Sony Updates Alpha 700 Firmware
Posted on December 31, 2007 - Filed Under News, Photo | Leave a Comment
Click photo to see more images of the Sony Alpha 700. Sony has updated the firmware for its Alpha 700 digital SLR. According to the company, the new version 3 firmware fixes a bug that causes the access lamp to remain lit and the camera to stop responding when several pictures are taken in rapid succession, as well as one that causes some settings to carry over to other shooting modes when the camera is powered off while in MR mode.
Alpha 700 owners can go to Sony’s support Web site to download the firmware upgrade to either a Mac or a Windows PC.
US Department of Transport announces restrictions for Li-Ion batteries
Posted on December 31, 2007 - Filed Under Digital, Photo, Reviews | Leave a Comment
The US Department of Transportation has announced new safety rules relating to the storage of rechargeable Lithium batteries when flying to, from and within the USA. The new restrictions, effective from January 1st 2008, dictate that loose Lithium cells may not be packed in checked baggage under any circumstances – batteries installed in equipment are unaffected. Carry-on baggage may contain up to two loose batteries but only if there is no possibility of short-circuit, containing them individually within simple plastic bags or their original packaging is sufficient to prevent this and will satisfy inspectors.
Press release:
PHMSA 11-07
Friday, December 28, 2007
New US DOT Hazmat Safety Rule to Place Lithium Battery Limits in Carry-on Baggage on Passenger Aircraft Effective January 1, 2008
Passengers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage beginning January 1, 2008 once new federal safety rules take effect. The new regulation, designed to reduce the risk of lithium battery fires, will continue to allow lithium batteries in checked baggage if they are installed in electronic devices, or in carry-on baggage if stored in plastic bags.
Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage. However, the rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries*, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage.
"Doing something as simple as keeping a spare battery in its original retail packaging or a plastic zip-lock bag will prevent unintentional short-circuiting and fires," said Krista Edwards, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Lithium batteries are considered hazardous materials because they can overheat and ignite in certain conditions. Safety testing conducted by the FAA found that current aircraft cargo fire suppression system would not be capable of suppressing a fire if a shipment of non-rechargeable lithium batteries were ignited in flight.
"This rule protects the passenger," said Lynne Osmus, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assistant administrator for security and hazardous materials. "It’s one more step for safety. It’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it."
In addition to the new rule, PHMSA is working with the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the battery and airline industries, airline employee organizations, testing laboratories, and the emergency response communities to increase public awareness about battery-related risks and developments. These useful safety tips are highlighted at the public website: http://safetravel.dot.gov.
*Examples of extended-life rechargeable lithium batteries (more than 8 but not more than 25 grams of equivalent lithium content):
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 Extended-life 160 watt-hour lithium ion battery. |
Capture One 4
Posted on December 31, 2007 - Filed Under Art, News, Photo | Leave a Comment
Capture One 4, the next generation of Phase One’s RAW workflow software, is now available. A newly designed user interface offers high fidelity color and detail reproduction, plus new timesaving workflow features. “Capture One excels at RAW workflow,” said Jan H. Christiansen, marketing director for Phase One. “Today, it is no less an art to develop digital images than to process film in the darkroom. Ours is not an ‘end-to-end’ solution, but devoted to helping photographers achieve the highest quality from the images they have captured.” Capture One 4 is available now for $129 USD / 99 EUR. Existing Capture One customers can upgrade to Capture One 4 at no extra cost.
Phase One Press Release
Phase One Delivers Capture One 4 Next-Generation RAW Workflow Software
Transforming RAW Data to Uncompromising Image Quality
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Dec. 19, 2007 — Phase One today announced the availability of Capture One 4, the next generation of the world’s first RAW workflow software. Built on a new architecture, the successor to Phase One’s entry-level Capture One LE offers photographers – pros and enthusiasts alike – a RAW workflow solution for superior image quality.
A newly designed user interface offers high fidelity color and detail reproduction, plus new timesaving workflow features. Capture One 4 supports medium-format digital backs and a wide range of DSLR cameras.
“Our recent survey of professional photographers shows that pros have fully adopted digital and RAW format, with 89 percent of total images now being captured digitally and over 50 percent of them in RAW format,” said Ed Lee, Director at InfoTrends.
