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Photography firm apologizes for image of half-naked skier
The photographer who shot embarrassing pictures of a half naked skier dangling from a Vail ski lift has been suspended by his company, which has issued a public apology. Marty Odom breached company policy by releasing the photos without permission and could lose his job. The photos appeared on The Smoking Gun and other sites. (Denver Post)January 8, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
I guess they are perfectly in their rights to suspend or fire the guy. I don't know if you KEEP a photographer from taking pictures (its instinct), but you can keep from releasing them.
But there is someting inherently funny about someone dangling bareassed from antyhing due to a mishap. I can't say I din't smile when I saw them. If it were me I wouldn't be embarrased or upset, unless they caught a frontal view. ;)
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Jan 8, 2009 12:10:51 PM
Nothing like getting caught with your pants down...
I bet that was chilly! (shrinkage)
The guys face and the child's face were never shown.
Dont know why everyone is kicking such a fit about this.
When tragedies happen like Katrina, its ok to film and photograph 1/2 naked people stuck in trees or laying dead on the ground but this....this is different? Please.
Posted by: cherie | Jan 8, 2009 12:14:33 PM
Heck, this was the fun (for me, not the skier) story this week. The guy should be given a bonus!
Posted by: db | Jan 8, 2009 12:23:12 PM
I would think that those pictures will come in handy for the impending lawsuit. Hope the skier takes advantage of them.
Posted by: d'ep | Jan 8, 2009 12:25:50 PM
Why is taking a picture of an interesting event a problem? Can we only publish flattering pictures? And why is the photographer the responsible party?
Oh! It's political correctness!
(I don't seem to believe in periods...)
Posted by: Jinkies | Jan 8, 2009 1:06:03 PM
SEMC, if you look closely at the first pic on TSG, you can see a partial view of the goods.
Posted by: troschne | Jan 8, 2009 1:12:53 PM
The skier is better off keeping his mouth shut. Right now, we know him only as a faceless figure with his butt hanging out in the snowy breeze. As embarrassed as he might be, he's an unknown.
When he steps up to claim his lottery bux (aka civil suit settlement) he's FOREVER going to KNOWN as the bare-assed skier. He should take whatever settlement the photo and resort companies offer and run.
Posted by: NitroPress | Jan 8, 2009 1:13:17 PM
Full moon over Vail?
Posted by: Jim | Jan 8, 2009 1:19:16 PM
I have never been skiing, nor do I intend to start.
Just thought I'd pass that information along.
Posted by: Torgo | Jan 8, 2009 1:19:26 PM
Yikes! It's a funny image but the poor guy was probably terrified, not to mention the kid. I'm glad he was rescued safely.
The photog isn't a journalist -- he was employed by a company that shoots souvenir photos of skiers at Vail -- and the photos were released without the guy's or the company's permission. So technically his employer is within its rights to fire his ass for violating company policy.
My opinion is that no lasting harm was done by releasing the photos, since neither the guy nor the kid can be identified from the pictures. But I'm not the guy's employer. Hopefully losing his job was worth his 15 minutes of fame for shooting photos of the naked dude dangling from a chair lift.
Posted by: Phranqlin | Jan 8, 2009 1:21:13 PM
OK Torgo
That's why snowmobiles were invented! No one ever dangles bare-assed off a snowmobile unless booze is involved! Come to think of it, it usually is.
Posted by: RockyMtnMac | Jan 8, 2009 1:29:28 PM
Snow balls anyone?
Posted by: Frosty | Jan 8, 2009 1:32:41 PM
At least the boy has his father to laugh with in the future over this, it so easily could have gone the other way.
However - releasing the photo without getting the guy's permission first is just wrong. Especially in this age of the internet.
The photographer had to know that this would be all over the world pretty fast. The fact that he didn't care speaks volumes about his (lack of) professionalism.
Posted by: David | Jan 8, 2009 1:39:06 PM
I heard a/b this on the radio. Poor guy. Question: if it happened in a public place, is it illegal?...bad ethics but illegal??
Posted by: twerp | Jan 8, 2009 1:40:23 PM
The guy has a right to sue somebody over it if he wants, and the photographer (as far as I know) had to sign a bunch of paperwork, some of it including not doing stuff like this. I used to work for SharpShooter and I had to fill out the same crap.
