The London Photographers’ Branch are proud to host a debate with award winning photographers Simon Norfolk and  Territorial Army Sgt Alison Baskerville about propaganda, embedding, censorship, objectivity and art – The Art of War.

Simon’s widely recognised work has spanned from UK fascist groups to some of the worst war zones and refugee camps in the world. In the last ten years his work has focused on the meaning of the word “battlefield”.

Alison recently switched a 13-year career in the military to become a freelance photographer. Having scooped several awards with her previous work Alison has also recently returned from Afghanistan trip embedded with the riflemen in Helmand.

The debate will be at 6pm, on Tuesday 29 November at NUJ Headland House, 308 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8DP. Entry will be on a first come first served basis and seats are limited.

Following the recent riots across London and the UK, and the widening unrest and uprisings internationally, the September branch meeting will focus on “Public Order: Covering Volatile Situations Safely – Home and Abroad”.

An evening of photography, film and discussion with branch members experienced in covering public order situations nationally and internationally – we will look at preparation, planning, support, equipment, frontline behaviour, exit strategy and the tactics and weapons you will come into contact with.

The speakers will be Paul Mattsson, a veteran of covering international protest, Carmen Valino, local and international photographer who has covered the worst of the UK unrest in these recent years, and Jason N. Parkinson, video journalist covering protest and conflict, who was recently nominated news finalist in the 2011 Rory Peck Awards.

There will also be a slideshow of members coverage of the UK riots. Please contact jasonnparkinson@gmail.com to submit your images.

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An LPB panel debate with photographer Neil Turner, ActionAid chief picture editor Laurence Watts and Mike Schwarz from Bindmans Solicitors.

Increasingly we are prevented from photographing children. As professional photographers we face restrictions but also in everyday life taking family photos. This panel debate aims to explore the rights and wrongs of child photography. Has society become too paranoid? What is the law? What are the moral and ethical implications of working with children?

Neil Turner is a photographer who has worked with children for many years on the TES. Laurence Watts is chief picture editor for the charity ActionAid, which has ‘Sponsor a Child’ as a central fundraising campaign. Mike Schwarz is a partner at Bindmans Solicitors.

Michelle Stanistreet joins with trade union leaders campaigning for jobs and services on budget day in March 2010.

The May branch meeting sees new General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet take your questions on photography concerns and the future role of the union.

Michelle formerly worked as a journalist on the Express and held the position of NUJ Deputy General Secretary. She takes over from Jeremy Dear as General Secretary and the first female leader of the union.

If you cannot make the meeting and would like to put a question to Michelle, please email the branch Chair Jess Hurd: jess@jesshurd.com

Branch motions to be sent to joint branch secretary Jason Parkinson before the meeting: jasonnparkinson@gmail.com

6pm, 31st May 2011. FB Event: http://on.fb.me/kTaGIp

A Pakistani man holds his baby, both affected by last Saturday's earthquake as they wait to be airlifted to capital Islamabad for further treatment, at an army base in the northern Pakistani town of Muzaffarabad, Friday Oct. 14, 2005. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Photojournalists – whether they report on war or traffic accidents closer to home – stand right at the frontline of reporting on violence and tragedy. At the London Photographers’ Branch meeting on Tuesday 26 April 2011 the discussion will be on Dealing With Trauma.

Starting off with a short documentary, “News Media and Trauma”, Gavin Rees from the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma will be on hand to discuss what photographers need to know about self-care while working on traumatic  assignments.

Associated Press (AP) photographer Lefteris Pitarakis will be talking about some of the images that have affected him personally and leading a discussion on working through the ethical dilemmas traumatic photographs can present us with.

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CEO Turi Munthe will be attending the meeting to give an insight into the Demotix business model and will be taking questions. NUJ organiser Jenny Lennox, who represented PA staff photographers during the recent redundancies, will also be speaking at the meeting along with LPB Vice Chair and freelance photographer Andrew Wiard.

The meeting will open with a slide show from the 1986 Wapping dispute. Twenty-five years ago Rupert Murdoch moved his newspaper group overnight l,eading to the sacking of over 5,500 workers. If you covered Wapping and would like to add them to the slideshow please email them over to Larry Herman by the end of the week.

Business side of the meeting will discuss a few key motions for the NUJ Delegate Meeting.

All branch motions should be sent to joint secretary JasonParkinson before the meeting commences.

Tuesday 22 Febrauary 2011, 6pm, Headland House.

The February branch meeting discussion will look into “Tips of the Trade”, with advice for photojournalists, experience from industry freelancers and insight from those creating and finding new outlets.

