Outtakes from Mobile World Congress & a community engagement event

Last week saw me start out at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and finish up at an event focusing on the use of text messaging in the nonprofit sector in London.

It was a busy week but two new resources were the end result.

Pictures. If you didn’t make it to Mobile World Congress then here’s a Flickr set of 111 free-to-use photos to give you a flavour of the event. Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest mobile exhibition and conference and features CEOs and representatives from mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from around the world.

Words. Last Friday, Credemus Associates ran an event in London attended by representatives from FrontlineSMS and Text to Change. “The World in the Palm of Your Hands: SMS & Mobile Communications” was the first in a new line of events which Credemus hopes will become a live platform for discussion and news on ICT to support community engagement for Local Authorities, Third Sector and Public Sector organisations. At Friday’s event, FrontlineSMS and Text to Change announced the release of a new resource on how to use SMS as an effective behaviour change campaigning tool:

Behaviour change campaigning is inherently interactive. In order to encourage positive behaviour change, it is important to not only push campaign messages out to people, but to listen to the responses. To run a campaign that has a real impact, you need to listen to ensure you’re being heard. This is one of the main reasons why SMS – as a widely accessible and inherently interactive communications channel – is an ideal tool for campaigning.

You can read the FrontlineSMS blog post announcing the resource here, or download it here (PDF, 700Kb).

The post Two mobile resources in words and pictures appeared first on Socialbrite.

They say a picture paints a thousand words, and that may be the case. But if they cost the earth or you don’t have permission to use them, they end up painting nothing much at all.

When my mobile “career” kicked off in 2003 with multiple research trips to South Africa and Mozambique, I took the opportunity to start taking and collecting mobile- and technology-related photos. Back then people were beginning to take an interest in the impact of mobile phones on the African continent, and NGOs were looking to use photos on websites or in project proposals, newsletters and presentations. On top of that, people were just generally curious about what was going on.

That collection now stands at over 150 photos, and covers everything from people around the world texting or making calls to pictures of shops, signs, mobiles themselves and other interesting examples of mobile entrepreneurship in action.

The images are free to use – with attribution – by nonprofits or any other organization seeking to profile the social impact of mobile technology. Visit the kiwanja Mobile Gallery for the full gallery of images, and for details on how to credit their use.

The post Free-to-use mobile and technology images appeared first on Socialbrite.

I caught a post on Twitter from Ian Wilker about feeding your Twitter stream with your Flickr activity. This is a great approach for businesses or non-profits that communicate their impact with images, but have limited time for social media marketing.

This process seemed so easy, I decided to screencast (above) while I connect my own Flickr and Twitter accounts.

Again, thanks to Ian Wilker. Do yourself a favor and follow him on Twitter.

The post Video tutorial: How do I Twitter my Flickr photos? appeared first on Socialbrite.

Photo by JD Lasica

Improve the quality of the images you shoot for your organization

Target audience: Cause organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, journalists, general public. This is part of our ongoing series designed to help nonprofits and other organizations learn how to use and create media.

With millions of amateur shutterbugs sporting digital cameras that can produce professional results, more and more people are looking to take their shooting skills to the next level.

Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Move closer

The most common mistake beginners make is that they stand too far away. Get up close and personal with your subjects. Group your subjects close to each other. (See above.) Pay attention to the expressions on their faces.

2. Compose your shot

Photo by JD Lasica

Before you press the shutter release, try experimenting with different angles. (See above.) Make sure the subjects are nice and tight and no one’s head is cut off. To increase visual interest, position your subjects so that they appear slightly to the right or the left instead of smack dab in the middle. The pros even have a phrase for this: The rule of thirds.) Or line up to their right or left and shoot them from the side instead of straight on.

3. Make good use of light

If you’re outdoors and the sun is bearing down onto the subjects’ faces, they’ll look washed out and squinty. Position your subjects in front of the sun and light up their faces with a flash. It may sound counterintuitive to use a flash outdoors, but it’s one of the keys to capturing a professional-looking image.

4. Look for the unusual angle

Photo by Edlin Roguel

What’s the point in snapping an uninspired, cliche-ridden photo? Avoid shots with stiff, posed, awkward grins or pictures that prop your subjects in front of too-familiar landmarks. Instead, opt for the fresh and unexpected. Try an unusual angle — from above, below or the side, instead of straight on.

5. Help your subjects look natural

Photo by JD Lasica

If you’re shooting people, you’ll capture a more natural and genuine expression if you put them at ease. For example, if you’re photographing kids, act goofy, play games with them, or tell a joke instead of saying, “Say cheese!”

6. Take lots of shots

Photo by JD Lasica

Don’t just take one shot and think you’re done — this isn’t film! Subjects shut their eyes or make awkward expressions, so keep shooting. Make sure your memory card has enough megapixel memory storage firepower to keep on snapping (at least 4GB per card). Natural shots often occur just before or just after a posed shot.

Please comment on, correct or expand upon this article.

Related

• How to capture great photos on the road

The post 6 tips on how to shoot digital photos like a pro appeared first on Socialbrite.

Target audience: Cause organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, journalists, general public. This is part of our ongoing series designed to help nonprofits and other organizations learn how to use and create media.

When is it all right to take photos of strangers in public?

Society has wrestled with the question of street photography ever since the invention of the camera. In the United States, the general rule is that anything in plain view from a public area can be legally photographed, including buildings and facilities, people, signs, artwork and images.

In a recent case, photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia set up strobe rigs on a New York City street corner and photographed people walking down the street. He won a lawsuit brought by an Orthodox Jew who objected to deCorcia’s publishing and selling in an art exhibition a photograph taken of him without his permission. (See Wikipedia for a more thorough discussion.)

