I don't cry at Kleenex commercials. I didn't cry during E.T. or most of the other movies that most people cry at. I cry in Fried Green Tomatoes but not when a main character actually dies but when one main character only thinks another main character has died but is in fact sitting on a suitcase looking at where her home used to be. I tell you this so you understand that my crying reflex is a bit skewed and if something moves me to tears it's got to be powerful. Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) moved me to tears. I read the press stories about it and the blog entries of the people who created the project and the people they're trying so hard to help and I cried.

Being harassed for photography is a pretty common and hot topic these days. Anyone who shoots more than casually has probably been told "You can't photograph here" or an equivalent phrase in either polite or not so polite terms and many of us have been stopped and questioned by security or the police. I'm lucky that I've never been seriously harassed but I've had more than a few "put that camera away" run-ins and a couple "if you don't stop photographing I'm calling the police" incidents (um, go ahead since I'm not doing anything illegal). I've yet to figure out why people are so afraid of cameras and why those people are so certain anyone with a camera is a) targeting them and b) out to do nefarious deeds.

Despite these fears/paranoias, photography is not a crime in most settings and situations. Public places, people in public places, buildings you can see from public places are all fair game for photography under the law in the U.S. Photographers should remember this and not fall victim to harassment and bullying when they are within their rights. Business and private property owners have the right (though in most cases no good reason) to not allow photography on their premises but public property is another story. Well, unless you're in Troy, NY.

Smithsonian Magazine has listed the finalist in their 3rd Annual Photo Contest. Categories include People, Americana, Altered Images, The Natural World, and Travel. There is some great photography in these shots. My personal favorites are Night in the city that never sleeps, Dapper man with cigar and Pilgrims on a stairway