Articles

This new initiative is to help disadvantaged young photographers, and create a nurturing environment for them. The first scholarships will be awarded on October 13 in New York City. For more information go to http://www.youngphotographersalliance.org/

 

A Federal Court Fairness Hearing (originally scheduled for June 11) has been rescheduled for Oct 7, 2009, and book rights holders have until Sep 4, 2009 (the Extended Opt-Out Deadline) to decide whether to participate in the settlement or opt out. If you think you might be affected by this settlement deal you need to gather information now and may need to take steps to protect your copyrights.

On March 13 many ASPP members attended a day–long meeting and discussion (organized in part by Nancy Wolff and her firm Cowan etc...) about the Google Book Settlement. Video of that conference is now available online.

This long running class action suit between Google, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers was settled amicably earlier this year, but many unanswered questions were raised during this day-long event. Because the settlement is between Google and the Author's Guild (who brought the suit), photographs are not included. However, the deal establishes new working models for licensing in the publishing industry and these will inevitably spill over into fields that affect all ASPP members.

The complete settlement agreement and lots more information is available at: http://www.googlebooksettlement.com.

On April 1 2009 the APA issued an alert to its members with a wealth of pertinent material. In an April letter to PACA members, Maria Kessler wrote about the March 13th meeting and the implications of the settlement.

Recently, several groups including the American Library Association have initiated new actions, and the Department of Justice has started an inquiry into the anti-trust implications of the settlement. Stay tuned.

FotoWeek DC, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the power of photography, invites the public to join with the photographic community.

Its first annual weeklong festival brought over 20,000 visitors to the Nation’s Capital, galvanizing the Washington, DC community. Washington is unique in the photographic world, consisting as it does not only of a nexus of talented photographers, but also its far-ranging collections of photography. From national institutions like The Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and the National Gallery to edgy galleries in Adams Morgan and Bethesda, the image is everywhere, and FotoWeek DC was created in part to pay tribute to this. The inaugural competitions attracted an astounding amount of high caliber work, and a photographic light show on the walls of the Nation’s monuments was, well, electrifying.

FotoWeek DC isn’t just about seven days or one city, however. Exhibitions continue throughout the year, including our most recent exhibition, Fotobama, at the Newseum. The educational, community building and informational exchange platforms we provide for photographers and photo enthusiasts have expanded to a global scale, which is why, in 2009, our awards competition has gone global. Finally, as the first organization to recognize the need to create a photographic forum that engages people of all ages, races, and economic means, FotoWeek DC hopes to foster both grassroots initiatives and public/private partnerships to publicize global issues and encourage positive social change.

Stock Artists Alliance has announced to its members that it intends to pursue a merger with the Association of Visual Artists.

AVA is an umbrella organization that currently represents five other photo industry bodies. The SAA would retain its identity, dues structure and programs. Claire White, the chief AVA staff officer, would serve as SAA executive director.

The National Press Photographers Association has introduced a new resource on its site to help develop better business practices for photographers and their clients.


http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/business_practices/

On June 15 New York based documentary photographer Alison Wright spoke about her career built on capturing the universal human spirit through her photographs. Influenced by her years of living in Asia, her powerful work documents the traditions and changes of people and cultures throughout the remotest regions of the world.

Wright’s  life was nearly cut short on January 2, 2000  by a horrific bus accident on a remote jungle road in Laos. Alison's recent memoir, Learning to Breathe; One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival,  chronicles this inspirational story of survival and years of rehabilitation, and her ongoing determination to recover and continue traveling the world as an intrepid photojournalist.

Wright's photography is represented by National Geographic and published in other worldwide periodicals such as National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Islands, Smithsonian, American Photo, and Natural History. A recipient of the Dorothea Lange Award in Documentary Photography, Alison is also a two-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Award Travel Journalism Award.

Her writing and photographs have been published in her books, Faces of Hope, Children of a Changing World, The Dalai Lama, A Simple Monk,  and The Spirit of Tibet, Portrait of a Culture in Exile  as well as through the Discovery Channel Photo Journey Series.

Monday, June 15 at 6:30 pm
Laura Parsons Pratt Conference Center
281 Park Avenue South at 22nd Street
New York City
$10 members
$20 non-members
$5 students
Networking after the presentation, light refreshments