About the Magazine

The Picture Professional magazine is a 4-color quarterly publication of ASPP, mailed to all members, advertisers and other subscribers. Regular editorial content includes columns by respected experts in technology, photography law, and the art of photography. Other special feature topics may cover marketing, industry trends, legal and copyright issues, insurance and investment.

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Current Issue 2008 - 3

The Picture Professional —Issue 3.2008

Cover photo © Dan Suzio, www.frogphotos.com from “Portfolio: Humor,” photography by ASPP Members.

Thanks for your response to our request for your funniest images. The pictures you sent demonstrated that even in these difficult times of mortgage failures, layoffs and rising prices, there are still a lot of things to laugh about. They also proved that humor is in the eye of the beholder.

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 “Outtakes”

TO READ OUTTAKES—INDUSTRY NEWS, PHOTO SHOWS, MILESTONES, AWARDS, EVENTS, FORUM AND MORE, BECOME A MEMBER OF ASPP… Join Now

“Talking Photography: Anchoring Visual Memory” by Frank Van Riper

As picture professionals, whether photographer, editor or archivist, we all appreciate the power of an image to provoke a reaction, stir an emotion and, very often, trigger a memory. But it had not hit me until recently just how fragile our visual memory is—or can be.  I’m sure it’s not just me. I can’t be the only one who, on passing a construction site or a new building or a new home or even a vacant lot, cannot recall what once had been there—even after only a few weeks—or perhaps even a few days.

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“The Law: Product Images” by Joel L. Hecker, Esq.

When a professional photographer creates images of a client’s products  while on assignment for that client—and the contract specifies that the photographer maintains copyright ownership of those images—then the photographer assumes that he or she will be able to enforce the contract if the client uses the resulting copyrighted images beyond the terms of the license. Recent litigation has cast doubt on this seemingly simple concept. As a result, there is now a clear split among a number of federal courts, which has caused a great deal of confusion as to whether this type of product shot is protectable under the Copyright Act or whether it is an unprotectable derivative work of the underlying product.

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“Born of a New Deal” by Larry L. Levin

Modern, documentary photography is the accidental spawn of a depression era “New Deal” public relations program within the Department of Agriculture.  The midwife was a university professor and government bureaucrat named Roy Emerson Stryker, who joined government through a circuitous and unlikely route. That route began with the 1929 stock market crash, which spiraled downward into The Great Depression. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was inaugurated president.  Immediately after taking office, FDR gathered the best and brightest of his generation into a “kitchen cabinet” to informally advise him in combating the ongoing economic collapse. One kitchen cabinet member, Rexford Tugwell—formerly chair of the Economics Department at Columbia University—was appointed to run what became the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Security Administration (FSA).

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“The Current State of Orphan Works” by Nancy E. Wolff, Esq.

In April of this year, bills were introduced in Congress that could markedly change the law in the area of “Orphan Works,” causing a significant impact on professional photographers worldwide.  While in previous years proposed legislation was not signed into law, Congress is likely to act in the near future, possibly resulting in a law similar to the bills they are currently considering.  This article describes the origin of this Orphan Works problem, the potential impact of the Senate and House of Representatives bills on the subject, and what can be done to reduce the impact of the law on professional photographers. As this issue goes to press, it is generally thought that the House subcommittee will not have a bill ready for mark-up for full committee this summer. While the Senate bill is on the floor, it has not yet been pushed for a vote.

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“Photo Metadata Conference,” by Ulrik Södergren, with assistance from David Riecks

The second International Photo Metadata Conference took place in Malta on June 5, 2008 at the beginning of the Annual Coordination of European Picture Agencies Press Stock Heritage (CEPIC) Congress. Serious progress has been made on several of the issues that were raised at last year’s conference. Normally with standardization work, the expectation is that it moves at a glacial pace with the implementation slightly faster but still painfully slow. However with the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) Photo Metadata Working group, you see everyone, even competing parties, working together cooperatively and with great urgency.

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 “Goings On”

CLICK HERE TO GO TO GOINGS ON AND READ ABOUT ASPP MEETINGS NATIONWIDE

“Reviews”

  • Peace by Ken Kolsbun with Michael S. Sweeney
  • Illustrated Dictionary of Photography: The Professional’s Guide to Terms and Techniques for Film and Digital Imaging by Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt and Michelle Perkins
  • Fine Art Printing for Photographers Exhibition Quality Prints with Inkjet Printers, 2nd edition paperback by Uwe Steinmueller and Juergen Gulbins
  • Global Faces: 500 Photographs from Seven Continents  by Michael Clinton, Foreword by David Granger
  • Our World Now by Reyters
  • Elephants by Steve Bloom, text by David Henry Wilson
  • Night and Low-Light Photography: Professional Techniques from Experts for Artistic and Commercial Success, by Jill Waterman
  • Creations of a Moment: The Photography of Henry Fox Talbot  by Geoffrey Batchen
  • Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers by Mike Hollingshead and Eric Nguyen
  • Edward Sheriff Curtis by Joanna Cohan Scherer
  • Publish and Prosper: Blogging for Your Business by D.L. Byron and Steve Broback
  • Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely by the editors of Green Guide magazine, Foreword by Meryl Streep

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Past Issue 2008 - 2

The Picture Professional —Issue 2.2008

 

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Past Issue 2008 - 1

 

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Past Issue 2007 - 4






© 2007 ASPP. All images are copyrighted by the credited contributors. No reproduction or copying in any way is permitted without express written permission of the contributor.