“Capture One excels at RAW workflow,” said Jan H. Christiansen, marketing director for Phase One. “Today, it is no less an art to develop digital images than to process film in the darkroom. Ours is not an ‘end-to-end’ solution, but devoted to helping photographers achieve the highest quality from the images they have captured.”
About Capture One 4
Capture One 4 marries sophistication with a simple, intuitive ease. It invokes more consistent use of shortcuts, tools and naming. It is compatible with many other popular applications; for example, users can have a seamless workflow with Capture One to process RAW files and Adobe Photoshop to post process images.
New user interface offers maximum space for the images. Images, not sliders and controls, are the focus. A darker background permits easier image viewing and enhancements. As with previous generations of Capture One, a guided workflow is available to assist the photographer in the image enhancement process;
View and work with up to 12 images simultaneously at full resolution;
Multiple Variants of a single RAW image can be made with virtually no disk and performance overhead;
Manage and transfer license codes, so Capture One 4 can be used on one computer one day and on another computer the next.
Recover details in highlights and shadows with high dynamic range control;
Import and export images in DNG format, for more options to share and archive;
Powerful new shortcut architecture allows faster image import, adjustment and processing;
Pricing and availability
Existing Capture One customers can upgrade to Capture One 4 at no extra cost. Designed for Windows XP (SP2)/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5, Capture One 4 is available now via download at http://www.phaseone.com/4 for 129 USD and 99 EUR through Phase One’s e-Shop.
About Phase One
Phase One is a leading provider of digital image capture and work flow management technology. Phase One P+ Series digital backs open new possibilities, putting the focus back on the moment of capture. Phase One Capture One software helps streamline the capture and post-production process. Supporting DSLR, medium- and large-format photographic equipment, Phase One products are renowned for their superior quality, flexibility and speed — enabling pro photographers to realize their most subtle and most complex visions without compromise.
Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai.
For more information about the products, visit the Phase One web site on http://www.phaseone.com.
Water Pipe Blues
Posted on December 30, 2007 - Filed Under Photo | Leave a Comment
“An old guy in Pahelgam of Kashmir (India) smoking (Hookah)”. Taken by Debashis Dey
Scientist Presents Case Against Possible Pollocks
Posted on December 29, 2007 - Filed Under Art, Culture, News | Leave a Comment
A forensic scientist said yesterday that a large group of paintings discovered several years ago and thought by some to be by Jackson Pollock included many containing paints and materials that were not available until after the artist's death in 1956.
At least one was painted on a board that was not produced earlier than the late 1970s or early 80s, said the scientist, James Martin, in a lecture last night sponsored by the International Foundation for Art Research in Manhattan.
Mr. Martin was commissioned to examine the paintings in 2005 by their owner, Alex Matter, the son of Herbert and Mercedes Matter, artists who were friends of Pollock's. Mr. Matter has said he found the paintings, made in Pollock's signature drip style, in 2002 or 2003 in a Long Island storage container that had belonged to his father.
Although Mr. Martin, who is based in Williamstown, Mass., completed the analysis last fall, he has said he did not release it earlier because Mr. Matter's lawyer told him he would face a lawsuit if he did so. It is unclear why he chose to go public now.
Mr. Matter's lawyer, Jeremy Epstein, has denied threatening Mr. Martin, but he has said that he did tell Mr. Martin he was not authorized to release the report because Mr. Matter, who has sold some of the paintings, did not feel it was complete.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that the paintings 32 in all, including some ephemera and works on paper were made by someone other than Pollock or at least that many were substantially altered after the artist's death. Mr. Martin also examined materials in Pollock's studio on Long Island for evidence of paints similar to the suspect samples on the Matter paintings but found none.
Three of the 24 paintings that Mr. Martin examined were analyzed around the same time last year by the Harvard University Art Museums, which reported similar findings. Richard Newman, the head of scientific research at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has also examined the paintings and found that two of the nine he looked at contained a pigment first known to have been patented by Ciba-Geigy in 1983, a result also found by Mr. Martin.
Since their discovery was reported in 2005, the paintings have been the subject of an intense scientific and scholarly debate that has drawn attention to the growing role of technology in questions that were once the sole province of connoisseurs.
Ellen G. Landau, a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and one of the world's most respected Pollock scholars, said in 2005 that she believed the works were authentic. She agreed to conduct scholarly research for an exhibition of the paintings that opened on Sept. 1 and continues through Dec. 9 at the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College. (The show focuses largely on the personal and artistic relationship between Pollock and Herbert Matter, who was a photographer and graphic designer.)
