Punch, Pumpkins, and Photo Ethics?

Today's Word of Mouth: CKB Arts and Communication wishes all you ghouls and gals a deliciously devilish All Hallows Eve. May the spirits of the dead haunt your souls. May your pumpkins be ripe and your drinks be spiked. And if you still don't have plans for the bewitching hour, head on over to the MAC Halloween Party in Dallas. You'll have a screamin' time. 

Now about those ethics. I know everyone out there has logged onto the social place of propaganda and gossip that is Facebook only to witness hideous photos of themselves that were taken at all the wrong angles. The lighting was bad, obviously you weren't looking at the lense when it was shot, and most importantly you don't remember anyone asking for your permission to post them up in a public place let alone tag you in them for the world to see (Or whoever you let see your photos on your profile. It depends on your privacy settings.) Ah, yes. This has happened to me and I'm sure it's happenede to you at some point. And even though I set my photos to private,I know people mean well, and most of the time I have a tendency of seeing something negative about myself in a photo that others don't pay much attention to, this dilemma brings up a very good topic of discussion: Should people you know ask your permission to put up photos of you on a public internet space?

Here's my opinion: Yes, Yes, and did I say yes? You'd have to go find a media law book to break down all the ethical rules of journalism and media, I kept my law book from college for this reason, to get the extreme details, but what the normal public doesn't realize is that if you are a private figure you should be asked if it's ok to publish a bunch of unflattering photos of you on a public domain. Not only do I believe it to be ethical and professional but it's also just plain polite. Now I know what you're thinking. CKB, you're being ridiculous and way too picky. Honestly I'm really not. It's important for photographers to educate themselves on professionalism. And people have the right to protect themselves and their privacy.

 You're also probably saying to yourself, "But famous people have unflattering photos taken of them all the time and they're published too. What's the difference? Well, unfortunately for celebrities, they are considered public figures and not private. Because they chose a profession that involves being in front of the public all the time, they are much more susceptable to the media and have different ethical standards than a private figure. Stupid, right? Not really if you think about it. When you choose a profession that's in front of the public eye you knowingly step into a world where you're being watched all the time. And honestly we all know which celebrities handle it the right way and which ones just don't. If all else fails, they should know to hire a smart and trustworthy PR person or publicist who knows how to deal with the media.

And I won't even start on the topic of taking photos in public places or the guidelines someone has to go through in order to prove a photo defamed their reputation if it was published for thousands and even millions of people to see. It's a lot of jargon that will give you all a headache. (It gives me one.)

So what I'm basically saying is this: I've derived my own personal opinion about photos on Facebook from general observations and knowledge I obtained from an ethics class I took in college. Try your best when taking photos of your friends to let them see what you are going to put up. If they say they don't like one and it's not a flattering photo, don't publish it. Respect their wishes. Most people are reasonable. Photoshop images to enhance the person's features and embrace what they look like (And no I don't mean change the whole thing. I'm talking about changing the contrast or the lighting or cleaning up any flaws on the skin. ) Just let them know what you're doing.

I'm telling myself this just as much as I'm telling you. I try my best to let my friends see photos right after we've taken them and if they don't like the photo and want to take another one, I always let them.

 As I said before it's my own ethical standards and opinions. Think I'm being a diva? Somehow I doubt it.

-CKB

Villa Original, Organic and Oceanic...Oh My!

Today's Word of Mouth: Breath of Death at Teatro Dallas. October 15-November 7
This production is adapted from Lafcadio Hearn's Ghostly Japan, a collaboration of Japanese Folk Tales. Celebrate the Day of the Dead with six poetic and deadly souls of the stage and commemorate the 65th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For more information visit http://teatrodallas.org/

Dallas has always been, just like New York, a dream city to me. I've always glamorized it in my mind. Sure, it has its ghettos, gangs and grave areas of danger as do other cities, but that's not what I see when I go there. Call me crazy but the city is comforting to me. I don't mind driving an hour or sitting in traffic for two in order to get there because I have a passion for it. I feel its culture burn inside me whenever I'm there. Its vanity, as some would say, makes it stand out. And although vanity can be considered a brash quality, people don't talk about humility and positive qualities now do they? Nope. They talk about the "in," "the now" and everything materialistic in between. The vanity is probably what draws me in.
But because of this vanity I don't usually take towards higher end restaurants in the city. Although I dream of it, things aren't very "Sex and the City" these days in the wonderful world of United States economics. Money is tight for most and that means not eating out in beautiful but expensive restaurants in Dallas. So when Villa-O restaurant was recommended to me because of its free Monday night meals, I remember thinking that there had to be some kind of catch. There always is after all. You know it's true. I looked the restaurant up at  http://www.villaorestaurant.com/cuisine.php and sure enough found their Monday night special. I swore in my head "Free 2-Course Italian Meal" meant one free dinner per table. Alas, I made my reservation anyway and bit the bullet.
Upon entering the restaurant I instantly felt relaxed. The lights were a little too dim for my taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed the baby blue napkins, the matching water glasses and the white skeleton head illuminating the wall for our upcoming holiday. Our waiter was nice, attentive and never let our glasses go empty.
For the Monday Night Dinner Special you are required to order your two course meal from a certain menu, but Villa gives you several options including pasta, chicken parmesean and lasgana with choice of soup or salad. I decided to go with the starter salad and lasgana. And while I felt the portions weren't very large, they were rich with flavor. The lasgana's aesthetic appeal made my mouth water. Rich tomato sauce and light cheese should never be denied by anyone.
 By the time I had finished my meal, I half expected our waiter to announce that we would only be getting one dinner for free. Again, marketing can be a deceiving thing, but when he brought us our bill, which included a dessert, (chocolate mousse cake to die for if you can handle the over the top rich taste) I noticed what would have originally been a $60 meal for two had been reduced to a $13 meal. (The drinks and dessert we ordered are not included in the Monday special) I was impressed and almost shocked. No restaurant I've been to in my lifetime has offered such an honest and delicious deal.
So I encourage everyone to endulge in Dallas vanity one Monday evening when they have nothing else to do. Villa, as they say on their website, is Original, Organic and Oceanic...Oh my!

Art Isn't Just A Job..It's A Way Of Life

I'm not sure why I've always been drawn to an artistic life. Maybe it chose me. No. I chose it.