Sandro Miller's Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters
John Malkovich is known for his transformative roles that call for him to play essentially any role. Teaming up with photography Sandro Miller, Malkovich channeled pop culture icons of yesteryear for a photo Miller's latest photo series, Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters. In the series, Malkovich re-enacts some famous (and not-so famous) photos of various icons from Hollywood, across art, and even politics, including Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Joker in Batman, Andy Warhol's pop-art painting of Marilyn Monroe, revolutionary Che Guevara, and more.
Check out some of the photos below, and be sure to check out the full exhibition on the Catherine Edelman Gallery website. The exhibition will be on display from November 7th to January 31st. Chicagoans, I highly suggest checking this one out in person!
[via Catherine Edelman Gallery]
Do You Know Your Rights as a Photographer?
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Unrest and calls for justice are still at a high both within Ferguson, MO and around the country as everybody following the Mike Brown story are asking the same question: "Why aren't our rights being ignored?" Especially in the case of the press and photographers, there have been multiple videos and first-hand accounts of members of the press being directly targeted and threatened by officers. Why? We all know the answer to that: They want to stifle and censor the truth.
A badge doesn't give anybody the right to exploit and abuse their powers and ignore their responsibilities, yet we've been reading about and watching that happen for the past two weeks. Whether you're an amateur or professional, you deserve to know your rights as a photographer. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) updated their list of photographers' rights last month, yet it's become extra relevant and crucial in light of these events. You can read a bullet point summary below, as well as an animated video in collaboration with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hitRECord community to educate yourselves on what is and isn't allowed when you have a camera in your hand. You can read the full, detailed list on the ACLU website.
- When in public spaces where you are lawfully present you have the right to photograph anything that is in plain view.
- When you are on private property, the property owner may set rules about the taking of photographs.
- Police officers may not confiscate or demand to view your digital photographs or video without a warrant.
- Police may not delete your photographs or video under any circumstances.
- Police officers may legitimately order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations.
- Note that the right to photograph does not give you a right to break any other laws.
- If you are stopped or detained for taking photographs:
Always remain polite and never physically resist a police officer.
If stopped for photography, the right question to ask is, "am I free to go?" If the officer says no, then you are being detained, something that under the law an officer cannot do without reasonable suspicion that you have or are about to commit a crime or are in the process of doing so. Until you ask to leave, your being stopped is considered voluntary under the law and is legal.
If you are detained, politely ask what crime you are suspected of committing, and remind the officer that taking photographs is your right under the First Amendment and does not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. - Special considerations when videotaping:
With regards to videotaping, there is an important legal distinction between a visual photographic record (fully protected) and the audio portion of a videotape, which some states have tried to regulate under state wiretapping laws.
Such laws are generally intended to accomplish the important privacy-protecting goal of prohibiting audio "bugging" of private conversations. However, in nearly all cases audio recording the police is legal.
In states that allow recording with the consent of just one party to the conversation, you can tape your own interactions with officers without violating wiretap statutes (since you are one of the parties).
In situations where you are an observer but not a part of the conversation, or in states where all parties to a conversation must consent to taping, the legality of taping will depend on whether the state's prohibition on taping applies only when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. But no state court has held that police officers performing their job in public have a reasonable expectation.
The ACLU believes that laws that ban the taping of public officials' public statements without their consent violate the First Amendment. A summary of state wiretapping laws can be found here.
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[via ACLU]
Don't Turn a Blind Eye to the Events in Ferguson, MO
I try to stay away from stuff like this on an "official" level. There's so much social unrest and lack of justice, to only comment on one event would be a disservice to the countless others that came before it (and will come after it). I've always seen it as my position to entertain, to share information and "cool shit" as a way to find a reason to smile in the face of events that would prevent us from doing so. However, this past weekend's events concerning Mike Brown have led to wards a level of disgusting police militarization and exploitation of power that I can't just stand back and not say something about it. The thing is, while your social network feeds may be full of updates coming from Ferguson, MO, there are still plenty of people in the country who simply aren't aware of what's happening thanks to a media blackout of coverage. I have a platform where I can reach people who may not be aware, so why not use it to spread awareness?
Last Saturday, a young man named Mike Brown was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, MO after putting his hands up to surrender. The details are still blurry as to what elevated the confrontation to that height, but the fact remains that an unarmed black man who was surrendering was shot dead by an officer. The fallout of the killing exploded, with no real justice being delivered by the people put in power to serve it. Even to this day, five days after the shooting, officials have refused to release the name of the officer who pulled the trigger, on-site witnesses have yet to be interviewed by the police department, and the complete lack of a proper investigation into the unfortunate end of this man's life has still not taken place.
