pinwheel (kazaguruma) by Photomo

Citing falling sales Polaroid announced on February 8th that they would be ceasing production of instant film and photobloggers across the world went into mourning, swiftly followed by hoarding.

Although we think there is little chance that public outcry will convince Polaroid to reopen its factories there is a petition with several thousand signatures we urge you to sign. Polaroid have said they are open to licensing the rights to produce instant film to a third party, so the more people sign the petition the better chance there is someone will realise there's a viable enthusiasts' market for small scale production.

Fujifilm are now the only company producing instant film products.

The World Press Photo organization has announced the winners of its 2008 contest.

The overall winner, shown above, taken by Tim Hetherington shows an American soldier in Afghanistan. As with last year's awards, conflict is a common theme amongst the news category winners. The first place winner in the spot news category is a photograph taken by UK photojournalist John Moore at the exact moment a bomb explodes in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, killing Benazir Bhutto.

My favourite of the winners is the series of shots by Erik Refner of marathon runners taken at the finish line in the sports feature category.

This morning I was reading Robert Scoble's blog where he made some comments about Lane Hartwell, an active Flickr user and contributor to several publications. She decided to remove a large number of her photos from Flickr for copyright reasons. Here's an excerpt from Lane's explanation of her decision:

I’ve been a very loyal flickr user for almost 3 years. I had just under 5,000 photos here with almost a half million views. Most of my friends are fellow flickr users. I love sharing my images here and have really appreciated all the support and comments that I have received. This was not a happy decision I made and my heart was sinking as I watched 4000+ images disappear.

I don’t want to disparage flickr in any way over this. It’s not their fault that some people are dishonest scumbags who consider flickr a source for free photos. Flickr is clearly not a pro photo storage/gallery site. I get that. I *do* wish, though, that flickr would innovate a little more to keep up with the growing talents of the photographers here, who are producing higher quality images every day and are at risk of being ripped off. Did you know that someone can embed one of your sets as a slide show into their website, even if you disable downloading? That happened to me 2 weeks ago. My recourse was to remove the photos so the thieves would not have access. So I hope that flickr becomes aware of things like this and works harder to protect their photographers.

Robert's response is to say, "Steal my content, please!":

I’ve found that the more I give away my content, the more magical stuff happens to me anyway and if that means my photos or writings or videos get used in some way that I don’t really like, well, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Lane obviously is not.

These are two very different approaches to internet distribution and copyright:

1. Try to keep control.
2. Let people do what they want and hope something good happens.

The first option appears to place more value on the content itself, whereas the second option makes the assumption that there's something of value beyond the content. Maybe there isn't a single "right" choice. Maybe these are just two different approaches/tools that creative-types can use to their advantage under different circumstances.

On a semi-related note, I wonder if Radiohead will continue to give away free digital downloads of their future albums the same as they did with In Rainbows.

After much speculation over the last six months, and a couple of well-timed leaks in the last few days, Canon finally announced the latest in its range of 'prosumer' DSLRs, the 40d. There are many improvements here over the 30d, such as Canon's dust reduction system, the new DIGIC III image processor and a larger LCD screen. More interesting perhaps is that several upgrades seem to indicate that Canon is trying to differentiate this model line from the 'Rebel' line. For example, the 40d gets a 14-bit A/D converter for a finer tonal range, the menu system is modelled after the professional D-series, there are now interchangeable focussing screens, and, using the new 'Live View' feature it's possible to shoot in 'silent mode' where the first curtain is locked up to reduce shutter noise and you use the LCD to compose (since the viewfinder will be blocked by the mirror).

Notable features include:

• 10.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, noise reduction technology, and 14-bit conversion for outstanding color tones and gradations.
• a faster 6.5 fps, burst rate with a larger buffer and DIGIC III Image Processor.
• a new AF system with 9 more accurate cross-type sensors (previously only the centre sensor was cross-type) and world's first diagonal high-precision cross-type AF at center point with f/2.8 and faster lenses.
• taking advantage of the 14 bit channel conversion Highlight Tone Priority mode improves highlight detail retention without effecting shutter speed or aperture.
  
• new 3" LCD with Live View.

The 40d will be released in Japan at the end of the month and through September in the rest of the world. The body will be priced at approximately $1300 in the US.

Keeping themselves very busy Canon announced several other new models including a new professional flagship model, the $8000 1ds mkIII. The 1ds features a mouth-watering 21mp full frame sensor, reportedly pushing the camera's abilities beyond even the best of Canon's lenses. Canon also announced four new digital compacts, include the PowerShot G9 (now with RAW capability), and two new lenses, an 18-55 kit lens with IS and a 55-250mm IS lens.

The international jury of the prestigious World Press Photo Contest has announced its winners for 2006.

The top award went to an image by Spencer Platt, showing a group of stylish, young Lebanese driving through one of the devastated areas of Beirut in a red convertible after the ceasefire with Israel had been announced.

Interestingly, a fair number of the winners seems to be using medium format equipment, and one photographer seems to be using a Holga/Diana type of camera from the vignetting exhibited.

Check out the winners' gallery here.

Kentucky based photoblogger, Tread, has brought together 30 Toy Camera users for an international event called Toy Polloy. On Friday, November 17, 42 images from thirty artists will be displayed at the Icehouse in Lexington, KY, USA.

In an interview, Tread explained to me the origins of Toy Polloy, and various participants in the exhibit discussed their use of Toy Cameras and their Art.

Read more...

*****

If you can't make it to Toy Polloy, then check out the online exhibit, where Flak Photo and Light Leaks magazine have teamed up to feature select artists from Toy Polloy in a week-long display of their work.

Kodak is offering four free rolls of their newest film, either 35mm or 120, to the first 20,000 people who sign up. The only catch is that a US address is required for delivery.

Get yours today! This offer won't last long!

(Found via photojunkie.)

The "orphaned" bill that's been protested for months by trade organizations like the American Society of Media Photographers was not brought forward to the House on Wednesday as planned. Congress adjourned today, so the bill has no chance of passing this year. Good news for now.

A bit of backstory in case you missed it...

Early this year, the U.S. Copyright Office introduced the proposal that certain works could have copyright protections removed if the author of a work could not be determined. ASMP’s primary complaint was that a great deal of photos and illustrations published online, unaccompanied by image credits, would be "orphaned."

You can also read more about this in our previous post about US Legislation on Orphan Works.

JPG Magazine celebrates two years of publication this week, with new features. You can now create a membership, upload your photos, and vote on other member's photos. The magazine will also have more content, be less expensive, and will be published more frequently. And if your submitted image is chosen for publication, you can receive $100!

In addition, subscriptions will soon be available. You can go to the site to sign up and receive updates by email. Check it out, JPG Magazine was created for people just like us!

You can now watch the trailer for the upcoming film 'Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus', starring Nicole Kidman as Arbus, in quicktime over on the apple site.

Already the subject of much debate in film and photography forums the film's trailer has been well received and the poster is gorgeous.