Maybe it’s just me, although I highly doubt it, but there seems to be much more in the news lately about photographers getting harassed or questioned. Some have even gotten arrested or detained by the authorities.

As photographers we have rights. I’m not an expert in the rights of photographers all over the world, but in America we are protected by the rights of free speech and free press.

Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection has had several stories about photographers being harassed or worse come up on his blog over the past couple of weeks.

So what do you do if you ever get caught in a situation like that? The important thing is to know your rights as a photographer! It’s paramount you find out what laws disallow or allow in your neck of the woods in order to save your own hide, you know, just in case.

Here are a few of places to start:

The photographer’s right

NPPA Releases Memo on Photographer’s Rights

Photography and the Law: Know Your Rights

Okay, that’s quite enough of my own personal soap box. On to more positive issues.

This week’s photoblog highlight is Calisto Photography. What can I say about this photoblog? It’s truly inspiring and wonderfully beautiful and emotional. When I see an artist truly pour out their passion into their medium I get chills. I hope you can be inspired as much as I have.

Here are some reader’s photo’s from the Your Photo Tips flickr group enjoy!

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The summer months are fast approaching and it’s high time we starting thinking about going on that family vacation. Taking a vacation is the ultimate excuse for polishing up on your photographic skills. After all, vacation photography is the number one reason most people purchase a new camera. Here are some great photo tips for your next vacation!

Pack Wisely

Don’t forget that taking your camera with you on vacation is crucial to bringing home the memories. Okay, so that goes without saying, but I’ll bet somewhere sometime somebody forgot their gear. Back in January I wrote an article on Packing you camera gear for a trip. Read it as a refresher. Most importantly, don’t forget to pack extra memory! If you are headed to a tourist destination you’ll be able to buy plenty of memory there, but you’ll pay extra in the tourist shops.

Zoom zoom zoom

When visiting a foreign country try to brush up on the cultural differences. Some people may not look kindly on photographers just taking their images. If at all possible ask for permission or just use your zoom to stay incognito while still applying good photographic techniques like close cropping for portraits. The important thing to remember here is to be polite and smiling always helps.

Dinner and a smile

I don’t know about you, but eating great local food is one of my favorite things about vacation. Use this time to brush up on your still-life photography and capture food as a cultural flare. Great plated dishes make wonderful additions to vacation albums or slideshows.

Location location location

Capture the specifics like street signs and numbers and you’ll be adding wonderful details about your vacation hotspots that will surely add to your scrapbook.

Don’t be a tourist

Every tourist in the history of tourism has taken a picture of that right? That’s probably what goes through your head as you see an iconic landmark or building and it’s probably true. That doesn’t mean you should shy away from capturing that landmark yourself. Get creative! Try to think of different ways to capture that landmark. Maybe that means getting closer and using a wide angle lens or using a long exposure to capture the traffic that surrounds. The point is to get creative and have fun.

Photograph Balloons on Rose Street by Dennis Coughlin for more on Dennis Coughlin visit Cherry Street.

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Do you listen to photography podcasts as well as reading photography blogs? I do and I love podcasts on photography. I don’t listen to as many as I used to because I no longer have a long commute to work. That is what they are most widely used for after all! Photography podcasts have come a long way in the past couple of years. Podcasts in general have come a long way really. I’m certainly excited to help introduce you to a new photography podcast PhotoNetCast.

PhotoNetCast is the new photography podcast by fellow photography bloggers Brian Auer of Epic Edits Weblog, Jim M. Goldstein of JMG Galleries, Martin Gommel of Kwerfeldein, and Antonio Marques of Words: Irrational! Theses guys are gonna do a great job with this medium and I’m looking forward to those subscriptions coming in.

Here are a few other photography podcasts I listen to as well.

This Week In Photography or TWIP has always been a great place to catch up on photography news.

You can learn more digital photography tips from Tips From The Top Floor with short non-techy episodes.

Round it all off with a good dose of The Digital Photography Show and you’re well on your way to some great photography podcasts to get you through your daily commute.

There are other photography podcasts out there that I haven’t discovered I’ll bet. Did I miss one of your favorites? Let me know!

Here are some great readers photos to look through over the weekend. Click on an image to be taken to their flickr stream.

If you’d like to see your images in an article of Your Photo Tips then feel free to join the Your Photo Tips flickr group

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