But after Dr. Landau's role in supporting the works was announced in 2005, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, which had declined to enter into authentication disputes for almost a decade, became involved. It enlisted Eugene V. Thaw, a veteran art dealer, and Francis V. OConnor, an art historian and author of the four-volume catalogue raisonné, or complete listing, of Pollock's work.
Both scholars disagreed strongly with Dr. Landau, with whom they had previously served on a board that examined paintings to determine whether they were genuine Pollocks.
Dr. Landau said recently that she was no longer involved in research or debate regarding the paintings.
As the dispute was heating up, Mr. Matter quietly sold some of the works, although he had generally maintained in interviews that he was not interested in profiting from their discovery.
Some of the paintings are believed to have been sold to the SoHo gallery owner Ronald Feldman, who has declined to comment on the issue.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Editor’s Choice: Best Digital Cameras Under $300
Posted on December 27, 2007 - Filed Under News, Photo | Leave a Comment
Pentax Optio A30
There’s lots of help for the unsteady in this small package, starting with a shifting CCD image sensor that physically compensates for camera shake. Video mode (MPEG-4 for compact file sizes, DivX-certified) is digitally stabilized, and speeds go up to ISO 3,200 (stepped down to five megapixels) for low-light stability. You can even extract a decent still frame from a clip. The A30′s aluminum-alloy body houses a 3X, 38-114mm (equivalent) f/2.8-5.4 zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD monitor. It accommodates a wide range of photo skills by offering everything from full-auto, including more than a dozen scene modes, to easy-toggling manual exposure. Whatever your technique, you can enhance the results with any of eight color filters or with a feature called color extract, which adds a single hue to part of an otherwise black-and-white image. About $250.
Kodak EasyShare V1003
Though it’s the least expensive of our five, this model comes without compromise. Its user-friendly features include in-camera help screens and an undo-delete function that lets you retrieve a picture you’ve accidentally erased. The Favorites function stores display-sized files of your fondest shots in the V1003′s internal memory, so you can share them on the spot. A shake alert warns you that your picture might be blurred if you don’t use flash, while after-the-fact fixes allow cropping and red-eye removal. The new EasyShare mates with the line’s computer and printer docks for one-button uploads or printing. Its 3X optical zoom is a 36-108mm (equivalent) f/2.8-4.9; the LCD screen measures 2.5 inches. You can shoot MPEG-4 video and set speeds up to ISO 1600. And the V1003 has one of the easiest panorama stitchers around. About $180, in any of nine colors including Pink Bliss and Mystic Purple.
Casio Exilim Z1080
The Best Shot modes on Casio cameras are almost a barometer of pop culture. First there was the eBay mode, which tailored image files to suit online auction purposes. Now, on the Z1080, you get YouTube mode, which shoots moving pictures at the optimum size and quality settings for uploading to video sharing sites. You can capture video in standard 640×480 (VGA) or wide-screen 848X480-pixel formats. The Z1080 has a 3X zoom (38-114 equivalent, f/2.8-5.1), a 2.6-inch LCD monitor, and auto-tracking AF to lock onto moving subjects. And what about still photography? The new model’s Rapid Flash reduces recycling time so you can shoot three flash pictures in quick succession, and sensitivity goes up to ISO 3200 for photography without flash in dim light. Plus its world-time database of 162 cities in 32 time zones allows you to keep your EXIF data in order. About $220.
Samsung NV11
Samsung’s NV cameras come only in black, but that’s just right for their 35mm rangefinder looks. With its 5X optical range, the NV11 is the zooming leader of our five ten-megapixel models. (See box, above, if you’re looking for more zoom power in a small package.) It also has the biggest LCD of the group, at 2.7 inches. And unlike its competitors, the camera’s control buttons are lined up along the right side and bottom of the LCD; they’re the hardware part of Samsung’s SmartTouch interface, which substitutes on-screen control readouts for the usual menus and submenus. The camera has the full array of exposure modes, including program, aperture- and shutter-priority, and manual, plus about a dozen scene modes. (One of them, Business Card, takes a shot of same with proper contrast, also squaring it up.) Speeds range to ISO 1,600, and the camera can blast off 20 lower-resolution shots at 7fps. About $230.
