball court. The roof was built through Oaxaca’s “three for one” program, in which the state government matches every migrant dollar sent back for infrastructure projects with three dollars of state funding. Migrants from San Pedro Cajonos had formed a hometown organization in Los Angeles and organized

fundraising to build the school’s roof.

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GAME CHANGER RETURNING HOME WITH JORGE SANTIAGO BY LAUREN WESTERFIELD

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PORTFOLIO: JORGE SANTIAGO

The firework castle explodes on the basketball court in Lachirioag, Oaxaca.

Workers build the new basketball stadium in Guelatao, Oaxaca. American Society of Picture Professionals

SPEND SOME TIME WITH SANTIAGO’S WORK, AND IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR THAT THESE UNORTHODOX PAIRINGS ARE ACTUALLY BRIDGES LINKING MODERNITY AND TRADITION, NEW IDEAS AND NATIVE CULTURE.

IN THE SIERRA NORTE REGION OF OAXACA, Mexico,

“basketball is king.” So states photographer Jorge Santiago, born and raised in the Sierra village of Guelatao de Juarez. Each year, more than 200 teams converge here for the Copa Benito Juarez, a three-day basketball tournament set against the backdrop of the Sierra Mountains. In Identity At Play, Santiago returns home to capture the way Serranos integrate the sport into their daily lives. At first glance, many of his images seem incongruous: a steel-canopied court bathed in spotlights beneath a cerulean sky; a petite woman in heavy skirts poised, ball in hand, against a backdrop of jersey-clad players; a sacrificial bull tied to the base of the basket. But spend some time with Santiago’s work, and it soon becomes clear that these unorthodox pairings are actually bridges linking modernity and tradition, new ideas and native culture. Santiago’s work is an exercise in juxtaposition. Throughout Identity At Play, he blends the colorful world of the festival with an earth-tone palette of place: white indigenous dresses, gray mists, rugged green mountains, crumbling walls and dirt-strewn paths. Faded hues evoke a way of life closely tuned with the land. But they also reveal deep poverty. “I think when you are raised in a place, you fail to recognize many things that might be surprising to outsiders,” Santiago explains. For him, this includes the lack of resources available in the pueblos. But in confronting his own romanticized view of village life, Santiago also

reconnects with the vibrancy of the Serrano culture—not to mention its evolution. Take the image of two girls on their way to basketball practice, or The Opening Basket, in which Tlahuitoltepec’s first female mayor inaugurates the tournament. In these moments, Santiago sees the influence of migration on changing gender roles—and how basketball has provided a space for that influence to take shape in the community. Throughout many US cities, basketball courts and pick-up games provide what Santiago dubs “a meeting ground” for recent Oaxacan immigrants. When they return home, these men and women bring with them a fresh perspective on equality—one that is reflected both in the advent of women’s basketball and in the changing political landscape. “I love the image of the female mayor,” Santiago says, referring to The Opening Basket. “I think it represents the beginning of a new era in the Sierra Norte that is at once open to new ways of being and rooted in a strong sense of indigenous identity.” Inspired by that same sense of identity ever since he first started shooting at age fifteen, Santiago has gone on to achieve success as a documentary photographer featured in solo exhibitions from Oaxaca to Los Angeles to Havana. Images from Identity At Play have been published on the New York Times Lens blog, PDN’s Photo of the Day, and the Smithsonian website. The collection is currently on tour in Mexico as part of an exhibition organized by the Mexico National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA). ●

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PORTFOLIO: JORGE SANTIAGO

A bull is readied to enter the rodeo ring in Amatepec. Abandoned makeshift basketball courts are a common sight throughout the Sierra Juarez.

Players from the Abejitas team head to the basketball court to compete for Metaltepec’s annual village tournament. American Society of Picture Professionals

Tlahuitoltepec’s first female mayor Sofia Robles takes the opening shot at the basketball tournament.

Villagers bless the first-place basketball trophy in an early morning ceremony in San Cristobal Lachirioag. The trophy was valued at around $3,000. 37

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ATLANTA ON THE RISE BY GRANT OLSEN

Robert Yellowlees of Lumiere is an incredible example of how a vision can shape a gallery. Formerly in the business world and a collector of photography, Yellowlees decided upon retirement to open a space that is more than a gallery. His love of the history and the creation of images—both the how and the why—led him to build an educational environment, offering free lectures from photographers and experts, and tours for students from local secondary schools and universities. Rather than hiring a sales expert with gallery experience, Yellowlees hired Tony Casadonte, a photographer and designer who is suited to work carefully to craft experiences for visitors. He has the training to share the gallery’s collection depth, which runs the path from the origin of photography through to contemporary works, all in keeping with Lumiere’s vision. In all seriousness, Tony is a true master of everything photographic, a kind of keeper of the culture. That guy is a hero, and he’s one of many in Atlanta now. Every year, Amy Miller helps facilitate a giant festival called Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP). For the last sixteen years, they have built from the top and the bottom, both bringing national and international photographers to ACP, and functioning as a grass roots organization, cocreating programming based on ongoing conversations with artists, galleries, collectors, educators, and students.

’VE NEVER LIVED IN ATLANTA. The only time I was

there was when my flight from Chicago to Boise went through. But over the last month, I’ve had amazing conversations with collectors, curators, and event coordinators of photography, all built upon the idea that we would have these interesting discussions predicated on both the recent growth of the photo industry in Atlanta and what’s known as the Orly plane crash of 1962, in which 106 Atlanta arts patrons perished. After the crash, the arts in Atlanta were devastated, and with an endowment established by donations, a fund created, among other things, The High Museum—now a world-class destination for arts professionals and enthusiasts. The problem with these discussions about the succession of events after Orly was no one wanted to talk about it. Not in some weird detective style What are they hiding? way. Just that, as one interviewee said, “It’s the same as Sherman’s March on Atlanta. While it’s important in one way, it doesn’t have a day-to-day impact.” So that wrecks the whole framing and the opportunity to tell you an amazing story about a city rebuilding itself twice. About art that grew itself organically from the modernist view of the ’60s. About a community whose whole world was reshaped by an incredible urge to create and share, even after a tragedy—maybe especially after a tragedy. Instead, I’ll tell you a quieter but equally amazing story about a city that carries a reputation of nice people, slow pace, and a few eccentrics to keep it all interesting, along with a handful of innovative photographic institutions. American Society of Picture Professionals

Right: With a variety of venues and Atlanta’s own identity as a carefree metropolitan hub, events are friendly for both the high-minded art dealer and the photography enthusiast just stopping in on her way to the park. Sometimes that person is both.

