May is National Photography Month (2018 Edition)

National Photography Month

Yes, among many other things, May is National Photography Month. This is not to be confused with World Photography Day which, in 2018, is 19 August. May is also National Mental Health Awareness Month, National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, etc.... I have written about mental health and bladder cancer on my other blog - see Out of the Darkness - Suicide Prevention and Mental Health and Did you know - May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month?.

Let's celebrate!

Do you celebrate National Photography Month? If so, how? In the past I have celebrated in different ways - in a previous blog that I wrote I posted a photo or collection of photos every day during the month. That started out sounding like a great idea but ended up being a bit exhausting. In 2017, the first year of this blog, I wrote nine (9) articles covering a variety of topics - including "National Photography Month", an article that included several images and a little background on each. This year I am taking somewhat of a different approach.

My celebration

This year I decided to focus less on photography and more on using my photography to help others. I am doing that by volunteering my time to act as an Event Photographer for fundraising / awareness walks for two deserving organizations - both of which are new to me this year. This past weekend I covered the "Jersey Shore Walk to End Bladder Cancer" in Bradley Beach, New Jersey. I learned that May is, among other things, National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and the Jersey Shore walk has been held every year since 2011. I had not heard of it until last year when I heard Bill Doyle, the afternoon drive-time co-host on NJ 101.5 FM, talk about it. He was coming back after a long battle with the disease and talked about participating in the walk. To be honest, I had a lot going on last May and when he stopped talking about it, I stopped thinking about it. This year I decided to do something about it and contacted the organizer, Mary Ann Aregood. Mary Ann's husband, Jack, succumb to the disease in 2008 and she started the walk in 2011 in his honor. I wrote about the walk and my experience on my other blog, From the Mind of Joe Valencia. You can read that post here - Did you know - May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month?.

The other event I am covering in May is the 7^th Annual Mary's Place by the Sea Walk-A-Thon to be held on May 19^th in Ocean Grove. I have been aware of Mary's Place by the Sea for quite some time and knew they had an annual fundraising walk but the timing was never right for me to volunteer. This year all of the stars aligned and I will get my chance. They are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support women who are receiving treatment for cancer. Since their inception in 2009, they have helped more than 8,000 women and help more each day. I am looking forward to this event but, like all things I cover for the first time, it has me a bit nervous. I'm always excited about a new event until my participation is finalized and then I think "What have I done?" It isn't that I regret volunteering, it is all about the unknown. I don't know how many people to expect, how long the event lasts, how receptive people are to my photographing them, etc.... The uneasiness (apprehension) melts away about 5 minutes after I get started and I have never had an issue in the more than 10 years I have been volunteering. I will write more about Mary's Place and the walk in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

So, that's it for now. This post is a bit different than what you might otherwise expect to find here but I want to bring attention to these important organizations and events. If you are interested in participating, volunteering, or just want more information - check out the links below. Thanks for stopping by. As always, I would love to hear your stories and comments - please leave comments below.

Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) - http://www.bcan.org
Mary's Place by the Sea - https://www.marysplacebythesea.org/

Copyright: Should You Ever Give It Away?

NO!

Wow! That is the shortest blog post I ever wrote! I know I am being a bit flippant but seriously - do not give away your copyright.

You may be asking, "Why would you even suggest the possibility?" Good question. If you are a regular reader of my "general interest" blog - From the Mind of Joe Valencia - you will know that I enjoy working as a volunteer photographer for a variety of organizations. This year I am booked for four (4) events for four (4) different organizations. In the past I have worked for others and there are some I would like to have worked for but, when I read their agreement, decided I could not. One such case happened to me just this week. Those are the organizations that prompted me to write this post.

I am not going to "name names" because they may, at some point, change their policies and that isn't the point of this post. The point is - do not give up the rights to your images without sufficient compensation. This particular organization considers this to be a "work for hire" situation, however, I don't think that would hold up if it were contested. Disclaimer: I am NOT a lawyer and have no formal legal training - the following is an OPINION based upon research I have done. A "contract" must provide benefit for all parties signing it. You do something for them, in return you get something from them. In the case of surrendering your copyright while getting nothing in return does not satisfy that equation. The paragraph below is extracted from a "Service Agreement" I was recently asked to sign.

Property of ABC_XYZ CORP. All drawings, models, designs, formulas, methods, documents, creative works (including photographs, audio-visual and other multi-media materials), tangible and intangible items and work product (collectively, the “Work Product”) prepared for and/or submitted to ABC_XYZ CORP by Vendor in connection with the Services shall belong exclusively to ABC_XYZ CORP and shall be deemed to be works made for hire. Any Work Product or deliverable of the Services is the property of ABC_XYZ CORP and will not be made available by Vendor to any third party. Promptly upon the expiration or termination of the Terms, or upon the request of ABC_XYZ CORP at any time, Vendor shall deliver to ABC_XYZ CORP, in a form specified by ABC_XYZ CORP, all Work Product, documents and tangible items, including samples, provided to Vendor or created by Vendor for use in connection with Services, including, without limitation, all Confidential Information, together with all copies and abstracts thereof.

As you can see, they get all of your work - free of charge - and in return you get a pat on the back. I rejected this agreement and asked them to reconsider - their counter was that I "can post an image they took on social as long as they say it was for ABC_XYZ CORP and we own the rights." Hardly an equitable solution. I was even told by the person I spoke with that I could "show up and shoot, unbeknownst to the organization and then 'gift' all of the images to them." Strictly "unofficially", of course. So, I could help them except no one was allowed to know. Yea. Right! I still wanted to make this work so I offered to sign over all rights, including the ability to use on my social media, in exchange for $1,500.00 per event. This is a reasonable amount considering I was going to be working the event for 6 or more hours, plus the time editing - not to mention giving up my rights. They refused and so I have two weekends available to do other work. Now, before you accuse me of being unreasonable and taking away valuable funds from the program, consider this - according to Charity Navigator, the President/CEO received compensation of nearly $500,000 in 2015 and the Executive Vice President/COO received compensation of more then $2.7 million!

So, in closing, should you give up your copyright? That is something you have to decide but I would caution against it. You've worked very hard to get to where you are in your photographic journey and you need to demand the respect for your work that it deserves. You don't want to allow others to put their name on your work, especially if they don't pay you for it. I don't know how many photographers agree to these terms, maybe I'm the only one, but I cannot imagine there are many.

What do you think? Would you sign the agreement and forfeit your copyright? Would you do it for money? How much? I would love to hear your comments and stories - please post in the comments below.

Until next time - get out and shoot!