I’ve been fortunate to be involved in this event for over 5 years and it just keeps getting better. It is hosted by Danny and Stenci Wegman and each year the money donated goes to fun two things… one is specific department at the Med Center, and the other project is a community-wide health need. This year’s URMC department was the burn and trauma center, and the community project was to fund special emergency room beds. What a great time for a good cause.

URMC A Toast to Your Health Wine Auction: A really amazing night!

I’ve been fortunate to be involved in this event for over 5 years and it just keeps getting better. It is hosted by Danny and Stenci Wegman and each year the money donated goes to fun two things… one is specific department at the Med Center, and the other project is a community-wide health need. This year’s URMC department was the burn and trauma center, and the community project was to fund special emergency room beds. What a great time for a good cause.

FYI: I don’t want to argue with lawyers, but I’ll just give you my understanding of it… just my opinion, don’t sue me

They always say that photo rights are on a sliding scale of ‘Location’ and ‘Usage’… the more public the location and the more ‘news’ the usage, the more clear the ability to do what you want with the photo. The more private the location and the more ‘advertising’ the use, the more you need signed permission. You have to decide on how far the balance is tipped in each situation.

This is pretty consistent with what my clients do. At the biggest college I work for, we don’t get photo release permission forms on anything during Reunion. And those photos go up in several online galleries.
We do get them when I photograph in a hospital (no surprise… not ‘public’, very private and with HIPAA rules) and I’m sure the Marketing team gets them for the Billboards and ads (which I don’t take the photos for).

What shots don’t need releases?

There is a point where the group is large enough in a photo, that a release isn’t expected. If it’s a very public event, and a very wide shot of the crowd with no real main subject focus, you would be less apt to be told to get a photo release for fairly ’safe’ uses, like promoting the event next year, etc.

And let’s not forget the classic ‘no faces showing’ option, where people are only seen from behind. When done well, you don’t even think about it.

(in this photo, the only face showing is a staff member)

But the lawyers!

It’s totally possible that lawyers might say that you must have every single photo released before using it in any fashion… but that would be crazy and impossible to do on a large scale event. But a lawyer’s job is to play it super-safe and they may not think through the implications.

I’d estimate that getting permissions would cut the number of photos by a factor of 10 and add one or two workers to follow me. Imagine getting the form from every subject in groups taken on the run. I’d be holding things up and being a pest. Really, I’d just have to focus at each event on 2 or 3 good shots, and not get the other 20 things I get. And that becomes a decision you’d have to make.

We did releases once for a brochure (so it was marketing use, not news), at a very public event and it was so crazy, I’d think twice before doing it again… or more likely would change what I attempted to do… and for that shoot, I had 2 helpers getting forms signed.

Hope that helps explain the difficulties of a system of having every photo taken having a signed release at every public event.

I’m on another kick to improve my lighting…. seems like it hits me every once in a while that I’m not as good as I should be in some area & lighting is often it. With my new Canon 1D, I’m very happy that I remember to shoot a bit more creatively with natural light and the off-camera flash controls are easier to set (I think) than my old Nikon ones… so I’m more into using my flash totally wireless.

A ‘no flash’ shot, since the 1D has such great high ISO (this is 2000 ISO) For the URMC Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester NY.

Flash wireless… above subject and left… note the cheek near me isn’t lit.

So, in improving my color with the expodisc (I didn’t have it yet for this shoot) and now learning with the great web resources about taking my lighting to the next level. The guys at Studio Lighting have a great podcast where they interview photogs good at lighting and I’m loving going to those sites and seeing the great images the guests take. Along with that, they have some training DVDs I’ll have to check out… some clips are online, like THIS ONE on a simple two-flash location portrait, done guerilla-style. Check out their Strobist blog too for tons of great info. And really, they cover all lighting areas… I have found much more on location lighting (which I do mostly) than on huge studio shoots. Read, listen, learn and enjoy!

My associate Ron Cronk and I snuck into the building (OK, Security let us in

and we did a time-lapse series of the sun setting through the windows of the new building at the WIlmot Cancer Center.

We had a blast as always and grabbed some outside shots for Leslie White’s publications as well.

I think the Duct Tape bracelet makes the photo (thanks for the shots, Ron!)

Me ruining Ron’s shot.

The craziest thing was when an orderly and a patient (totally hooked up to machines and IVs) wheeled by to see the building progress and we chatted.

The building is coming along beautifully. It’s been fun to watch it change with each visit. It’s HUGE! With a full floor of research up top.

‘Finished’ signs are showing up all over…

more to come

Even inside they are coming along. This Saturday, the first huge accelerator machine will be installed… I was amazed that they are doing that so early, but I was told they need lots of time to get it on line.

One of the key features of the new Cancer Center @ Strong is going in… the entrance will be this large sweep of open windows.

…and that’s the way it’s done… these panes weigh 500 pounds.

The new 4-story James P. Wilmot Cancer Center will open Spring 2008.

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