Dallas Photoworks

Police Memorial Dallas Texas Design Perfection Symbolism Officer Killed Duty Numerals Mourning Bar DSC_1744

Police Memorial Dallas Texas Design Perfection Symbolism Officer Killed Duty Numerals Mourning Bar DSC_1744, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

Full of symbolism, this memorial to fallen police officers in Dallas, Texas is quite honestly, the most moving memorial that I have seen anywhere. On a sunny day, it's difficult not to be moved by the design perfection of this memorial.

From the architect's (Oglesby Greene) website:
"...A stainless steel construction emerges from the site like a figurative officer's shield and carries the badge numbers and names of police killed in the line of duty. One plane floats as an overhead bar while another follows the incline of the earth. The plane above casts a rectangular shadow across the broad asphalt steps, recalling the mourning bar worn on police badges when an officer is lost. Within this shadow the badge numbers of fallen officers are illuminated, projected by the rays of the sun. The removed stainless numerals, like reversed stencils. are mounted and given to the officers' families. The lower plane-borne by the earth and pavement fragments cut from Dallas streets carries the names and dates of the fallen officers, where they may be read and touched at close hand."

The officers' badge numbers can be seen as they have been cut out of the overhang, their names on the silver panels, and their number reflected onto the ground by the sun...truly amazing design work! Even more moving is when their number(as can also be seen in this image) reflects across their names on the panels.

When Time Stood Still Video Slideshow Abandoned Life Story Home Palo Pinto Texas

We stumbled upon an abandoned home this morning. The exterior was in need of paint. The roof had collapsed, but the structure was still standing.

Upon further inspection, this home appeared to have one resident-a woman-an old woman.

It appears the woman died suddenly, as everything she owned was left in the home untouched, down to the bath towel still hanging on the rack, the medications in the cabinet, her clothes neatly hanging in her bedroom closet.

She enjoyed music and reading...she graduated from Palo Pinto High School in 1936.

Was she the last surviving member of her family? Why did no one remove her clothing and other belongings?

It appears that she may have died alone, and no one cared for her home as the roof and side wall have completely collapsed exposing everything inside to the elements.

A strange mystery.

Video Slideshow of nightly phenomenon of Common Grackles roosting in crazed, frenzied ritual at dusk in Fort Worth, Texas.

Crazy, nightly phenomenon that I've only seen here in Texas, although I'm sure it happens elsewhere...frenzied grackles gather at the same spot each night at dusk, swarming and chirping. I don't really understand the attraction to this specific location, but I'm no blackbird either.

View the slideshow of the still photos, then watch the live Iphone video of the experience at the end! Enjoy!

Common Grackles Blackbirds Flock Roosting Birds Dusk Fort Worth Texas Swarm Iphone Video IMG_0332

Common Grackles Blackbirds Flock Roosting Birds Dusk Fort Worth Texas Swarm Iphone Video IMG_0332
Originally uploaded by David Kozlowski

Crazy, nightly phenomenon that I've only seen here in Texas, although I'm sure it happens elsewhere...frenzied grackles gather at the same spot each night at dusk, swarming and chirping. I don't really understand the attraction to this specific location, but I'm no blackbird either.

Snow in Dallas Fort Worth Keller Texas Weather Event Global Warming? Panic Hysteria 512

Snow in Dallas MAJOR Weather Event Global Warming? Panic Hysteria 512, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

Originally from Pennsylvania, I always find it funny whenever it snows here in Dallas.  Most schools begin discussion about closing.  I receive emails about folks deciding to work from home.  People rush out to the grocery stores to purchase milk and bread.  Today's mass weather hysteria was brought on by the snow pictured above.  The roads are only wet!  My northern contacts will get a chuckle out of this.

Justice Revival Transform Dallas Texas Uplift Music Change Strategic Justice Initiatives Prayer 12Zi

Justice Revival Transform Dallas Texas Uplift Music Change Strategic Justice Initiatives Prayer 12Zi, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

Justice Revival

Proud of my town! Keller, Texas ranked #7 in Money Magazine's "Top 100 Best Places to Live" in the USA for 2009.

Keller Texas Town Hall Center Banner Clock Architecture Tower Fountain DSC_2735, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

Keller ranked #50 a mere two years ago.

