THE HUNT FOR THE BLUE HERON (Part 1)

I was out shooting last week, trekking along the muddy banks of the Rappahannock. Not looking for anything particular. Just wanted to take some nature shots. A flock of four geese (do four geese make a flock?) settled in the water and I quickly changed my lens to get closer shots (it was cold and I wasn't about to wade through the water). They moved upstream (maybe downstream) and I started to follow.

I'm watching them, watching the slim path ahead of me, when I see him (or her). The beautiful curved neck of a crane hiding in the brush along the bank. Maybe 10' away. I moved slowly, quietly, telepathically telling this majestic bird to wait, to stay still. Suddenly his neck stiffened. He became cautious, tense. He took flight.

The elusive blue heron had eluded me again. All I got was a continual blur across the sky.

The hunt continues.

EVOLUTION OF A HEAD SHOT

I'm putting myself out there today. Way out there. With a before and after shot. And not just any before and after shot, but the before and after shot of my head shot.

To give you the short run down, I hate having my picture taken (I'll point out the obvious reasons why in the before shot). There's a reason I stay behind the camera. But despite my own dislike at getting my picture taken, I needed a descent head shot. I had been (like most people) relying on random shots taken that were somewhat okay but quite iffy. The obvious shot was hiding my face behind the camera. Not very professional if you ask me and not something I would recommend. Then I tried the self portrait, but I realized that I have no knack for taking self portraits. Just not my thing. Short of hiring a professional, I engaged my assistant (my husband). I set up the tripod, adjusted the settings, told him how to focus, then handed him the remote trigger and told him where to aim. It wasn't too bad.

Though, I did take a deep breath as the pics loaded into the computer. We took a few series of shots and the worst that could happen was to reshoot. But I had to keep in mind that what showed up in the RAW file wasn't going to be the final image.

So with that, let's go to the before shot and I'll be more than happy to show you why I hate having my picture taken.

Okay, so I think that's all pretty valid for not wanting to have my picture taken.


And those are just the major problems. While I also fixed the minor problems, in my eyes, there were too many to list.

I look at this face in the mirror more than once a day (it's not vanity - but rather brushing teeth, make-up, hair styling). I see all these things in the mirror, but the camera, bless its little sensor, tends to show it more obviously than the mirror.

Now, my friends, if you're looking for a Photoshop lesson, you've come to the wrong place. You can find that elsewhere on the web with no problem. This little scenario has more to do with photo fear and how it's best resolved. The resolution? Those wonderful folks at Adobe who invented Photoshop.

If you look at the after picture, you'll see color adjustment, no dark circles (okay, there's still a hint of it under the right eye), the chin scaring is gone, along with the double chin, the highlights are toned down and the blotchy skin is now matched with the other tones. There's also a necklace chain that I took out of the photo as the necklace wasn't really part of the shot. And, I softened the shot to take away some of the hard edges.

Is it perfect? No. Are there still things I would (probably will at some point) change on this shot? You bet. I'd get rid of the watch on the right wrist and I'd do something about the hair (there are a few blending issues that bug me - but when you have natural curl, you never have the same hair day twice). I'd also tone down the highlights a bit more in the sweater. And really, I'd probably reshoot and do something about the left hand (don't ask - I was trying to relax and wasn't paying attention to the hand). As a photographer, there is always something I'll find on a photo that "needs" changing (whether it really does or not). But all in all, the after picture is acceptable. I can live with it.

So there you have it, the evolution of a head shot (and a simple cure for photo fear).

FREDERICKSBURG DOWNTOWN DOG FAIR

This past weekend I took my camera downtown and photographed the Fredericksburg Downtown Dog Fair. So many people and their dogs (and no cats allowed - I think). I saw a lot of beautiful creatures and much love and affection between animal and human. People love their dogs. And I'm no exception. We even brought Mags to the fair and she took her first run on the lure course (her natural hunting instincts took over - Mama was so proud).

The Fredericksburg Downtown Dog Fair is a yearly event provided by Gone to the Dogs charity. Money raised from the event goes to local animal welfare. This group of local business men and women put a lot of effort and heart into the project for local dog lovers to spend a day of fun with their best friends (their dogs, of course) and to promote awareness of local animal welfare.