In The Photographer’s Right: Your Rights and Remedies When Stopped or Confronted for Photography (see PDF), Oregon attorney Bert P. Krages II writes: “The general rule in the United States is that anyone may take photographs of whatever they want when they are in a public place or places where they have permission to take photographs. Absent a specific legal prohibition such as a statue or ordinance, you are legally entitled to take photographs. Examples of places that are traditionally considered public are streets, sidewalks, and public parks.” Subjects that can “almost always be photographed lawfully from public places” include accident and fire scenes, children, celebrities, law enforcement officers and private homes.

Wired magazine agrees: “Snap away, shutterbug. As long as your subjects don’t have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” — meaning they’re not somewhere they’d never expect a camera to be — you’re on pretty solid ground. Even if you photograph them while they’re on private property, you’re in the clear — just make sure they’re in plain view and you’re not trespassing.”

Although some building owners have claimed a copyright on the appearance of their building, U.S. copyright law explicitly exempts the appearance of standing buildings from copyright protection.

Be aware, however, of social norms and cultural expectations. It’s not cool to go up to a stranger on a public bus, push a camera into her face, snap her photo and publish it to the world. Taking close-up photos of children at a public playground is generally frowned upon. Snapping photos on a public beach? It’s OK unless a local ordinance prevents it. Outside the United States, many countries, such as Japan and Canada, have a more restrictive set of laws and societal values.

Exceptions

There are a few exceptions to the general rule set out above.

Private property owners have the right to stop you from taking photos while on their premises, though they have no right to prohibit you from photographing their property from other locations.

Members of the public have limited expectations of privacy in public places. Krages writes: “Anyone can be photographed without their consent except when they have secluded themselves in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy such as dressing rooms, restrooms, medical facilities, and inside their homes.”

Shooting public performances and posting them online as a video, podcast or photo gallery is a more complicated proposition because artists own their own creations.

If you post pictures of strangers on your blog, be careful about how you identify them. Writing an accompanying caption that casts someone in a negative or “false light” can invite legal trouble.

Making money off of someone else’s image might get you into legal hot water. Case law is rife with people suing companies and photographers for appropriating their image for commercial gain. If you plan to profit in any way from someone’s image, obtain a model release form. Some people recommend using them even in noncommercial situations.

State statutes also come into play. California has a “right of publicity” law that gives people wide latitude over how their images may be used, though the law has never, to our knowledge, been tested in a noncommercial situation. And, no, you can’t take a photo of Lebron James on the NBA hardwood and use his image to hawk some product on your blog. Adds Wired: “Let’s say you’ve started a blog, and you take a snapshot of someone at a bus stop, then Photoshop it into a banner ad promoting your site. This implies the subject endorses your work, and she could file suit for publicity rights.” Publishing the original photo to Flickr or Photobucket, however, should be all right.

Sources: The Photographer’s Right; Wired magazine; Digital Photography Hacks

Related

• Your rights as a photographer

• The rules around capturing public performances

• Filmmakers’ best practices in fair use

• What is off-limits to a documentary filmmaker?

• Wikipedia on street photography

Please comment on, correct or expand upon this article.

The post Guide to shooting photos in public appeared first on Socialbrite.

The photographer’s right: A downloadable flyer explaining your rights when confronted for photography

Target audience: Cause organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, journalists, general public. This is part of our ongoing series designed to help nonprofits and other organizations learn how to use and create media.

The Photographer’s Right is a one-page printout on what the rights of photographers are when shooting in public places. It is loosely based on the Bust Card and the Know Your Rights pamphlet that was once available on the ACLU website. It may be downloaded and printed out using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

You may make copies and carry them your wallet, pocket, or camera bag to give you quick access to your rights and obligations concerning confrontations over photography. You may distribute the guide to others, provided that such distribution is not done for commercial gain and credit is given to the author, Bert Krages 2nd, who is an attorney.

Download PDF

A stand for photographers’ rights

The right to take photographs in the United States is being challenged more than ever. People are being stopped, harassed, and even intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were taking photographs of subjects that made other people uncomfortable. Recent examples have included photographing industrial plants, bridges, buildings, trains, and bus stations. For the most part, attempts to restrict photography are based on misguided fears about the supposed dangers that unrestricted photography presents to society.

Ironically, unrestricted photography by private citizens has played an integral role in protecting the freedom, security, and well-being of all Americans. Photography in the United States has an established history of contributing to improvements in civil rights, curbing abusive child labor practices, and providing important information to crime investigators. Photography has not contributed to a decline in public safety or economic vitality in the United States. When people think back on the acts of domestic terrorism that have occurred over the last twenty years, none have depended on or even involved photography. Restrictions on photography would not have prevented any of these acts. Furthermore, the increase in people carrying small digital and cell phone cameras has resulted in the prevention of crimes and the apprehension of criminals.

As the flyer states, there are not very many legal restrictions on what can be photographed when in public view. Most attempts at restricting photography are done by lower-level security and law enforcement officials acting way beyond their authority. Note that neither the Patriot Act nor the Homeland Security Act have any provisions that restrict photography. Similarly, some businesses have a history of abusing the rights of photographers under the guise of protecting their trade secrets. These claims are almost always meritless because entities are required to keep trade secrets from public view if they want to protect them.

For more information

U.S. law:
• Legal Handbook for Photographers-The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images

Abroad:
• UK Photographers Rights
• NSW Australia Street Photography Legal Issues

Source: Bert P. Krages website

Please comment on, correct or expand upon this article.

Related

• Guide to shooting photos in public

• The rules around capturing public performances

• What is off-limits to a documentary filmmaker?

The post Your rights as a photographer appeared first on Socialbrite.