Vision Slightly Blurred

January 6, 2021, an infamous day in U.S. History when citizens overran the Capitol was also a day when photojournalists delivered incredible work under heavy duress. In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen review some of the exemplary work and discuss the outsized influence that social media had on the "performative" acts of many of the rioters.

A quarterly print publication of top notch photojournalism for $300 per year? Seasoned photojournalist Kenneth Jarecke believes there's a market for it and has launched The Curious Society to prove his point. 

Also in the show: Congress passes the CASE Act which establishes a 3-person copyright tribunal as an alternative to filing copyright cases in federal court, and the New York Times licensing department informs photographer Daniel Arnold that they gave away his portrait of Jerry Seinfeld to a real estate developer for free!

Happy 2021! 

Two weeks ago, we solicited voice memos and stories from you, the listener, on how you're coping during the pandemic, projects you're working on, or places where you're finding inspiration.

This is your show! Happy Holidays and best wishes for 2021.

The New York Times recently published their annual Year in Pictures, and Sarah and Allen discuss their favorite photos, the role of editing in making sense of the world, and what they missed.

Intellectual property attorney Richard Liebowitz was ordered to stop practicing law in the Southern District of New York following a unanimous decision by the Grievance Committee stemming from repeated misconduct. Liebowitz has been a staunch advocate of photographer rights and has successfully sued for copyright infringement. Have his transgressions crossed the line? Sarah and Allen discuss in this week's show.

Reuters is the first major wire service to publish a year-end "best of" photo gallery. The photos are an incredible collection of well-composed images that convey so many of the seminal moments of the year including COVID-19, protests, wildfires, and more – but the images are highly compressed and the presentation doesn't do the photos justice. 

Diana Markosian's latest project, Santa Barbara, is named after the 80s soap opera which she watched as a child in the Soviet Union. Little did she know that a short while later, her mom became a mail order bride in order to move the U.S. amid economic collapse in the USSR. In addition to an Aperture monogram, Markosian is releasing a film – a semi-autobiographical account of her early life in America.

Also, Women Photograph's Mentorship Class of 2021, the Alexia Foundation announces its grant winners, Evgenia Arbugaeva's latest arctic dream for NatGeo, Instagram moves the Activity button out of reach of your thumb, and fashion photographer Norman Jean Roy trades in his camera for a bakery.

After most major news outlets called the election for Joe Biden, a collage of former VPs and VP-elect Kamala Harris began to circulate on social media. Where did it come from? Allen does some sleuthing, and wonders why the major social media platforms don't have a reverse image search feature.

Also, photos from Election Day around the country, The 30 (formerly PDN30) announces its 2020 winners, and super size German art photo prices have plummeted.

MGM has acquired the rights to "Minamata" a drama about Eugene Smith's last photo assignment documenting the horrific mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan. Smith expected to work on the project for 3 months, but ended up working on the story for 3 years with his wife Aileen, and photo assistant Takeshi Ishikawa. 

Also, an interview with Joe Biden's official photographer Adam Schultz, Kennedi Carter becomes the youngest ever to grab the cover of Vogue UK, Tyler Mitchell photographs Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Vanity Fair, Instagram changes its nudity policy after criticism from Nyome Nicholas-Williams, and Chrissy Tiegen doesn't care what you think about her photos.

The long awaited documentary featuring the Obama administration's Chief White House Photographer Pete Souza recently made its debut on MSNBC, and Sarah and Allen share their thoughts, and why they shed a few tears.

In addition, Pari Dukovic's photo of Joe Biden kissing his son Hunter goes viral on Twitter (do you think that's appropriate????), a comparison of campaign photos in key senate races, Joe McNally recalls photo shoots with Biden and Trump in the 80s, and a lightning round featuring the work of Kriston Jae Bethel, Evan Vucci, Jim Watson, Jabin Botsford, An-My Lê, and finally, Elaine Thompson captures scientists capturing murder hornets!