Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Don Cornelius violates plagiarism law

Don Cornelius Ridgecrest, CA photographer plagiarized the maternity photography images belonging to Koren Reyes and refuses to immediately remove the images from his web site.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Ridgecrest, CA photographer Don Cornelius violates US copyright law

Highdesert-Photography of Ridgecrest, CA violated US copyright law by stealing Koren Reyes's images.

Highdesert photographer, Dan Cornelius, violates US Copyright law by unlawfully using Koren Reyes's images on his web site.

An anonymous tip led Koren Reyes to discover that Don Cornelius of Ridgecrest, CA stole and then posted her images on his web site in clear violation of US copyright law.

He did this with the purposeful intent of deceiving viewers into thinking he had created this imagery.

What makes this even more incredible is that as of November 26, 2007, Don Cornelius was a current member of PPA, one of the premier trade organizations that supports, trains and teaches high ethics standards to photographers.



Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Town & Country Bride

Courtney and I did a bridal portrait session with Charlie, aka Coco Latte, aka Coco Loco. Can I have a dog with three names, depending on how cute he is at the moment?



Please support my maternity photographer and maternity photography work here: Best maternity photography and pregnancy portraits

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Little Charlie at home in NYC

We're getting along famously. He loves to play, poop, pee & sleep. He follows me around everywhere.


Please visit my maternity photography site when you get a chance.
Here it is: Maternity photography

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I got a Havanese

Little Charlie was born on September 12, 2007 to Kim Way of Weathersfield, CT. He is a bundle of love and is the cutest little thing I have ever cuddled.

Kim Way took this picture. Didn't she do a good job?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Time Warner holiday light show

I exited the subway at Columbus Circle late Thursday night and as I turned left toward my street, holiday tune wafted over the night. I went right instead to follow the tunes. There, in the black of night when only the cockroaches roam the streets, was a crew of bulky men hanging the giant stars over the main entrance to the Time Warner building.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Yoga Works in New York

I'm a member of the Upper West Side YogaWorks; a place I have a love-hate relationship with. I love the hard workouts that Marco demands, I hate how my shoulder complains. I also really like Arana's class - she has this cool, detached style that somehow diguises the difficulty of her class.

I'm always interested in shooting extraordinary athletes. If you know of any yogis who would do yogo for photo art, let me know.



or visit my site, Maternity by Koren

Monday, November 5, 2007

Holiday family photography

This family couldn't have chosen nicer colors for their holiday photography card.


To view more holiday family photo ideas, visit Faces in Photos

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Rape Prevention

Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)
How to prevent a rape
Rape Prevention
Survive an attack

This is important information for females of ALL ages. When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends, but I forwarded it to almost everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends and this information is too important to miss someone. Please pass it along.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two: is office parking lots/garages. Number three: is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question , like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here," "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) , yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!! You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1 . Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE. a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Carnegie Hall

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Sing with any one of the many NYC choruses.
I'm singing as part of the pick-up choir with Dessoff tonight. We're performing Prokofiev's Nevsky at 8pm.

Check out the new images I put up in the Studio section of my web site:
faces in photos