Getty Images has announced its acquisition of PicScout, an Israel-based company that developed image identification and tracking technology that is widely used by stock photo distributors to prevent unauthorized use of images.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, and the company declined to comment on a report that the deal was worth about $20 million.

Getty said in a statement announcing the deal that it will “leverage PicScout’s technology in developing new image identification tools for customers.”

The company says it will continue to make PicScout’s services available to its competitors. And Getty CEO Jonathan Klein says, “Getty Images does not plan to change pricing as a result of the transaction.”

Corbis, a PicScout customer and one of Getty’s largest competitors, said through a spokesperson, “We don’t really have a comment on this [acquisition of PicScout] as it was just announced.”

© AP Photo/APTN

Did a family emergency, act of God or snooze button prevent you from tuning in to watch the Royal Wedding this morning? Don’t worry, the Associated Press has you covered. The wire service sent 21 photographers to document every last detail of Wills’ and Kate’s big day.

AP picture editors are already picking through the thousands of images AP photographers made, the best of which will be gathered into a commemorative book that will be available next week (technology!) from online on-demand publisher My Publisher. The handshake between Mr. Middleton and the Prince, the exchange of rings, the kiss (!), that rascal Harry’s proud smile—all of these moments can be yours to cherish.

The limited-edition book—limited to what, you ask? As many copies as people are willing to order, we’d wager—will be available in two sizes. Prices for your very own Royal Wedding album have yet to be announced, but we’re pretty sure they’re just going to call it priceless. Well played, AP.

Watch this space: http://www.mypublisher.com/royalwedding

New Jersey-based photographer/filmmaker Gail Mooney and her daughter Erin Kelly embarked on a 99-day trip covering 6 continents to document the stories of 11 people who are making a positive difference in the world. The resulting documentary, Opening Our Eyes, was shot by Mooney using a Canon 5D Mark II and the GoPro Hero Cam and is slated to be finished by the end of May/beginning of June. The trailer gives a glimpse into Mooney and Kelly’s journey and the individuals who inspired them along the way.

The mother of a six-year-old New Jersey girl whose image appeared in controversial anti-abortion ads has sued the advertisers in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan for unauthorized commercial use of the girl’s likeness. The lawsuit calls the ads “offensive, defamatory, and racist.”

Tricia Fraser is suing an anti-abortion group based in Texas called Life Always and its ad agency, Heroic Media, on behalf of her daughter, Anissa Fraser. The claim is over the use of stock photos of Anissa–shot when she was four–that appeared on billboards near the entrance of the Holland Tunnel in Manhattan, and in Jacksonville, Florida. The billboards included text that said, “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” The billboards are intended to drive traffic to the defendants’ web sites, which solicit donations for their cause.

“While Life Always and Heroic Media certainly have the right to engage in such offensive speech, they do not have the right to exploit the likeness of an innocent child to do so,” Tricia Fraser says in her claim. She asserts that the campaign is “designed to shame African-American women from exercising their constitutional rights to reproductive freedom.”

Fraser and her daughter are African-American. The billboards in question provoked an angry reaction from some people, and drew widespread media coverage before they were finally taken down.

Fraser permitted her daughter to pose for stock photographs in 2009, and admits to signing a “take-it-or-leave-it” model release during the shoot. But Life Always and Heroic Media used her daughter’s likeness illegally, she maintains, because the model release she signed expressly excluded “defamatory use of any photos taken on the shoot.”

“Ms. Fraser was led to believe that the photo would be used by the photographer to publicize his own work. At no point was she told they might be used to illustrate a controversial message or as political propaganda,” the lawsuit says.

Life Always did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The images were allegedly distributed by Getty subsidiary Image Source, and were shot by a photographer identified in the lawsuit as C. Camarena. Neither the agencies nor the photographer are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

According to Fraser’s claim, Getty informs its licensees in writing that they may not use licensed images “in connection with a subject that would be unflattering or unduly controversial to a reasonable person” and that the agency’s license agreement “strictly prohibits” defamatory or otherwise unlawful uses.”

Fraser is seeking an injunction to stop the defendants from using the image in question, and unspecified monetary damages.

An estimated 800 mourners attended the April 27 memorial service for photographer Chris Hondros. The service was held at the Sacred Hearts St. Stephens Church in Brooklyn, where Hondros and his fiancée had planned to hold their wedding this August.  Hondros died in Misrata, Libya on April 20, in a mortar attack that also killed photographer Tim Hetherington.

Hetherington was remembered in prayers offered during the service. Prayers were also offered for “those courageous and steadfast journalists and photographers working in the field today, shining the light of truth on the world,” as well as for “those who live and die with violence and war each day.”

