Vignettes :: Dennis Rito

Urban Facelift

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Metro Gwapo (na ba?)

Spelling Bee Contestant

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:06:00 +0000

Things You Need to Know About Rights-Grab Photo Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:21:00 +0000

It seem that contest photo organizers/ sponsors had found a 'cheap and economical way' to 'harvest' a great deal of creative work, usually images for absolutley nothing - a library of FREE images. These are rampant nowadays not just in the Philippines (from private companies to government agencies) but even abroad. A clever ploy targetting photographers especially the amateurs who are naive and do not understand their rights and the potential value of their work. This, in a way, can 'harm' photography in general because when sponsors/ contest organizers get a collection of free images, they are less likely to buy nor hire/commission a photographer to shoot photos for commercial application - somewhere, a photographer loses a sale.

Yet, no matter how clever their mechanics/ contest rules may be, there will always be loopholes and gray areas which you can detect if you examine the contest mechanics very closely. When joining a (photo) contest, please take sometime to read carefully and understand the specific clauses particularly on the following:

Copyright Ownership/ Policy

As authors of original works, photographer entrants should own copyright of their entries, irregardless of winning and non-winning entries. Think twice if you see any of the following clause explicitly expressed in the rules:"All photos submitted as entries to the photo contest shall be owned by ...."; "..... shall retain the copyright of the photographs."; "All entries shall automatically become exclusive property of .... and may be used, copied, reproduced and/or reprinted by.... into any size or medium for exhibition, advertising, promotion or whatever purpose." (see: ownership of copyright & derivative works)

File Submission

Photographer's entries are submitted independently of the digital files or film negatives except in the case of winners, where the sponsors/ organizers may request high resolution file/ digital scans of the winning photographs for verification purposes. Contest organizers has the prerogative in disposing non-winning prints. These maybe returned (via mail by enclosing self-stamped envelope) or destroyed if unclaimed. It is also understood that mere possession of unreturned/ unclaimed entries, both print/ digital files (low resolution) does not transfer authors copyright to the organizer/s (see: transfer or assignment of copyright). Please be warned should you read the clause "Original negatives and data files should be submitted together with the entry" or "All photos submitted as entries to the photo contest shall be owned by ...."

Terms of Use

Organizers has the right to use the winning photographs for marketing and promotional purposes directly related to the photo competition. It is also the duty of the organizers to give appropriate citation/credit to photographers of winning entries. Please be watchful though for a clause such as this: ".... you hereby grant ...., its subsidiaries and branch offices the perpetual right to exclusively, royalty-free and without limitation freely use, modify, edit, copy, reproduce, distribute, translate, create derivate works from, alter and publicly display or publish such content, for whatever purposes, in any form or medium, either on this web-site or elsewhere, whether promotional or in other activities or events arranged by .... or any of the above stated parties, whether locally or world-wide."

Attribution

Being the author of creative work, you have the right to require that the authorship be attributed to you, the right to object to any distortion, mutilation or other modification, or derogatory action which would be prejudicial to your name and reputation (see moral rights).

What photographers lose in joining these contests?

Photographers loose all their rights, including economic and moral rights and also future income generated from licensing, etc. (see details on copyright/ economic rights and moral rights).

In conclusion, make sure that all rules and guidelines are clear, fair and justified. Should you encounter unclear and misleading guidelines similar to the clauses stated above, better think twice - it's not worth your time and effort. You may as well join IPR-Photo should you be interested in issues such as these.

It Pays to Read the Fine Print

Tips for Protecting your Images

Blogs/ Sites that linked here:

Cebu-Sugbo

IPR-Photo Blog

IPR-Photo Multiply Site

Alaric Yanos

Gilbert Gamolo

Agimat.net

Philippine Photography Scene

Emil Ancheta

Wookiegraphy: Truth or Dare

Freelance, Footloose

Note:

Republishing this post is permitted as long as you link to this blog post. Thank you.

Filipino Photographer VJ Villafranca bags coveted Ian Parry Award

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:18:00 +0000

Photo: © VJ Villafranca

I've been reading a lot in the PCP egroup about VJ's winning the Ian Parry Grant and had tried searching the net for the official result including the Ian Parry website a couple of days back to confirm and finally: (from PDN):

Photographer Vicente Jaime "VJ" Villafranca has won the 2008 Ian Parry Scholarship.

