Friday Happy Hour: Implications of the Tumblr Acquisition for Photographers

The biggest story in tech this week was Yahoo!’s $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr. And like most changes to the companies we know and love, people freaked out a little (or a lot). For Tumblr users, when your content publisher is acquired by one of the big guys, there’s definitely reason to be concerned for what the future might hold. So this week we point to a post about the copyright implications, and some non-Yahoo! related news for balance’s sake.

Copyright implications of Yahoo! buying Tumblr

Plagiarism Today pointed out the copyright realities for Tumblr users given the Yahoo! buyout this week. According to Tumblr’s TOS, users grant them:

“a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable right and license to use, host, store, cache, reproduce, publish, display (publicly or otherwise), perform (publicly or otherwise), distribute, transmit, modify, adapt (including, without limitation, in order to conform it to the requirements of any networks, devices, services, or media through which the Services are available), and create derivative works of (including, without limitation, by Reblogging, as defined below), such Subscriber Content.”

The important piece here is “transferable”, meaning that Tumblr could essentially transfer the license you gave them to Yahoo!. If you’ve already accepted that Tumblr can reproduce, distribute, modify, etc. your content, then you’re likely comfortable sharing your work. Just keep in mind that Yahoo! is a different company, and one of the online “giants” at that. Still, Jonathan Bailey at Plagiarism Today says, “In my experience, and seemingly others, Yahoo! has traditionally been very cooperative with DMCA matters, responding to valid notices quickly and appropriately.” At the end of the day, it’s up to you whether the trade-offs of using a service like Tumblr is worthwhile.

Thomas Hawk: How Flickr screwed me out of my Pro account

In more Yahoo! news, Flickr has made some major changes to its platform positioned as “pro accounts for everyone”. Now everyone gets a terabyte of storage, high res display, and unlimited sends to any device/friend/follower. So what happens to existing Pro users who previously paid to hold these privileges? Thomas Hawk found out the hard way:

“My Pro account was set to expire in 2012 but I used another ‘gift”’certificate from Flickr. This time it was a gift certificate that they handed out to all photowalkers on a big Flickr San Francisco photowalk.”

Because Thomas accepted the gift, his account wasn’t set up to recurring Pro in January 2013, which was the set requirement for users to retain their Pro status after the Flickr tier changes. So now he’ll have to sign up for their Ad-free account at $49.99/month (instead of his Pro subscription at $24.99/month). Users can check their Pro status here.

Update: Since writing this post (and re-posting on PetaPixel) Flickr has granted Thomas recurring Pro status.

When photography imitates voyeurism

Arne Svenson‘s intimate photographs of downtown New York residents in their apartments has stirred up some controversy in the art community. Arne shot his series “The Neighbors” with a telephoto lens from his TriBeCa apartment, capturing people unaware through their windows. Is it art or an invasion of privacy? As New York Times author Kathy Ryans says, “for me, the freedoms enjoyed by artists and journalists are worth possible breaches of privacy…But if images surfaced in a gallery of my daughter in our home, shot by a photographer using a long lens without our knowledge, I wouldn’t be happy.”

Photo by Arne Svenson

Arne Svenson

Arne Svenson

So does defining work as “art” override privacy concerns?

Alexia Foundation hosts “Eyes on the World” exhibition in New York

The Alexia Foundation works to promote the power of photojournalism through grants, scholarships, and special projects, shedding light on social injustice and supporting photographers who work to drive social change. On Thursday, June 20th, The Alexia Foundation is holding an exhibition at 25CPW Gallery in New York to showcase some of the most inspiring photos from Alexia’s archive. “Eyes of the World” will also share the work of the 2011 Alexia Foundation grant award winner Amanda Berg whose series “Keg Stand Queens” looked at the dangerous binge drinking tend among college women. Learn more and RSVP here.

Photo by Amanda Berg

2012 Best of ASMP recognizes 20 finalists

Every year ASMP recognizes members who have produced outstanding commercial or conceptual projects in the previous year. This year the judges saw many more multimedia projects as well as projects incorporating humanitarian or social engagement topics – a notable trend for visual communicators. There are two PhotoShelter members among the 20 finalists: commercial and editorial photographer Ashok Sinha and fine art photographer Jimmy Williams. Check out their projects and all the finalist here.

Photo by Jimmy Williams

Capturing the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornado

Mat Miller is a photographer based in Oklahoma and owner of 1984 Studios. In a special post on PetaPixel, Mat describes his experience navigating and shooting the devastation after the tornado in Oklahoma this past week. “My camera was in my bag, and I figured that I should start shooting to document the scene,” he says. “In a way, it was a relief. I was able to look at everything as an image, rather than the horror that was directly in front of me.” See more of his images here.

Photo by Mat Miller

Photo by Mat Miller

Photo by Mat Miller

3 marketing ideas for senior portrait photographers

In a guest post on Tiffinbox, photographer Jen Basford of 3 girls photography gives her 3 marketing ideas for senior portrait photographers. Jen is also the owner of Seniors Ignite, an organization dedicated to providing next-level senior portrait photography. They produced a free guide on 12 Low Cost Marketing Ideas That Will Grow Your Senior Business. Jen’s tips include reconnecting with old clients, blogging, and attending more events where your target market will be.

Photos of the elements

Even though they infiltrate our daily lives, the elements are something most of don’t think about on a regular basis. Nor do we consider what they look like on a molecular level. Japanese chemist and photographer Ryoji Tanaka are a remarkable dive into the textures and colors of gold, sulfur, vitamin C, and more. (via The New Yorker)

Bismuth/Photo by Ryoji Tanaka

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)/Photo by Ryoji Tanaka

Crystallization of ammonium chloride/Photo by Ryoji Tanaka

Suberic acid/Photo by Ryoji Tanaka

Alpha ketoglutaric acid/Photo by Ryoji Tanaka