After multiple issues this week, the new website is launched.  I still need to build out the ordering page and continue to add images to the galleries, but, for now, I’m happy.  Let me know what you think.  I know I have many more pictures I can post.

Goodnight, for now!

Oh!  It’s always good to provide a link!   www.RobertTruemanPhotography.com

Today, Derrick Story released the Inside Aperture podcast where he interviewed Cathy Chung and me about the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop and our thoughts on Aperture.  Believe it or not, I haven’t listened yet (it just finished downloading), but I wanted to get a post up to welcome folks should they arrive at this site.  If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know I’m a HUGE fan of Aperture and many of the plug ins.  It’s changed the way I work greatly improving my speed to process images and the final output.

Last evening, I gave a presentation to my local photography club titled, The War On Photography.  This could certainly have been a polarizing discussion, but, thanks to the great folks at the club, became a very interesting one.  To summarize – in the years following 9/11 people view photography in a different way.  Influenced by a national cry of vigilance, people started seeing terrorists whenever they saw big lenses and “professional-looking” cameras.  As photographers, we found ourselves debating our right to shoot bridges, architecture, malls, etc.  Too many stories involving security guards, police and the public reacting in a negative way to photography consistently appeared on the internet and in the news.  Is our right to freedom of speech being taken away?

From my research (and I’m no lawyer and not attempting to provide legal advice) it appears that our rights are firmly intact, although education (or reeducation) is needed.  To summarize the US law regarding photography (as I understand it) is as follows:

You are allowed to photograph anything with the following exceptions:

• Certain military installations or operations
• People who have a reasonable expectation of privacy.  That is, people who are some place that’s not easily visible to the general public

Now, I’m not going to debate this law as I’m simply not an expert.  I do want to point out that, while we may have the right to do something, should we?  You are allowed to photograph children playing in a public playground.  You can photograph accident scenes, fires and other disasters.  Would I?  I guess it depends.  Certainly, I wouldn’t photograph children unless I asked the parent first.  That’s my personal opinion from having two little children.  I probably would photograph, in some way, accidents, fires, police scenes, etc.  It’s an interesting topic.

Finally, the new website will be up later today at www.RobertTruemanPhotography.com (currently pointing to this blog).  If you’re getting to this blog from that address, you’ll first be taken to the new site and need to follow the Blog link.  I’m really excited to get this going.  The site will focus on fine art prints and scheduling appointments for photo assignments.  Hopefully, this is the beginning of something good!

As always, I look forward to your comments!

If you haven’t listened to the podcast or read the blog This Week in Photography you’re missing out on great photography information.  Scott Bourne, Alex Lindsay, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann, Fred Johnson, et al produce this fantastic photography podcast each week.  In between podcasts, there are articles, contests and polls galore to keep you coming back to the site day after day.

It was during one episode of TWIP that I first heard of the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops (ANPW for short) contests.  Simply, four pros would team up with four amateur contest winners to shoot in one of four national parks.  The first contest was for a trip to Grand Tetons National Park.  The next three are Yosemite, Yellowstone and Olympic.  To enter you post a picture showing nature in all her glory – landscapes, wildlife, macro, anything that represented nature.  Judges would pick the top four pictures and, if selected, the photogs were off to the Tetons!  Oh, yeah, there are a lot of great prizes too!

Seeing that I’d been in the Tetons the year before I selected the only photo that is selling on my iStockPhoto page:

Reflection of Mt. Moran in the Snake River at Oxbow Bend in the Grand Tetons National Park

Whether talent or luck (I’m betting luck!) my photo was selected as one of the four winners.  Needless to say, I’m honored to have been picked out of so many fantastic entries.  Seriously, go look through some of these shots.  They’re fantastic.

So, I’m getting ready to head to Jackson Hole, WY on the 24th.  Words can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to this trip and meeting some of the people I read about or listen to each week.  I have the pleasure of meeting Scott Bourne, Martin Gisborne, Steve Simon and Scott Stulberg.  If you don’t know the names, look at their work (sorry, Martin!  I’m looking for a link!).  It’s truly inspirational photography.  Also, Lisa Bettany a stunningly beautiful blogger, photographer, writer, actress and model will be documenting the trip.  I am truly excited about this upcoming adventure.  Stay tuned… there’s more of this to come!