According to an Examiner article:

Meagan Kunert, a Conway, Arkansas, wedding photographer posted images of her latest work. However, the work actually belonged to Another wedding photographer, Amber Hughes. Amber had received a disturbing note from a colleague, he’d found a photographer who was featuring Hughes’ work on her website and claiming it as her own.

“Hughes visited the website, and she was shocked at what she saw. According to tweets she posted from around 10:00 pm to midnight (Vancouver time), she found Kunert had posted an entire wedding in her portfolio that had actually been shot by Hughes. Then Hughes found another of her weddings. And another. And an engagment session. At around 10:15 pm, she tweeted from her @amberhughes account, “I’m appalled by the reposting of my images by @meagankphotos as her own work.”"

“The article also says ”

Fellow photographers saw Hughes’ tweets, and they began re-tweeting and discussing the situation online. When it was picked up and re-tweeted by lighting expert David Hobby (@strobist) to his 65,000+ followers, the story grew exponentially and started reaching photographers around the world. Several wedding photographers visited Kunert’s site to find their work featured in her portfolio, as well. By the time the sun rose on the U.S., Kunert’s Twitter account had been bombarded by negative mentions. Her business Facebook page was awash with comments calling her out on her deceit. The pitchforks-and-torches crowd had found her pages on Pinterest, Google+, Flickr, and LinkedIn. Photographers were posting that they had emailed her demanding that she remove their work from her website or she would risk immediate legal repercussions. Her web hosting company yanked down her website entirely in response to the complaints. Her Twitter account was first to go. Then the negative comments on her Facebook page began to disappear. Then the whole page disappeared. Pinterest, gone. Flickr too. Even her husband, who said he had absolutely no clue about any of this when he was confronted on Twitter, eventually protected his account so only approved followers can see it. This could not have been a good day in Conway. As of about 6 o’clock Wednesday evening (5 o’clock Arkansas, 3 o’clock Vancouver), Hughes posted that the situation is under control. She said she has been in contact with Kunert, and they have buried the hatchet. Hughes said via Twitter that she has no intention to sue, and given the fact that she is in Canada, a suit might not have been feasible anyway. According to Hughes, Kunert planned to phone and apologize to all the people whose work she claimed as her own, and then re-launch her website for one primary purpose — a public apology. At around 6:30 pm Eastern, her business Facebook page came back up, with an apology prominently.”

There are several websites out there that help you find your images floating around the web, it never hurts to check them out and find out if you have been the victim of a fake photographer!

However, since this happened I’ve spoke to a few photographers and was shocked at how many just use a standard contract and standard model releases they find online without making adjustments. This is a big no-no! Yes, it’s fine to get a template online to get you started but you really must go in and tweak them! In addition, you need to edit your contract for every client to make sure it is specific to that session or event.

Here are a few things you want to make sure is in your contracts:

• Time/Location- Make sure you state the amount of time you are working and the exact location(s)
• Details- Include as much detail as possible about the event/session and what you will be covering etc
• Copyright- Your contract needs to include your limitations on printing, selling, sharing of images
• Release- Always include a model release in your contract for your future use of the images
• Products- Be specific about what products the client has already ordered and paid for as well as what other options they have
• Liability- You can not control everything, which needs to be included in your contract
• Refunds- Your company’s refund policy and terms need to be covered as well
• Penalties- It’s important to include what penalties your client could suffer for breach of contract

Those are just a few items you need to include. You’re contract needs to be as detailed as possible. It’s the only thing that protects you and your business. Remember to keep it professional! Go over your contract with the client, make sure they understand it. Always provide them with a copy as well, I like to give them a copy I have signed for their records.  So take a few moments, go over your contract templates and revise them, and make sure to do so with each client!

Of course at this point these all seem like rumors, but I can’t wait to find out! We will keep you posted as more details surface!

 
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1. Having your client turn their body on a slight angle instead of completely facing the camera will help slim them. It will also help add depth to your image.
2. Wide eyes…one thing we sometimes overlook when posing a client is the eyes..we worry about the body, the hair, the smile, but don’t forget the eyes. Have your client open the wide if need, and don’t forget that positioning the chin up a bit instead of down will help eliminate blacked out eyes!
3. Front Foot Tip Toe, It is amazing the difference it makes when you have your client shift their weight to one foot instead of flat footing both feet. The weight should be on the back foot, this gives you more drama and angles to the pose. We try to make it a rule that our clients hardly ever stand in a flat footed pose!
4. Looking up..shoot from above to help slim your client!
5. Motion-Keeping your client moving and talking helps keep them relaxed it will also bring you a bunch of natural poses you didn’t even think of!

According to a CNN article “Mobile is the future of photography and the tools used to enhance and share phone-generated images have value that is only expected to climb.” Bill Jones, of The Photo Argus, agrees “I think this purchase sends a signal that mobile photography is more relevant than ever,” he said. “Mobile photography is already overtaking the point-and-shoot market. I think this has been obvious for some time. But soon they will begin to really encroach on the (digital camera) market, as well. As the technology gets better, people might be more inclined to put their ‘pro’ camera in their pocket instead of purchasing one they need a backpack for.”

I’m not sure how soon that will happen, but in the meantime, I will enjoy the little tricks that come out for every day photography.

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reported to state “For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family,” Zuckerberg said in the post. “Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.”

If you are not familiar with Instagram, it is basically filters for editing your mobile images in one click! Here is a great example I found on Google of what the filters do!

