Studio Grand Opening Friday March 19th 3-8pm

Hey all-

The fancy new building we moved into last November is having an official unveiling. Ribbon cutting, and politicos and artists, Oh My!

It is Friday March 19th 3pm-8pm at the Gateway Arts Center at 3901 Rhode Island Ave. Brentwood, MD 20722.

This coincides with the opening of the new space for the Prince George County African American History Museum and Cultural Center and the M-NCPPC Brentwood Art Exchange. Both will have the openings of their first exhibits in the new spaces. Alison and I both have pieces on display.

In addition, from 4:30pm - 8pm the Artists in the building will hold open studios, and have an opening of the 39th Street Gallery on the second floor with an exhibit featuring work from artists in the building.

There will be food, good art, and a good time. Plus, I'll be walking around all night blinding people with my flash. What more could you ask for?

hopefully we'll see you there.

Photo Emulsion transfer this weekend!

Want to learn Photo Emulsion transfer onto glass? Now is your chance. Just call the Washington Glass School (202-744-8222) or email them at washglassschool@aol.com to sign up. It is this Sunday from 1pm - 4pm, and costs $150 plus a $20 lab fee. A bargain.

But sign up fast. Seriously.

Utterly Stunning......

Hey-

I came across this the other day whilst trolling the interwebs on the google machine.

Pilfered is a magazine that blatantly steals images for publication in their magazine and may or may not give credit and does not pay for images. Apparently, copyright be damned. SO not cool. The fact that this magazine has not been totally shut down (tho apparently shut down a few times due to legal proceedings) is incredible. You can find their "about" statement (as well as a few measured response as to why they are so wrong) here.

John Harrington, photographer, author, blogger, industry educator and champion of artist ownership of copyright (not to mention all around nice guy), has responded and called out those who participated:

John Harrington's Response

It is things like this that are literally taking money out of the pockets of hardworking photographers, illustrators, and image creator in general.

If they ever use a image of mine, they better plan on getting a bill from me. They certainly won't have my permission.

BTW - if you are a working photographer, buy John Harrington's book "Best Business Practices for Photographers". Not now. Yesterday.

Who knew?

NPR just posted this.

That Darwin guy...seems like he was pretty smart.

pete

Couple o' Nuggets

Hey all-

The first nugget is the passing of photographer Dennis Stock. You may not know who he was, but you know his work. Check out his obit, and a slide show of his work here.

The 2nd nugget is an interesting article in the Washington Post style section about the graphic nature of the images being used in the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti. I had noticed that the images were a little more intense then what I was used to it. You can read the article here.

Now, I am not photojournalist, and other than a minor dabble in sport photography, I don't have much experience in this part of the photo world. In fact for me, it both points out why I am not a photojournalist and also how hard it is to be one. I have met many, and it is something you have to respect. These folks put themselves in harms way constantly in the name of reporting. Also, the pick up their camera and stay on the sidelines so as to not affect the story as it unfolds in front of them. The ethical debate on this last point will never end. I get both sides, and respect both sides, but for me I would be putting the camera down and helping out.

Two anecdotes on this last point:

1st - On September 11th 2001, my friend and colleague Heinz Kluetmeier was in New York at his loft. He is a staff photographer for Sports Illustrated, and veteran news photographer dating back to the 60's said he could not bring himself to go and photograph the disaster that was the twin towers, even though he could have just walked down to it from his place. He said that if it was his job, he would have done it, but without that impetus, he couldn't make himself do it.

2nd - Vincent Laforet was one of the first to send images out showing the ravages of Hurricane Katrina (at the time he was a staff photographer for the NY Times). He said that it was the hardest thing he has ever done. To the point that he was almost trying to get himself kicked out of areas so that he did not have to face it anymore. Contrary to the usual response that PJs get when they ask for permission ("No! Get the hell outta here!") he was given free reign to photograph everything and get the images out so that the public outside of New Orleans could get a better understanding of the level of disaster. So, it was ultimately for the better good, and he pushed on.

what do you think?

pete

Photoshop screw ups

Ok, so it is no great secret that the fashion industry (magazines, catalogs, ads, etc) uses a lot of photoshop retouching in their images. A LOT. The sooner you accept that, the better your self image will be.

Now, the one thing people wrestle with when retouching, is knowing when to stop. How much is too much. Some people need some remedial training.

There have to two glaring errors lately. Both pretty funny.

The first was a cover photo on W magazine of Demi Moore. The photographer claims that her photo was retouched. Demi and the magazine claim that it was not. It looks pretty odd to me.

Now, there is a new photo of Emma Watson (from Harry Potter fame), and her leg gone done missing. Vanished. A sure sign the photoshop tech got a little nutty. Last I saw, she has two legs.

So, I guess that we all should err on the side of caution. Don't remove body parts. Looks add.

Open Studio 2-6pm 12/12

Get ready for shameless self promotion by Pete & Alison:

We are a part of a big Open Studio tour this Saturday (Tomorrow!) from 2-6pm. You can come check out the fancy new digs that we just moved into right before Thanksgiving. Check out some of our prints, have some food, and even have your picture taken.

Our studio is located at 3901 Rhode Island Avenue Brentwood, MD 20722

There will be a bunch of studios open Including the Washington Glass School, Red Dirt studios, Flux among others. good chance you could find some cool holiday gift ideas at anyone of these places.

hope to see you there.

Pete, Al & Zoe