Why is that guy kissing that girl where she pees?

First, thanks for the Kostume Karaoke mention. :)

Second, have you checked with the people in the NSFW photos? they really should have the opportunity to give the go ahead on use of their photo. in fact, it’s a big deal in the burner community to always ask before even taking the photo. and as is mentioned in the article, people who live in DC often have careers that wouldn’t sit well with their personal activities.

glad you enjoyed the party and thanks for checking into that asap!

Debbi’s right, it sure is important to get permission, ideally for all photos but certainly anything risque, at a Burner-related event like this. But in fairness, anyone who poses like that for someone packing pro photography equipment has either signed a model release and been paid, or is eligible for Larry Flynt’s version of the Darwin awards. While the event had a sexy edge, the other photos in the series are much more representative. It wasn’t a porno shoot for most of us, but it was an amazing party!

Debbi is right, at these kinds of events folks may be in a state where what they are “exhibiting” is not their best judgment. An integral part of the burner community is that we look out for each other. A post to the local lists about these photos before publishing them would have been thoughtful.

first off, i should have said this before…thanks to BYT and tom and ben for covering this event! as someone who also throws events, i recognize that you don’t have to, so I appreciate that you chose to. this was a killer party thrown by a bunch of hardworking, fabulous folks and a great time was had by all.

and thanks, for most of the potentially problematic photos are gone now.

but i feel compelled to address the idea that “posing” for photos implies consent. there are plenty of people snapping photos all over the place at events like these, and many of them shooting with professional looking equipment because photography is their art and participation at the party…by no means does this make it automatically ok for those photos to be posted in a publicly accesssible forum (i.e. an events blog and not facebook). any self described “burner” with a camera will ask permission before a posed shot or immediately after a candid one. journalists typically do the same.

it seems we hopefully have a lesson learned situation here and we can all just go back to enjoying the memories of a pretty kickass weekend!

I didn’t think to save those lovely pictures! Bummer. You removed those, but have another photo (0388) on there twice. Anyway, loved the article – especially the poem :-)

Good on words, friends. This was my first burner party, but will definately not be the last. I had so much fun and met so many amazing people. Thank you so much!

Hi all. We are the people in the photos in question. First off, thank you for your concern and immediately notifying both of us when the article was published. We do have serious careers, that we believe would not necessarily be compromised by such photos, but it could certainly make for some interesting explanation as to individual judgment.

We were simply playing around and were asked to pose for a couple of photos. The entire series of photos were taken in a span of about 2 minutes. None of the photos of us would have been taken had we not wanted them to be. The photos were intended to be fun and a little sexual since the event was a Naughty Snowball at the Crucible. We had no idea the photos would be so prevalent in an article about the event and it was certainly not our intention to distract from coverage of any otherwise amazing event.

We were given a card and informed that they would be online at some point this week. We assumed they would be posted in an event specific gallery as is normally done at these types of events, such as the Flickr page with the pictures taken on Santa’s lap. We were not informed that they would be posted in a publicly presented article. We did not ask for clarification nor did we view the photos after they were taken.

A bit more care in shot selection could have been exhibited when the author and photographer complied the article. As mentioned in previous posts, hopefully a lesson has been learned here in regards to how things are presented to the public and taking care to have consent from participants. For the record, the questionable images were removed by the author and/or website due to the comments posted by the wonderful people in the community who are looking out for each others interests.

What an amazing party! So many beautiful people having an amazing time. Can’t wait until the next one! Thanks to everyone who put this on and attended! Love and hugs!

What’s with all of the photos published here without first getting written consent from those pictured? My boyfriend is pictured here twice and nobody ever asked him if the images of him could be used in an article like this, and no-one gave him a business card. Yes, he posed, but that’s not the same as giving consent for a use like this. Your photographer appears to be professional, but has he/she never heard of obtaining model releases? Was your photographer paid? If so, he/she is not doing their job and is opening this web site, him/herself and possibly the Crucible to litigation. You could be sued for privacy infringement … especially for publishing photos from an adult event (regardless of whether the photo is revealing in any way; perhaps the subjects wouldn’t want it known they were attending a risqué event at the Crucible). For more information, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_release

Regardless of whether the photographer was paid, this site is legally responsible for posting photos of people without a model release. Subjects shown should not have to ask to have a photo removed, especially because they may never know the photos were published (until they get divorce papers or lose their job). Learn quickly or you just might be bitten in the ass.

Removing photos after the fact they were published isn’t the same as getting permission to post them in the first place.

Get a grip people. This isn’t Black Rock City. You’re in D.C. If you’re in a public space and photography is allowed, what do you expect?