• Shoot Outside- Nothing says Spring like shooting outside in an area full of green grass and flowers.
• Get Active- Stage an Easter Egg Hunt for little Ones for great Candids, just make sure they get a treat in at least one egg.
• Go Traditional- Use props like baskets, and colorful eggs.
• Liven it up- Using Live bunnies or chicks makes amazing photos (nothing says adorable like kids and baby animals), however please be careful when doing this. Don’t run out and buy bunnies and chicks, borrow them from breeders or petting zoos or farms. And remember you are dealing with living animals, be prepared for the unexpected!
• Go Big- Huge fake flowers, stuffed bunnies, and eggs help set a great scene.
• Add Religion- Don’t be afraid to go with your clients wishes and add religious symbolism to Easter images.
• Make sure your clients come dressed for Easter-Suggest bright colored clothing, or frilly dresses for little girls and suits for little boys.
• Think outside the box- Get creative and original while maintaining some tradition. As always make your images stand out and your clients will be sure to return!

Important Elements of Great Manipulations:

• Plan/Sketch: It is important to have every detail well planned and envisioned from the start
• Lighting: By creating the same lighting it is easier to fit everything together as one image
• Extensive knowledge of photoshop: This is where a lot of good ideas go wrong
• Time: Creating an image like this takes ALOT of time, from hours of shooting to hours of editing for one perfect image

So lets look at a great image by Dave Hill, and then we have a short video of how he shot the image…While most of us can only dream of pulling off a production this huge..it gives go insight to the work involved creating these images!

The iPad3 became available in stores Friday!  How many of you grabbed one up? What are your thoughts on Apple’s newest iPad? CNN states: “It will cost the same as the iPad 2 — from $499 to $829 based on storage capacity and Wi-Fi capability. Apple also will be slashing the prices of the iPad 2 by $100, making a 16GB Wi-Fi only model $399 and putting it closer to the price point of some less expensive tablets, such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire, that have hit the market in the past year. The new 9.7-inch display screen features a “retina display” of 2047 by 1536 pixels, compared with the iPad 2′s 1024 by 768 pixels. It will have a a 5-megapixel camera, representing a significant leap from the current iPad’s lens.”

It’s coming! The Canon 5D Mark 3 and you can pre-order your for $3499.00! I don’t know about you but this is totally going on my wish list! However I will wait till the dust settles a bit.

Some of the new features include:

• DIGIC 5+ Image Processor
• 3.2″ Clear View High Resolution LCD
• Built-In HDR and Multiple Exposure Modes
• Full HD 1080/30p and 720/60p Formats
• Extended ISO Range (50-102400)

Another Hot topic is our “Share To Win” weekly giveaway! We have changed this to make it easier for all. So now all you have to do is Share our posts directly from our facebook page or our blog. It does not count if you share from anywhere else, as we are unable to keep track of it. Every share gets you entered in our weekly drawing! The winner will be announced every monday. If we are not contacted by the winner by next weeks drawing, that winner will be voided and we will move on to the next weeks winner.

So this weeks lucky winner is- GINA PARRY! So Gina, send a message with your mailing info to receive your free gift!

The sitting up stage, usually around 6 months, is a perfect baby milestone to capture in the studio.  One great aspect about a sitting baby is they are generally happy and less challenging to photograph.  I always recommend parents schedule their session after the baby’s morning nap to ensure a happy baby.  Preparing parents for their photography session is an important aspect for a successful session.  Then, moving from one set up or “look” to another smoothly and swiftly is key in capturing your variety of images.

We will generally begin in a high chair like this one to determine how well the  baby can sit on her own.

Then we move to an unassisted sitting shot to show this big sitting milestone.  A parent or assistant is always directly next to the baby out of the camera frame in case the baby looses her balance.  We always have an assistant or parent with the  baby whose only job is to spot the baby for support, reposition, and wipe drool as needed.

Then if baby is sitting well we move to an open chair or sofa.  This shot really shows the size of the baby.

Now we have parents in and connect with their baby and these are always some of their favorite shots!

By this time we typically break for a snack and a change, then move on to more shots if the baby is still in a good mood.

If the weather permits and baby is willing we also try to get a couple shots outdoors.

About an hour into the session is when we start to see babies look like this shot here, this is when you know it’s time to call it a day =)  If all is successful, we typically have a gallery of about 30 – 40 images.

!!Visit the Bitsy Baby Photography Facebook and enter to win a free baby photography workshop seat!!

According to a CNN article “Right now, the only thing standing between dream and reality is cash — because you can’t build a camera the size of a yacht on the cheap. Manarchy is using Kickstarter to help raise the needed funds, but in the meantime he is using a non-mobile prototype, which has already taken some magnificent photos.He tells Slate that the resulting images have 1,000 times greater detail than an average photograph and explains, “Two days of preparation results in 1/1000th of a second flash exposure and I have only one chance to get it right. I literally focus half-way down an eyelash. If the subject moves, it’s out of focus … if they blink, it’s a disaster.”

Check out this video for more info!

Vanishing Cultures: An American Portrait by Dennis Manarchy from Distortion Design on Vimeo.

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If you are not familiar with World Press Photo; it is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest.

The awards ceremony is held in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. After the contest, the prizewinning photographs are assembled into a traveling exhibition that is visited by over a million people in 40 countries. A yearbook presenting all prizewinning entries is published annually in six languages.

In addition to selecting the World Press Photo of the Year, the contest determines winners in the following categories:

• Spot News
• General News
• People in the News
• Sports Action
• Sports Features
• Contemporary Issues
• Daily Life
• Portraits
• Arts and Entertainment
• Nature.