livebooks blog

Our sources informed us of Vincent Laforet’s new film – “a narrative short filmed exclusively with the Canon 5D Mark II” – a while ago, so we’re glad to be able to share it with you finally. The unofficial website will only tell you that it’s named “Betrayed“, and is directed by Joshua Grossberg with cinematography by Vincent Laforet and photographer Robert Caplin. Stay tuned to RESOLVE for more details.

According to an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, London’s National Portrait Gallery is furious about images of paintings from the museum’s web site showing up on Wikipedia. The core of the argument is whether these photographic images of the masterpieces are considered in the public domain or if they are creative work. The Gallery Hopper has details and links to related stories.

Need more Martin Parr in your life? Don’t we all? iGoogle has released a new Martin Parr theme with images by the Magnum photographer. Click here to see it for yourself.

Some people are still trying to figure out what “free” really means, Rupert Murdoch is just saying no. According to the Guardian, the media mogul “has lost patience with giving away his expensively produced journalism on the internet for nothing.” By June 2010, you’ll have to pay to read any News Corp content.

NPPA publicly objected to a recent comment by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking people to tell the police if they see someone “continually taking photographs of a piece of critical infrastructure that doesn’t seem to make any sense.” “Photography by itself should not be considered suspicious activity, and it is protected by the First Amendment,” the NPPA reiterated.

In an effort to save the financially troubled Gamma, the photojournalist arm of French photo agency Eyedea, directors are taking legal actions that will likely lead to a reorganization. As Fred Ritchin points out on After Photography, Gamma is largely responsible for the rise of international, multi-lingual news photo agencies.

It started last week when a Los Angeles-based photographer proudly posted on the Model Mayhem forum that Time Magazine used his $30 stock photo for its April cover. The pats on the back quickly turned to comments like, “you got screwed” and spread around the photo blogosphere, where Salon even picked up the story. dvafoto has a roundup of related coverage.

Conscientious has a couple posts related to the controversy around Edgar Martins’ work for the New York Times Magazine, giving Martins a chance to explain his side of the story. As usual, Joerg has been able to encourage meaningful discussions (here, here, and here) in the midst of a lot of reactionary commentary.

August 15th will mark the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and Lens honors the event with an interview with legendary photographer Bill Eppridge, who was there with a “car full of film.”

Elliott Erwitt and Jim Marshall, from Tim Mantoani's "Behind Photographs" project. ©Tim Mantoani Photography Inc.

Name: Tim Mantoani
Website: www.mantoani.com
Age: 40
Location: San Diego
Full-time job: Photographer

Personal project name and description
Behind Photographs — I have been shooting portraits of photographers for the past 2.5 years on 20×24 Polaroid. Each photographer is holding an image they are known for. As many of these photographers, like Polaroid, fade away, I hope these images will be a way for future generation to appreciate the contribution these artists have made.

When and why did you start it?
I started shooting in Dec ’06; I always wanted to try shooting with the 20×24 Polaroid. Since it is expensive to rent, I wanted to shoot something that meant something special to me. I knew both Jim Marshall and Michael Zagaris and asked them to bring in a favorite image to hold for a portrait. It all snowballed from there.

What is your favorite image so far?
Too many great images and memories to call out a single image.

What has been the most challenging thing about the project?
Cost and time. I have really maxed myself out financially shooting this project, but it is all starting to come together now that people can see the work. Sadly, some of the participants have passed away, but it is a great feeling to know that I can help keep their legacies alive.

What has been the most rewarding thing about it?
Being able to spend some time with each of these photographers, to hear their stories and collaborate on the final image.

In your ideal world, where would this project end up?
I would love to see this project in a large venue where I can show all of the images at full size.

Do you recommend personal projects to other photographers, and why?
Every photographer has a personal project they want to shoot. JUST GO DO IT!!!! There will always be a bunch of reasons not to: money, time, risk. But at the end of the day, the images you shoot for YOU are the ones that will be your best and the most rewarding. The roller coaster is more fun than the merry-go-round.

Infamous downtown artist Dash Snow, only 27 years old, died July 13 of a drug overdose at a hotel in New York City. His controversial art and photography drew comparisons to Nan Goldin and Andy Warhol and was mentioned in Jorge Colberg’s post on Conscientious asking “What makes art?”

Renowned outdoor photographers Art Wolfe, David Doubilet, and Thomas Mangelsen have embraced a new “virtual stock agency” model developed by PhotoShelter. They have teamed up to create an agency called Wild. Art, a RESOLVE contributor, explains the decision in a great piece in Outdoor Photographer Magazine.

The Prix Pictet announced its shortlist of 12 international photographers during a special screening at the 40th Rencontres d’Arles last week. We are excited to see RESOLVE contributor Ed Kashi on the list. Other familiar names include Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson and Portugese-born photographer Edgar Martins, who found himself in the middle of a recent photoshop controversy.

After the French government allowed priceless Henri Cartier-Bresson images to be damaged and then promised to destroy them, the images have reemerged in the art market, in an incident that The Online Photographer has cheekily dubbed “oeuf on face.”

Mannie Garcia, the photographer who made the the image of Barack Obama that Shepard Fairey based his HOPE poster on, filed a court motion to join the lawsuit between Fairey and the Associated Press.