performers

Restrictive concert photography contracts have been a big story in the photo world over the past several months. Taylor Swift, the Foo Fighters, Dweezil Zappa, and Janet Jackson have all made headlines for their extremely strict -- and often rights-grabbing -- contracts that photographers and reporters must sign before covering a concert.

Now a number of the media industry's biggest associations and organizations have published an open letter to performers on behalf of thousands of photographers and journalists in the United States.

Sean Scheidt shows off the transformational power of makeup, costumes, props and sass in his recently before-and-after series Burlesque. In it, Scheidt uses simple composition against a black backdrop to show how burlesque performers transition from their day-to-day selves in street clothes to the characters they become on stage.