The Digital Economy Bill, what's yours is ours

Oh dear... my friend Tony Sleep over at Copyright Action has written up the latest litany on the soon-to-be law on orphan works, also known as the Digital Economy Bill. It does not make for cheerful reading, as the UK government seeks to a) legalise the commercial use of unattributable photographs, and b) ban photography in public places, for reasons of 'data protection'.

It's a dark day for photographers and photojournalists indeed, read the full article here.

On the Road with Miss England

Being around any beauty pageant should normally evoke associations of glamour, stardom, celebrity excesses and a diva-like lady at centre stage.Well, I bagged an assignment for Spiegel Magazine and we headed out to follow Katrina Hodge, the acting Miss England 2009-10 on a promo tour in the north of England.

Folks, what can I say? The 22-year old Katrina is about as professional as it gets and patiently endured our probing existence and shadowing for a few days. The locations could not have been much less glamorous: Wigan football stadium, including the boozy VIP lounge after a match, Morecambe pier, and various radio stations in and around Preston.Nicknamed 'combat barbie', Hodge is currently on leave from her employers, the British Army, she does her utmost to promote the armed forces and a dating website for personnel in uniform.

I was pretty impressed with the young lady, but have no illusions about the apparent glamour that holding any 'Miss' title may or may not entail. It's pretty hard graft, and the look behind the scenes is hopefully illuminating. Enjoy.