UK Copyright Infringement for 'Similar' Photographs

A word of warning to all the British photographers out there. Temple Island Collection, a souvenir company, has recently won a court case for copyright infringement against New English Teas for their use of a photo that they claimed copied the style and composition of their image.

Although the image isn't directly copied, the Judge ruled that the images of the red bus on the black and white background of the Houses of Parliament had too many similarities and that the New English Teas image (bottom) was an infringement on the original photographers 'intellectual creation' (top).

Whilst most people believe that this is a step too far and that it makes taking photos somewhere as widely known as London quite difficult, I'd like to point out that it does have positive repercussions for photographers. You may be aware of the difficulties many photographers face today in trying to sell their work as digital cameras have made photography available to more and more people who will happily give away work for free. There have been multiple cases of companies being refused photos for free by photographers, only to take the image without permission and edit it slightly then use it royalty free.

I'm not saying I either agree or disagree with the Judges decision, but it is slightly comforting to know that if someone tried to reproduce any of my own work so as to avoid paying me, I would have the law on my side.

The War At F-Stop Ridge

Just under a year ago, Canadian camera shop 'The Camera Store' released and advert called 'Battle at F-Stop Ridge'. It didn't take long to go viral, and now its been watched by photographers all over the world. Now they have just released a sequel in hope to continue the exposure (sorry about the pun!) that the first one generated for them. So here they are, for you're convenience, 'The Battle At F-Stop Ridge 1&2'.

D.I.Y. Photography

I just came across the great little film about Wet Plate Photographer Dana Geraths, a man who not only shoots wet plate photography, but also makes his own cameras.Its certainly worth a watch if you're interested in old photographic processes, or beautiful cameras.

It also got me thinking about my own traditional cameras and photographic techniques, so I thought I'd share a little about my experiences in making my own cameras.

Compact System Cameras: Beginner or Professional?

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin - Shot on the Sony NEX 3.

The NEX proves a bit easier to pack than its bigger brother.

You may have noticed over the past year or two the rise in popularity of Micro 4/3rds or Compact System Cameras (CSC's). The recent release of the Nikon 1 leaves just Canon left to add their product to the market, with Sony, Olympus, and Panasonic having quite a head start. Earlier this year I purchased the Sony NEX 3 with 16mm lens so that I could carry a camera around with me without compromising quality or any manual control. Not long after purchase I went off to Dublin for a few days, so I thought that it would be a great chance to test out the NEX and see just how well it could live up to my more bulky Sony Alpha DSLR.

If you've ever flown anywhere you'll be aware of the strict regulations regarding luggage, so its important to be able to fit everything into your bag. As you can see from the picture opposite packing my DSLR took up a large portion of my bag whilst the NEX simply fitted in on top. Being the first time I'd visited Dublin, and not having much time before hand to test the NEX's abilities, I decided that I would take both cameras with me, and by the end of the trip decide whether or not the NEX could be a suitable replacement for future endeavours.

November 30th Strikes

Wednesday saw possibly the largest one day strike since the winter of discontent. Members of over 30 public sector unions downed tools and took to the streets in protest over planned changes to their pension schemes. The government claims that as people are now living longer the changes are unavoidable, especially at a time of such economic distress, when the whole country needs to tighten their belts. Union leaders are arguing that under the proposed plans workers will have to work longer, pay more, and recieve less, and that it is unfair that the public sector should have to foot the bill for a crisis they did not create whilst bankers get away with huge bonuses.

Could it all be over for the Occupy movement?

As you may have heard, police forces in New York removed both protesters and their camp from the Occupy Wall Street movement. By the sound of it the British arm of their movement outside St. Paul's Cathedral may be facing something similar in the days to come. They've been issued eviction notices, and the government and local council are gaining confidence from the events across the pond.