As unfortunate as it is to say, the majority of you reading this come from Chicago, a city that knows its fair share of gun violence and police brutality. While not every murder and shooting receives national coverage, Chicago is still the third largest city in the country, and we will still receive our fair share of attention that a small town like Ferguson, MO never would have. Here's the discrepancy: Mike Brown's killing honestly would have gone unknown had it not been for independent entities like Al-Jazeera and Anonymous helping spread the news, but it took peaceful protest, peaceful demonstration to alert the country of the injustice he and his family have faced. Even then, as I pointed out earlier, there will still be many people who will go through their day still unaware of what's happened.
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My point in writing this is two-fold. One, it's to bring general awareness to the events that have taken place in Ferguson, MO since the weekend. You may not consider yourself political, you may not feel comfortable getting involved with events that are so deeply rooted in racial tension, you may not even want to even focus on such negativity (and really, who can blame you?). However, what these police officers have shown to us transcends race, transcends politics, transcends basic human treatment, transcends our rights as Americans.
Two, it's to show that these police officers are exploiting their power and acting above the law. Journalists and members of the press have a right known as Freedom of the Press, and as such, we're given the right to share and communicate our information across outlets without interference from those in charge. Yet, as I watched live streams of last night's events, members of the media were being blacked out, being told to shut off their cameras. In the video a few paragraphs above, you can see a canister of tear gas shot at members of Al-Jazeera as they were setting up their equipment. We can't allow these attempts of covering up happen. We can't stand idle during this.
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The preceding video is what put me over the edge. Shot on site of a protest in a Ferguson neighborhood, you can see demonstrators simply chanting. Yet, as the police approached closer and closer and as demonstrators held their ground, the police began to shoot tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, which you can see around the nine minute mark. As it dispersed, the police continued to draw closer, shooting into residential neighborhoods. I've taken part in protests over the years, but never have I been witness to such despicableness. The "official word" from the Ferguson police department is that shots were fired or protestors were throwing molotov cocktails, to which the police began shooting in response. I call bullshit.
We have to show our support. Whether it's a simple tweet, sharing videos, calling Missouri state officials, attending protests, whatever it is, we have to stand up against these atrocities and share awareness with those around us. Like I wrote earlier, I've always seen my position at Ruby Hornet as one to simply entertain, and I will continue to do so after this is published. Will I (or RH as a whole) cover real events in the future? I don't know. However, what I do know is that I couldn't just sit around and write about the release date of the new Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers release date or something so largely asinine while something of real substance was taking place around us.
If you live in a major city, peaceful protests are scheduled to take place today. Look below on the flyer for more information about them in your city.
[IG Weekly] TSA
Everybody is on their phone. Thousands of people everyday wear out their thumbs scrolling through photos, deciding which ones to post on Instagram. It’s so easy to do whether you’re a photographer or not; just point, shoot, choose a filter and post whatever you created. From funny duck face selfies, to breathtaking landscapes, to gritty city streets. Some use it as visual journal giving glimpses of their lives, while others have taken it to another level by creating works of art. All of us at Ruby Hornet are fans of the social media platform and decided to do a weekly series highlighting people whose Instagrams stand above the rest. Let us know in the comments section if you’d like to be featured, or let us know about some other cool Instagrams. Be sure to follow Ruby Hornet on Instagram, too.
The TSA gets a hard rep from casual flyers, but their job is justified, despite being completely blown out of proportion in the media. Sure, there are a few policies that will are confusing, but there are reasons behind them. For those that don't know, I used to work at O'Hare International Airport for close to four years before I began writing full-time for Ruby Hornet, and the stuff I've seen on a day-to-day basis with the TSA would shock you, both by theirs and passengers' actions. Nevertheless, the TSA's Instagram account has been popping up across the internet this week, and with good reason. They've begun uploading some of the prohibited items they've come across in passengers' carry-on bags, ranging from phone tasers to hidden comb knives and dead grenades. It's a change of pace from our typical IG Weekly features, but one that definitely warranted a spotlight. Check out some of the crazy items below, and be sure to follow TSA's Instagram for more illegal shenanigans.
[via @TSA]
Photos of Powerful Social And Environmental Advertisements
In such an age of capitalism, we're surrounded by advertisements where ever we go, and it can be quite obnoxious. Walk through Times Square, for example, and you're bombarded by these types of ads, or take a ride on a train, or drive down any highway, and they are just unavoidable. Although most are intended to grab the attention of the consumer to buy a product, there are actually those few that we run into that are thought-provoking. A good, well-thought out advertisement is designed to grab your attention, to remain in your memory long after you’ve left it behind, which is exactly what many of these social causes need. Even if many of these types of ads are, in fact, commercial ads, it's nice to see that they sometimes try to touch on important topics in the world.
Some of the photos below are some of the most powerful social and environmental ads out today. Although we may often glide right past them on a daily basis, it's important to give a few of these a second look. Check them out and let us know which you think are the most powerful or creative, and definitely look out for more here.