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impressive collection of nearly 6,000 photographs, with Ms. Miller is not just bringing what suits the taste of the exhibitions of Gordon Parks and Wynn Bullock (see our community; she also challenges Atlanta to find “where the Book Reviews for more on Bullock) scheduled for 2014. magic happens.” She says, “Through the plethora of diverse If you’re visiting The High, make sure you download their programming we offer, we ask our audience to be open to wonderful new app, which is almost like a full museum experiencing art in ways that may not fit perfectly within tour with extra photographs and contextual information, their comfort zone.” Included in that diverse programming to make the most of your time there. are lectures by world-renowned curators, a photobook The High partners with many local galleries and fair, portfolio reviews, film series, and an annual auction. artists, including the “Picturing the South” initiative, Every event seems to be in partnership with yet another which since 1996 has commisimpressive gallery, studio, museum, sioned work from photographers or collection. This year marks the WHAT ATLANTA HAS like Sally Mann, Richard Misfirst collaboration with United Photo THAT OTHER CITIES rach, and Alec Soth. In 2014 they Industries (NYC) and Atlanta BeltMAY NOT IS A DEFINING also received an endowment from Line to bring an outdoor exhibition GOAL OF ADVANCING THE Paul Hagedorn, another gallery of a juried show called The Fence to a CITY AS A WHOLE—NOT owner in Atlanta, and Robert Yel600-foot portion of Atlanta’s streets. JUST A SINGLE GALLERY lowlees of Lumiere. The breadth of their mission, And with Yellowlees, it all comes with their annual festival, is impresOR MUSEUM—IN THE full circle. Atlanta supports itself. sive. They reach out to so many peoPHOTOGRAPHIC Rising tides lift all boats. It’s not ple, creating what Ms. Miller calls “a AND ARTS INDUSTRIES. that I imagine people are perfect feedback loop,” with international in Atlanta. And it’s not that there artists and/or their work sharing isn’t competition among the galleries to acquire new work. space with Atlanta’s own creators and viewers. “All of What Atlanta has that other cities may not is a defining goal these people engage with photography in different ways. of advancing the city as a whole—not just a single gallery Mixing them up all in the same pot—our annual monthor museum—in the photographic and arts industries. In long, citywide photo festival—is how we have tried to actuality, the competition comes from outside—New York, pave the way for photography in Atlanta.” Los Angeles, Chicago—and to keep Atlanta on par, there’s a Atlanta Celebrates Photography is not to be confused certain unanimity and collaboration that is key. with Atlanta Photography Group (APG), a non-profit If you’re visiting in October, make sure you attend with an equally admirable mission. They work to help ACP’s festival, which has more than 150 different venphotographers of all skill levels find ways to translate ues, exhibiting work from local and non-local photogtheir visions, whether it is in aiding the creation of work, raphers. And if you’ve got a smartphone, download the helping someone find a mentor, or simply by showing Creative Loafing Atlanta City Guide app for free from and reviewing work. Executive director Polly Barr says, iTunes and stay up-to-date on all the arts and cultural “APG’s primary goal is to promote and support contemevents you can handle in a city known for real Southern porary photography as a significant art form. It seeks to hospitality and ambition. ● challenge photographic conventions and stimulate new thinking in photographic expression.” Ultimately, exposing the city to quality photography is the goal of all these A HOT PHOTO SCENE 1. In the main gallery, APG exhibits juried institutions. But how do you make a city care about phoand solo shows and hosts their portfolio and lecture events. 2. Scene from the ACP Photography Auction Gala. 3. With October tography? For one, you invest in it. bringing ACP’s annual festival, tourists and residents alike Just this year, a $4 million endowment to expand the now have a handy way to peruse listings of the many exhibiting High Museum’s photographic collection was announced, galleries, coffeehouses, and museums with Creative Loafing’s just with a focus on the work of Southern photographers. unveiled Atlanta City Guide. 4. A man takes photos at a gallery in And even though The High didn’t start acquiring phoCastleberry Hill, Atlanta’s historic creative district. 5. ACP Public tography until eight years after Orly, they have created an Art presenting Gregor Turk’s Apparitions with Art on the BeltLine. American Society of Picture Professionals

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THE PICTURE PROFESSIONAL

DIGITAL EDITION 12 ISSUES ONLINE http://issuu.com/asppnational

A unique collection of images representing the history of Russia, Soviet Union, and the entire Communist Bloc including Eastern Europe and China. research@sovfoto.com (212) 727-8170

