<p>The decision is in: throw the baby out with the dishwater.<br>
The Parish Arts Council discussed the upheaval caused by my illegal Christmas cards and without seeking comments from its members or the advice of a lawyer issued this statement:</p>
<p><em>“The Arts Council policy of street and/or </em>photo shop<em> (sic) photography that involves photographs of</em><br>
<em>Individuals to be sold for profit by any means.</em><br>
<em> </em><br>
<em>The Arts Council Board of Directors on June 2, 2016, adopted the policy that the DAC Gallery</em><br>
<em>will not accept any art form of photography that is to be sold for profit, that involves photograph(s) of individuals, not accompanied by official binding consent/release form(s), signed by the individuals in</em><br>
<em>the photograph(s).”</em></p>
<p>Of course, I was wrong in what I did. I goofed. And it’s not because I was unfamiliar with copyrights and model releases. I was around when Martin Bressler (<a href="http://www.cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Bressler_7.1.pdf">http://www.cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Bressler_7.1.pdf</a>) and VAGA were trying to heighten artists’ awareness of copyrighting their own work. (I was even invited to sign the copyright poster and tote bag they had made up for promotion, right along with Robert Rauschenberg and quite a number of other recognizable artists. I declined since I wasn’t in that league of artists, but I was there and they insisted and so I did.)<br>
I have been in and about photographers all my life but I’ve only worked as one for or about 4 or 5 years with a wedding photographer. I photographed using a Nikon D2H which was brand new at the time. I have taken university photography courses and have used the home darkrooms of several friends. I have even loaded film into a developing canister under heavy covers in my bed when that proved to be the darkest place I could find.</p>
<p>When I first joined Photo.net, I noticed so many people enjoyed Al Kaplan in the Leica forum and time and again cajoled him about writing a book. They printed t-shirts with him and his Leicas. They visited him in North Miami from all over when they happened to be passing through. But nobody did anything to help him with a book. It was obvious he wasn’t and maybe couldn’t attempt something like that alone. One day, I got in touch and told him I would set up a blog for him, but he had to do it exactly as I laid it out. He agreed. I titled the blog, set it up, and wrote the first couple of entries for him in what I felt was his writing style. He printed the photos in his darkroom and mailed them to me. I posted them and his blogging until I taught him how to at least post the blogging. He never figured out how to post the photos. Not that long after, the blog was a Yahoo Pick of the Week. <a href="http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com/">http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com/</a></p>
<p>Photo.net held a Saturday morning contest about that time that I entered. I think it was announced several days ahead, and photographers were supposed to enter photos they had taken that morning or that day. There were three judges who would pick their top 5 photos of the bunch. My photo showed up at one rank or another in all three judges lists.</p>
<p>Now, I am saying all this in my defense, and in any way that it might work for a defense for me. I live in a town that is halfway between the movie “Deliverance” and the book, “Lord of the Flies.” A number of years ago the parish arts council asked me to paint the empty store windows of an abandoned downtown. I thought it might be fun to paint a whole art gallery. I began copying one of Picasso’s Harlequin paintings, and then Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”. I did not assume authorship of these paintings, and credited each. After that, I decided children might enjoy a colorful and fanciful Chagall painting. One night, after the painting was nearing completion, someone washed off the whole thing from the window.</p>
<p>No one seemed concerned. I was the only one that was outraged.</p>
<p>And yet, now, I feel I have been virtually tarred and feathered for one misstep that I was not even allowed to correct and put right myself.</p>
<p> (By the way, the guy who washed off my painting was sent to Federal Prison years later for money related issues. At least someone reproached him for something.)</p>