Paul Delmar is a photojournalist and ex-tutor of the NCTJ Photojournalism and Press Photography course at Sheffield Norton.

Carmen Valino is a press photographer working for many local London papers including South London Press and overseas newspapers such as El Pais.

Stephen Simpson is a press photographer and head/editor of the new news agency, London News Pictures (LNP).

Sarah Lee a freelance photographer for the Guardian/Observer newspaper.

Update

Demotix CEO Turi Munthe was due to come and talk at the February Branch meeting, but unfortunately due to a mix up in days Turi will not be able to make it, as he is abroad all week. He has expressed keen interest to come in and talk about the PA issue and Demotix as a whole, so we are discussing rescheduling him to the March Branch meeting. Apologies for the mix up.

Branch Members Slideshow

As requested by our members, we have increased the image submission to five images per person and a maximum video rush of 25 seconds. All images should be sent to the branch secretary. Video can be sent via a file share site. The next branch members slideshow is pencilled in for the February branch meeting, 22 February, 6pm at Headland House.

Any motions to the branch should be sent to the branch secretary prior to the meeting.

The Egyptian Revolution Film and Photo Night

After covering the first 18-days of the Egyptian revolution, many UK photographers and video journalists have returned to London and will be screening their work in a special one night event, organised by the London Photographers’ Branch (LPB) and the British Press Photographers Association (BPPA), at the Shortwave Cinema on  Tuesday 1 March 2011.

PA to Distribute Demotix Images

Article on the PA Demotix deal.

Elections for NUJ General Secretary

The National Executive Committee of the NUJ has just announced the dates for the upcoming election of the unions’ General Secretary.

Attacks on media workers in Egypt

Many journalists, attempting to simply do their job, have been threatened, beaten and arrested. London Photographers’ Branch members Jess Hurd and Jason Parkinson were covering the Day of Rage when they were attacked by the Egyptian secret police.

Wikileaks

Members may be interested in this event in support of Wikileaks, the controversial information leaking website that “Could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act.” according to Time Magazine.

Skills Training – what do you need?

New software, new equipment, social media, multimedia, cameras that shoot Hollywood-quality video – do you need help keeping up?

Government Counter-Terrorism Review

After reading the Home Office review, it appears that the coalition government is planning to give the police new stop-and-search powers to get around the European Court of Human Rights’  S44 ruling.

As requested by our members, we have increased the image submission to five images per person and a maximum video rush of 25 seconds. Images should be at least 1400 pixels on the longest side. The video can be more than one scene and all material should be from 2010 to the present time. The theme is still about selecting your own personal favourites.

All images should be sent to the branch secretary. Video can be sent via a file share site. The next branch members slideshow is pencilled in for the February branch meeting, 22 February, 6pm at Headland House. Look forward to seeing you all there.

Cadogan Estates Limited CCTV notice, Duke of York Square, King's Road, Chelsea. Image © Phillip Wolmuth.

Ground Control: A discussion with writer and journalist Anna Minton

25th January, 6pm at Headland House.

Street photography, which has a long and fruitful history of recording life in our shared public spaces, is under attack. The privatisation of public spaces – in London, Canary Wharf and parts of the King’s Road are good examples, but there are many more – is making it increasingly difficult for photographers to document how the world around us looks and feels in the 21st century.

Anna Minton’s book Ground Control reveals how, in recent years, “the market place has taken control from the local electorate. Now, untested urban planning has transformed not only our cities, but the very nature of public space. From Liverpool to Manchester, London to Newcastle, more and more streets are owned by private companies with the sole aim of making money”.

What can we do to re-assert the rights of the public in general, and photographers in particular (both amateur and professional), in our shared urban spaces?

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Annual General Meeting

Our meeting on the 25th January will mark a year since the start of the London Photographers’ Branch. It has been a packed year, the highlights of which you can read in the Chair’s Annual Report. We invite you all to come along and take part in the Annual General Meeting which will precede the normal monthly branch meeting with a speaker on the privatisation of public space.

6pm sharp – NUJ Headland House – drinks and nibbles provided.

We will elect a new committee, delegates to the NUJ Delegate Meeting in Southport and two branch auditors. Any member is entitled to stand for committee, however to hold a post as branch officer you have to be a full member.

