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California wildfire ‘selfie’ arsonist gets 20 years and a $60 million fine

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Selfies are just a part of our culture today, whether stills or video, but they have been known to land people in hot water a time or two.  Sometimes the consequences are simply a little embarrassment, sometimes very severe (and rightly so).

In what seems more suited to ridicule on America’s Dumbest Criminals, California resident Wayne Allen Huntsman captured a video selfie with the beginnings of what would become known as the King Fire, a wildfire that scorched over almost 100,000 acres of land in El Dorado County, California in 2014.

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Incredible time-lapse shows the ethereal world of California wildfires

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Up close and personal, wildfires are tragic and terrifying. But if you can step away from the chaos and capture things from a wider perspective, they can become a thing of beauty.

No one knows this better than filmmaker Jeff Frost, who has spent the past three years capturing dozens of wildfires across the Golden State and has turned them into a time-lapse.[Read More…]

Local Landmark Shipwreck in California Burnt Out for Instagram Photo

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Perched on a sand bank in Tomales Bay, CA, the ship nicknamed the “S.S. Point Reyes” has sat for a great number of years, left to rot and decay naturally.  The exact number of years it’s been there is something of a local secret, adding to the mystery of the wreck, which has been a significant local tourist attraction.

Sitting in the bay, and not the Pacific Ocean is the reason why the wreck has remained around for so long, and has been of great interest to photographers visiting the area, which has a long history of shipwrecks.

On Sunday night, it became of particular interest to one unnamed Instagram user who thought it’d be a great idea to start spinning red hot wire wool behind the boat for a photo.  As one might expect, this caused a fire which went on to consume about half of the wreck, and was still being battled by local fire fighters into Monday morning.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

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Court Says Threatening to Arrest for Recording Police Violates First Amendment

A District Court in California recently said that the act of threatening to arrest a person solely for recording police officers is a clear violation of the First Amendment.

The summary judgment was given in Barich v. City of Cotati, where a civilian who often records city officials claimed the chief of police violated his First Amendment rights by threatening to arrest him if he recorded the chief.

The court also said the police chief is not entitled to qualified immunity, which would shield him from liability for the violation of an individual’s federal constitutional rights, as it’s clear that the public has the right to record government officials in public places.

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California Governor puts an end to paparazzi drones

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Just three days after California Governor rejected several drone-related bills, the Los Angeles Times reports that Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation intended to protect the rich and famous from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

Bill AB 856 expands privacy protections by changing the definition of a “physical invasion of privacy” to include a drone invading the airspace above private property in order to record video, sound or capture photographs.

Violators of the new law will face fines ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

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Mother embarrasses her son on TV after rattlesnake-selfie fail

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Just a few weeks ago a man in San Diego was bitten while trying to take a selfie with a rattlesnake, and a couple of weeks ago another Californian suffered a similar injury.

While the first guy’s story drew attention worldwide due to the ridiculously high medical bill he received, Alex Gomez’ accident is making headlines following the harsh criticism of his actions – by his own mother, on TV no less.

Having “no mercy for him”, the disappointed mother decided to share her son’s story, along with the selfie and hospital photos, in order to teach him a lesson.

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How A 365 Day Project Helped Launch A Young Photographer’s Professional Career

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Three hundred sixty five day photography projects are tough. There’s got to be a high level of dedication and desire to improve. Time has to be made everyday to conceive an idea, take the actual photograph, edit, and post it in your journal. Birthdays, holidays, sick days–it doesn’t matter, there’s still a photograph to be made, no matter what. But, all of those things that make 365 projects seem so daunting, are a large part of what makes them so beneficial to one’s progress. And, when you’re as dedicated and talented as AlexStoddard, they can legitimately bring your photography game to the next level.[Read More…]

Drones Under Fire: Officials Offer $75,000 Reward Leading To Pilots Who Flew Over Wildfire

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If your motto is, “Have drone, will fly over wildfires,” you could find yourself in some hot water.  Earlier this month, we reported how private drones were delaying firefighting efforts in California’s San Bernardino County.  Now, the heads of those drone pilots could be on the proverbial chopping block.

Obviously, people weren’t happy.  Officials, who credit the drones with grounding firefighting aircraft and allowing the fires to spread, are offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to the pilots of the drones.  But, it doesn’t stop there.

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Police Officer Spends His Vacation Creating Awesome Timelapse Of Severe Weather

Working full time as a police officer in California, photography started as just a hobby for Jeff Boyce. Though he’s been interested in taking photos for the past couple of years, it wasn’t until this year that Boyce was ready to take on the daunting world of time lapse. Two weeks ago, Boyce released one of his first attempts at the art form and, boy, did he knock it out of the park.

Combining his love for storm chasing–a hobby picked up in 2014–and his love for photography, Boyce took a 5-week long break from his duties as an officer to travel around the country capturing timelapse of some wicked intense weather. Boyce had no plans as he pulled out of his driveway, embarking on the journey. Rather, he frequently checked the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center for an indication on where he should be heading. Boyce said on some days he would travel upwards of 600 miles just to get where the action may or may not happen. Needless to say, there wasn’t a lot of sleep happening on this trip.[Read More…]

California Paddleboarders Follow Great White Sharks to Get a Selfie

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When you hear about human-shark interactions it’s usually about shark attacks or sharks swimming nearby people. Even when there’s no sign of aggression whatsoever, the media rarely misses the opportunity to play on peoples’ fear of sharks and draw some attention.

This video, captured by a paddleboarder with a GoPro, is rather unusual though. Not only did Courtney Hemerick and Joseph Trucksess encounter great white sharks at Orange County’s Sunset Beach, they actually entered the waters with their flimsy boards in order to see them.

The mission? Shark selfies, according to the Orange County Register.

Sadly, despite the fact that the duo was there by choice and was actively following the sharks, National Geographic still felt the need to sensationalize the video and make it sound as if an attack was imminent.

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