The music of the service, performed by the Brooklyn Rider quartet as well as two church organists, a violinist and trumpet player, included selections by Mahler, Schubert and Bach.  Reporter Regis Le Sommier of Paris Match, who had worked with Hondros in Afghanistan and on many other news stories, noted in his eulogy that Hondros so loved classical music that he had listened to Bach’s Goldberg Variations while waiting out a hurricane in Texas.

In his homily, Father Anthony J. Sansone described Hondros as a “prophetic humanist.” Sansone, who had recently counseled Hondros and his fiancée, Christina Piaia, in preparation for their wedding, said Hondros worked to document “the suffering and the heartbroken” out of a sense of conscience and a commitment to making the public aware of perspectives beyond their own.

Writer Greg Campbell, who had known Hondros since he was 14, said he had received words of condolence from people in 24 countries, including old friends as well as people who only knew Hondros from his photos. He noted that Hondros would have encouraged his friends to maintain the connections and relationships that have formed in what Campbell called “this dark week.” Pancho Bernasconi of Getty Images, who said he liked to call Hondros “my photographer,” said the award-winning photojournalist is remembered as “that rare friend” who offered encouragement and comfort at the worst of times.

Speaking in a clear, calm voice, Piaia noted that on at a recent visit to the church, Hondros had looked out over the pews and talked about how many people they would need to invite to their wedding. Piaia told the standing-room only crowd,  “Now every seat is occupied, every row is filled, but we are celebrating something more profound:  the life of our friend Chris.” Hondros taught her “life is fragile,” she said, adding, “We didn’t take each other for granted.” She told the mourners she did not want them to feel sad, but to know “how fulfilled we have been in the last year.”

At the end of the service, pallbearers Todd Heisler, Tyler Hicks, John Moore, Jeff Swensen, Joe Raedle, Andreas Gebhard, Spencer Platt and Pierce Wright carried the coffin outside, as the church bell tolled 41 times for every year of Hondros’s life.

Related story:

Chris Hondros Dies of Injuries in Libya

Tim Hetherington Killed in Libya

Though it had been leaked from Nikon’s own website weeks ago, the company made it official this morning and launched the new AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens. The new prime lens from Nikon will be available beginning June 16, 2011 for $219.95.

More info in the official press release below.

PRESS RELEASE

EVOLUTION OF THE CLASSIC: THE NEW AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F/1.8G LENS

MELVILLE, N.Y. (April 27, 2011) – Nikon Inc. today announced the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens, a fast, compact lens that affords photographers the versatility of the classic 50mm focal length and the benefits of a fast aperture for photos and D-movies. Whether a new D-SLR enthusiast or a seasoned pro, users will appreciate the tack-sharp image quality, extreme low-light performance, shallow depth of field and Nikon core technologies that improve upon the original to make a great lens even better.

“The 50mm lens has been a staple for photographers since the 35mm film days, and this new lens enables Nikon customers that shoot photos and movies to discover the creative benefits of this traditional focal length,” said Lisa Osorio, general manager of marketing at Nikon Inc. “This f/1.8 prime lens offers exceptional image quality and control, and benefits from modern Nikon technologies to enhance performance such as the Silent Wave Motor and use of an aspheric lens – it’s a very attractive package for any shooting discipline.”

Lightweight, compact and affordable, this lens will easily become a favorite and find a home in any photographer’s gear bag. With the unique ability to mimic the focal length of the human eye, the AF- S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens is ideal for travel, general photography, low-light, landscape shooting and portraiture. This lens continues the tradition of NIKKOR precision optics to provide photographers with sharp, high-resolution images and the ability to focus as close as 1.48 feet, with amazing depth of field control for intimate details. The integration of an ultra-compact Silent Wave Motor ensures fast, whisper-quiet AF operation, which is essential when recording movies. Optimized for Nikon FX-format
cameras, this lens is also a great option for Nikon DX-format photographers seeking a fast, sharp lens for capturing images with amazing color and contrast.

The new 50mm f/1.8 lens construction consists of seven elements in six groups, with one aspherical lens element to reduce instances of coma and aberration, even when shooting wide open. A rounded diaphragm opening combined with the seven-blade aperture contributes to a substantially more circular bokeh for a more natural appearance of out-of-focus background elements. Additionally, instances of lens flare and chromatic aberration are suppressed using Nikon’s exclusive Super Integrated Coatings, which also help ensure vividly accurate color balance.

The AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens is scheduled to be available at Nikon authorized dealers beginning June 16, 2011 at an estimated selling price of $219.95. For more information, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

An upcoming exhibition of photography from the uprisings in Tunisia, Cairo and Libya will not double as a fundraiser after all, organizers told PDN today.

We reported yesterday that Revolucion(es), a showcase of images shot in the last three months by independent photographers working in the Middle East had been turned into a fundraiser for photographers Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown. Both were seriously injured in Libya last week. But it seems neither photographer needs the fundraising assistance after all.

“The families told us their costs have been covered,” says Matt Craig, who organized the exhibition with fellow Wall Street Journal photo editor, Julien Jourdes.