Canon PowerShot SD900 ELPH
You get real titanium, not just the “finish,” with this elegant yet capable point-and-shoot. The SD900 has a 3X zoom (comparable to 37-111mm f/2.8-4.9 in 35mm), a 2.5-inch LCD monitor (big enough), and Canon’s DIGIC III image processor. DIGIC speeds up shooting so that the SD900 can fire bursts at over 2fps. Low-light sensitivity is also high at up to ISO 3200, and video can be shot at a higher-resolution 1024×768 pixels (at 15fps) in addition to standard 640X480 (at 30fps). Canon’s signature My Colors menu allows you to selectively lighten or darken skin tones, swap one color with another in the frame, or keep a single color in an otherwise monochrome image. About $275 (after $50 rebate).
This Just In
We’ve had just enough time to squeeze in a quick look at a brand-new 10-megapixel compact from DXG, a Taiwan-based company that actually makes many of the cameras sold by the big names. The 3X-zooming, SD-using, AA-powered DXG-110 sets a new low for price in the 10-megapixel class, selling for $170 or less. Backed up by its ability to build a camera from the ground up, DXG accomplished this by paring down frills and focusing on image quality–and the new model largely outperformed a name-brand 12-megapixel compact that we arbitrarily selected. Though its shutter lag seemed a bit longer, the DXG-110 delivered more detail, produced a wider dynamic range, and controlled noise better. –Russell Hart
Book Review – The HDRI Handbook by Christian Bloch
Posted on December 26, 2007 - Filed Under Culture, Photo | Leave a Comment
High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of exposures; that is, the range of values between light and dark areas, than normal digital techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows.
HDRI has been practiced for centuries by artists when rendering paintings that look realistic. Now digital artists are using HDRI to create virtual worlds that are just as compelling as the real world since the physics of light can be simulated in their full glory. Simply put, HDRI is a method to digitally capture, store, and edit the full luminosity range of a scene.
The HDRI Handbook is 344 pages long and is divided into seven chapters. There is a companion DVD that contains software, HDR Images, and bracketed exposures for you to work along with, tutorial files and other tools for working with HDRI.
Chapter 1, "The Background Story," begins with an in-depth discussion of the ideas and concepts behind HDRI. Here the author questions the basic concepts of digital and analog photography. You will learn about how little progress has been made in digital imaging until now, and how HDRI has the potential to push those boundaries further than ever before.
Chapter 2, "New Tools," presents the tools that are needed for producing HDR images. Here a comparison of the image formats and programs are discussed as well as how to put them together in a usable workflow.
Chapter 3, "Capturing HDR Images," gets in to the meat of HDRI. It is all about the capturing of the images. In this chapter you will learn both about the scientific as well as the easy way. You will also learn about some research labs and about the future of HDRI. According to the author, it is only a mater of time before HDRI is the standard and not the exception.
Chapter 4, "Tone Mapping," will introduce to you the automatic, as well as the creative method used to reduce the tonal range of an HDR image while preserving all of the details. It is here that you will learn to create superior prints from HDR. Adding their expertise in this chapter are authors Uwe Steinmüller and Dieter Bethke showing their personal workflow in practical tutorials.
Chapter 5, "HDR Image Processing," examines the new opportunities for image editing and compositing. There are a wide variety of workshops that can be recreated via the materials on the DVD. Here you will see how the pros work with HDRI to create more lifelike composites for film and television.
Chapter 6, "Shooting Panoramic HDR Images," shows techniques for creating panoramas. According to the author, this is the cornerstone of this book because this where the worlds of photography and computer graphics really come together. Both Bloch and Bernhard Vogal; noted as one of Vienna's finest panorama photographers, contribute to this chapter. They show several different ways of shooting panoramic HDR images.
Chapter 7, "Application in CGI," finishes up by describing how HDR images can be used in 3D rendering. The author breaks down how the algorithms work and how you can make them work for you. In step-by-step fashion you will learn how to create the ideal lighting setup. Then the author takes it further and presents a brand new lighting tool-kit that automates the most common HDRI setup.
The HDRI Handbook is truly an amazing source of information on creating HDR images. There is something for photographers, graphic designers, and artists of all types. It does a great job of describing the current state of HDRI as well as the potential for the future of the art.
