From Photocritic's "secrets" article:

Here's some of what you may find on their shopping lists, and at least one reason each has its rightful place in the photog's apron pocket:

Blowtorch, for browning the edges of raw hamburger patties, the goose-bumpy skins of nearly raw poultry, and hot dogs. (Caution: simmer hot dogs for a while before torching, unless your goal is an action shot of a pink-meat food explosion.)

Motor oil, as a stand-in for unphotogenic syrups.

Glycerin, along with various sizes of artist's paintbrushes (to make seafood look like it was just caught that morning) and a misting bottle (to spritz lettuce salads, giving them that just-picked-and-rinsed look).

"werbung gegen realität" [Pundo3000] (Thanks to Ben!)
"The dirty tricks of food photographers" [photocritic.org]
(Photo: Pundo3000)

Before even reviewing the picture, I heard a woman yell, "What do you think you're doing?!" I looked up, seeing an angry looking woman briskly coming down the hall at me.
 
"Taking a photo of the sun," I replied.
 
"You're in a hospital!" she shrilly declared.
 
"Yes, obviously."
 
"I've called security, you stay here!"

Kurt didn't stay there, but told her his father had been there for 3 weeks now and he was going to go join him at dinner.

And so I did. I joined my father at dinner. Within minutes, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was a security guard.

"Sir, can you come with me?"

"Certainly."

"Were you taking photos in the hospital?" he asked, seemingly bored.

"Yes, I took a photo out the hallway window in the 3rd floor of the sun." I showed him the photo.

"Okay, just don't do it again. Thanks." It seemed like he was just a guy doing his job so I agreed and went back to sit with my father.

"See, they're all pinheads," commented my father.

He exasperatedly explained to me that I could not take photos anywhere on the hospital grounds because it violated the employees' rights. I was also told that I was not allowed anywhere but with my father. Failure to comply with these requests would result in being escorted by the still present security guard. At this point, he also demanded my driver's license as proof of the incident.

• to protect the privacy of employees;
• to protect the privacy of patients;
• to prevent situations where someone taking pictures may get in the way of helping the sick and injured;

It seems reasonable that those three needs can be met with a sign posted at every entrance that says something like, "Please do not take photographs of employees or patients. No cameras allowed in hallways or treatment areas." Hey, and then you could also tell employees to memorize and repeat those two restrictions one time only to offenders, along with "Hospital policy!" at the end. If they spy a repeat offender, they call security. Another problem solved! You're welcome!

In other words: We get that the hospital wants to protect the privacy of employees and patients, but obviously a simple explanation of the no-photos policy would have sufficed. Bringing two employees to twice interrupt a visitor's dinner with his father is the kind of overreaction that happens when you equate photographs with terrorism, and cameras with guns.

Kurt writes,

I wanted to point out that I didn't take a picture of any person, or that I couldn't possibly know their absurd policy since there was no signage posted anywhere. And if a search of their site is any indication, the only person who is aware of this policy is the the head of security himself.

We tried contacting Resurrection to find out what their official photo policy was, but we were transferred from the front desk to security, then given a number to guest relations that didn't work. (The security guy said it was probably closed for the evening.) Nobody we actually spoke with was willing to say anything about a photo policy for visitors.

This writer thinks there's another reason for all the photo banning currently in vogue: it's a superstitious attempt to retroactively prevent 9/11 from ever having happened. Letting a stranger shoot a photo has become a symbol of invasion and assault, of scheming and revenge. Or maybe it's also a fear of Flickr. At any rate, this writer half-seriously suggests maybe earmarking some public funds for a national re-education campaign about the moral neutrality of "Taking Photos."

"Hospital forbids photos of the sun!" [fiftytwofifty]

(Photos: security guard: Getty; seminar: kerryank)

At epassportphoto you upload your photo, crop it according to your country's standard guidelines, and save the resulting 4x6" image—that's six 2x2" ID shots—to your computer to print wherever you like, whether it's at home, from an online service, or at that same CVS with the myopic camera operator.

Not only will you be able to control the photo lighting and quality (and retake the photo until you're happy with it), but you'll have four more 2x2" shots than you get for $8 at CVS or Walgreens. And if you need any more incentive to cut the drugstore out of the process, consider that they also produce sets of six photos at a time—they just refuse to give you more than two unless you pay extra:

While we waited for the photos to print out, I saw (with my own eyes) that the photographs were printed on a 4″ x 6″ photo paper - and there were 6 copies on it. Then the dude coolly cut away 4 copies, disposed them, and handed us the remaining two copies.