Q/A

COREY ANN BALAZOWICH FOUNDER, PHOTO STEALERS BY ELLEN C. HERBERT living doing something he was good at instead of something that he loved and urged me to make that change. I Samaritan in the photography world—a pro wedding left medical billing to take care of him in his final days and photographer and founder of Photo Stealers (stopsteala year after his passing I started my business. Seven years ingphotos.com)—who seeks to personally and publicly later, I’m still in business as a wedding photographer in shame so-called photographers attempting to pass off northeast Ohio! I think that part of Photo Stealers was inanother’s work as their own. It’s an arduous process of spired by him, as well. My dad was a tracking down photo stealers, validie-hard hippie, and while he wasn’t a dating claims, and defending herself very religious man, he firmly believed against photo stealers’ unwarranted in doing unto others and being kind to threats, but Balazowich has amassed people and doing what you can to help a healthy following of almost 10,000 those in need. While some would argue active supporters. It seems there’s a dethat what I do is unkind, it all depends sire for Balazowich’s grassroots efforts, on what side of the fence you are on. so Ellen C. Herbert tracked her down Professional photography is a luxto get her thoughts on rampant photo ury that not everyone splurges on. It stealing and what we can do to stop it. made me really sad to hear how often people were hiring these fauxtograTell me a bit about Corey. You are a phers and deciding to never hire anwedding photographer by day and other one again after being duped. volunteer copyright infringement So, not only do I hope to help phofighter by night. Did a mentor help tographers but also potential clients you form your clear idea of right Corey Ann Balazowich, wedding as well. Coincidentally, my maidand wrong? Maybe a Sherlock photographer and founder of Photo Stealers (stopstealingphotos.com) en name is Doyle, as in Sir Arthur Holmes type in your family tree? Conan, a distant relative. Growing up, I was very much a daddy’s girl, and he was never far from his camSomeone reports a misuse to you—what is your era. Very rarely did we ever pose for images, but he capinvestigation process? Do you have a rough pertured us in the minute moments of life, exactly how we centage of those that are valid and those that are were. Seeing these moments on film was like magic to me, false alarms? and in his shadow, I also began taking my own captures I generally receive reports about someone who is susof life. I really didn’t see much of it beyond the magic unpected of stealing image(s) via the “report” feature on til the year I was 13, and my life suddenly changed. Both the website, but sometimes it’s someone who knows me my mom and brother died within six months of each othpersonally and will contact me through other channels. er, and I was left with these fragments of their lives that Often, I get reports of businesses or blogs stealing imwould otherwise have been mostly forgotten. Another ages, Facebook “topic” pages made up of stolen images thirteen years later, as my dad was dying from cancer, he (this is a popular one), or other unsavory practices by told me that one of his life’s regrets was that he made his © KIRSTEN ALANA, 2014

COREY ANN BALAZOWICH is something of a Good

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photographers. Once I whittle down to the “core” of what Photo Stealers is about—photographers using other photographers’ work to represent their own original works—around 25% of what is reported to me is valid. I then use Google Images and other tools to not only determine the original photographer but also who published the image first. Typically, reports come in from one of the photographers whose work was stolen. But if a report comes from someone else, I try to contact one of the victims to determine that the image was in fact stolen (making sure it wasn’t an image from a second shooting job), and then I ask their permission to go forth with the story. I rarely post without at least one victim’s permission to do so. Wedding imagery is most popular to steal, but that’s shortly followed by babies and boudoir. Other works are stolen as well, but Photo Stealers isn’t as well known in those circles, and perhaps that is why I do not have a lot of reports with other styles of work. It’s not as easy to “fake it” when you step into commercial works, so that could also be why. It’s sad how many people are misusing imagery. Blogs/bloggers are the worst—they often use images from Google Images and just toss them on their blogs without a thought. Sometimes with credit, but they seem to miss the whole thought that one must ASK PERMISSION before just using someone’s work. Why do you think a photographer might be more comfortable reporting a theft to you than taking legal action? It’s free to report it to me, but most lawyers want a flat fee up front to pursue legal action, and then the lawsuit itself is not cheap or a guarantee of quick resolution. While there is a possibility of a lot of money to be won, the likelihood of actually getting the money awarded is slim to none, as most of these photographers that are stealing do not have a lot of money to begin with. Ideally, to avoid the legal route, there would be something along the lines of Digimarc that would track images, so you could easily see where they are being used and shared. Outside of a photo stealer’s name being listed on the Photo Stealers’ “wall of shame” for the duration of their careers, I’m not sure what punishment really would deter them…outside of being sued and penalized monetarily.

What are the most common responses from those who are infringing? Eventually in my “spare time” (ha!), I want to go back through and write down all of the excuses and make a graph of them, because it’s interesting to me how similar they are. Typically they ignore the request to take down the image from the original photographer, and then move on to denial when I make a post about the theft. Eventually, they beg for forgiveness and claim it was a mistake. What drives you to continue this work? It’s time consuming, expensive, and must take you away from your career? Where do you see the site going? I honestly do not know why I continue with it, but it’s something that was desperately needed in the industry. It’s not terribly expensive to run, but it is time consuming. I invest more time in the “off season” and try to do what I can, when I can, during the “busy season” in the summer. My career comes first. Photo Stealers comes second (unless I’m on vacation, then it comes third LOL). I hope it continues on as is. I do not have any crazy grand plans for Photo Stealers, although I always joke that I’m going to have a get-together some year at a convention for all of my supporters as a thank you. I don’t get too many donations. I had a few when I first begrudgingly started taking them on when I decided to move to a domain from tumblr. What I do receive I reinvest into Photo Stealers with security plugins and web fees, etc. This isn’t something I started to make money with. It’s something I started as a need, and to be honest I feel a bit dirty taking money for it. However, I am glad that it is to the point where it is mostly self-sustaining, and now I don’t have to pay out of pocket to run it anymore. Do you think there’s room for a kind of web etiquette program that would teach bloggers what’s ethical and unethical when using images they find in Google search? ABSOLUTELY. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across bloggers who assume so long as they credit the photographer, they can use whatever they want online. They get really angry when asked to take images down and don’t understand copyrights at all. The more we talk about copyright infringement and rights, the more awareness it gets and the more knowledge is out there. ●

