Eric F, you are comparing apples to oranges here. Videotaping a film is copying the work and is considered piracy when it’s done for profit, as it generally is. Photographing a piece of fine art is depicting that piece in another medium, as well as having an entirely different purpose. Plus, you have the additional wrinkle of the fact that film is a collaborative process, so not only is the film itself a protected work, but the actors also have a right to control their images, as per union rules. Since there is no profit motive, it could be argued that posting a picture of an artwork on a blog is Fair Use, since technically it is personal use.

We’re visual people who use words in a visual medium. So in our blogs–as opposed to the pictureless comments section such as this–words actually are not enough.

J.B.R.

as for your hat, marshall, it’s safe for now. if anyone’s gonna play the oppressed-constituency card on this blog, it’s gonna be me!!!

;-D

There are times when you have to respect a venue’s wishes or an artist’s (or their estate’s) rights in the service of writing a good blog post, and smart bloggers know how to handle themselves. It’s worth noting that venues and artists that try and wall themselves off from loose internet coverage are really just reducing the potential profile of their artists, especially emerging ones.

SErges - you’re ridiculous. And your poorly reasoned accusation contains its own revealing bigotry - people of either gender can and do make use of douchebags. If gender had anything to do with C-Monster’s post, I’ll eat my hat.

Also, shooting a show is part of the thinking process. I’m connecting the dots visually and verbally. I want to be able to get up close for a detail or shoot two paintings that are in a particularly interesting visual conversation.

Journalists and bloggers work in different ways. When I worked as a paid journalist, I had the luxury of planning a day’s worth of gallery visits, calling from my office, and then going to the galleries. As an unpaid (but no less serious) blogger, I don’t have that luxury. I’m a working artist who fits in visits to the galleries. I don’t have an assistant or a secretary. I do it all myself.

I do understand and appreciate a gallery’s need to protect its artists and images, but bloggers–whose reach is far greater than the average print journalist, if only because the posts remain viable in the blogosphere pretty much forever–offer far greater long-term coverage. The art fairs recognize this and issue press passes to bloggers. Some of the galleries understand and permit pictures. I’m at the point where if I can’t get permission to shoot, I’m not reporting on the event.