Camera Lucida

Wara aktar minn sentejn inrażżan il-bżonn li neżibixxi, waslet eżibizzjoni oħra min-naħa tiegħi. L-unika ħaġa in komuni bejn din l-eżibizzjoni u ta’ qabilha hija l-fatt li se nkun qed nagħmilha ma’ persuna oħra (Pawlu Mizzi). Inwiegħdkom li dak kollu li se taraw huwa ġdid fjamant (għamilt aktar minn sena u nofs nżomm kollox sigriet sigriet, hush hush!).

L-eżibizzjoni se tiftaħ nhar il-Ġimgħa 10 t’Ottubru 2008 fis-7.30pm (kulħadd jista’ jattendi), il-Mużew Marittimu Malti, ġewwa l-Birgu. Tibqa’ sejra sal-21 ta’ Novembru u tkun miftuħa il-ġranet kollha tal-ġimgħa bejn id-9.00am u l-5.00pm. Għal aktar informazzjoni tistgħu tikklikkjaw hawnhekk (niddejjaq nintilef f’ħafna eloġji).

Lhudi josserva l-ismijiet ta’ dawk kollha li mietu waqt il-Holocaust li, mingħajr ma jaf, sellifni n-naħa ta’ wara ta’ rasu biex nagħmel din l-istampa.

… u sserrħu l-kuxjenza. Jien, għallinqas, hekk nistħajjilhom itennu kull darba li tgħaddi persuna mgħaġġla minn ħdejhom.

Aktar stampi minn Praga u Dresden hawnhekk.

Xtaqt kieku tajtu aktar ħin dal-proġett imma l-idea f’moħħi ġietni bħal berqa fil-bnazzi, ftit qabel id-deadline ta’ kompetizzjoni lokali. Kienet esperjenza sabiħa nipprova nħuf ‘l hemm u ‘l hawn naqbad dal-kurvaturi li min jaf kemm-il darba rajthom u lanqas tajt kashom. Kien hemm ukoll ammont ta’ perikolu peresli għażilt postijiet kemmxejn inaċċessibli hi u tinħeba x-xemx. ‘But I managed, somehow‘, kif kien jgħid il-professur tal-ġbejniet tal-bżar.

Klikkja >> places >> 07 >> curves

Found an article which provided me with a very interesting read today and which I thought deserves a much wider audience (not that my blog reaches the hundredth hit per day but anyway…). It mainly deals with an everyday threat for photographers, digital graphic designers and writers alike:

Well, everyone that submits his work on-line should be aware that someone else could easily download his submitted file and do something with it, without his permission. That’s a risk we all should accept living in this era of WorldWideWeb.

So, what can they do with your file?

1. Make a wonderful Power point show called “The best of 2006” or “Summer collection” or even “Pictures I ripped” and send it all over the globe, with no credit to you as the creator of the file. Usually this is not done with bad intentions, but it’s still is being dome with no permission.

2. Print a small print in a home printer and place it on the wall next to the computer. Again, no harm intended but it’s just like ripping an original CD to MP3. We all do it, but it’s illegal to do. Still ripping the artist.

3. Use the file as stock and place it inside an “Original” piece of manipulation. In a way that’s making your piece into theirs. It’s like buying a takeout, adding a bit of salt, and telling your date you are the cook.

4. Place the piece on a web page, just to make a blog or a personal page look nice, with no regards to the fact that this is someone’s art, and he has to give permission to use.

5. Submitting your file as someone else’s. No, that really sucks since it’s bold and clear theft. If the others can be considered as mistakes or non-intentional rips, this is trying to benefit from your work, as their own.

What can you do?

1. Place a watermark in your file. I would suggest a small one, don’t let it take over the image. Just so it would alert the rippers they can’t benefit from this piece. Place your watermark on a part of the picture that can’t be easily cloned out.

2. Try uploading a file with no EXIF data (if it’s a photograph). Having the original EXIF on your file would always be a proof that you have the original (if someone will be as stupid to say it’s his after ripping).

3. Put a small signature in the corner, but know that it can be cloned or cropped. Still, it’s better to have one than not.

4. Never upload the original High-res and never send it through mail. If you decide to sell the piece to someone, make sure you sell it as print, or you sign the buyer on a selling paper with the name of the piece (a little visual would be best , and make sure the file you sold is only a copy with no EXIF of the original.

5. Try to keep your files up to 900 pixels on the longer side. Lower the DPI of the file to 72 (you don’t need anything more since the computer screen can’t show more than that).

6. Be kind but don’t send wallpaper sizes of 1600 pixels to people that ask you to.. you are making yourselves very vulnerable.

Or else read the full original article.

“You can mix precision with irony, the patience of numbers with childlike spontaneity, computer mechanics with the glow of mysticism. So long as technique or sentiment aren’t ends in themselves. Opposites must coexist! Imagination comes into play only when the idea ends and love begins. To give for pleasure without specualtion, without obligation. Imagination is what you free add to a design. It is that artists are inspired at night, on journeys, at the supermarket, at the most unexpected moments. Inspiration comes when duty is done, so the idea also has a printed heart!”

Ftit ilu sibt dan il-vidjow fil-kaxxa tal-posta elettronika. Semmewh ‘evolution‘ għal xi raġuni. Il-vidjow bażikament jitratta kif is-sbuħija hija mgħawwġa b’tali mod li tlifna l-valur vera tas-sbuħija esterjuri.

M’inix it-tip li ntawwal l-għenieqi u nkabbar iċ-ċirkomferenza tal-għajnejn fis-sigħat tal-post-editing li jsir wara imma kif kulħadd jaqbel, ritratt huwa għal dejjem, u ma nafx għala ċerta korrezzjonijiet m’għandhomx isiru biex toħroġ l-aħjar mill-aspett esterjuri. Niftaħ id-diskussjoni!

PS. Dak is-software li jidher fil-vidjow ma naħsibx li jagħmel parti mill-familja kbira tal-verżjonijiet tal-Photoshop u lanqas ma jidher li kien qed isir fuq PC, aktar xi Apple Mac.