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THE LAW

BEHIND THE SCENES: EXPERT WITNESSES

and your prospective client: are you truly an expert on the exact subject under discussion? If not, decline. Your expert report and testimony will lack authority. For example, I don’t know enough about Photoshop to tell if a photo has been altered. When such cases come to me, I refer them to forensic photography consultants I respect. If you decide to offer your services as an expert, first obtain a signed retainer agreement and fee.1 A retainer agreement should state that a final signed expert report won’t be delivered until all fees and expenses have been paid. Research the plaintiff and the defendant as well as the law firms. Opinions about future licensing revenue require income statements from the copyright holder and/or examples of usage. Request to see all the images involved, licenses granted, work-for-hire agreements, and contracts bearing on the case. An attorney in a divorce case told me that the husband was a professional photographer who worked for a national magazine, with work in galleries and 100,000 photos in his archive. As I discovered too late, the gallery was his retail store, and his income was noted in pencil on scraps of paper. He had won a contest

NE OF THE MOST OMINOUS words to those in-

volved in licensing copyrighted material has to be “lawsuit.” The word summons thoughts of financial ruin (or dreams of unreasonable awards). Many in the image-licensing business may find themselves on one side or another in a copyright suit. Someone has to determine the value of the material that has allegedly been used without authorization. Enter the expert witness. By virtue of being picture professionals, members of ASPP are experts. Specialized knowledge is the first qualification an attorney looks for in an expert. Photographers may be able to tell if a photograph has been altered. Image licensors, photographers, and distributors understand licensing fees. Being an expert witness can be rewarding, both professionally and financially (the average fee for an expert witness is $362 an hour, according to a recent survey), but it’s not as easy to comply with what is required of a good expert witness. If you’re interested in becoming an expert, are an attorney hiring an expert, or are simply a person wanting to know the process before your attorney calls an expert to testify on your behalf, demystifying the process should be of interest. Being an expert: The first thing one should consider before agreeing to be an expert witness is personality. Hate conflict? Tend to cave under pressure? Being an expert witness may not be your thing. Be honest with yourself American Society of Picture Professionals

A sample retainer template is available for a fee from SEAK, an expert witness education and referral service. You can find it here http://store. seak.com/expert-witness-products-1 or you can contact an attorney to write one for you.

BY ELLEN BOUGHN

for a national magazine but had never been hired. When I asked for tax returns, I was told not to go there. Oh, and those “estimated” 100,000 photos? There were maybe 500 photos taken during the plaintiff ’s lifetime that had been copied multiple times. If key information isn’t available, decline. I use software to track websites and quotes that I will need to support my opinion. Print and file these documents in a three-ring binder. I do not create multiple drafts of my report. Instead, I write over previous drafts to avoid incorporating out-of-date information. Experts in federal court have to, indeed MUST, follow the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure, and it’s good practice to do so in all expert reports. An expert report for a case in federal court must contain: 1. A complete statement of all opinions to be expressed 2. The basis and reasons for the opinions 3. The data or other information considered 4. Any exhibits used in the report and as support for the opinions 5. The qualifications of the witness 6. A list of all publications authored by the witness in the preceding ten years 7. The compensation to be paid for the research, writing, and testimony 8. A listing of any other cases in which the witness has testified as an expert at trial or by deposition within the preceding four years 9. The signed report, along with a declaration that you do not favor one side or another, among other statements It’s the expert’s job to explain complex and unfamiliar processes to a judge and/or jury. The expert’s report should provide definitions of industry terms, be written in clear and not overly complex sentences, and use graphs, photographs, or other illustrations when appropriate. Both sides will review expert reports. State courts may enable opposing counsel to subpoena all documents and emails or other written communication between you (the expert) and the hiring attorney. Ac-

cordingly, communication between the attorney and an expert should be on the phone to avoid information being taken out of context by opposing counsel. The final draft of an expert report is sent to the hiring attorney to check for typos and inconsistencies. “DRAFT” in grayed-out type should appear across every page. If you are the witness: Do not change your report at this stage if there is no factual or grammatical reason to do so. An attorney once asked me to testify that a company owned all rights to a photo in a print ad because they had copyrighted the ad, even though they had only licensed the photo for online use. “No thanks,” I said. If you’re the photographer in such a situation, the defending attorney won’t hesitate to use his/her expert witness to counter your expert’s testimony. An expert is beholden to no one and is required to give the opinion without coaching. The parties may settle after the exchange of expert reports. If not, the next step is a deposition, in which the opposing attorney will challenge the expert’s credentials, experience, and the report. The most important things to remember in a deposition are: think before speaking to allow the hiring attorney time to object to the question; stay on topic and don’t volunteer information not asked for; keep answers clear and concise; ask that any unclear questions be repeated or request a break when needed; and tell the truth. Copyright cases rarely go to trial, but if they do, the same rules as depositions apply. How did I find myself being an expert witness in dozens of cases? I received a call from an attorney twenty-five years ago asking me to testify as to the licensing value of a group of photos used as wall décor in a chain of restaurants. I know from colleagues in the industry today that many others fall into the expert witness business for the first time in the same way. I liked the work, so took courses and learned from many fine attorneys who enabled me to be a better expert witness. If you’re thinking of becoming an expert yourself, consider everything mentioned above, and if you’re still interested, contact law professionals or others in your field and let them know you’re an expert. If you are asked to be a witness and have questions, feel free to contact me at ellen@ellenboughn.com. ●

IT’S THE EXPERT’S JOB TO EXPLAIN COMPLEX AND UNFAMILIAR PROCESSES TO A JUDGE AND/OR JURY. THE EXPERT’S REPORT SHOULD PROVIDE DEFINITIONS OF INDUSTRY TERMS, BE WRITTEN IN CLEAR AND NOT OVERLY COMPLEX SENTENCES, AND USE GRAPHS, PHOTOGRAPHS, OR OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS WHEN APPROPRIATE.