If you don’t like a photo, ask them nicely to take it down and they will.

Ben, this goes beyond “offending,” but thanks and kudos for at least responding. If personal lives are ruined or jobs lost, it is worth the inconveniencing of your creative process and the piece of paper–which is not a waste if it protects your ass as well as others. As has been mentioned several times by many others, you did cross the line and you DID publish WITHOUT consent (see Ember’s post about her bf for example) so to say you did not do so is false. A good guideline might be for YOU to ask yourself if you would be comfortable having your boss/subordinates/co-workers/friends/mom/gf/wife/child viewing “edgy” pictures of you or in that situation? The edgier the photo, the more important the consent form/model release. Being edgy doesn’t mean hurting people or disrespecting privacy. I think you should take this lesson seriously. Even if this doesn’t trip you up today, you may indeed get bitten in the ass by a very big dog, edgier and more creative or not, but more thorough and meaner with more clout than yourself. Do not take people’s personal lives lightly for your creativity or your pleasure. Thank you.

What a bunch of fronters, really you want a consent form for your weak ass photo.. You decided to get all crazy and wear some eskimo hooker gear and now you feel taken advantage of. Be real about who you are and either wear your freak flag loud or stay the F*ck home.

Ya’ll are making your “community” appear to be a bunch of lame tight-wad fuckos.

Except Gaelen. That person is about the only voice of reason in this community of edgy, no, wait, concerned burners (whateverinthefuckthoseare).

God I’d have loved to have read the initial email that went out to the community encouraging them to come here en masse and bitch about some photos. Seems the only person in the photos is the one who gives the least amount of fuck. There’s a lesson in that.

This party straddles a fine line. Was it _really_ a burner party? “Burner” parties imply, to me, an element of privacy and community– That a reasonable expection of the participants is that everyone attending are “burners”.

This was at a public club, open to anyone to buy tickets, and part of Santarcy not exclusively the burner scene. Correct? I think the problem here isn’t who own’s the rights to the pictures. In a public space with no other dictations, the photographer owns them, period. And Ben seems to be very compliant with model’s wishes after the fact, which speaks well for him.

The problem was the participants misunderstanding that the space was private, like so many other of our event’s are. It was not private. For future events at this space, a clear camera policy posted upon entering would resolve all issues– at least for those with morals, which I think _all_ involved here have tried to have.

one of the best parties i’ve ever performed at…shit was beautifully intense… http://Rosetta-Stoned.com

@jeff Yeah, we all grow’d up. Now we burn things.

To all concerned parties,

I sincerely apologize for my carelessness in discretion regarding the photographs in discussion.

There were many levels of fault that led to the photos making it to the site. First, even if someone posed for a picture and then asked where it would be, they may not have realized what Brightest Young Things is. When I posted the photos on Flickr, and Tom posted the article, which photos would be posted was still undecided. I should have double checked with the subjects before I even left the party, showed them the pictures, and asked what they would feel comfortable with. I regret skipping this step.

I had a nice long talk with Gaelen today, who’s pictures have since been removed. We talked about the Burner community, rights of privacy, and the slogan, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. I should have known by the first costume that I saw, that I was in Vegas.

I want to say that because of this discussion, I have become much more conscious of what is happening when I post a picture of somebody online. Admittedly, I rarely go to parties like the Naughty Ball, and therefore, have rarely needed to practice very much discretion in what I post. Now that I have found the line and even crossed it, I will be sure that this will not happen again.

I believe entirely in the idea of a party where one can do and dress however they wish, without fear of repercussion the following week. I was unaware that this is exactly the point of the Naughty Ball, and hope that this annual party can continue this tradition.

Please accept my apologies, as well as on behalf of Brightest Young Things.

Happy Channukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Years!

oh my god. wow. i get it. from the comments here i thought you guys were like, swingers. but you’re not. you just like to dress up and party hard. you’re just grown up ravers who still have a taste for hard drugs and sex.

boy you had me confused. for a hot second i thought there was a culture i actually hadn’t heard of. but instead it’s just a culture that has existed forever and ALL OF A SUDDEN is taking itself too seriously.

1. My own experience at the party was that it was truly amazing and that I had a wonderful time. I think the organizers and performers did a great job. Thank you!

2. I think part of the confusion that night in what was allowed or not probably stems in part from a lack of understanding about the kind of club the Crucible is. It is actually a private club that caters to the BDSM community and it provides a “safe space” for people to play. I’ve seen their rules posted at the front entrance, it includes restrictions on photography, not intruding on other people’s scenes, not touching without permission, and in general being respectful. People usually follow the rules, self-monitor, and watch out for each other. People unfamiliar with the lifestyle and the scene are the ones who tend to overstep the boundaries most often, but everyone can learn. When the venue opens up the space to the public for an event, things get messier because people aren’t all clued in on the rules, and I think that’s where a few things went wrong.

