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These are the safety tips that every model and photographer should know

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This is an opinion piece and considering I am not a lawyer or work in law enforcement, this is all just advice from experience. Always check the legal and health legislation in the area you are in. Seek professional advice if you feel you have been the victim of a crime.

I’ve been swimming in this industry since the spring of 1997, ultimately on both sides of the lens. I have witnessed titans rise and fall with the decimation of film in favor of digital pixels. I’ve taken part in the tidal wave of new and incredible talent from around the world thanks to affordable cameras and computers. I watched with mixed emotions at the absolute thrashing that Photoshop and the rise of digital art gave to an industry that overnight transformed successful businesses with 30 years of experience into dinosaurs on the brink of extinction.

In short, I’ve not been around forever, but I’ve been around long enough to earn a couple of my stripes, and seen some difficult things.

I have been lucky enough to witness the start of a movement that has begun to change everything.

The rise of #MeToo has really shifted the dialogue around safety. It’s generations overdue, but at least it’s starting. I wish it had been a thing when I was 13 and a baby in this field, but alas, life isn’t always fair. So, I’m going to keep it going. Each line on my face, each grey hair, and every sleepless night comes from some lesson or experience lived through. Such is the inevitability of aging.

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44 US Attorneys General: “Hey, Instagram, leave them kids alone”

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Instagram for kids under 13 is still in development, and it’s already caused a fierce backlash. The public has pressured Facebook to drop the social network for children, and now a coalition of 44 US Attorneys General have joined the fight. They have sent a letter to Facebook asking the company to scrap this project and leave the kids alone.

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Is wet plate photography dangerous? Well, yes, it is

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Wet plate photography’s one of those mythical analogue photography processes to most of us. All we know is that some liquid gets poured onto a piece of metal or glass, it goes into a camera, the shutter is fired, magic happens and we get a photo at the end of it. But one person who definitely understands the wet plate process is Markus Hofstätter.

Markus has made it not only his passion but he also shoots wet plate photography for a living. He knows all the ins and outs of it and has made some pretty remarkable images with it. But in this video, he takes some of that fantasy away and shares the reality of working with wet plate and how dangerous it can sometimes be, particularly when it comes to the chemicals used.

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Instagram wants to stop bullying in DMs with new anti-harassment tools

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When it’s not working on a dedicated platform for kids, Instagram works hard on suppressing bullying on its regular platform most of us use. With its new set of tools, Instagram wants to make it easier to get rid of abusive DMs. in fact, you’ll now be able to block someone from harassing you even from a new account they create.

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Public pressures Zuckerberg to give up on Instagram for kids

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Last month, there was a word about Instagram releasing a dedicated app specifically for children under 13. Many people criticized the decision, and the pressure on Zuckerberg to give up on it seems to be heating up. Recently, an international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups invited Zuckerberg to stop the project, citing everything that could go wrong if the app is released. And as you can imagine, there are many things that could go wrong.

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Here are the dangers of using 26V V-Mount batteries

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I don’t tend to use V-Mount batteries all that much for my gear. At least not recently. Battery power isn’t all that important when you can’t actually go out and film anything on location. But V-Mount batteries are hugely popular in the world of video, particularly when it comes to lighting, but they also often power cameras, monitors and countless other devices.

V-Mount batteries are not without their potential dangers, though, as this video from Gaffer & Gear explains. In short, there are multiple voltages and apparently multiple “standards” for V-Mount batteries that might potentially cause you to accidentally kill your gear or even make your batteries explode (they are lithium-based, after all).

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What could possibly go wrong? Facebook is building an Instagram app for kids under 13

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If kids under 13 wanted to use Instagram, they’d have to lie about their age when signing up (which, to be honest, is fairly simple). But not anymore: Facebook is now making Instagram that will be intended particularly for the youngest users. What could possibly go wrong?

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Instagram expands ban on self-harm and suicide-related content

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As a part of its efforts to create a safer and more pleasant environment for its users, Instagram has expanded the ban on self-harm and suicide-related content. From now on, the platform bans drawings, memes, and comics containing this kind of content. Bits from films or cartoons are also banned. And even images that don’t show self-harm or suicide directly, but are associated with it.

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DJI is adding airplane and helicopter detection to its drones to prevent collisions

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Starting from next year, all DJI consumer drones are going to become safer. DJI has announced that it’s adding airplane and helicopter detection to all its drones weighing more than 250g (0.5 lb). This way, the drones will be able to avoid collisions, making the skies safer for everyone.

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