The prize awards £3,000 ($5,900) to a photographer attending a full-time photographic course or under the age of 24. Villafranca plans to use the award to fund a project in Myanmar.

Villafranca, 26, is a freelance photographer in Manila, Philippines and a former student at the Asian Center for Journalism, Ateneo De Manila University. His portfolio includes portraits of gang members who live in downtown Manila.

Runners up for the prize include Gianni Cipriano (highly commended), Matt Eich (commended) and Gratiane de Moustier (commended).

The scholarship is given in memory of Ian Parry, who died in 1989 at age 26 while on assignment for The Sunday Times during the Romanian revolution. The Sunday Times Magazine publishes the work of all the finalists.

The work will also be on view at the Getty Images Gallery in London from for two weeks beginning August 7.

Previous Ian Parry Scholarship winners include Ivor Prickett, Irina Werning, Arantxa Cedillo, David Høgsholt, Leonie Purchas, Jonas Bendiksen and Zijah Gafic.

Pinoy lensman bags coveted Ian Parry Award

Ian Parry Scholarship 2008 Winners & Finalists

See VJ's winning photos here.

Congrats, VeeJay!

Another Rights Grab Photo Contest?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is organizing a photo contest dubbed as "Pitik sa Charity, PCSO National Photo Competition" whose objectives are to "show the acts of KINDNESS DONE BY PEOPLE FROM ALLWALKS OF LIFE" and to "promote the institutional brand message “SPREAD THE CHARITY VIRUS”

Under the contest rules, the following stipulations can be found:

"Without additional compensation to photographers, photos may be published for promotional purposes only by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. All photos submitted as entries to the photo contest shall be owned by PCSO." (#6)

"Top one hundred (100) photos may be reproduced or reprinted into bigger sizes for exhibits without additional compensation to owners. Credits shall be given to the photographers on all photos exhibited or published. PCSO shall retain the copyright of the photos." (#8)

Similar contest mechanics, but a bit modified (?), can be found at Philippine Information Agency Website.

"All photos submitted as entries to the photo contest shall be owned by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) that has the exclusive authority to publish them for promotional purposes..."

It pays to read the Fine Print

DIY Film Coating Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:08:00 +0000

Photo: Dark Orange

An ex-Kodak chemist having managed to hand develop Kodachrome, decides to go one step further and make his own kodachrome film. Hand-application is not consistant enough so he sets about building a machine to take the variability out of the final product.

Initial problems (uneven coating caused by gearbox and bearing chatter) have been solved, and the machine now works to the builder's exacting requirements, and now the builder is spending his time manufacturing reaction chambers and other emulsion manufacturing hardware.

More info can be found here and at Analog Photography Users Group.

Through: Photon Detector Blog by Nicolai Morrisson

Rainy Days are here again

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:06:00 +0000

Bolinao, Pangasinan

True or False?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:52:00 +0000

Got photo manipulation detection questions? Hany Farid, the director of Dartmouth College's Image Science Laboratory and Adobe collaborator recently appeared on PBS's NOVA to discuss his research on detecting doctored photographs.

Should you have questions, please feel free to post your questions here. Answers to viewer's questions will be posted to the NOVA website on July 1st.

See "Digital Forensics: 5 Ways to Spot a Fake Photo" by Dr. Farid here.

Digital Forensics: How Experts Uncover Doctored Images

Image Authenticity & Photoshop

Source: PDN Pulse

Counter-Photography and Swarm in the Aperture Guided Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:18:00 +0000

Join Isa Lorenzo as she gives a guided tour of two current shows at the National Museum -- Counter-Photography presented by the Japan Foundation and the Japanese Embassy, and Swarm in the Aperture curated by National Museum Curator Patrick Flores. This will be on June 22 (Sunday), 3-5PM.

In it, Lorenzo will discuss the history of contemporary Japanese photography, of which the Japanese show is packed with fine examples, both in content and quality. She will also be giving a brief introduction on the infancy of photography in the Philippines.

For interested parties, the meeting place is at the 4/F elevator lobby, 2:45pm, North Wing, Museum of the Filipino People, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Limited slots available. RSVP 8160044

For more information, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2320 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City, 816-0044, 0905-265-0873, manage@silverlensphoto.com. www.silverlensphoto.com.