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SELLING YOUR MOBILE PHOTOS…IN A SNAP © SAMARUDDIN STEWART

BY SAMARUDDIN STEWART

CCORDING TO INTERNET GURU Mary Meeker’s

annual Internet Trends report, people are now capturing and sharing around 1.8 billion photographs per day. Think about that amazing number—countless selfies, beach sunsets, plates of food, landscapes; the possibilities are vast. The one glaring thing that most of these digital photographs have in common is that they generally aren’t finding their way into the image economy. Enter Snapwire. Snapwire is a Santa Barbara, California–based company that aims to help connect people seeking authentic photographs with photographers willing to shoot custom images. Its platform, just launched in March, hopes to capitalize on the proliferation of digital photographs being taken on mobile phones with the quick turnaround and engagement that mobile communication devices provide. In the few months since launch, Snapwire boasts some impressive stats—users in more than forty countries and collaborations with hundreds of brands, including Verizon, Marriott, and Denny’s. How it works—the basics When users join Snapwire (currently only via an iOS app or at https://www.snapwi.re), they have the choice

American Society of Picture Professionals

Snapwire features a deceptively simple, easy-to-use app design, now available only for iPhone users, but Android is soon to come.

of acting as image buyers or participating photographers. Image buyers interact with the platform by requesting royaltyfree photos to license. They set their own prices, write a short creative brief of exactly what they seek, and can even reference inspirational images. Once the request goes live, buyers can monitor entries and even converse or provide feedback to submitting photographers. At the end of the request, the buyer selects the photo or photos that most fits his/her vision and licenses the work. Photographers interact with the platform by submitting photographs to compete on aforementioned photo requests. They upload a portfolio of images (that dually highlights their best work and goes automatically for sale) and enter paid photo challenges (think: themed requests) set by Snapwire. It’s worth noting that initially, new photographers are limited to what they can do on the platform, relying on a process of nominations and points before they can access certain options and compete for certain requests. This gamification element allows Snapwire to keep a level of quality control for image buyers while giving photographers incentives to keep engaged, hone skills, and build community. In the end, when photographers’ images are licensed, they can receive up to 70% of the sales. Another way both parties can interact with the platform is through the Collection, which is an ever-expanding searchable stock library of submitted photographs curated by Snapwire. While maybe not as innovative as the live photo request process, the Collection does contain over 300,000 images and at first glace certainly feels more authentic than traditional stock photography. However, it’s worth noting that currently the search parameters are quite limited and sample searches turned up varying results: “ketchup” yielded only three images, “Philadelphia” only nine, and “iPhone” 455.

What’s Developing? In my interview with CEO Chad Newell, a photo industry veteran, Newell told me he thinks the platform’s transparency, the involvement of influencers in the mobile photo community, and a focus on the culture of storytelling aided Snapwire’s early success. Newell also alluded to some features on the horizon for Snapwire: a refinement of the request process to include a “guarantee request,” which might involve pre-payment as well as additions of motion footage; and rights-managed editorial photography. However, immediately next up for Snapwire is its announced expansion into Asia and partnership with gram30, a Japanese-based startup studio. This comes simultaneously with the closing of a $1.4 million seed round. But Snapwire is not alone in the custom photo industry; similar companies aiming at the same space include European-based Scoopshot, ImageBrief, and EyeEm (which Ben High addresses in his CLICK column this issue), among others. However, Snapwire seems to have its own momentum and The Next Web recently dubbed it as one of “7 early stage startups to watch in 2014.” In testing the platform, I think the true power of Snapwire is the obvious pairing of mobile technologies with the spontaneity of mobile photography. With the proliferation of tablets and smartphones and a new generation of photographers native to them, Snapwire has found a unique way to monetize what people tend to do already—take lots of photographs with the camera already in their purse or pocket. The secret sauce—and maybe Newell and team have found it—is to make it all simple, easy, and effortless. Just like a snap. ●

EyeEm: The Pro Photog’s Instagram Alternative

BY BEN HIGH

SINCE INSTAGRAM SOLD to Facebook for $1 bil-

lion, everyone wants to spin their own version of an image-sharing social network. Pro shooters interested in monetizing their images and escaping the binding terms of Instagram may have found this with EyeEm. It’s big and getting more and more so by the day. In March, EyeEm launched an image marketplace, in conjunction with Getty Images, and even made its first acquisition, Sight.io. Things are definitely happening. One of the standout features of EyeEm is a front page filled with feeds based on tag and location. Instead of searching for the latest images with a given tag, you’re already set up with multiple albums showing images you’ve, at some point, indicated interest in—and some that you might not have. The invite-only EyeEm Market, which is the pro side for buying and selling images, utilizes the same features. For photo editors and buyers looking for something “distinctly local,” the location-based function could easily save time and provide some unorthodox options. Take, for instance, hyper-local events like a Frankenmuth Christmas festival or a haunted Iowan corn maze, for

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@HENRYBRIC, 2014

One of EyeEm’s best assets is its virtual and real-life networking opportunities, available to users worldwide. Here, EyeEm shooters gather in Jakarta. Ideally, the EyeEm Market would be able to bring both shooters and buyers together in a meet-up.

social network, EyeEm did suggest to me some likeminded users to liven up my photo stream. I’m generally unimpressed with most of the images that show up in my default folders, but EyeEm’s suggested users were impressive. The above mentioned acquisition—Sight.io, a computer-vision startup specializing in teaching computers to look at images to decide if they’re any good—may be exactly why there’s a higher quality to their front-page suggestions, blowing Instagram out of the water on the social-networking (emphasis “networking”) side. And because no camera app on a mobile device would be complete without a suite of photo filters, EyeEm does that too, and probably a bit too much. Browsing through the effects, I felt they were all perfectly comparable to VSCO or Instagram, but often unusable for a pro photographer. I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever need a faux film border on my images. I’ll pass on that particular feature. At the moment, EyeEm has a user base of around 10 million. EyeEm Market is still in beta and tight-lipped, despite my prying their PR for answers. It’ll be interesting to see if EyeEm can further distinguish itself as a more artistic photo-sharing service or emerge as the next frontier in stock images; we’ll likely know sooner rather than later with the recent pace of rising, and subsequent falling, new stock models. The two best things EyeEm has going for it now, however, are its ability to predict what you are or aren’t going to like, and its partnership with the experienced agency, Getty. But the company will need to hold onto those as tightly as it can, as more transparent companies in the same business compete for stock, pun intended. ●

