foto Priority

Thank you to all those who have subscribed for our regular updates. We look forward to keeping you photographically inspired!

As promised, we had 2x A2 Canvas prints to give away (valued at $149) courtesy of DigiDirect.

The lucky winners are georgie@greaterdata.com.au and melissajones@aapt.net.au Congratulations to you both!

Now go and decide on an image to print. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.

Visit the DigiDirect Lab

By the way, we’ve had great reports filter in from various students that the guys at Digi Direct have really been looking after them on price and service. If you prefer personal attention beyond the slick website, pop in and check them out in the City or Bondi Junction, and don’t forget to mention SPW or FotoPriority.

Hi all, ok time for some inspiration (said in a heavy French accent) I was recently sent a link to The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (Px3) and was very impressed by the images submitted by both professional and amature photographers.

A little about the competition -

The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and to introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a high-profile gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3Annual Book.

Check out the Px3 website for all the latest winners from each category. I especially love the series that came second titled “Aftermath of War in Lebanon”

Last week in London you may have heard about a rally at Trafalgar Square, attended by 2000+ photographers in opposition of Section 44 of the Terrorist Act. It was basically a mass gathering in defense of street photography, not only by photographers but anyone who values visual imagery.

There was one brief, it was to

At 3pm on the dot everyone will take their cameras out and start photographing something interesting, this might be:
• The hundreds of other photographers
• A puzzled security guard trying to work out what’s going on
• Security Guards trying to stop someone from taking photographs
• Interesting architectural features

Many of you probably have been made aware of what has been going on here, but since the act was passed, photographers have been subjected to ridiculous scrutiny and harassment and misinterpretation of the laws by police.

Check out The official website for all the latest news and pics from the protest.

I think as photographers at any level we should be kept up to date and informed of what our rights are, we have pretty tough laws over here in Australia at the moment but will they start to go over the top!

For more info on your rights in NSW have a look here

Please feel free to share your stories on this subject, have you been ordered to delete your images, or walked out of the area by police or security guards?

Storybook Wolf - by José Luis Rodriguez

In an interesting twist to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year results, the ultimate £10,000 winner Jose Luis Rodriguez has been stripped of his award amid suspicion that the shot was indeed staged.

Read the full story in the Guardian

Jonathon Jones follow up on Art Blog

What are your thoughts?

Aaaaah…….., the good old days.

Approximately every 8 weeks a new batch of SPW “Beginners DSLR Workshop” graduates go out into the world armed with their new cameras and enough new photographic knowledge and inspiration to make the most of them.

From chatting to the tutors and also the students themselves, one of the most beneficial, and I would say fitting ending to the course, is the Final Night presentations where each student brings along a selection of images created during the 8 weeks for a final slide show to music. Being able to see other photographers interpretations of the various exercises and subject matter as, well as uses of basic techniques in unique ways, often broadens the creative mind and can offer a new perspective on an otherwise familiar subject.

Images are created to be shared, to teach, to inspire and off course, to communicate the creators vision of the world. I always make a point to encourage ALL to attend this final night as the value gained from seeing the results of others often outweighs any that can be passed on verbally or by the written word. After all, photography is a visual medium.

For myself, the reward is seeing the quality of the images created and the breadth of ideas from a group who just 8 weeks earlier had little or no photographic knowledge. So it is with great pleasure that we present the first selection of our ‘Final Night Top 30′.

To view the image larger, just click on the photographers name below the thumbnails

This set of Top 30 Images was selected anonymously from over 800 final night images presented. In the selection process we considered; initial impact, originality of idea/concept, technical execution, composition and overall mood and feel.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE THE FINAL CUT!!!

by: Daniel Linnet

"Jesus I Trust In You" - © Daniel Linnet

One of the most asked questions from aspiring and pro photographers alike is “What are my rights when photographing in public places, especially if photographing people candidly?” In other words, are you able to photograph a couple smooching in Hyde Park, and then use it in your online folio or for other purposes? The answer can often be a complex one, especially when you start considering common courtesy, etiquette and plain old morals.

A big thank you to Glenn Weinnert who found and posted this link on our Shots Flickr Group. It definitely answers a lot of questions.

“Created in response to objections to my Sydney Unposed project, it is written from a photographer’s perspective, with a focus on what rights shooters have (and don’t have) when it comes to candid photographs of people. Please note: as it is not an encyclopaedia on every possible aspect of photographic law, it does not attempt to address issues like anti-terrorist legislation, council photography permits or National Park commercial photo restrictions. The sole purpose of the following is to discuss legal issues which apply to people photography only.” – Andrew Nemeth BSc (Hons) LLB MTeac

Click here for ‘Australian street photography legal issues ‘

by Daniel Linnet

Some exciting news hot off the press – Yesterday the 20th October 2009 Canon announced thier latest addition to the Pro DSLR range, the EOS 1D Mark IV.

Some of the  incredible Mark IV features:

• 16.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor

• ISO 100-12800 (expandable to an incredible L: 50, H1: 25600, H2: 51200, H3: 102400)

• Dual DiG!C 4 Processors

• 45 point Auto Focus (39-all cross type)

• 10 Frames per second (120 shots max using 90MB UDMA mode 6 compatible CF Card)

• FULL High Definition Movie Recording

So the 1D has finally caught up with the 5D Mk2 and now offering full HD video! ahem :p

Tne pricing for this baby will be around $4999 USD.  For the full spec listing check out the Canon Australia Website

Jose Fernandez

After much conjecture, discussion and speculation about the Intellectual Property (IP) Terms of Facebook, I finally decided to have a look and see what all the moaning and groaning was about. After all, if I’m going to be posting my images I would like to make sure that they stay mine.
What I discovered was not as bad as I originally thought, and in fact it almost seems fair. Or has it just been left open to changes in the future?

The way I understand it, Facebook is actually a portal to share your IP content and acts as a distribution point and storage facility for all the IP you post there. The terms seem to deal more with granting Facebook a license to share your content as per your privacy settings. There doesn’t seem to be any mention of whether Facebook can actually use anything for own promotion or financial gain.

In doing a little further research I realized that it was originally a lot worse. Here are both the current and previous terms for comparison. You be the judge.

Current ‘Statement of Rights and Responsibilities’ (Revised 28 Aug, 2009)

Sharing Your Content and Information
You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how we share your content through your privacy and application settings. In order for us to use certain types of content and provide you with Facebook, you agree to the following:

1. For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (“IP content”), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (“IP License”). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account (except to the extent your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it).
2. When you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).

…and, as it was previously

‘By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.’

Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities

Facebook Principles

How to Report Claims of Intellectual Property Infringement

by Daniel Linnet

WARNING: Nerdy tech content. The Canon EOS 7D is a new 18 megapixel digital SLR camera. Incorporating a new APS-C CMOS sensor, the Canon 7D features dual DIGIC 4 processors, an ISO range expandable to 12,800, and a 19-point cross-type AF sensor. There’s also continuous shooting at 8 frames per second, 3 inch LCD screen with 920k dots, viewfinder with 100% magnification, and Focus Colour Luminance metering system (iFCL) which measures focus, colour and luminance across 63 zones.

The Canon EOS 7D is equipped with an Integrated Speedlite Transmitter.  For the first time in an EOS, photographers can control external Speedlites with no additional accessories – ideal for those looking to experiment with creative lighting set-ups.  The EOS 7D also features an extensively upgraded, built-in flash including manual control, and wider flash coverage to cover focal lengths as wide as 15mm.

The Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers at the end of September, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $1,699.00. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon’s EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $1,899.00.

One of the first hands-on Review