With that, this week's post is simply a compilation of some of my favorite shots from the day.

UNDERSTANDING COPYRIGHT

Most people don’t think about copyright. You do if you’re a designer, photographer, artist, musician; really, any sort of creative (this is the term I’ll use to describe a designer, photographer, writer, artist, musician, etc).

Unfortunately, most business owners don’t understand what they’re purchasing when acquiring a design, a website, a photograph, a song; whatever it may be your business wishes to have created. One must understand the copyright is the creative’s protection of his work. Copyright defines sole ownership of the work and unless that ownership is discussed at the time of creation and a transfer of copyright is obtained, the creative will continue to own the copyright of the work.

It’s important as a business owner that you understand how a copyright is obtained and the laws by which it works. Simply put, when you’re dealing with the creation of a new work, you’re not directly buying that work, but rather buying the right to use that work.

So what exactly is copyright?

The definition from the US Copyright office:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords;

• To prepare derivative works based upon the work;

• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;

• To perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works;

• To display the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and

• In the case of sound recordings,* to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

In addition, certain authors of works of visual art have the rights of attribution and integrity as described in section 106A of the 1976 Copyright Act. For further information, see Circular 40, Copyright Registration for Works of the Visual Arts.

It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of copyright. These rights, however, are not unlimited in scope. Sections 107 through 121 of the 1976 Copyright Act establish limitations on these rights. In some cases, these limitations are specified exemptions from copyright liability. One major limitation is the doctrine of “fair use,” which is given a statutory basis in section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act. In other instances, the limitation takes the form of a “compulsory  license” under which certain limited uses of copyrighted works are permitted upon payment of specified royalties and compliance with statutory conditions. For further information about the limitations of any of these rights, consult the copyright law or write to the Copyright Office.

That’s a lot to read, isn’t it? Quite a bit of legalese? And that’s just the definition of copyright. We haven’t even gotten into the full scope of the laws. And jumping into the full scope will keep you reading for weeks on end.

So I’ll just cover some of the basics of copyright for now:

Copyright originates from the time the work is put into fixed form and becomes the property of the person who created the work. No one but the creator of the work, or those obtained from the creator can claim copyright.

Ownership of the work, such as a painting, a book or even a copy of such doesn’t give the person possessing these items ownership of copyright. In such a case, the protected work must be transferred by the creator of the work. Exclusive rights must be transferred in writing and must be signed by the owner of the rights or an owner’s authorized agent.

All unpublished works are protected under copyright.

Registration with the US Copyright Office is not required to secure a copyright. If you wish to register a copyright with the US Copyright Office, this can be done at anytime within the life of the copyright.

Copyright is secured when the work is created and fixed in a tangible expression for the first time.

Publication isn’t necessary to secure a copyright.

A copyright notice on the work is not required to prove copyright.

A work created on or before January 1, 1978 has an automatic copyright protection from the moment of its creation. The term for copyright of these works is the creator’s life plus 70 years after the creator’s death.

There is no such thing as “international copyright” protection.

Works protected under copyright include “original works of authorship” fixed in a tangible form.

According to the US Copyright Office, copyrightable works include:

Literary works

Musical works including accompanying words

Dramatic works including accompanying music

Pantomimes and choreographic works

Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works

Motions pictures and audiovisual works

Sound recordings

Architectural works

Works not protected by copyright include:

Works not fixed in a tangible form of expression

Titles, names, short phrases and slogans

Familiar symbols or designs

Variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring

Listings of ingredients or contents

As a business owner, it’s important to understand copyright and what rights you may or may not actually own. If you wish to acquire the copyright to the work done for your business, discuss these options with your creative.

Now that we’ve covered some of the basics of copyright and hopefully acquired a simple of understanding, future articles will discuss copyright infringement, usage rights, copyright transfers, derivative art, etc.

For more information on copyright law, please visit the US Copyright Office’s website.

Kerri Williams owns and operates Magpi Studios, a creative studio specializing in photography, graphic design and fine art to meet your businesses marketing needs. She takes her copyright very seriously.