...from the Money Magazine article:

Top 100 rank: 7
Population: 38,100
Unemployment: 5.8%

Looking for bang for your housing buck? Consider this Dallas/Fort Worth sub­urb. Home val­ues rose nearly 6% in Keller last year.

The economy is just as healthy. Energy has kept Texas going strong, and major offices of FedEx, Fidelity Investments, and travel company Sabre Holdings lie just outside Keller.

No wonder this town, which boasts immaculate parks and a spanking-new town center, has seen its population triple since 1990. "We keep hearing about this recession," says Tracey Ramirez, 49, a teaching aide in Keller, "but we don't really feel it here."

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world, at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan.

Looking for a hilarious new take on wedding videography?

Liberalism America History First President George Washington Fourth of July Philadelphia Pennsylvania Independence Hall Flag Stars Stripes Freedom United States Statue 1776 Colonial 2530x

Liberalism America History First President George Washington Fourth of July Philadelphia Pennsylvania Independence Hall Flag Stars Stripes Freedom United States Statue 1776 Colonial 2530x, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

Google Treasure Chest Search Chest Safelock ID Scam Causes Consumer Complaints-Internet fraud drains bank accounts. Theft, Robbery, Felony, Unauthorized Charges, FBI, Police Report

Riddled Private Property Sign Bullet Holes Rusted, originally uploaded by David Kozlowski.

In the past several days I noticed mysterious fraudulent charges appearing on my debit card statement from Safelock ID in the amount of $38.84 each.

PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET

Not recognizing this company, and after querying my wife if she knew who they were, I immediately 'Googled' them to find page after page of complaints about their internet scam.

Somehow this company obtained my debit card number, or was given to them by another source. According to their Terms of Service(TOS), this authorizes them to make charges to your bank account.

Needless to say, I was/am furious about the matter!

BEWARE OF GOOGLE TREASURE CHEST and SAFELOCK ID FRAUD

I immediately contacted my bank, who canceled my debit card so that no further charges could be made to it. I also filed a police report with the Fort Worth Police Department, providing as much detail about Safelock ID and the Google Treasure Chest.

STEPS TO RECOVER YOUR MONEY

Below is some very useful information that I obtained from a post made to Complaintsboard.com(by user Chuck Turner):

1. Cancel your credit or debit card--Get a new card with new number! Your financial information has been compromised and you will be getting further debits to that card, If not now then they could come back later when you are unaware. This scam is refining into a form of "Identity theft" as your financial information is being traded to other cohorts without your permission or knowledge.

2. File a fraud charge with your credit card or bank and let them sort it out. They have more muscle to go after this sort of crime. Explain to them about all the consumer complaints that are on the internet and "insist" that they do charge-back or file a fraud charge. Your bank or credit card organization has all the tools necessary to find out where the charges are coming from, what business is involved, addresses and phone numbers connected to the charge and etc. You may not know or have access to this information. The banks and credit card org have all this at their fingertips and are obligated to handle the problem that has resulted.
More info at: http://www.chrismalta.com/scamtip1.asp

3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Their job is to monitor and go after these types of scams.
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm

4. File a complaint with your state Attorney General and also with the Attorney General of Utah (where a lot of the phone numbers and addresses seem to be located)

5. Filing a complaint with the BBB is toothless as the scam already is rated with a "F".

6. File complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx This is a place to report internet crime and is a combination gov agency of FBI, White collar Crime and Bureau of Justice Assistance.

7. After you filed with all the above agencies feel free to call any numbers you may possess that are connected to the "unauthorized charges" to try and recover all your money but take their word with a grain of salt. Don't hesitate to let them know what you have done or intend to do as they need to be shown that you mean business! If you succeed in getting your money returned you will have still taken steps to put their scam out of commission.

SCAM OPERATES UNDER MANY NAMES

This scam operates under many different names, such as Blazing Keywords, Blazing Words, Grantspring, Easy Google Profit, Google Revolution, Google Money Tree and Search Chest.  If you signed up for any of the services on one of these websites, this is how they obtain your information.  In my case, neither my wife or I had signed up for anything on these sites.  All we can assume is that someone obtained our debit card number and provided it to Safelock ID.

"HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?  ...WELL, IT'S A JOB"

After calling(and actually speaking with a human being!) Safelock ID's customer service number(866-879-1266), I asked "How can you sleep at night knowing that you are committing a felony and outright stealing people's money?"  Her reply was "Well, it's a job".