So You Wanna Shoot in China?

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:34:00 +0000

Photographers are heading to China in droves right now, whether for the coming Olympics in Beijing (August 8-24), to cover the aftermath of the tragic May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province — or just to shoot stock: China's ferocious growth and rapidly changing economy have made it a perennially hot news property.

"It’s an unusual time of openness in China, which is traditionally a xenophobic country, thanks to the Olympics and the earthquake, " says Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler , a project of the Earth Island Institute. "That openness is a two-way street. People traveling to China, particularly Americans, can try to counteract some of the negative images that China has of us from its media."

But this is a very politically sensitive country. Attempting to shoot certain subjects—anything to do with say, Tibet, religion, state executions, and disease—can get you in trouble with the authorities. Along with Greenwald, PDNOnline talked to ten photographers who have shot in mainland China to get their tips for those new to the country. Several living in or frequently working in China spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Continue reading here.

Source: PDN

Filipino Photographer Sues Major Daily for Copyright Infringement

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:42:00 +0000

Photo Forums are abuzz and filled with messages expressing support to Anton Sheker, a Filipino photographer who formally filed a case against one of the Philippine media giant and Philippine's oldest dailies for allegedly infringing on his copyright by downloading photos from his personal blog, which were allegedly used for a travel feature without his permission.

This will be the first time that a case on copyright infringement and the Internet as a medium is in question. It will also be the first time that camera EXIF data will be used as evidence in the Philippines.

This will be a test for the Philippine copyright law and protection of works by local artists. Will Anton triumph in his quest for justice? Let's wait and see!

See original story here.

See also some related posts on this topic:

Pursuing Copyright Infringement Committed Against Photographers

Collective Administration of Visual Arts in the Philippines

Links for 2008-06-09 [Digg]

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Photographer Sues Major Daily for Copyright Infringement
Anton Sheker goes after Manila Bulletin for downloading photos from his blog and using them on the newspaper without permission violating his basic Intellectual Property rights.

Public Accountability

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:43:00 +0000

While waiting for my companion to finish the police report he filed at a local police station, I was drawn to this signage behind the police officer who's busy in his old typewriter - a reminder that many, though not all, in the public office easily forgets. The sign reads: "A Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice and lead modest lives." - Accountability of Public Officers (Art. Xi Sec 1 of 1987 Philippine Constitution)

Photographed with a Fuji Finepix F30, manual mode.

Homeward Bound

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:23:00 +0000

Untitled

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:25:00 +0000

An outtake from the early stage of my project for the workshop.

Mapping Invisible Cities Photo Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Sun, 18 May 2008 04:22:00 +0000

(click image to view large version)

Mapping Invisible Cities is a Photo Exhibition of Peter Bialobrzeski's Teach & Work workshop series where a total of 96 images from 6 cities (Hanoi, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila & Singapore) will be displayed for exhibition from June 8-July 3, 2008 at Galeri GoetheHaus, Jl. Sam Ratulangi No. 9-15, Menteng, Jakarta 10036, Indonesia. Included in the exhibition are works of Peter Bialobrzeski that were made during his 6 months stay in the region. Opening reception - June 3, 2008, 7:30PM.

Special thanks to: Peter Bialobrzeski, Goethe-Institut Manila, Goethe-Institut Jakarta, Silverlens, ACFJ, Alex Supartono, Henri Ismail and all who was involved in this project.

Mud Wrestlers

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Hip-hopin'

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:07:00 +0000

Photographed at the 4th Philippine Hip-hop Awards 2008.

Untitled

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:17:00 +0000

Everything comes with a price

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:37:00 +0000

Tondaligan, Dagupan, Pangasinan

Embers

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:53:00 +0000

"Expect fire every summer" said one of the residents in the fire accident which burned down more than 10 houses and displaced unknown number of families in Vulcan Compound, Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila last week.

Tampisaw

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:24:00 +0000

After a long hiatus, here's an image I've taken in Antique. Tampisaw means 'a playful splash in shallow waters'.

Honorable Mention - PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:25:00 +0000

PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris had announced the winners of the Human Condition Photography Competition which goal was to document the wide spectrum of peoples' ways of life around the world. I am equally pleased too, that my entry titled 'Slum Dwellers' got an Honorable Mention. Same photo won a Special Mention in the last year's WHO Photo & Video Contest 2007.