3. As for the burners, they’re a pretty wild bunch who are more comfortable in their skins (and in their spirits) out of any people I’ve ever met, but what is so wonderful about them beyond that is their total regard and respect for one another. We are more than beautiful bodies, beautiful spirits too.* It’s true, we really are a bunch of crazy circus freaks! But our culture also asks us to respect each other’s space and privacy. I know this is not Burning Man, but we carry our burner ethics outside of that event too, like breathing, we continue to respect each other no matter where we are. Sometimes we forget that not everyone follows the same ethos. As crazy as it may seem to non-burners, we actually do check in with each other about the taking and posting of images, especially if we’re still new to each other, and especially if the pics are risqué—because we still live in the “default world” where not everything goes and unfortunately, people can be judged and punished for what they do in their spare time. Between good burner friends we already have developed a trust. Just fyi for non-burners, in spite of the “everything goes” attitude at Burning Man, there really are a set of good sense principles that we follow, and there’s even a policy regarding the taking of pictures. Everything is done with respect. If you are sincerely interested and want to learn more, I can send you a link.

4. My own experience that night that I pissed me off happened while I was being tied up. I didn’t notice the photographer right away because I was preoccupied, and I certainly was not posing for a picture. As soon as I saw you, I said ‘wait, who are you?’ and you just said ‘I’m with the event’ instead of actually identifying who you were, who you were taking the pictures for, how they were going to be used. I asked you twice and you responded the same way twice, so whoever that was, whether you Ben or someone else was not being upfront. I had rope around me and so was captive and you left only when the guy tying me up asked you to stop. You turned your back and quickly left without answering me and I have to say that is what chafes me the most.* Whoever you were, you were not being upfront and honest. Also, we were in the no camera zone.

5. Ben, in your first apology you said you, “did not post any pictures from the room that did have a sign against photography.” So, I’m glad that you did see the sign which a lot of other people missed. I’m glad you did not post those pics, but I guess you still took them.

6. I accept your (Ben’s) and BYT’s apology. I think your second apology seems more sincere and it sounds like you’re finally getting it. Thank you.

7. One last thing, for the benefit of people who joined the discussion late, the images that some people were complaining about are not the ones you see currently posted. Those images were removed earlier at the request of some guests. I don’t believe there were any images of me, but most of all what I ask in future is this—honesty, respect, common sense, courtesy.
(BYT, if you need to delete my post again because it is too long, I can edit it, but I’d prefer that than having to have it removed altogether. Thanks!)

This is easily the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Next time, put up a clear sign that photography for public display isn’t permissible at your event. Clubs do that all the time. People were walking in with giant cameras. Events at the crucible usually take it upon themselves to post a sign saying no photography, that it wasn’t done here is surprising.

@Cale: I think the “deleted my post” thing was in reference to sometimes when you post long comments on here, they vanish. It happened when I tried to post my anti-semitic Santa story on here. For Pam, that’s why your post vanished. It wasn’t deleted.

I fully give BYT permission to post whatever embarrassing pics of me they want, so long as I look hot and it can’t be used in a court of law to prove a vandalism charge. <3

@Begla – probably got picked up by the spam filter, just email us if it happens again and we can try to un-spam it.

@Cale, if the spam filter got them, that means they sucked to begin with.

^^ Is obviously some corporate shill lawyer type. Look at the comments on here. Nothing but jaded indie twats looking for any opportunity to jump all over people who just want a tiny bit of privacy. Brightest young things? More like Brightest Young Twats.

@MontyBurns: You said “twat” twice, thus ruining your closing joke. I regret to bring this to your attention, but you might wish to adjust it, lest you appear to be failing at wit, my good sir.

What the hell is an animal collective? Is it anything like this?

http://zootubevideo.com/

PEOPLE LOOK UGLY ROLLING

You people get way too worked up on whatever.
I work professionally shooting gala events. When you deal with tons of people and the client/venue/owner whatever is aware of your presence its fair game as long as its not for profit. There are exceptions of course but chill the fuck out people.
If youre at a risque event and you have worries about a photograph, step the fuck to the side, period…

Animal Collective is probably the worst garbage ive heard this year……

“Members of the public have a very limited scope of privacy rights when they are in public places. Basically, anyone can be photographed without their consent except when they have secluded themselves in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy such as dressing rooms, restrooms, medical facilities, and inside their homes.”

http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf