Photographer and essayist Andy Romanoff recently created a heartfelt tribute to the photo galleries in his hometown of LA. Not the big names with mercifully deep pockets that will weather the storm of COVID-19, but the independent passion projects that he believes may be gone for good.
Amidst the many photos of hate, anger, sadness and sometimes outright destruction that have flooded the media since a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, sparking riots and protests across the US, there are glimmers of hope and humanity.
One such glimmer was captured by Oregon-based freelance photographer Jonny Nguyen at a Ferguson demonstration in Portland earlier this week.
Out of tragedy, a small ray of light and corporate kindness shines through today. The eruption of Japan's Mount Ontake on September 27th took many hikers by surprise, claiming at least 56 lives. One of them was 66-year-old photography enthusiast Kazuo Wakabayashi.
Photography can be a wonderful source of growth, healing and hope. Programs like this one at the VA in Palo Alto have helped PTSD-afflicted veterans cope with their condition, while the EYE AM program was trying to have children tell their stories on an international level.
EYE AM never raised the funding it needed, but another program devoted to helping children through photography has been going strong for a couple of years now, making a difference for children in need all over the United States. This program is called Pictures of Hope.
The short 4-minute-long video above is probably the most inspiring thing you'll see today. It's the story of Jaleel King, a man who became wheelchair-bound at the age of 8 after being shot in the back by an angry neighbor. The blast from the sawed-off shotgun almost killed him, but he fought through that challenge -- and every other challenge that has presented itself since.
Shepard Fairey avoided jail time after all. The Obama HOPE poster artist was sentenced today to two …
If you've been following us for a while you may remember the Hope poster lawsuit we reported on in January of 2010. The case pitted artist Shepard Fairey against the AP and Mannie Garcia over a photograph Garcia had taken of President Obama. Fairey, who ultimately lost the case when he admitted to having destroyed and falsified evidence, was claiming that his poster fit the definition of fair use.
Today we have a similar issue of photographs that have been altered artistically, only the players have changed to music photographer Jim Marshall's Estate vs. Thierry Guetta (Mr. Brainwash) and Google.