To know more about PX3, click here.

My Not-So-New Toy

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:48:00 +0000

Finally I got my not-so-new toy, a used Mamiya 645 1000s. I've always wanted to have a medium format film camera and try shooting on a larger film format (am a 35mm shooter all my life). Due to budget constraints, my first choice then was the Holga - an inexpensive, medium format 'toy' camera which is very popular among the local lomography circle. Photographs shot with a Holga camera seem appealing to me but its limited control prompted me not to buy one.

The unit was bought along with 3 lenses (150mm, 80mm, & 55mm), 1 winder and an extra film insert - all for a whooping P10,000 ($200++)! All the shutter speeds are fully functional except for the metering. Lenses show no scratch except for some fungus that needs to be cleaned. Not bad =)

My sincerest thanks to my good friend Sid Tendencia for his help and in dealing with the seller (from Iloilo) on my behalf.

Peter Bialobrzeski: Teach & Work Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:44:00 +0000

German photographer and former World Press Photo judge Peter Bialobrzeski has been in Manila for 4 weeks taking pictures of the cityscape for a project called “Urban Spaces”. The city is his 5th stop in a series of residencies in Southeast Asia. Prior to Manila, he was in Hanoi, Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

During his stay, he has also been conducting workshops for a select group of Philippine photographers. On Tuesday, workshop participants Estan Cabigas, Gigie Cruz, Tammy David, Kidlat de Guia, Che Katigbak, Cathy Quiogue, Dennis Rito and Cris Sevilla will be presenting the projects that they worked on during the workshop. All deal will various aspects of urbanity. The photos will be included in a Goethe-Institut exhibit that will be travelling around Southeast Asia later this year.

To see the entire collection of photographs, talk to the photographers and meet Bialobrzeski, head to Silverlens Gallery on February 26 for a slideshow of all the photographers’ works. The event starts at 6pm.

In cooperation with Silverlens Gallery and the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism. For more information, please visit call 8170978 or visit Goethe Institut Manila.

World Press Photo 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dennis S. Rito) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:25:00 +0000

This year World Press Photo received 80,536 images made by 5,019 photographers spread over 125 countries. Interesting statistics, but WPP are even more impressed with the amazing diversity and quality of the material. The number of entries from Central and South America continued to grow for the second year running and submissions from Asia rose to 20 percent of the total.

Visit the WPP Winners Gallery 2008 here.

Links for 2007-10-14 [Digg]

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Pursuing Copyright Infringement Committed Against Photographers
Copyright infringements committed against photographers’ works often remain unsolved and many have a hard time pursuing the case because of the high fees involved. The photographers, who like many in the creative field, are dependent on the income generated on the usage (licensing) of their photos and are often on a disadvantaged position...

Links for 2007-09-22 [Digg]

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Photo Sites Must Adequately Inform Copyright Usage
In the case of the many other copyright infringements by bloggers who inappropriately re-use flickr and other photo sites, I believe those sites share culpability with the bloggers. There is more the photo sites could do to protect the photographers and to inform the users of the sites....

Links for 2007-09-01 [Digg]

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

2007 Chinese Journalism Awards' winning stories found to have been FAKED
An investigation by Chinese internet users has found that stories that won prizes at the 2007 Chinese Journalism Awards were nothing more than frauds: The Yangzhou Evening News won a photojournalism award for a page it actually didn't print, and CCTV fabricated a story about a young woman who supposedly committed suicide.

Links for 2007-08-30 [Digg]

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Viacom s "bass ackwards" screw-up issues takedown for video it "pirated"
Viacom's copyright battle with YouTube took an interesting turn this week, as the company has found itself in the embarrassing position of having highlighted the possibly that it committed a little "for-profit" copyright infringement of its own (some would call it "piracy").

Links for 2007-08-29 [Digg]

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Another Photo Contest Falls Prey To Copyright Violations
You may recall last month’s story about a stolen photo winning a Fujifilm contest. Sadly, this seems to be a new trend. The Chinese photographer who originally won Microsoft’s 2007 Future Pro Photo Competition allegedly neither took the winning pic nor held the rights to it.

Links for 2007-07-18 [Digg]

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Best of Photojournalism 2007 [Pictures]
The best photos in the "International news, the history of photography"