which you could possibly find images through traditional means. But maybe your EyeEm images would have a distinctly different POV, something fresh. The downside: the location feature is only as good as the people who are using EyeEm in that location. New York and Los Angeles will obviously have more users and images available than, say, my location in Iowa, where just a few users post selfies and toddler photos. Still, EyeEm Market is a successful stab at mobile stock photography, slowly finding its footing with companies like Vice, Nike, and Red Bull. Unfortunately though, it’s still a little unclear how many people are able to sell their images, because of the system’s invite-only status, unlike that of Snapwire (see Samaruddin Stewart’s column in this issue for more info). To up the ante, EyeEm has an option on their website to submit requests for images. Looking for a red hot air balloon from a Kentucky festival? Send them an email and set them to work for you just like any other good stock agency, except your photo researcher will be the community of EyeEm users. Unofficially, it seems that Market leans more toward stock than assignment. And interestingly, while the images don’t need to be taken with a mobile phone to be used in the EyeEm Market, they do have to be uploaded from a phone to be considered for sale. Combined with an existing partnership with Getty Images, it is possible that EyeEm will continue to add to the already large market for microstock imagery. Not mentioned yet is the social network attached to EyeEm, which is enticing but still a little barren (only three of my typically early-adopting photog friends are on EyeEm). While it helps to have actual friends on a American Society of Picture Professionals

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WEST/LA MIDWEST NEW YORK NEW ENGLAND WEST/SEATTLE

More than 200 photo editors, researchers, stock agents, reps, and photographers came out on a rainy evening for our annual ASPP/ASMP NY Chapter Summer Party on July 15.

NEW YORK SUMMER AT WORK by Darrell Perry July 16th saw ASPP’s NY chapter join forces with ASMP’s NY chapter to usher in the summer with our annual summer party. The glass panel and concrete rooms of the industrial-style coworking space, Centre for Social Innovation, opened up to accommodate approximately 200 photo buyers, editors, photographers, and agents. Courtesy of our wonderful sponsors (many who advertise in these pages), tons of food and drink were on hand, and consumed by our guests. Less than two weeks later, on August 6th, the New York chapter returned to our networking and information-sharing ways with another Peer2Peer meeting in a private room at Jack Demsey’s Tavern. After a lively selfintroduction session with plenty of new faces, we opened the floor to new issues and work-related situations. The internet and popular media were still blowing up over the copyright questions surrounding the monkey who used British photographer David Slater’s equipment to American Society of Picture Professionals

Left to right: Radcliffe Mason, Darrell Perry, Julie Silver, Eric Somers, and Sydnie Michele at our August 6 Peer2Peer meeting.

take selfies in 2011. Who owns the copyright? Discussions moved on to a more serious issue: one of the photographers in the room shoots corporate portraits for a major client and was informed the company—and the individual executives—were freely handing away her images either without credit or with blatantly incorrect credit. Our pros rallied and offered advice on record keeping and proper next steps. New York is very busy this fall with a mix of gallery views, educational workshops, panel discussions, and yes, networking opportunities. Please check the ASPP blog and social media accounts for updates.

Two new members joined the Midwest Chapter board in August. Mary Ellen Jensen is business development director for Media Bakery, a woman-owned and operated stock photography agency, and a valuable conduit for creative teams and buyers on everything from image search to rights negotiations, clearances, data asset management, and education. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Mary Ellen has supported commercial and editorial clients throughout the Midwest with a very candid approach. Todd Bannor is the chapter’s newest board member-at-large, and will be working on event development. An accomplished photographer with fifteen years’ experience, Todd has shot many n otables throughout his career, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright. His work has been published in major newsweeklies and numerous textbooks. Todd has also worked as a photo researcher at a major medical stock photography library.

CHANGES TO THE MIDWEST CHAPTER BOARD by Doug Brooks

MIDWEST

Todd Bannor, member-atlarge, ASPP Midwest board.

Correction Last issue, we ran this image of the Midwest chapter party with the incorrect caption, accidentally omitting one of our long-time members. Corrected: (l to r) Barbara Smetzer, Henry Schleichkorn, Leigh Montville, and Donna Snowsill.

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CHAPTER CAPTURE

Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center. Historical image of firefighters preparing to walk in a downtown San Diego parade, circa 1890s.

WEST/LA SAN DIEGO ARCHIVES by Chris DiNenna On Saturday morning, July 19th, ASPP West took a road trip south, to the historical photo collection at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. Led by Chris Travers, director of the Photograph Collection at the San Diego History Center since 2003, our tour gave us a taste of one of the largest regional photograph collections in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;more than 2.5 million items dating from 1869 to the present. Travers was the curator and photographer of the exhibition Developing San Diego: Making History Every Day (2005), with photos from the permanent collection, which documented the changes San Diego has undergone in the last century. Travers showed us images illustrating the arrival of diverse cultures changing the landscape, the importance of water in the arid southern California climate, the local Native American culture, the early border relationships with Mexico, and the development of air and automobile transportation. Contemporary images showed a small city grow-

Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center. View of the Hotel del Coronado with guests on the beach, circa 1889.

American Society of Picture Professionals

Chris Travers, Director of the San Diego History Center Photo Collection, introduces the collection to our tour group.

ing into a metropolis with the new suburbs, along with an equally emergent military presence. At its core, the work in the collection came from several commercial photographers who lived in San Diego from 1870 through 1940. Most were purchased by Union Title & Trust Insurance Company in 1945 and donated to the History Center in 1979. During the 1980s and 1990s, the collection expanded rapidly with the work of several 20th-century photographers, and the huge addition of the negatives from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The collection continues to grow and change as more professional photographers and amateurs donate their work. After our tour, the group had lunch at The Prado restaurant and discussed, in depth, copyright laws and how the orphan works laws being considered by Congress will dramatically alter the way rights to images/ copyright will affect content providers. Shortly after, everyone took off in different directions to explore and photograph the Balboa Park area for themselves.

