In a civil lawsuit, actor Sean Penn has pleaded no contest to one count of vandalism and has been sentenced to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service and 36 hours of anger management counseling.

This sentence was delivered after Penn allegedly kicked and punched photographer Jordan Dawes on Oct. 4, 2009. The attack took place when Dawes, as well as several other paparazzi photographers, had a run-in with Penn in Brentwood, Calif.

Another photographer on the scene filmed about 30 seconds of the incident; however, this footage only shows Penn shouting and not any of the preceding physical assault. Dawes has said that he has since had surgery as a result of his injuries.Although Penn was sentenced for vandalism charges, a civil suit filed by Dawes is still pending.

On June 10-12, Seattle-based Glazer's Camera will celebrate its 75th anniversary by closing the streets surrounding its headquarters for a photo-themed trade show, called Northwest Photo Fest.

At the free community event, Glazer's will feature more than 35 big-name vendors, including Nikon, Canon, Leica, Adobe, LowePro, Sony, Wescott and ProFoto. The trade show also promises to host a variety of free seminars, speakers and demonstrations on digital imaging, videography and film-processing equipment. Glazer's will also be offering special anniversary discounts throughout the weekend.

After 22 years as a prominent Seattle photo gallery, Benham Gallery closed its doors in December 2009 and will launch a virtual iteration called Benham Fine Art.

Owner Marita Holdaway, a former PhotoMedia Photography Person of the Year, said the new site (benhamfineart.com) will allow clients to browse through artists' pages and review or purchase prints. Interested users will still be able to set up personal consulting appointments.

Benham has held more than 500 exhibits and propelled the careers of local photographers, such as Phil Borges, Peggy Washburn and Bruce Barnbaum.

With enhanced security scanners being implemented in airports by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) is advising that all low- and high-speed film needs to be hand-inspected.
I3A suggests that printed circuit-board film as well as medical, consumer and motion-picture film, graphic arts materials, and storage media devices are at risk...

A new website titled Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow (dpBestflow.org) was launched at the end of last year by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the Library of Congress to definitively outline up-to-date guidelines for best digital photography practices.
On the website, users can learn how to preserve and categorize their images, read about the current best practices...

Between waiter/waitress and ad salesperson at No. 126 — that's where a career as photographer will land you in the rankings of 200 best and worst jobs of 2009, a list compiled by CareerCast.com. Even lower down the totem pole, photojournalist came in at No. 189, between firefighter and butcher. Looking for a slightly better photo job? Photo processor came in at No. 90.

The criteria for this ranking included physical demand, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook. Since the 2008 report, photographers maintained the same ranking, but photojournalist dropped 22 positions from No. 167.

In a legal battle over the definition of personal morality in a photography business, the New Mexico state court has ruled that a photographic enterprise is a service, not a form of artistic expression, and is required to follow anti-discrimination laws.
Elaine Huguenin, a New Mexico-based wedding photographer, was first taken to court in 2006 after refusing to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony between Vanessa Willock and Misty Pascottini...

Since the January release of Apple's latest must-have creation, the iPad, magazine publishers have been anxious to get a bite of this new e-reader's potential audience and market share.
Among the list of hopeful users, Time Inc. hopes to create SI Tablet, a digital version of Sports Illustrated magazine with multimedia and photo imaging capabilities. The SI Tablet would further entice e-readership with incentives such as access to twice the number of images offered in...