Today, we wrote about celebrated photographer Brian Griffin becoming the first of a series of high-profile photographers to be commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games.

However, we forgot to mention one thing. Griffin, according to some on the David Icke.com forum, is part of a wider conspiracy. 'These bizarre pictures are, for me, covert symbolism from the filth behind the scenes of the puppet nature of those they have do their work, in this case innocent celebrities and politicians,' writes the member of the David Icke forum about Griffin's images. 'They have been told to pose lifelessly in the photos, not knowing that the overlords are ridiculing them and the public.'

For this member, the 2012 Olympics are cover for something else. 'This was partly why London won the bid when the competition was fully expected to do so. I still remember the shock when London won. The elites gave it to London, under the despicable Blair creature, because it is part of the growing plan which is accelerating now towards this year. I suspect they intend to announce either the world government at that time in that city, or that some major trauma event will be stage similar to 911.'

Another member confirms: 'Wow, weird photos indeed!'

Thanks to Brian Griffin for finding this gem.

It's no secret for anyone, the value of photography is declining as an increasing number of amateur photographers now offer their images on microstock websites or on social networking websites such as Flickr. Adding to this trend, newspapers and magazines are spending less on photoshoots, with some papers sourcing their images only from low-cost agencies or using unlimited accounts.

However, it's a bit harder to find solid numbers on how steep the decline in value has been. Content library Alamy is simplifying this for us. When it released its Q3 results this week, it includes a table listing the average prices of Rights Managed and Royalty Free images.

In 2007, a RM image for editorial use would sell, on average, for $133. Now, it's worth $103. For commercial use, it goes from $393 to $289 today. Royalty Free images have come down to $177 from $226.

Find more numbers on Alamy's results page here.

This morning, BJP was invited for an exclusive test of the Leica S2 camera. Our reviewer and expert on Medium Format cameras Adam Woolfitt gives his opinion of the new camera.

BJP interviewed this morning Stephan Schulz, product manager for the Leica S-System, and David Bell, UK managing director, about the upcoming release of the Leica S2 camera. The video is in two parts.

Part 1/2

Part 2/2

With just over a week left for the exhibition at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, a date with the model-turned-photographer’s iconic ladies should be top of your to-do list this weekend, writes Susanne Hauner.

Bitch! Paris 2007 © Ellen von Unwerth courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery

‘It’s good to shock a little. It’s not good to always be careful,’ Ellen von Unwerth says about the photos in her exhibition Fräulein. But she could as well be talking about her subjects. Whether her models pose boldly amidst warm, vibrant scenes or are captured in black-and-white snapshots with just a hint of voyeurism, von Unwerth’s images all speak with one voice: The women portrayed are having fun; they embrace their sexuality and use it. Although von Unwerth’s work is charged with femininity and erotic intrigue, her subjects never seem objectified – rather, they take control of the picture.

To coincide with the release of the limited edition monograph Fräulein on 25 November, Michael Hoppen is housing a collection of von Unwerth’s personal favourites and never previously seen images from the last 15 years. Famous faces among the 39 prints exhibited include Liz Hurley, Dita von Teese, Raquel Welch, Christina Aguilera and Drew Barrymore.

A supermodel for ten years before she moved behind the lens, Ellen von Unwerth is known for her playful and sassy images and her extensive work with female icons in fashion, film and music.

The exhibition runs until 21 November. Visit www.michaelhoppengallery.com for more information.

Since the first draw on 19 November 1994 the National Lottery has created more than 2300 millionaires. What to do with those lotto millions? Edmond Terakopian decided to find out, and the results are on show at Fulham Palace until 22 November.

Marking the 15th anniversary of the National Lottery, the exhibition shows the dreams lotto millionaires fulfilled with their prize money, from classic buys to life-changing ones. The 15 portraits on show include a shot of Thea Bistow, who won £15m in July 2004, flying over the 13 acres of woodland she bought to save it from housing development.

Lotto millionaire Thea Bistow, photographed by Edmond Terakopian

Edmond Terakopian, the 2006 British Press Awards Photographer of the Year and a World Press Photo award winner, spent five months travelling the UK and ventured as far afield as Canada to compile the images. The National Lottery has raised some £23 billion raised for Good Causes, supporting the arts, sport, education, environment and charity in communities across the UK.

The exhibition runs from 14 – 22 November. For more information visit www.fulhampalace.org.

Photographer Sara Shamsavari is coming to London’s Apple Store for an interactive talk on 16 November. The artist and activist, whose work was compared to Martin Parr’s by Aesthetica Magazine, will speak about her creative journey.