ASPP West/Seattle took a behind-the-scenes tour of the MOHAI Resource Center Photo Archives on August 21, 2014. From L to R: Jing Wen Pan (UW student guest), John Merrill, Joseph Songco, Alexis Wilson-Castaldi, Lisa Merrill, Mary Kay McCullough, Danita Delimont, Connie Ricca, Michele Westmorland, Tom Wear (back), Susie Fitzhugh, Howard Giske (curator, back), Stephanie Felix, (George and Paul pictured).

WEST/SEATTLE MOHAI BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR By Danita Delmont The Seattle arm of ASPP West came together for a tour of the Museum of History & Industry’s MOHAI Resource Center, led by the curator Howard Giske. The resource center houses over 3,000,000 photographs and documents in storage, reminiscent of what one used to see at the Bettmann Archive in New York, before it was bought by Corbis and moved to the Iron Mountain National Underground Storage Facility in Pennsylvania. MOHAI has a cold storage facility for part of the collection, keeping temperatures at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a small room but houses quite a lot of extraordinary content—like gorgeous photographs of the Beatles performing in Seattle—and, as we know now, is necessary for the preservation of the historic artifacts and images. Historic black-and-white photos showed us scenes of the Seattle skyline and waterfront during the past 150 years, and it was interesting to try to figure out which buildings we recognized and how the cityscape had changed. Afterwards, we all headed to the local historic Jules Mae Saloon for food and drink and time to network and appreciate our involvement in an industry so varied and ever changing! It’s our hope to have a follow up tour at the Museum itself, now in its new location on South Lake Union. ●

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BOOK REVIEWS

WYNN BULLOCK: REVELATIONS High Museum of Art University of Texas Press Hardcover, 208 pages $40.90

REVELATIONS is the aptly titled

catalog of a current one-man exhibition of Wynn Bullock’s work at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. The book is a beautifully produced volume, representing the breadth of Bullock’s fascination with light and showcasing his remarkable ability to teach himself fine photographic techniques. Percy Wingfield Bullock left California at age nineteen, and moved to New York to prepare for a singing career, changing his professional name to Wynn Bullock. By 1928, married and living in Paris, he was enjoying a successful career as a classical singer. There, his discovery of impressionist and postimpressionist artists—and their awareness and inclusion of scientific discoveries for use as inspiration for art—was seminal in Bullock’s perception of the world and fascination with light. Early in his career, Bullock worked with tonal reversal to perfect the technique of solarization. Nudes, with no contextual surAmerican Society of Picture Professionals

rounding, become abstract, appearing to have a marble-like texture whose outlines seem to be hand drawn. Later, Bullock used similarly disorienting perspectives in photographing landscapes, altering the sense of scale and dimension. The book’s cover image is actually of kelp clinging to tidal

rocks with continuously moving waves, not sea palms in a fog-filled rocky gorge as they appear. The iconic image of his daughter Barbara lying nude on the forest floor (Child in Forest, 1951) contrasts youthful flesh and the inanimate forest. This combination of opposite elements expresses various

Wynn Bullock (American, 1902–1975), Child in Forest, 1951, gelatin silver print, 7 7/16 x 9 3/8 in., High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase, 1978.62. © Bullock Family Photography LLC. All rights reserved.

dualities, including age and youth, tenderness and decay. “By using the nude, I stopped thinking in terms of objects,” Bullock explained. “I was seeing things, instead, as dynamic events, unique in their own beings, yet also related and existing together within a universal context of energy and change.” This image traveled the world for eight years as part of Edward Steichen’s famed exhibition The Family of Man. Bullock’s Pebble Beach image is an example of reversal, distorting one’s usual perception by presenting the

absent space. The viewer sees everything but the stones themselves. The addition of reticulation to an image of a tidal pool transforms the image, making it appear to be an astronomy globe. Science and invention clearly informed his work. By creating a “machine” that held glass shelves, Bullock was able to introduce shards of glass to the layers of colored glass, creating “pure expressions of light.” Toward the end of his life, he worked in the forest, finding unique ghoulish visages in the swirling patterns of tree trunks, masklike mysterious portents of death.

Spending time with Revelations reveals not just the techniques and sophistication of Bullock’s work, but an opportunity to see the environment as Bullock had. A first look at the book’s impressive presentation and quality of plates is rewarding, but time spent with the images and Brett Abbott’s essay brings insight and understanding. Anyone interested in the history of American photography must add this book to their library. —ANNA FEY aspp.com

BOOK REVIEWS

THE ART OF THE PHOTOGRAPH: ESSENTIAL HABITS FOR STRONGER COMPOSITIONS Art Wolfe and Rob Sheppard Amphoto Books Paperback, 256 pages $20.96 THE ART OF THE PHOTOGRAPH is the unofficial counterpart to Wolfe’s equally marvelous The New Art of Photographing Nature, also published in 2013 (and reviewed in The Picture Professional Issue 4/2013). The Art of the Photograph takes a number of the ideas and concepts narrowly applied in Photographing Nature and greatly expands upon them (partially due to having well-known author and former Outdoor Photographer magazine editor Rob Sheppard on board as co-author) and broadens their application to virtually any segment of photography. Of course, critically analyzing an Art Wolfe book or image is a bit akin to breaking down a Michael Jordan drive to the hoop, punctuated by a slam dunk: sure, if you break it down in slo-mo, you could probably find something to improve upon, but most mere mortals would never spot anything in real time. Morgan Freeman even wrote a blurb for him, and what other photographer do you know who gets that kind of star treatment? American Society of Picture Professionals