Beware! And keep checking your bank statements! 

Anyone else feel that spammers and SCAMMERS deserve the death penalty?

Filed:  Consumer Complaints, Safelock ID, Google Treasure Chest, Google Search Chest, Fraud, Scam, Police Report, FBI

19-year old soldier from Keller, Texas defends America while wearing pink "I Love New York" boxers...cool photo!

AP Photo - View article at Star-Telegram

Photographer takes photo of Loomis guards and open ATM in Seattle, gets arrested.

Two Loomis Employees Refilling an ATM at the Downtown Seattle REI, originally uploaded by veganstraightedge.

There is alot of talk in the photography community lately(and since 9/11) about photographers' rights.

Personally, when I saw this image I immediately thought to myself "...is this photographer clueless?". Sometimes we need to use common sense.

Read Shane's account on his blog, then return here to post your comment...what's your opinion? I'd love to hear it!

12 Reasons Why Texas is Awesome!

Interesting statistics about the great state of Texas:

• It's the only state with its own power grid
• Its economy would be ahead of Russia, India and Mexico
• King Ranch is bigger than the state of Rhode Island
• Texas is bigger than New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois COMBINED!
• DFW Airport is bigger than Manhattan
• 82.5% of the population of Texas live in metropolitan areas
• Of the top 10 largest cities in the nation, 3 are in Texas
• Both Dallas and Houston individually have more residents than the entire state of Arizona...and 31 other states!
• The population of Texas is 16 million....cattle that is!  21 million humans.
• Dallas-Fort Worth is the fastest growing metro area in the USA, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio each are expected to double in size in the next 20 years.
• in 2008, half of all new jobs created in the U.S. were created in Texas.
• and...the weather is nice!

View the video to learn even more!  It's very well-produced!

Dallas, Texas skyline

2,700-mile road trip through desert southwest and Route 66 is the perfect change of scene for this photographer!

I need a change of scene to keep my creative juices flowing.

The Dallas area can become somewhat bland during the winter months with the grasses dried and brown and no leaves on the trees.  It's the time of year when I feel like I need a change of scene to keep my creative juices flowing.

My daughters spring break from Texas Tech was upon us, so my wife and I decided to do a family road trip from our home in Keller, Texas to Las Vegas and back, all within a one-week period.

2,700 miles and 50+ hours behind the wheel

The trip encompassed approximately 2,700 miles of driving round trip...and 50+ hours behind the wheel...many miles on, or mirroring historic Route 66.

Departing from the Fort Worth area before dawn, Doreen and I headed west on Route 114, destination Lubbock, to pick up our three daughters at Texas Tech.  Route 114 is one of our favorite back roads to travel for this sector of the trip, passing some of Texas' oldest, most historic ranches such as the Four 6's and the Pitchfork.

Being a photographer, I insisted we make this a road trip

Of course, we did have the choice of flying or driving to Las Vegas, but being a photographer, I insisted we make this a road trip, and I'm glad we did!

Traveling through the famed desert southwest is something I have always dreamed of doing, perfect for landscape photography...my passion.

The destination on the first segment of our trip was Albuquerque, New Mexico.  After crossing the border from Texas into Clovis, New Mexico(and visiting the cowboy boot outlet!) we ran into a snow storm.  Of course we enjoyed this weather, having missed snow for so many years after moving south from Pennsylvania. 

We were reliving the movie "Little Miss Sunshine"

Halfway between Clovis and Albuquerque we felt like we were reliving the movie "Little Miss Sunshine".  The horn in our car mysteriously began blowing all by itself.  We got some good laughs, and created some funny memories of our road trip because of it!  It turns out that due to the cold weather(which our car is not used to), there was a malfunction with the air bag in the steering column.  I pressed the horn, and it stopped, so we planned to have it checked in the morning.

The clouds cleared, and the sun appeared as we entered Albuquerque in late afternoon.  We were impressed with the mountains surrounding the city, something else we have missed seeing since moving to the Dallas area.

Tired from hours of driving, the family and I went to sleep.  Sometime after midnight the front desk of our hotel called frantically asking us to stop the horn from blowing in our car.  The horn was not blowing when we arrived and checked into the hotel.  Again, I hit the horn and it stopped.  