Born in Iran in the midst of a war, Shamsavari survived childhood cancer and the prosecution of her family after the Revolution before settling in the UK. She achieved her status as an internationally recognised artist with exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery.

Shamsavari says her vision is to ‘inspire, challenge and educate, bridging the gap between commercial and community art.’ She is committed to empowering her subjects, especially those marginalised by society, by capturing them in a positive light in order to help transform people’s views of society and themselves.

At the Apple Store on Regent Street, Shamsavari will be presenting a selection of her work. The talk takes place from 7pm.

For more details, visit apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet.

BJP is able to confirm that Leica will release a special edition of its M7 film camera designed by Hermes. Here is an image of the camera in its orange version. Read our full report here.

The traditional treasure hunt has been given a racy makeover by photography organisation Shoot Experience. They’ve merged it with speed dating, and brought us ‘Shoot Dating’: a day of clue-solving, relationship-sparking fun. On 05 December, teams of singletons will take to the streets of the City with a mission: to construct photographs as ‘answers’ to four different clues.

The day will culminate with viewing and judging of the images in the atmospheric Bathhouse - a recently converted venue that, surprisingly, used to be a bathhouse.

Participants will be asked to complete a card with the names of others who sparked their interest, and love-struck couples will be put in touch via email after the event. Or, in an adventurous twist, you might get chatting to each other at The Bathhouse’s Rock-a-billy themed night, to which daters have free entry.

Shoot Dating will take place between 2.30pm and 7pm on 05 December at The Bathhouse, 8 Bishopsgate Churchyard, London. Daters can be between 23 and 35 years old, and tickets are available, for £20, from www.shootexperience.com/tickets.

The Telegraph website has launched a new culture section dedicated to art and documentary photography. Called Telephoto, the page features an events diary, photographer Q&As, blogs, slideshow galleries and photography-related features.

Check out Telephoto.

UNICEF Ambassadors and members of the Sony World Photography Awards Academy have united to support children’s rights with photo-pledges.

The images and statements contributed by celebrities like David Beckham, Ewan McGregor and Jemima Khan and photographers such as Bruce Davison, Mary Ellen Mark and Jonathan Torgovnik highlight the need to improve children’s living conditions all over the world. They document UNICEF Ambassadors and leading photographers’ encounters with children suffering from war and crime, the effects of poverty, disease and neglect, showing scenes from the lives of HIV orphans in Malawi, child soldiers in Sudan, and homeless children in the Philippines and the USA.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham visited Sierra Leone in 2008 to draw attention to the country's high child mortality rate. © David Turnley UNICEF courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

With the release of the photo collection today, on the 20h anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and the World Photography Awards have launched a campaign asking photographers to contribute their own photo-pledges to support children’s rights.

For more information and to submit your pledge, visit www.worldphotographyawards.org.

Last year, photographer Robbie Cooper made waves by filming and photographing kids playing video games, catching moments of joy, exhilaration and despair. Now, he's capturing similar sentiments from men and women watching porn. The project, commissioned by Wallpaper*, 'throws up any number of questions about voyeurism and exhibitionism and makes clear the incredible nakedness of the solo sex act,' says the magazine. Watch the video below:

Roger Ballen’s Boarding House, which he discussed with BJP in September, reached the end of its time at Hamiltons last week, writes Becky Glass.

The exhibition ran for five weeks, remaining highly popular throughout, reports Hamiltons. It has secured Ballen's popularity in the UK, the gallery says, as well as establishing his place among today’s internationally renowned artists.

‘I think Hamiltons was pleased with the exhibition,’ Ballen told BJP; ‘there’s something universal in Boarding House that is very affecting, and produces a strong response from visitors.’ The South African-born photographer spent two days in the country, getting a feel for how the exhibition was faring. ‘Although it is always hard to really gauge people’s responses,’ Ballen said, ‘the exhibition did generate a positive reaction… most people do not forget what they have seen quickly.’

Regarding the psychological intensity of Boarding House, Ballen comments that ‘people should always be careful when using the word ‘darkness’. In my work, the element of ‘darkness’ is quite Jungian: it’s more the concept of the Unknown than what comes to mind when the word is used colloquially.’ ‘I would like to organise a museum show in the UK at some point; a retrospective,’ Ballen adds - though he is unsure when this might be.

Boarding House was shown at Hamiltons Gallery, London, between 15 October and 21 November. See BJP's feature, Ballencing act. For more details visit www.rogerballen.com.