The exhibition will still open as originally planned at the Instituto Cervantes in New York at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

A exhibition opening this week to showcase unpublished reportage of uprisings in the Arab world has been turned into a fundraiser for injured photographers Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, and a celebration for Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington, who died last week in Libya.

Revolucion(es), a showcase of images shot in the last three months by independent photographers working in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya,  will open at 7 p.m. April 28 (Thursday) at Instituto Cervantes in New York.

“As photo editors we saw an enormous amount of work that was not being picked up or published. Instituto Cervantes gave us an opportunity to curate an exhibition and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to present some of the best work we had seen,” says Julien Jourdes, who is curating the show with his Wall Street Journal colleague Matthew Craig.

“The scope and ethos of this show has shifted after the events of April 20th,” says Jourdes, referring to the deaths of Hetherington and Hondros and the injuries of Martin and Brown in a mortar attack in Libya on April 20. “It seemed only appropriate that we invite the New York photo and journalism communities to celebrate the lives of Chris and Tim while also generating as much donated funds as possible.”

Jourdes and Craig have arranged with all the photographers represented in the exhibition to offer prints to attendees in exchange for donations to assist Martin and Brown with their expenses. Limited edition show posters will also be available for donations. (Jourdes explains that the prints are not being sold because the Instituto Cervantes, which is a Spanish cultural exchange organization, cannot offer merchandise for sale.)

Photographers whose work is represented in the show include Samuel Aranda, Bryan Denton, Matthias Depardon, Gabriele Micalizzi, Gabriele Stabile, Nicole Tung, Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, Luca Santese, Andy Rocchelli, Katie Orlinsky–and Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, both of whom agreed to provide prints for the exhibition before they were injured.

Instituto Cervantes is located at 211 East 49th Street in Manhattan, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Those who cannot attend the exhibition but who would like to help Martin and Brown will be able to make donations through a PayPal site to be announced.

Three of four journalists detained nearly three weeks ago by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi have finally been able to call their families to report that they are OK–but still locked up in a jail in Tripoli with little indication of when they might be released, according to recent news reports.

Spanish photographer Manuel Varela de Seijas Brabo was arrested April 5 along with American reporters James Foley, a correspondent for the online news site GlobalPost, and Clare Morgana Gillis, a freelancer who had been in Libya reporting for The Atlantic and USA Today. South African photographer Anton Hammerl was detained separately on the same day.

The GlobalPost reported three days after the arrests that the Qaddafi government had said it would release the journalists “soon.” Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and a former US congressman have all appealed to the Libyan government to release the journalists.

Since then, the families of the journalists have grown increasingly worried and frustrated by a lack of information about their whereabouts.

But GlobalPost.com reported yesterday that Foley called his mother in New Hampshire on Saturday, reporting that he was in good health and well-treated. He said he was being detained with Brabo, who also called his family on Saturday for the first time since his capture, according to an AP report. Brabo reportedly told his parents he was OK, but did not know when he might be released.

Gillis made contact with her family last week, reporting that she was being held in a women’s prison in Tripoli, but was in good health, according to The Atlantic. She said that she, Foley and Brabo were not with Hammerl when they were detained. Earlier reports suggested that the four journalists were together when they were captured.

According to the GlobalPost report, the South African government has been told by Libyan authorities that Hammerl is in good condition.

Libyan authorities also reiterated to the South African government that the journalists would be released “soon,” according to GlobalPost.

The families of two photojournalists killed in a rocket attack on Misrata, Libya, on April 20 are organizing memorials.

Dean Hondros, brother of photographer Chris Hondros, announced that a memorial service will take place Wednesday, April 27, at 1 pm at Sacred Hearts St. Stephens Church in  Brooklyn. Directions and information are available on the church’s Web site, www.delvecchiorc.com; the phone number is (718) 246-8342.

*Update: The memorial service is scheduled to be streamed live online via ustream.tv.

In lieu of flowers, Hondros’s family and fiancee have suggested donations be made to The Chris Hondros Fund, which has just been launched: “This fund will provide scholarships for aspiring photojournalists and raise awareness of issues surrounding conflict photography.” According to a spokesperson at Getty Images, where Hondros was a staff photographer, the agency is “working with the family to select beneficiary organizations.” More information is expected soon. Donations can be sent to:

The Chris Hondros Fund
c/o Christina Piaia
50 Bridge Street #414
Brooklyn, New York 11201

The family of Tim Hetherington have created a web page, Timhetherington.org/condolences, where remembrances of their son are being posted. On the site, a note from Alistair and Judith Hetherington says, “We will be setting up a charitable organization to continue Tim’s humanitarian work around the world,” and adds, “Information will be posted here in the coming days.”

Related stories:
Tim Hetherington Killed in Libya

Chris Hondros Dies of Injuries in Libya