So yesterday I went down to Nottingham's Old Market Square to see if they've been affected by this. They were still there, and bigger than when I last saw them. When asked if they were worried about being removed given the current state of their world wide counterparts, they seemed surprisingly optimistic. They told me that they had proof from the planning office that the ground they are on belongs to the citizens of Nottingham so they can't legally be removed. I guess this begs the question, what gives them the right to be there anymore than any other citizen of Nottingham?

Text before Subtext in Photographs

The meaning of 9/11's most controversial photo

Follow the link for quite an interesting article about one of the most controversial photographs taken on 9/11. I find it amazing how much people read into it without much thought into other options. It just goes to show what can happen when you attempt to read subtext into everything you see without taking a step back and having a look at the bigger picture.

It made me think about how I see photos, and how other people may see my images. For instance the photograph below is one I took back in January at a protest in London. It was chosen by the BBC to go on their round up of the weeks news as the one photo to represent the large protests that took place in both London and Manchester. I think this may have been partially down to the fact that most peoples first impression of the image is that the policeman is being heavy handed and violent as he grabs this protester and pushes her back.

Occupy Nottingham

If you're not fully aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement that has been going on in New York for the past few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised. For some reason the media has decided not to really focus on this except for he odd report of someone being arrested. Anyway, people are protesting about the fact that all over the world the common citizen is having to tighten their belt and pay up for mistakes that bankers made, whilst they barely notice any change to their own lives. On the October 15th, the movement went global with protesters and camps popping up in cities all over the world. Nottingham is one of those cities, and whilst the protest here may not be as large and impressive as say New York or Rome, the people here are just as determined. They are still there and plan to be for some time, so if you want to show your support head down and say hi. Alternatively you can follow them on twitter at @OccupyNotts.

'Occupy' Goes Global

As some of you might of heard, the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has gone global, with protesters from cities all over the world turning up to show their support. According to reports Nottingham is one of the cities taking part, with protesters camping out in The Old Market Square last night. Just as with the riots a couple of months ago, I'm off to document this event, and I'll bring you the photographs later tonight.

Trouble On The Streets

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of the riots spreading across England. (And if you have been living under a rock, I'm surprised. I thought all the rocks in this country are currently sitting in shops and cars having just been thrown through the window!) Yesterday afternoon I watched as Nottingham city centre shut its doors early and sent workers home in preparation for the possible violence on its way. As the afternoon became the evening, it was quite easy to see the increased police presence patrolling the city streets, and it wasn't too long before those extra numbers were called into use. 

A police dog and its handler confront a youth near a bus stop.

An Afternoon On The Riverside

Yesterday I was down at Nottingham’s Riverside Festival on the banks of the River Trent photographing all afternoon. There was a lot of great live music and a (mostly) friendly atmosphere, with a fair sized turnout even with the rain. Their were groups of people sat along the riverbank having picnics and couples sat in each others arms just enjoying the evening. The whole day was wrapped up nicely with the now customary firework display.

All the stall vendors wore this uniform to fit in with the riverside theme.

In Dublin's Fair City - Part 2

I know its been a while since I posted the first few of my photos from Dublin, but I've been quite busy recently. Anyway, here are some more photographs from my trip to Dublin.

Sensei Yutaka Koike & Sensei Alan Campbell

This coming weekend Sensei Yutaka Koike - 5th Dan will be teaching a course with Sensei Alan Campbell - 6th Dan at JKS Haxby and Selby. Its definitely a course to try and get to for any karate-ka out there of any age or grade. For information on the course, visit: http://selbyshotokankarateclub.blogspot.com/2011/04/york-jks-course-and-grading-19th-june.html 

For the past two years the course has been held here at Seibukan Karate Club in Nottingham and I have photographed it, in-between training of course. This year unfortunately, I can't train because I'm trying to rest my injured ankle in the hope that it won't be like this for the rest of my life, however Sensei Koike will be teaching a session at Seibukan on the Monday evening, so I will be there with my camera to document it as normal. 

The photos below are some of Sensei Koike  and Sensei Campbell which it took over the past few years.