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A New Jersey wedding photographer scammed dozens of people, including his own friends and family, out of $1 million in a sham investment scheme — and instead used the money on an Audi, gambling and travel, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Vincent Villafane — a photographer and graphic designer from Ford, NJ — allegedly tricked his victims into investing tens of thousands of dollars each into scarce computer graphic cards for gaming laptops, claiming he could sell them for more than double what they were purchased at, federal prosecutors said. His victims included elderly people, public employees like police...

A federal judge ruled yesterday that the city of Louisville, Kentucky, cannot ban a Christian photographer from limiting her wedding photography business to opposite-sex couples. In the lawsuit which Petapixel has previously reported on, photographer Chelsey Nelson challenged a Louisville law that required her to take photographs and blog online for same-sex weddings.Louisville’s 20-year-old “Fairness Ordinance” prevents discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, the lawsuit, filed on behalf of wedding photographer Chelsey Nelson by the conservative advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, alleges that the city’s law infringes on Nelson’s freedom of religion and speech. Beaton ruled that the...

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a “Christian” wedding photographer who demanded that the state’s nondiscrimination law be overturned, lest she be forced to photograph same-sex weddings. The woman, Emilee Carpenter, of Elmira, filed suit earlier this year, claiming that New York’s nondiscrimination law violates her First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion, and her Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. Carpenter claims to believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, and that weddings are meant to be “inherently religious and solemn events.” As such,...

A federal judge has ruled that a New York-based Christian photographer must provide services for same-sex wedding celebrations despite holding religious objections to gay marriage. Judge Frank Geraci, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, rejected a request by Emilee Carpenter of the upstate New York-based Emilee Carpenter Photography to grant a preliminary injunction against a state anti-discrimination law. In his ruling Monday, the Obama appointee concluded that “New York has a compelling interest in ensuring that individuals, without regard to sexual orientation, have equal access to publicly available goods and services, and that...

A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that the city of Louisville cannot force a Christian photographer to work same-sex weddings because the “Constitution does not require a choice between gay rights and freedom of speech.” U.S. District Judge Justin R. Walker on Friday ruled that Chelsey Nelson, a wedding photographer and blogger who is a Christian, can refuse to photograph and blog celebratory messages about same-sex weddings, according to the Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom. As per a local ordinance, as interpreted by Louisville officials, Nelson would face substantial penalties, including damages, court orders and compliance reports, if...

Due to popular demand from Operation Freedom listeners and Premium Service Subscribers, we proudly present Dr. Dave's interview with the world renowned Gene Ho. This Insider Insight interview, from the subscription service, presents insight into President Trump's life & campaign from the perspective of his personal photographer. Simply put, this is a must watch interview.

<p>A wedding photographer who moonlights as a swimsuit model was arrested Saturday after having sex with a male guest and then urinating on a nearby tree, police said.</p> <p>Katherine Leigh Mehta, 26, was arrested at The Springs Event Venue in Weatherford — about 30 miles west of Fort Worth — after an off-duty sheriff’s deputy working as a security guard was alerted to Mehta having sex with a guest in a room at the Parker County event space, according to an arrest report obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.</p>

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – It was during a mid-2005 Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) meeting on Capitol Hill when award-winning journalist Askia Muhammad captured one of the most significant photos of his career. Muhammad had doggedly covered then Chicago Sen. Barack Obama since he “first laid eyes on him” at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Now, here was the Senator in a warm conversation with constituent and fellow Chicagoan Minister Louis Farrakhan. As leader of the Nation of Islam, Farrakhan is another star in Black America, but one whose name is synonymous with controversy. Wasting no time, Muhammad snapped the news photo. But...

Terry Richardson, a fashion photographer accused of sexually exploiting models, has been banned from working with top magazines such as Vogue and GQ, according to a report. Richardson, 52, has been accused by multiple women of pressuring them into sex when they worked together, though he has still landed high-profile clients despite allegations three years ago that led to outlets such as American Vogue saying they did not plan to work with him again. In the aftermath of worldwide sexual abuse allegations including rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the ban on Richardson has now extended to properties across Condé...

This level of success is surprising, given that a glance at his portfolio by anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the history of photography would reveal that a high number of his images look an awful lot like those of other photographers. And not obscure photographers, either. Many of his shots bear striking resemblances to the work of some of the most famous photographers of all time.

Award winning photographer Mathias Depardon has been under detention in southeastern Turkey since Tuesday 9 May. A French photographer who had been living in Turkey for several years was detained in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday according to a report in French daily Le Monde.Mathias Depardon, an award winning independent photographer on assignment for National Geographic travelled to the historical town of Hasankeyf in Batman province on Monday and was detained along with his translator a day after his arrival.Turkish police confiscated Depardon’s equipment and after inspecting his social media accounts charged him with “propaganda for a terrorist organisation” based on four photographs he had shared...

Capturing the magic of Disneyland in photos is something Paul Hiffmeyer has been doing for more than 10 years. But on July 5, he will hang up his Mickey Mouse ears as chief photographer at the Disneyland Resort and retire at age 70.

Jodi Arias was convicted of murder, but still awaits a sentence. So far, Arizona taxpayers have covered $2.1 million in legal fees for the Jodi Arias legal team and other costs associated with her case.

Civil War photographer Mathew Brady largely taught himself the finer points of the two pursuits that have linked his name to history: taking pictures and self-promotion. The son of Irish immigrant farmers had a talent for cajoling presidents, generals and business leaders to sit before his camera. Other than his birth around 1823 in Warren County, N.Y., little is recorded about Brady's early life, a challenge for biographer Robert Wilson. Yet readers of 'Mathew Brady: Portraits of a Nation' probably benefit from this dearth of personal information. Wilson moves quickly to what matters most - Brady's role in how we...

In an accident in which a semi plunged into a ravine near the Ohio Valley Mall, a fight broke out between a mall security guard and a woman taking photos of the accident. Note that the security guard is the aggressor.

Lawyers for Britain's royal family will make a criminal complaint against the photographer who took pictures of Prince William's wife Kate sunbathing topless in the south of France, William's office said Sunday.

Eugene Volokh has been doing extensive blogging on the Volokh Conspiracy Blog about Elane Photography v. Willock That is where I heard about this case of a Photographer being forced by the government to take pictures of an private event that violates the photographer's beliefs. This case is about a photographer in New Mexico who did not want to take pictures of a gay marriage wedding because it violated their beliefs. This gay couple could have went anywhere else but they decide to go to court to force this photographer to take their money and take pictures for them at...

On May 2nd, news started coming in that the previous day’s MayDay Occupy protests in New York had turned violent towards photographers. At first, people viewed the assaults as unplanned, isolated incidents; but since the attacks took place, a piece on Anarchist News has been released to set the record straight: photographers, apparently, are the enemy.

For nearly two decades, a stubborn Barrie Schwortz remained skeptical about the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, even after having seen most of the overwhelming evidence in favor up close with his own eyes. Still this lifelong Jew and official photographer for the scientific study team that investigated the shroud in 1978 kept wondering — does this centuries-old burial cloth bear the actual image of the crucified Jesus, as millions believe, or does this widely venerated relic represent little more than a great medieval forgery, perpetuated by a clever artist? “I was skeptical [about the shroud’s authenticity] for 18...