I got some more info from the folks at cafepress and according to them, a law firm representing Ford contacted them saying that our calendar pics (and our club's event logos - anything with one of our cars in it) infringes on Ford's trademarks which include the use of images of THEIR vehicles. Also, Ford claims that all the images, logos and designs OUR graphics team made for the BMC events using Danni are theirs as well. Funny, I thought Danni's title had my name on it ... and I thought you guys owned your cars ... and, well ... I'm not even going to get into how wrong and unfair I feel this whole thing is as I'd be typing for hours, but I wholeheartedly echo everything you guys have been saying all afternoon. I'm not letting this go un-addressed and I'll keep you guys posted as I get to work on this.
I'm sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company's claim that THEY own all rights to the photos YOU take of YOUR car. I hope to resolve this soon, and be able to provide the calendar and other BMC merchandise that you guys want and deserve! This thread will remain open for you to comment however you wish, and I'll update it as needed.

Ford: Car owners are pirates if they distribute pictures of their own cars [BoingBoing] (Thanks, Paul D!)
(Photo:morsteen)

All but one of the middle-ranked printers are priced around $100 (the odd one out is $150). The clear winner is the Epson PictureMate Dash PM 260, an inkjet printer that averages a competitive 25 cents per print (similar to online services) and is fast and easy to use.

The worst of the bunch is the Panasonic KX-PX2M, and Slate's reviewer flat-out states, "Don't buy this printer." Lines ran through every print, it doesn't accept CF cards, the controls are hard to use, and customer support is incomplete.

Oddly, though, if you look at the actual image samples in the article, the bottom-ranking Panasonic seems to have some of the most accurate color reproduction of the bunch, while top-pick Epson's prints are all clearly too red. Did the scans not correctly capture the visual quality? Is the writer color blind? Am I? This is why we hate printing photographs.

"Photo Finish: What's the top photo printer?" [Slate]
(Photo: Getty)

1. Keep backups at multiple locations. Use more than one computer, and don't rely on your work PC (we're amazed at how many family members and friends do this). Also, use external drives or storage media. For the best preservation security (but least privacy), look at online storage services that will let you store original files for a yearly fee.
2. Manage your CDs and DVDs. Don't burn a backup once and forget it. Migrate your backups to new discs every few years so that you never worry about a scratched surface or outdated technology trapping your data.
3. Don't place blind faith in online storage. Yes, we know we just said online storage is the best, but it's not the only thing you should be relying on, since you can't control when or if the business will disappear overnight and take your photos with it. Also, if you use an online photo printing service, check whether or not you have to pay to get access to your source files—Shutterfly, for instance, charges a premium fee to get back those photos you store for free on their servers.
4. Migrate your data and verify that you can access it. Don't put off moving your photos from your old computer to a new one. Do it immediately and verify that the files can be opened, so that if your old computer breaks or is wiped clean, you'll have no regrets.

"Preservation Tips for Digital Memories" [Associated Press via Reuters]
(Photo: Getty)

The world's biggest maker of photographic film says its proprietary sensor technology significantly increases sensitivity to light. Image sensors act as a digital camera's eyes by converting light into an electric charge to begin the capture process.
...
Kodak's new proprietary technology adds "clear" pixels to the red, green, and blue elements that form the image sensor array, collecting a higher proportion of the light striking the sensor.

Manufacturing customers interested in the design will likely get a chance to sample it in early 2008, but Kodak's McNiffe was unsure when devices using the technology would be in stores. The technology could be used at first in devices such as cell phones and eventually products made for industrial and scientific imaging.

Kodak says camera sensor may eliminate flash [Yahoo!]
(Photo: Meghann Marco)

(Photo: Spidra Webster)

(Photo:Jeremy Brooks)

(Photo:Lisa Pisa)

(Photo:artnchicken)

Join the Consumerist.com Flickr Pool! It's fun! Please remember to tag your photos with the brands you're photographing. Currently, we're running low on Walmart logo photos... Is there a Walmart in your town? There aren't any in NYC! —MEGHANN MARCO

(Photo: Spirit 635)

Eden's Alley!
(Photo:Maulleigh)

(Photo: Morton Fox)

The Consumerist.com Flickr Pool is for you, yes you! Jump in the cool clean waters of Consumerism by joining today! What we need: Pictures of Walmart. Pictures of Target. Pictures of stores. Pictures of logos. Pictures of people buying things. Pictures of banks. Pictures illustrating concepts. Pictures of funny things you see at the store. Pictures of advertising. Pictures of cats next to various products. Pictures of you! —MEGHANN MARCO

Kodak was advised it could contest the termination but chose instead to resign its national membership in early March. The photography company allowed its membership in the Buffalo-based branch to lapse about five years ago.

"The presence of a third-party organization between Kodak and our customers is bureaucratic and unproductive," it added. "In fact, Kodak's customer service and customer privacy teams concluded that 99 percent of all complaints forwarded by the BBB had already been handled directly with the customer.