Positions for 2011

(A) A chair
(B) A vice-chair
(C) A secretary to keep the records and convene meetings.
(D) Membership Secretary assists members with union membership and recruitment.
(E) A treasurer to be responsible for the funds in the care of the branch and for keeping accounts. No treasurer shall be aged under 18.
(F) A welfare officer to care for the interests of sick members and their spouses and liaise with the NUJ Extra.
(G) An equality officer to promote equality issues and provide a focus for questions and complaints arising from the code of conduct.
(H) A union learning representative focuses on branch training and education.
(I) Web Editor co-ordinates content for the branch Website, Twitter and Facebook
(J) Legal Rep assists and supports members pursuing legal issues.
(K) Non Portfolio members assist and contribute, but with no specific role.

The committee would encourage members to think about how they can contribute to the branch, we are very happy to have job-shares for committee positions, absolutely no experience necessary, we are all learning on the job! Feel free to contact committee members for details.

Candidates standing as branch officers will be allowed to address the Branch meeting prior to the election for a maximum of five minutes and questions can be asked of any candidate.

We will also briefly discuss amendments to the Delegate Meeting motions, which will decide the union policy over the next year/18 months. This is a very important meeting, I urge all members to do their best to attend.

Thanks again to all the out-going committee for their hard work and commitment to the work of the branch.

Jess Hurd, LPB Branch Chair

Equality for Freelancers: Sexual Orientation

The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation in the workplace. Defining the workplace, as freelancers, can mean doing a shift, working with a permanent contract or selling a single image or some copy.

Chair’s Annual Report

The year began with the fantastic Mass Gathering, where thousand of photographers descended on Trafalgar Square to demonstrate their opposition to the targeting of photographers under s44 of the anti terrorism powers. Branch members have been key to the success of the I’m a Photographer Not a Terrorist campaign.

Essential Photoshop for Photojournalists

This one-day course, organised by the London Photographers’ Branch, will demonstrate how to use Photoshop, Bridge and Adobe Camera RAW (the three linked programmes that make up Adobe Photoshop) Registration closes today.

“We can do anything under the terrorism act”

The NUJ has hit out at police claims they ‘can do anything under the Terrorism Act’, following the success of photographer Jess Hurd in a complaint to the Independent Police Complaint Commission (IPCC).

Branch member wins £30,000 compensation for G20 assault

Branch member David Hoffman, represented by Chez Cotton, head of the Police Misconduct Department at leading civil rights law firm Bindmans LLP, has received £30,000 damages from the Metropolitan Police.

Young Members

Over the past few months hundreds of younger NUJ members have been at the forefront of campaigns for better pay, fought against attacks on pensions and joined actions for media freedom and rights at work.

We want the TUC to hear the voice of our younger members.

The NUJ will be sending a 4-person delegation to the TUC Young Members Conference in London in April 2011. Does your branch or chapel have an active younger member who wants to be part of our delegation?

Members must be under 27 on 1 April 2011 and be available to attend the conference in London between 1-3 April 2011. Costs will be met by the union centrally.

If any of your members are interested please send a nomination stating in no more than 100 words the reasons for the nomination to generalsecretary@nuj.org.uk by 2 February 2011. The union’s National Executive will select delegates at its meeting on 4 February.

Michelle Stanistreet
Deputy General Secretary

Minutes

Branch members who are registered on the site can view the draft minutes of meetings online:

• Draft December Branch Committee Minutes
• Draft December Branch Minutes

14th December 6pm at Headland House.

Our last meeting of the year will be a short one to deal with branch business, before adjourning to the pub for some festive drinks and mince pies. We will also be running a slideshow of members best images and videos of the year. Send no more than 3 JPEGs at least 2000px on the longest side or 3 video clips, no longer than 15 seconds each 720×576 16:9 to jasonnparkinson@gmail.com.

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Any motions to the branch should be sent to the branch secretary prior to the meeting.

Parliamentary Seminar: Who’s Afraid of Photographers?

Jason Parkinson reports from the NUJ Parliamentary Seminar: Who’s Afraid of Photographers? with Don Foster MP, Prof. Chris Frost, Anna Mazzolla, Jess Hurd, Chez Cotton, David Hoffman and John Toner.

Photoshop Tutor Needed

The London Photographers’ Branch is looking for a tutor to deliver a one-day Photoshop course in January 2011.  The course outline was drawn up following a survey of branch members earlier this year.  Anyone interested in teaching it should email training@londonphotographers.org, including details of relevant experience, by 13 December.

Casual Vacanies on NUJ Councils

(Members Only) The NUJ has announced the next round of casual vacancies for the Ethics Council and Industrial and Executive Councils. Anyone wishing to make nominations for the following positions below should contact the branch secretary. Nominations must be in by the close of business (COB) on Monday 10 January 2011.

Minutes of Last Meeting

Branch members who are registered on the site can view the draft minutes of the last meeting online.