Amazon's application to patent a widely used lighting setup has upset photographers around the world.
We were recently alerted to a story at petapixel.com that says Amazon has obtained a patent for what would appear to be a very common studio lighting setup. The story, which seems to have originated atshootthecentrefold.com, has more than a few photographers scratching their heads and asking if the world has gone mad.
The patent description spells out the details of the camera, lighting, subject and background placement:
"Disclosed are various embodiments of a studio arrangement and a method of capturing images and/or video. One embodiment of the disclosure includes a front light source aimed at a background, an image capture position located between the background and the front light source, an elevated platform positioned between the image capture position and the background, and at least one rear light source positioned between the elevated platform and the background. A subject can be photographed and/or filmed on the elevated platform to achieve a desired effect of a substantially seamless background where a rear edge of the elevated platform is imperceptible to an image capture device positioned at the image capture position."
The picture below is one of several included with the patent application.
Illustration from Amazon Technologies' US Patent 8,676,045 B1.
"Now that Amazon holds this patented lighting method," writes a blogger at shootthecenterfold.com, "can we as photographers expect to receive demand letters from Amazon’s attorneys demanding to cease and desist from infringing on their patented 'Studio Arrangement' when we shoot images in the studio against a white cyc?"
One reader, called Gwo, comments that an infringement would only occur if a photographer used the exact setup specified by Amazon, including four rear light sources in a 10:3 intensity ratio, an 85mm lens at f/5.6, ISO 320 and an elevated platform with the object on it.
While that may be relatively unlikely, the legal issues would be more difficult to negotiate if other companies follow Amazon's lead, patenting their own 'proprietary' setups. As reader 'Roger' comments at petapixel.com, "If every corp patents their studio's lighting setup then the problem/restriction for photographer won't be highly specific. Instead just about every setup configuration will be patented and photographers won't be able to work without infringing."
What do you think? Should organisations be able to patent lighting setups? Let us know in the comments section below.