Fifty different guests called the front desk complaining

Fifty different guests called the front desk complaining, some asking for refunds so that they could move on to a different hotel.  Embarrassed, I moved our car near the door to the lobby where the staff could notify me immediately should the horn start blaring again during the night.  Luckily the horn remained quiet and we were able to have it repaired in Albuquerque, causing us to be only two hours late on our driving schedule for Day 2.

After a good breakfast while waiting for the car to be repaired, we're headed to Sedona, Arizona today!

From Albuquerque we travel the majority of our trip on I-40 which runs parallel to historic Route 66.  We plan to follow I-40 all the way to southern California where we will take a route through the Mojave Desert into Nevada, and our final destination, Las Vegas.

New Mexico didn't disappoint!

Having visited 44 of the 50 states, New Mexico was one I had never visited, so I was eager to get started discovering a new state.  And New Mexico didn't disappoint! The mountains west of Albuquerque were stunning having been dusted lightly by snow resembling confectioners sugar.

That afternoon found us on Apache and Navajo indian land.  The landscape is turning very 'western' now with many arid areas, with flat mesas to be seen in the far distance.

Sedona has the most condensed area of beautiful scenery in one location

We take a scenic detour from I-40 driving through the hairpin turns of Oak Creek Canyon on our way to Sedona to overnight.  Sedona is beyond words.  It has, in my opinion, the most condensed area of beautiful scenery in one location that I have ever seen.  One could spend a week here visiting the upscale restaurants, art galleries, mountain resorts and taking a pink jeep tour into the mountains...a photographer's paradise to say the least.

We rise to a crisp, clear morning in Sedona to go back to I-40 near Flagstaff, heading west through more interesting land formations, and towns along Route 66...great for neon signs, cafes and gas stations from the 1930's.

We saw our first Joshua Tree near Searchlight, Nevada.

In Needles, California we take Route 95 north for the two-hour drive across the Mojave Desert.  A trans-continental freight train is seen making its way across the floor of the basin.  I could only imagine what this foreboding area must have been like for the early settlers and builders of the rail lines.  We saw our first Joshua Tree near Searchlight, Nevada.  These odd plants live to one thousand years old in such harsh conditions.

Shortly thereafter we see our first view of the city of Las Vegas, surrounded by mountains.  It has certainly grown in the fifteen years since I had visited last.  Driving down the entire length of Las Vegas Boulevard, I could sense that the family was excited to finally be in 'Vegas'.

Criss Angel's show was the hightlight of our trip

We arrived at the Luxor Hotel, checked in, then made our way back downstairs to find the theater for Criss Angel's show "Believe".  This was to be the highlight of our entire trip for the girls...they are big Criss Angel fans.  The show is combined with Cirque du Soleil, so I knew that his 'Mindfreak' theme combined with the odd music, costumes and dancing of Cirque du Soleil would make for a great night's entertainment.  The show was indeed worth seeing, and to top things off, Doreen and the girls met Criss as he exited the theater to have their photos taken with him....prized possessions!

Our days in Las Vegas consisted of shopping, a little gambling, and spending time at the heated pool at the Luxor.

The Grand Canyon made for some beautiful photography

The drive home included a visit to both Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.  It was a beautiful, sunny, late afternoon, which made for some incredible photos of the national park.  But the day wouldn't end until we reached Santa Fe, New Mexico for our last night before dropping the girls back off at Texas Tech.

Santa Fe is such a beautiful city, with adobe buildings, art galleries and fine shopping.

After dropping the girls back safe and sound in Lubbock, we drove the last, long, 6 hours back to Keller...tired but happy to have made some great family memories.

You can view all of the photos from our trip on my Flickr photostream:

• Grand Canyon
• Route 66
• Sedona, Arizona
• Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas
• Mojave Desert, Nevada
• Navajo Indian Art

Hawaii Photographer's 5 Steps to Creating with Abandon

I've met the coolest people on Flickr!  Guest blogger, photographer, teacher and world traveler, Archer Kelly submits this post from her home in Hawaii.  Much aloha, and mahalo, Archer!

Times Square panorama

My Grandmother documented her childhood there as a flapper in the tropics

Photography has always been a part of my life.  My great grandfather was a photographer.  His images from the Spanish American War fascinate me; men in simple white tents, somber-looking, dirty, and torn.

Later in Panama when the canal was being built, my grandmother documented her childhood there as a flapper in the tropics.  The walls of my childhood home here in Hawaii were covered with my mother's paintings which came from photographs that she took and had us all pose for.  There are four photographers in my immediate family and the cupboards of our homes overflow with books and books of our images and our memories.

We "feel" the history of photography

I bring photography to young people, as well as being a photographer myself.  They teach me a lot too.  This is the last year we’ll be doing traditional dark room which is bitter sweet.  To open the course I always ask the group to gather round in a circle and we “feel” the history of photography.  I pass around the pictures of my ancestors in cool glass daguerreotypes and sharp tin types, their subject’s stoic faces reflecting the long seated exposure.  We handle the heavy carte postales of a woman with impossibly high hair accompanied by a flowery script that says, “My love is constant.”  The thick silver prints reflect the metal rimmed frames of the tobacco worker, and the shine on the trinity of a young family and their new child.  Sepia-toned card boards of ringlet crowned boys in their short pants, men with their hunting dogs, and ladies at tea remind us of dusty brown roads.  The thinner papers from the Kodak Brownie box show grinning girls in wool swim suits, or a standing baby squinting into the sun with a death grip on the family dog.  We move into the slick era of Argus where cloche-hatted ladies sit on the bumpers of curvy automobiles, and then the explosion of Kodacolor shows our bright synthetic fibers and big television smiles.  The Polaroids mimic the cultural desire for “right now,” and now we move into a pixelated world where digital information creates an almost latent world.

     

I realized the power of the documentary in West Africa

This digital world has been where I’ve been creating for a good decade now.  What a visual feast it is, and with such excess; I can shoot all I want and “chimp” between meals.  What I don’t like I can always alter in “post production.”  I have degrees in Fine Arts and Education.  From Parsons School of Design I did a field study with Mr. Leroy Woodson and LIFE Magazine in West Africa and it was there I realized the power of the documentary.  I also worked for years as a picture researcher and later a production coordinator at two Celebrity Photography Agencies in Los Angeles, so I have been on both ends of the business; pitching ideas and reading magazines sideways.  When I left Hollywood to come home to Hawaii to pursue my own work again, it took some time for me let go of the discipline and rigidity of that formal education to begin to really enjoy creating again.  I had to get free of old ideas.  And when I say create, I mean creating with abandon, from my child-like heart.  Unselfconscious shooting and ignoring the “rules”, shooting so much that I forget the rules.

Dave asked me to write about a few things to share for his blog and so I think I will share some the things I did to get some creative freedom again.

   

Get free of old ideas and create with abandon

1. Travel. I am spending more of my time in the “field” as it were, exploring, rambling, and shooting, staying away from the screen and the fixation with histograms.
2. Adventure. I shoot into the sun, take my gear up to 14,000 feet in the snow, throw it into the air, hang it off a bridge, suspend it from a kite, and bring it to the beach. Stop having the consciousness of scarcity.
3. Experiment “in camera.” I use kaleidoscopes, lawn and security mirrors, Christmas ornaments, spy holes, microscopes, telescopes, and toy lenses, as extensions. Polarized sunglasses, window screens, shooting through the viewfinder of an old Ikoflex, and wavy glass can serve as interesting filters.
4. Innovation.  I love the Technology at our hands.  Alien Skin's program Exposure is one of my favorite Photoshop plug-ins.  It makes digital look like film (the irony) and has an amazing selection of cross-processing and black and white film functions.  Autostitch goes beyond a traditional panorama by combining facets of a scene like a quilt. The Adobe Lightroom has all of those great retro and futro settings.  Play!
5. Old School.  Every now and again I like to change it up and do an “old school” project like making cyanotypes, an oatmeal pinhole camera, and Altoid box, or even garbage can cameras. When I saw “Castaway” I kept thinking what a cool pinhole a coconut would make.

I really do feel most “free” when I allow myself time to explore

My photo journey continues.  In a few weeks I am off to Rome again to wander the streets and shoot.  For the past 7 years I have been finding cheap ticket/hotel packages on the internet and just setting off on a photo safari.  I really do feel most “free” when I allow myself time to explore and I have fresh eyes when I am outside of my comfort zone.  Most of this change comes on the tail of a bout with skin cancer that was a big wake up call (I refuse to allow a freckle to kill me!).  I realized that this isn’t a dress rehearsal and the time is now to do the things my heart desires and to enjoy life to the fullest.  So my message today is; get your dots checked, grab your gear, and go out and get free.

        

==

More about Archer Kelly --


"...I am from Hawaii and I am an artist and a teacher. I married my best friend who is a surfer. I am addicted to travel and learning new things. I am curious about the world and I talk to strangers. I don't bruise easily and I think fear is a time and energy waster. I embrace life, positivity, and love. I shrug off martyrdom, self pity, and maudlin nihilism like a dirty coat.  After years of Art School rhetoric, Los Angeles photo agencies, and a brush with death, my cells regenerated and I was free to create again. I am prone to silliness and I like to play."

View Archer's photography on her Flickr photostream.

 

Zack Arias' powerful video about winter is a must-see for photographers of all levels.

"Transformed" is an incredible video for all photographers, of every level!  (Don't let the first two minutes turn you off...you'll be really glad you watched the entire thing!).

I often thought I was alone feeling like this, and it's great to see someone else who could put it all into words.


Zack Arias' website

WHOA! BEWARE! Many websites use Terms of Service similar to Facebook's which claim ownership of your content/photos!

PLEASE FOLKS, READ THE TERMS OF SERVICE!

Please folks, read the Terms of Service on websites where you upload your valuable, copyrighted content!  Photographers, that would include your valued work, your photos!

Don't be fooled into believing that Facebook is/was the only website out there offering the same, outrageous TOS (Terms of Service) that created the huge uprising by users recently.

As I learn of sites that state the following terms(or something similar), whereby the photographer/user loses most, if not all of the rights to their content, including when/if they cancel their account(!), I will post those sites here...stop back often to watch this list grow(unfortunatley!).

Example text from PictureSocial/Ning:

"...You hereby grant Ning, during the course of your usage of the Ning Platform, a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable and transferable right and license to (i) use, reproduce, create derivative works of, distribute, publicly perform and publicly display Your Content (a) for the sole purpose of operating and making Your Content available on the Ning Platform and in all current and future media in which the Ning Platform may now or hereafter be distributed or transmitted or (b) for our internal business purposes; and (ii) disclose metrics regarding Your Content on an aggregated basis for advertising, marketing and business development purposes. If you wish to grant Users or the general public additional licenses to Your Content, please include the license terms with Your Content. Without limiting the foregoing, Ning reserves the right to retain copies of Content for archival purposes after termination of the Agreement.

You are responsible for making sure that you have all rights in Your Content, including the rights necessary for you to grant the foregoing licenses to Your Content. You are solely responsible for Your Content. You understand that whether or not Your Content is published or marked private by you, Ning does not guarantee any confidentiality or privacy with respect to any of Your Content. 

Additionally, you understand and agree that Your Content that is displayed on the Ning Platform may continue to appear on the Ning Platform, even after you have terminated your Ning Member or Network Member account or terminated these Terms of Service, as portions of Your Content may have been incorporated into Member profiles, RSS feeds or other features.

In addition to the rights, licenses and privileges referred to above, you agree that Ning, in its sole discretion, may use and refer to your trademarks, service marks, trade names, image, character, logos, domain names and other distinctive brand features or identification in marketing materials, financial reports, presentations, website materials, customer lists and other media now known or hereafter discovered in connection with the marketing, advertising and promotion of the Ning Platform, and any products, goods, features, capabilities and/or services associated with the Ning Platform."

• Now Public
• Outside.in
• PictureSocial/Ning

More sites added as they become available!

If you have site that should be added to this list, please add a comment with the site's name and a direct link to their Terms of Service page.

Be careful out there.

Odd cloud formations in Keller, Texas.

Probably a once-in-a-lifetime cloud event, and I hurriedly picked up my camera at dusk not realizing that I still had my neutral density filter on it...zooming in close to get up close and personal with these odd formations, I introduced quite a bit of grain to the images. If you know me well, or visit my site often, you know how much I enjoy shooting Texas clouds, so I am really kicking myself right now.

But, as I will often do to 'save' and image that is grainy, I added even more grain to it to give a more surreal effect...and in the case of the two images posted here, I also created cloud overlays by combining two or more images into one.

Craigslist ads for photographers to work for free...it's not good for my blood pressure!