[Via Demilked]
Supreme Court Rules Corporations Have Religious Freedom
President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act (nee Obamacare) has been met with so much hate and disdain from both sides of the American political spectrum, but never has a ruling against health care reform been so infuriatingly stupid. This is one of those rulings where you just read a news article and go, "Are you fucking serious?" As part of Obamacare, businesses had to cover contraceptives for its employees, specifically female contraceptives like Plan B. Two specific companies, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, argued that Obamacare infringed upon their First Amendment rights to operate their small, for-profit businesses under "Christian principles." If they refused to cover such contraceptives, they faced annual fines of $475 million. However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the two businesses, stating:
The companies in the cases before us are closely held corporations, each owned and controlled by members of a single family, and no one has disputed the sincerity of their religious beliefs [...]
The Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, as separate companies, can be seen as a "person" under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The problem is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 was meant for employees to exercise their religious right, i.e. prayer, religious observance, etc., not employers to infringe upon their employees' basic rights. However, the Department of Health and Human Services argued that Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties forfeited those rights when they became corporations, which is true; the fact that this ruling even went to the Supreme Court, let alone passed is ridiculous.
So what does this mean in layman's terms? First and foremost, the two aforementioned companies will not cover their female employees' legally prescribed contraceptives because they are "tantamount to abortion," such as the morning-after pill. However, some of these contraceptives are prescribed for health reasons. Even then, no business should have a decision as to what their employees do with their bodies, regardless of gender. Ironically, male contraception procedures like vasectomies are still being covered under the "Hobby Lobby" decision.
Secondly, and the scariest point: This ruling opens the door for many other businesses to argue their "religious rights" are being jeopardized by Obamacare. While the specific wording for today's ruling targets small businesses, it sets a precedent for larger corporations to find loopholes to not only work against Obamacare, but to also push their religious agendas upon employees and prospective employees. Remember the uproar that Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy caused by speaking out against marriage equality (and donating to many campaigns and groups that discriminated against the LGBT communities)? That was a pebble compared to the rockslide that today's ruling may cause in the future.
As it stands, this ruling targets and punishes women and their right to health care coverage for contraceptives. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest had this to say:
President Obama believes that women should make personal health care decisions for themselves, rather than their bosses deciding for them. Today's decision jeopardizes the health of women that are employed by these companies.
This has nothing to do with religious freedom, simply because corporations themselves shouldn't be allowed to express said "religious freedom." CEOs and business owners? Whatever you believe in, that's great and more power to you and your chosen deity/deities. However, when that "religious freedom" affects your public, for-profit business and your employees? That's where the line's being crossed.
[via CNN, New York Times]
Migrants Photograph Their Journey Across the Border
Photos by MigraZoom Participants
Although border patrol has tightened over the past decade, there are still many people who cross from the Mexican border illegally every year, and it's not an easy task. After years of documenting migration in Mexico, Spanish-born photographer Encarni Pindado, began a new project that allowed undocumented migrants to photograph their journey across the southern border of Mexico and Guatemala, a point where many regroup as they continue North to the US.
Of course, this project would prove far more difficult and unsafe if done on the US border, but still, it's a similar look into the journey. The project, titled "MigraZoom," launched in early 2013 and was supported by a grant from the United Nations Development Program. In collaboration with other Mexico-based photographers, 200 Kodak cameras were handed out to actual migrants, a quick photo workshop was taught, and they were instructed to move up the usual migrant path, following the railroad lines, to gather more cameras along the way. By the end, MigraZoom collected almost 70 percent of the cameras that were given out, and in turn, each participant was given prints to keep. Also, large printouts of the photographs taken were displayed in parts of southern Mexico where Central American migrants travel through. Some photographs were even displayed on the cargo trains that migrants typically boarded.
The few photos below were taken by migrants throughout their own journey, and were sought out for further observation from Pindado. The names of the photographers are left out to protect their identity. It's noted by MigraZoom that many have likely crossed the US-Mexico border without documentation.
[Via Pri]
[Video] Seth Rogen and Snoop Dogg Talk Weed
Everybody who's seen Pineapple Express remembers the mythical cross joint, a quadrupled-ending joint that brings in twice the weed with every pull. It all seemed like movie magic, right? Apparently not, as Seth Rogen joined Snoop Dogg on the rapper's GGN program to discuss the origins of the cross joint, his career, and more. They also talk about Rogen's latest film, Neighbors, which I've already referred to as the funniest film of the year, his upcoming comedy The Interview with James Franco, and the R-rated CGI-animated comedy, Sausage Party.
Of course, it wouldn't be an installment of GGN without an insane amount of weed being smoked and a weather lady upping the sex factor bogged down by Rogen and Snoop, right? One of my personal highlights from the episode is the etymological history of the term "chronic" and where it came from. You can just see the intrigue in Rogen's eyes as Snoop elaborates on hydroponic marijuana.
Check out the full episode below!
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