The Art of the Photograph covers all the bases one would expect from a book whose subtitle is Essential Habits for Stronger Compositions—the effects of camera and lens choices on image creation, the elements of design, the sheer necessity of mastering the use of light (“All of the time you spend working on composition could be lost because of the wrong light.”), inspiration sources, and so on. But what sets this book apart from others tackling similar subject matter is Wolfe’s innate and heartfelt artistic

sensibility, balanced by the co-author’s down-to-earth approach. Wolfe and Sheppard are not afraid to take whatever pragmatic steps it takes to make a scene look “right.” (“Move that obtrusive stick or soda can out of the way! If you

can’t remove offensive elements in a composition when you’re taking the picture, do it in post-production!”) Nor is Wolfe—a commercial artist, not a photojournalist—above paying indigenous people to model for him if it gets him the picture he envisions in his head or feels in his heart. Bottom line is that they don’t advise chasing after some mythical, objective truth about what a scene looks like; instead, photographers are urged to find subjects they “connect” with and then “create images that do more than simply record a subject and little more. Good photography is about showing others what it is that you find remarkable in the world.” This might sound a bit like some highfalutin artsy snob talk; the truth, however, is that Wolfe and Sheppard are anything but. High standards? Yes. But these guys aren’t purists or academics in their approach to photography: “Some photographers feel they are somehow being pure by using a picture exactly as it came from the camera. But the fact is, your camera is interpreting the scene no matter what you do.” The Art of the Photograph is informative, entertaining, and inspiring, and Art Wolfe’s photos make for top-shelf eye candy. In short, it lives up to Rob Sheppard’s introductory statement that it’s “a complete course in seeing and making better images.” — PAUL H. HENNING

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CONTRIBUTORS ISSUE 3 / 2014 Paul H. Henning was a professional location photographer for fifteen years. He co-founded and directed Third Coast Stock Source, and was manager of European operations for Comstock Picture Agency in London. He’s served as acting managing director at the Robert Harding Picture Library and is the founder of Stock Answers, a consultancy that works with stock picture agencies and photographers worldwide. Paul also serves as the director of business development for Tetra Images, a New Jersey–based royalty-free image production company. The first poem John W.W. Zeiser wrote was a crude imitation of William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Finding his elementary school teacher audience receptive, he decided to keep writing. He is now a freelance writer and editor living in Santa Monica, California, where he spends a good deal of his time documenting, on a camera phone, the growth of his heirloom tomatoes. You can follow him at @jwwz. Samaruddin Stewart is a 2013 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow, researching image forensics at Stanford University. Prior to Stanford, Samaruddin had worked at AOL, AFP, The Arizona Republic, and the US State Department. He’s interested in all things tech + media. Contact him at mediasam@stanford.edu or follow him @samsends. Jenny Respress started speaking at fourteen months and hasn’t stopped since. When she isn’t busy finding hilarity in the absurd, she can be found playing with her shih tzu, Oliver. She lives in Boise, Idaho. Owning two stock agencies, Aristock and Look South, Anna Fey consults with photographers to build stronger portfolios and websites and to develop a broad revenue base through branding and marketing. She is an expert in licensing assignment and stock, has developed extensive knowledge on copyrights, and has served as an adjunct professor teaching Business for Photographers at Portfolio Center School for Creative Communication Arts in Atlanta. www.annafey.com

Ben High is an Iowan turned Angeleno turned Iowan. He used to be a music industry wonk and commercial photographer. Now he designs fancy (sometimes photography-related) jewelry and shoots Polaroid and instant film. You can see what he’s up to at benhigh.com. Art producer and owner of NEAT Production, Ellen C. Herbert is a career photo professional. She counts herself lucky to collaborate with a variety of clients, from publishers and ad agencies to filmmakers and photographers. Her home base is East L.A. Lauren Westerfield is a freelance writer in Los Angeles. Her reporting interests include health, literature, gender, and aesthetics. She is currently working on an anatomical memoir, and serves as an assistant essays editor at The Rumpus. laurenwesterfield.com Ellen Boughn prepares valuations of intellectual property associated with photography and/or as it impacts future licensing revenue. She has more than twenty-five years’ experience as an appraiser, expert witness, and consultant in the business of licensing photographs for commercial and editorial uses. She is a published author and has been engaged by firms such as: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Venable; and Hughes Hubbard & Reed. Boughn is a member of ASPP and PACA, and is a recent member of ASMP. Grant Olsen lives in Boise, Idaho. Mr. Olsen delivers bread and makes digital fine art and music of the infinite present. Sommer Browning draws comics, writes poems, and tells jokes in Denver. Her most recent book is Backup Singers (Birds, LLC; 2014).

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LIFE IN FOCUS: JOSH BERGERON

I have a long-term project, The Front Rangers, showing a side of life along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, also known as the Front Range. I’d read about one of the most popular corn mazes around—Fritzler Corn Maze—and decided I had to go. I went three days before Halloween, so the maze was haunted at night. It was almost nightfall, and I found this scene and waited for something to happen. Maybe I shouldn’t give away this little “secret,” but I found one of the keys to candid documentary photography when using a giant DSLR (like the D800 + Sigma 35 f1.4 combo I used here) is to act and look like a tourist with an expensive camera. In this case, I set the camera on live view, held it above my head, and generally appeared ungainly. Of course, I locked focus and set the exposure beforehand, and just waited for something to happen. To the casual observer, I was filming video with my mouth agape, trying to manipulate all the buttons while watching the live-view screen. (With the D800, you can shoot stills while watching live view.) Luckily, this little boy came scampering around the corner looking for the rest of his party. In the background, you can see the other attractions of the maze, like the bouncy swing with a child strapped in. I like how the person seems lifeless, like he/she was just tortured to death and left to rot in the cornfield. Perfect for Halloween! —Josh Bergeron ( joshbergeron.com)

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