The author, in detail, covers both the history and the science behind High Dynamic Range Imaging and does it in a methodical and detailed manner. He covers the software, shooting techniques and about everything else that is needed to make you more proficient at creating HDR images. If you are serious about photography, serious about creating a new vision in imaging then The HDRI Handbook is a must own.
Kodak issues statement in response to photographer’s campaign to save infrared film
Posted on December 24, 2007 - Filed Under Digital, Photo | Leave a Comment
Kodak has refused to bow to pressure to save infrared film, blaming ‘extremely low demand’.
The news comes after US photographer James C Williams launched a worldwide campaign to save Kodak HIE-135 film, the production and distribution of which will cease by the end of this year.
In a statement released in response to the photographer’s campaign Kodak told : ‘While we very much appreciate the correspondence we’ve received from some photographers – who use our infrared film and would like to be able to purchase it in 2008 and beyond – the fact is the decline in the use of infrared film has been so substantial over the years that it is no longer practical for Kodak to continue to manufacture the film given the extremely low demand and volume, the age of the product formulations and the complexity of the processes involved.’
Unfazed by this latest blow Williams vowed to continue the fight. ‘The campaign to save HIE-135 is not over,’ he told us. ‘Perhaps, after having issued their statement Kodak believe I should give up on this campaign. But I say now that it has only [just] started.’
Kodak confirmed that stocks of HIE-135 film will remain available until the end of this year.
Video Training Review – Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3 With Colin Smith And Weston Maggio From PhotoshopCAFE
Posted on December 23, 2007 - Filed Under Culture, Photo | Leave a Comment
I know how it happens. Everyone tells you that to work efficiently in Photoshop you really need to get one of those Wacom tablets. It will allow you to do more, and, will let you work more naturally. So based on their advice you get one, but it doesn’t seem natural; working with your mouse seems natural, so it sits around gathering dust. What do you do?
Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3 will take you through everything you need to know to get the most out of your Wacom Tablet. It will take you from setup to use so that you really can become more efficient with your tablet. There is over 2 hours of training covered in 21 lessons.
Colin Smith is an award winning New Media designer, trainer, and author. He is also the founder of PhotoshopCAFE. Wes Maggio is the Regional Sales Manager for Wacom Technology.
Lessons 1-2, are brief introductions from Colin Smith and Wes Maggio who explain what this DVD is about and what you will learn. Lessons 3-5 cover the types of tables that are available, basics of working with tablets, and some fundamental exercises to get use to working with a tablet.
Lessons 6-9 focus primarily on setup. Here you will learn how to customize your tablet with user-specific functions using the control panel. You will see how to set up the pen, the mouse, and then the touch strips.
Lessons 10-12 cover the use of Express keys for access to commonly used keyboard short cuts and functions. It also explores the Brushes Palette which will become the heart of the application. You will learn how to control pressure with your pen in Photoshop. You will also learn how to use the Wacom Tablet Driver to create custom menus to increase productivity.
Lesson 13 covers how to make your own custom brushes while learning how brushes work in Photoshop. Lesson 14 works with adjustment layers. Here you will work with the enhanced Curves adjustment in Photoshop CS3.
Lesson 15 explores collaging and compositing by combining multiple images together to create creative results using master layer masks. Lesson 16 shows you how to use the new Quick Select tool, the new Smart Filters, and Refine Edge to cut sharp edges to remove objects from the background.
Lesson 17 covers the use of cloning with in Photoshop CS3, especially all the ways to use the new Clone Source Palette. Lesson 18 will show you how to create Black and White images from your color photos. You will see how to use the Black and White Filter to make sepia image and then how to make your subject in color.
Lesson 19 will show you how to use Dodging and Burning to bring out the best in your images. Here you will focus on the proper technique, as well as when and where to use these techniques. Lesson 20 covers how to take a photograph and turn it into an image that looks hand painted. Finally Lesson 21 will show you how to create an action that can be used over and over again without having to repeat the same steps over and over.
There are a lot of things to like about Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3. First and foremost is the quality of the training. It is clear, concise, and to the point. It gives you detailed explanation on the setup and use of the Wacom Tablet. This is primarily handled by Wes Maggio.