As far as whether it's right to take the picture - I think it would have been hard for me not to take it, but I don't know that I would have contacted the local newspaper. I guess the photographer is getting some notice out of it though...
Oh, and also keep in mind that Vail can't fire the guy; SharpShooter is contracted by Vail. If he gets fired it will be by SharpShooter. And also keep in mind that they don't have to fire him, but at Vail's request they do have to keep him off the property.
Posted by: Chris | Jan 8, 2009 1:58:32 PM
the way I see it this was is a news event and a free lancer covered it for us the public. The man in the photograph can use these photo's in court against Vail's neglect to insure his safety.
Posted by: Dellos | Jan 8, 2009 2:04:51 PM
I think I kinda know what happened to the guy. Years ago I got on a chair lift by myself like that lift. I didn't get fully on the chair initially, and once I was like 40-50 feet from where you get on the lift, I was still trying to get a grip. I reached back behind me to grab the pole holding the chair and instead got a hold of the foot rest. I pulled, the foot rest hit me on the back, and down I went -- about 8 feet, luckily into deep powder. And luckily all my equipment came with me. I had to trudge out of the powder, but no harm done.
I think the operator was so baked he didn't even notice that I had fallen, or that I got back on the lift back to back in 3 minutes' time.
Posted by: Paul | Jan 8, 2009 2:08:26 PM
Yeah, where the kid was concerned, whether thats your old man or not, you don't want to have to look at his package that long....ever, he'll you dont ever even want to SEE it!
Posted by: cherie | Jan 8, 2009 3:59:00 PM
That poor man... damn that had to be cold. I bet the turtle's head retreated back as far as it could...
Posted by: Rat | Jan 8, 2009 6:36:22 PM
I felt really bad for the guy. Bad: he was in danger of losing his life. Worse: he's being humiliated in front of his own kid (and whoever's there at the tourist attraction). Worst: now plum near everyone's seen what happened, and he's going to be the butt of humor for the rest of his life.
I don't ski, never have and never will, but it's so easy to put yourself in this guy's shoes.
Posted by: outofsalt | Jan 8, 2009 6:41:06 PM
I am calling BULSHIT on this one. I do photo work. If I am sent out to a shoot and something like this happens and you can get the shot you do. They should print a retraction and apologize. You don't suspend the photographer for doing his job.
Also the naked dude should thank the photog for the evedance in the law sute.
Posted by: Dick C. Normas | Jan 9, 2009 4:49:42 AM
What kind of idiot falls off a lift like that. The naked dude should be thanking people for getting him down after effing up like that. Bet he was smashed.
/long time skier
// some people don't belong on the lifts
Posted by: petep | Jan 9, 2009 6:16:51 AM
It's not Journalism style photography; it's souvenir photography. People go there with their families and the photographers go around trying to make some commission off of them. That photographer signed paperwork that says the pictures he takes on the job are the property of the company he works for. They have every right to suspend or fire him. What did he THINK was going to happen as a result of taking those pictures and giving them to the newspaper?
And I'm sure the "naked dude" was probably thanking people for getting him down.
Posted by: Chris | Jan 9, 2009 6:44:45 AM
LIKE WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT A HALF NAKED PIC....ALL NUDE IS MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: MONKEY JERK | Jan 9, 2009 8:08:55 AM
"..the impending lawsuit.."
"..claim his lottery bux.."
"..in court against Vail's neglect to insure his safety"
"..the evedance in the law sute"
Sue, sue, sue, yep.. thats the answer to every hangnail in life. Some of the commentors must be lawyers or one that wishes it was their ass hanging there. Likely the kind to sue at the drop of a hat, or in this case pants. He wasn't injured, he wasn't killed or deformed, just embarrassed. 'Could have's' and 'what if' doesn't mean squat, unless you're a determined lawyer I guess. This doesn't happen everyday, nor are people consistently tumbling out of the chairs at Vail, demonstrating neglect. I hope the guy chalks it up to an awkaward moment in life, Vail takes care of their lodging and lift tickets for the remainder of their stay, maybe throw in a season pass and everyone calls it a day.
Posted by: DeNerd | Jan 9, 2009 9:34:11 AM