To Kodak's credit, the upstate New York BBB only received 183 complaints over the past three years, which is notable for a company of Kodak's size. It also makes Kodak's refusal to respond to those complaints more puzzling.

We might agree with Kodak's actions if they made their customer interactions public and transparent. Because Kodak, like most companies, refuses to do so, we rely on the BBB to independently evaluate their customer service. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Kodak Leaves Better Business Bureau [Forbes] (Thanks to Sheila!)
(Photo: LiveU4)

Here's a 11-step technique we used inside Macy's on 34th st (see our Flickr collection for the results, learn from our mistakes)...

1) Make sure your camera is on, in the record mode, and the lens cap is off.

2) VERY IMPORTANT: Disable flash and A-F assist or red-eye reduction beams. Disable any shutter noises.

3) Crank up the ISO

4) Set the camera to burst mode. This shoots a series of pictures in succession.
a) Use a setting other than automatic
b) Menu
c) Scroll to Drive Mode
d) Select the one with the multiple boxes
e) Your camera may differ. Consult your manual.

5) Wear your camera around your neck. If you don't have a strap, place the camera on your belly.
6) Place thumb over the trigger and hold. Our Canon allows for continuous burst shooting, you may need to keep pressing.

7) Place other hand over hand on the trigger. This will help hide that you're holding down the trigger.

8) Walk through the store, firing away. Angle your belly at stuff you want to shoot.
9) Spot interesting looking situations. Set yourself up a small distance away, looking at an item. Turn your belly towards the area of interest and fire away. Having your eyeball line of sight be different from your camera line of sight is less suspicious.

10) Avoid eye contact with employees. If you see one looking too much in your direction, walk to another part of the store.
11) Upload the best results to The Consumerist Flickr pool.

We like burst shot because you can get nice big pictures, one after another. You could use video mode but you'll have to take screencaps and the quality is limited to your camera's video mode. You can also take pictures in normal mode, but since you're not holding up the camera to your eye and able to frame the picture and such, you could end up missing a shot. Experiment with the settings until you find a mode that's most comfortable and productive for you.

For best results:
• Use a high capacity memory card.
• If possible, take a few test shots in the store and review before doing a burst spree. Adjust settings as necessary.
• Try to stand still when shooting, or you'll get blurs.
• The small the camera, the less noticeable you'll be.
• If a situation arises between you and a store employee, don't argue, hold on to your camera tight and walk out.

— BEN POPKEN

Step 1 — Register for a Trade-In account and log in to the Trade-In Center.
Step 2 — Select the appropriate trade-in estimator and receive an instant estimate.
Step 3 — Buy your new camera at kodak.com.
Step 4 — Ship a copy of your kodak.com receipt & your old camera using the prepaid shipping label.
Step 5 — 7 to 14 days after receipt of the item, we send payment to you by check.

We tested Kodak's Trade-in Estimator by entering the specs of a new Kodak EasyShare C653, which retails for $129.95. The Trade-in Estimator estimated its value at $66.00. Apparently a new camera is like a new car; drive it off the lot, and it loses half its value. Still, this is worth considering for anyone looking to swap their digital camera for a newer Kodak. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Kodak Fast Cash Trade-In Center [Kodak via Frugal for Life]
(Photo: OiMax)

Naturally, Aquage threatened a lawsuit. Doesn't Jamie know that the light that actually bounces off one of their products is the legal property of Aquage Shampoo? And don't you know that taking a photograph of an African native actually steals their soul right out of their bodies?

We're declaring today National "Go Into A Store And Take Pictures Of Stuff" day. Go out and steal a corporation's soul today! You know... providing they have one.

Company: Taking Pictures of Our Product Is Copyright Infringement [CL&P Blog] (Thanks, Larry & Elva!)

Kate wonders whether the Starbucks employee was actually legally in the right. In the States, the answer is pretty much "Hell No." Unfortunately, it doesn't look as good in Canada, where trespass laws include allowing the owner to specify what activities are or are not allowed on the property. Of course, if you were standing off the property, there's probably not a hell of a lot he can do.

Go to Kate's Live Journal for more! By the way, Kate... we love Mr. Saturn too!

You Can't Take A Picture Of A Starbucks [Ocean Park No. 66]

Well, if the price-gouging has its way and we can't afford to heat our homes anymore, perhaps it's the final ring of hell, the one where Satan is stuck upside-down in a lake of ice.

Polaroid by Dash Snow. More of his work here [NSFW], reflecting a gritty (like the crunching of cat litter under your feet) underbelly of anti-consumer youth culture. Spotted at aptbroadcast.