"...I am the founder of a new clothing brand. I am in need of a volunteer photographer to take pics of two of my models for my new site and for our marketing. These pics will be viewed by all customers, retail stores, and at fashion shows since they will be our main photo pieces. So basically, whoever volunteers would get a lot of publicity and their work will be seen at fashion shows in Chicago, Dallas, Vegas and quite possibly New York."

It's not good for my blood pressure
Does the ad shown above sound familiar?  You can find ads like this each day on Craigslist.  I don't know why I check the Creative Gigs section of Craigslist for possible leads for photography jobs; it's not good for my blood pressure! 

What's in this for me?
Now, I can understand folks being on a budget, especially when operating a small, upcoming business(just like my own photography business I should add!), but why would I as a photographer, who spent thousands of dollars on expensive camera equipment, my own money educating myself and hours perfecting my craft, want to volunteer my product for free?  Will the photos I shoot have my name and contact information on the face of them while on the website of the clothing line?  Will it be on the photos on display at the fashion shows in Dallas, Las Vegas and possibly New York?

Why shoot commercial photography for free?
I try to  understand why photography is expected to be provided for free...the clothing manufacturer can't even offer a free tee-shirt, or to buy me a value meal at McDonald's or to cover the price of gas to go to and from their site?  Just do it for free?  Not even ten bucks?  Seriously...think about it!  What is the photographer really getting out of this deal.  Unless a business plan, indicating guaranteed publicity is offered, what's in it for me?  Afterall, the business sees value in the images and will profit from these photographs.

Improving my portfolio how?
Recently, there was another Craigslist ad for an 'upcoming model' seeking, again, free photography to bolster her headshots.  The deal?  To help the photographer better their portfolio.  I wrote to ask if she could send me five current photos so that I could determine whether she was pretty enough to become part of my portfolio(you know, to better it!) before I would commit to shooting her headshots for free.  Of course, I received no reply.  Do folks like this truly believe most photographers see value in this?  I certainly haven't met any.

AD: Photographer seeks volunteer clothing brand for photo shoots
Advertising such as this must work because there is an increase to this type of ad on Craigslist, so I thought I would give it a try!  I've written my own ad to be posted sometime soon:

"...I am the founder of a new photography business.  I am in need of a volunteer clothing brand to give me several outfits for me to wear on photo shoots.  These outfits will be viewed by my customers, family, friends and motorists driving by me while I snap photos.  They will be my main clothes that I wear when on photo shoots.  So basically, whoever volunteers would get a lot of publicity and their clothing line will be seen at photo shoots in Chicago, Dallas, Vegas and quite possibly New York"

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it?!  Any takers?

[where: 76248]

Facebook Withdraws changes to Terms of Service TOS

Unfortunately, it's a little too late to regain me as a user. 

As stated in this article from the BBC, I feel it's a breach of faith.

BBC Article

FACEBOOK: Our new Terms Of Service (TOS) says we can do whatever we like with your photos. Forever, even if you delete them later. Oh, and have a nice day.

BEWARE:  Facebook has recently modified their Terms of Service (TOS). 

It appears that whatever you post, including photos, can be used however they like, in perpetuity.  And don't think deleting those previously-posted images will protect you...their new terms of service covers those too.  Facebook now owns anything you've ever posted and can do with it whatever they please.

"...You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof."

There's more!

"...You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."

And more!

"...The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content, Your Privacy Practices, Gift Credits, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, Licenses, Submissions, User Disputes; Complaints, Indemnity, General Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, Termination and Changes to the Facebook Service, Arbitration, Governing Law; Venue and Jurisdiction and Other."

I deactivated my Facebook account today.  

MORE

18,000 men create human Statue of Liberty in 1918, Incredible Photo!

Amazing creation...and amazing photo

-- even more incredible is the fact that someone took a photograph of it in 1918!

FACTS:

Base to Shoulder: 150 feet
Right Arm: 340 feet
Widest part of arm holding torch: 12 1/2 feet
Right thumb: 35 feet
Thickest part of body: 29 feet
Left hand length: 30 feet
Face: 60 feet
Nose: 21 feet
Longest spike of head piece: 70 feet
Torch and flame combined: 980 feet
Number of men in flame of torch: 12,000
Number of men in torch: 2,800
Number of men in right arm: 1,200
Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000

Total men: 18,000

You can see more fascinating, patriotic images shot by photographers Mole & Thomas here.

Yo! Where my bees at?