Then the use of the tablet with Photoshop is handled by Colin Smith. It is nice that this has been competently updated to reflect the changes in Photoshop CS3. Finally, I think that the easy to load and use interface is one of the best on the market. It puts everything you need at your fingertips. If you own a Wacom Tablet and are having problems setting it up and using it, or you are planning to buy a Wacom Tablet, then Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3 is a recommended add-on to save you time and effort.
The retail price of Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3 is $39.99 USD and can be purchased from PhotoshopCAFE. I highly recommend this video if you want to get the most from Adobe Photoshop CS3 and your Wacom Tablet.
Listing of Lessons on "Wacom Tablets & Photoshop CS3"
Intro from Colin
Welcome from Wes
Tablet Overview
Tablet basics
Pen Training
Control Panel
Pen Setup
Mouse Setup
Touch Strips
ExpressKeys
Brushes Palette
Pop-Up Menu
Custom Brushes
Adjustment Layers
Collaging and compositing
Quick Select
Clone Source
Black and White
Dodge and Burn
Painterly Art
Reusable Actions
Fair trade photography
Posted on December 23, 2007 - Filed Under Digital | Leave a Comment
Fair trade photography : Taking a unique approach to help photographers in the developing world to reach a worldwide audience, Majority World, the ethical photo library, is celebrating the first anniversary of its formal organization. Now celebrating the first anniversary of its formation, the photography-based community interest company Majority World has seen its photo library pass the 10,000 images mark. Majority World was formed to promote professional photographers in Asia, Africa and Latin America – which areas together represent the highest concentration of population in the world (hence its title Majority World) – to the rest of the photographic community, and in particular to Europe, the UK, and USA.
Ethical photo library – Local photographers
Traditionally, publishers, agencies and others in the west requiring images from the developing, or majority, world regions have dispatched their own photographers rather than use the indigenous talent. Quite apart from incurring high costs, this activity deprives local, highly qualified photographers of the opportunity to market their own work. This is the trend which Majority World seeks to change. The principle of using local talent is one to which many organizations aspire, but have hitherto not been able to utilize: “We feel we should give preference to images taken by indigenous photographers from the developing world as It fits with our mission and our values,” says Jean Long, picture researcher at the organization Practical Action, “but we have not had access to these photographers – they are invisible.”
Fair trade photography – Platform and Image markets
According to Majority World, such ‘invisibility’ stems from a lack of digital access, training, travel, market knowledge and contacts by local photographers – aspects of photography which most of their counterparts around the world take for granted. However, Majority World is challenging this situation by providing a platform which enables photographers, photographic agencies and image collections from the developing world to gain fairer access to global image markets.
Majority World – Website and Support
Through its pioneering website (majorityworld.com ), its advocacy work and the support which Majority World provides to local photographers, image buyers worldwide are now finding it easier to access the wealth of fresh photographic talent emerging from these often misrepresented regions Most importantly, this activity means that the photographers involved are benefiting from new opportunities being opened to them. Since the launch of Majority World’s website in 2006, buyer registrations have risen steadily; professional and commercial image users such as Jean Long are discovering there is another option, an ethical option.
Fair trade photography – Research and Trends
Research has confirmed there is a definite shift towards photographic depictions of real, everyday lives, and also towards ethical sourcing. These are trends which Images from the majority world, and related photographic products, all of which are authenticated by the Majority World brand and kite mark, are ideally suited to promote.
Fair trade photography platform – Developing world and Responsibility
Particular target markets include businesses trading with the developing world, as well as those involved in travel, advertising, publishing, fair trade, media, ethical retailing, corporate art, development education and non-governmental and international organizations. All these sectors are concerned with their social responsibility, and many of them recognize that the Majority World brand provides a uniquely visible symbol of commitment to furthering economic progress in the developing world.
Global photo market
“We have seen much progress,” says Dr Colin Hastings, director of advocacy and funding at Majority World, “yet there is so much more that needs to be done to realize the full potential. “A key objective now is to identify a suitable ‘venture philanthropist’. Such a financial partner would share Majority World’s vision and wish to contribute to the next stage of development of an exciting new global ethical venture – a chance, perhaps, for someone who has made money through photography to ‘give back’.
Sponsors and Support needed
“Majority World is also seeking corporate sponsors who can help, for example, with identifying photographers through their overseas contacts and with digitization and key wording of photographers’ film stock. All of this support would help the peoples of the Majority World to tell their own story, through their own eyes.”