Friday, December 28, 2007

Training DVD Offers View Of Photography Through The Eyes Of A Pro

Few aspiring photographers get to sit in on a commercial shoot, but thanks to a new DVD series from Blue Crane Digital, anyone can watch a professional in action. “Through the Eyes of a Pro: Advanced Techniques for DSLR Cameras” offers an opportunity to peer over the shoulder of famed commercial photographer, Tim Mantoani, as he works with light and lenses.

Although the two-volume set focuses on developing the photographer rather than teaching camera-specific skills, Blue Crane Digital produced separate titles for Nikon and Canon users.

Through the Eyes of a Pro: Advanced Techniques for Canon DSLR Cameras Volumes 1 & 2

Through the Eyes of a Pro: Advanced Techniques for Nikon DSLR Cameras Volumes 1 & 2

The separate titles offer some of Mantoani’s insights into using Canon and Nikon gear, and highlight how he uses these products for professional and personal shoots.

Mantoani is not only a great photographer, but also a talented teacher. With nearly 20 years of experience creating cover shots, portraits, and sports images, Mantoani understands how to get amazing results on a consistent basis. “Through the Eyes of a Pro” is designed not only to educate, but to inspire viewers to try new techniques and shoot more photographs. Mantoani reveals his approach to creating a great image, and offers photo assignments designed to help viewers develop their photographic style. Blue Crane Digital has been filming sequences and editing footage for the DVDs for the past several months.

In Volume 1, Mantoani explains the building blocks for making great photographs. These fundamentals are repeated throughout the DVD set to demonstrate how specific elements contribute to making an image. Viewers will follow Mantoani through an outdoor portrait session, and to a sports shoot. They will also learn how to select equipment, and more importantly, where to spend and where to save. Volume 2 follows Mantoani through a professional stock photography shoot. With video cameras recording over his shoulder, Mantoani explains how he brings the light, setting, and story together to create a salable image. Viewers will also learn what it takes to make that leap from amateur to professional photographer, and, once there, how to make their business grow. Through the Eyes of a Pro”, Volumes 1 & 2, will be available for $24.99, at photo specialty and on-line retailers nationwide.

Through the Eyes of a Pro”, Volumes 1 & 2 and all Blue Crane Digital DVDs are distributed by OmegaSatter, based outside of Baltimore, MD.

Visit www.omegasatter.com
Provided by Shutterbug.com

Kelby Training Provides New Online Training Service

Kelbytraining.com has recently launched a new training model, the new Kelby Training subscription service. Previously, you took classes on an 'a la carte' basis - paying for the individual classes that you wanted. Now they’ve wrapped all of those classes up into one product and made it available as either a monthly or yearly service!

Classes include Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Lightroom, Dreamweaver, Camera RAW, etc. For $19.99 a month ($17.99 if you are a NAPP member) or $199 a year ($179 for NAPP), you can take classes with the best instructors in the industry - all under one roof. These include the following:

· Katrin Eismann
· Bert Monroy
· Dan Margulis
· Dave Cross
· Ben Willmore
· Matt Kloskowski
· Eddie Tapp
· John Paul Caponigro
· Terry White
· Moose Peterson
· Joe McNally
· Rich Harrington
· David Ziser
· Fay Sirkis
· Corey Barker
· Vincent Versace

Click here to go to the site now.

FujiFilm Announces Wide Format InkJet Printing Now Available At Sam’s Club Locations

Sam’s Club Members Can Now Print Poster-Sized Images On-Demand, in Minutes, Hours or Days

“We are always looking for ways to improve services and bring new revenue opportunities to our customers, and we’re especially excited to be working with Sam’s Club on rolling this out to their stores across the country,” said Thomas Curley, director of marketing for lab solutions, Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A. “The posters can be produced in a variety of sizes on the same day, at reasonable cost, and represent additional revenue for the photofinishing side of their business.”

Poster printing and signage services are now available at more than 580 Sam’s Club locations throughout the United States. The solution combines an EPSON/FUJIFILM Stylus Pro 7800 wide format inkjet printer, provided by Fujifilm Hunt Chemicals for Fujifilm Frontier Systems, with the Frontier Photo Controller (PIC) Version 3, and Fujifilm’s Image IntelligenceTM for enhanced color management.

Sam’s Club members can bring their images to any location, and print out images or signs in sizes ranging from 11”x14” to 20”x30”. In addition, this is one of the only on-demand solutions that will produce mounted poster prints, up to 20”x24”, in a matter of minutes. Fujifilm RC Semi-Gloss Boards fuse photo quality inkjet paper to museum class mount boards. The combination is fed directly into the printer, making it easy to go from printer to presentation.

With this offering, Sam’s Club members can create posters for student or office presentations, create signage for community group meetings and small businesses, as well as make creative decorations for parties and milestone celebrations.

“This is an exciting new addition to our capabilities at Sam’s Club Photo Centers and positions us to better help our members with both their business and personal graphic needs,” said Michael Chaney, merchandise director, Sam’s Club. “We believe our members will find this printing solution convenient and superior in quality to similar production techniques.”

New Firmware Update For Sony A-700 DSLR

Sony has released firmware version 3 for the DSLR-A700 digital SLR. Available now from the Sony support website. Addressed in the update:

- Resolves an issue where the Access Lamp remains lit and the camera stops responding when several pictures are taken in rapid succession.
- Resolves an issue where powering the camera off while in "MR" mode may cause some registered settings to carry over to other shooting modes.
- Sharper images for pictures taken under low contrast conditions.
- Reduced noise for pictures taken at ISO 3200.
- Improved flash control for objects closer than 1 meter with non ADI controlled lenses.

Visit the Sony A700 firmware download page to download update and read instructions.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Andy Summers Of The Police Releases Photo Book

After the sound checks, in between the room service and before the groupies attacked, Andy Summers, the guitarist of the Police, used to sneak off into deserted America with a black Leica tucked under his arm. He'd spend hours alone wandering through Seattle, Albuquerque, Fresno — hiding in the shadows of the scenery and snapping pictures to illustrate life during the frenzied early '80s, which marked the height of success for the rock supergroup.

"When you're traveling around in a large entourage and being in a group where you're supposed to share ideas, photography was a way for me to have autonomy over my own universe," Summers said, speaking by phone from his Los Angeles home, where he was packing as the band — Summers, Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland — prepared to hit the road again for its reunion tour.

"I'll Be Watching You: Inside the Police 1980-83," is the recently released work in which Summers compiled hundreds of his pictures with dated journal entries.

Read the entire article about the book from The Honolulu Advertiser.

Panasonic Releases DMC-L10 Firmware v1.1

Panasonic has released firmware v1.1 for its recent DMC-L10 digital SLR.

Update includes:
- Improved the performance of AF(Auto Focus) with Panasonic lenses. (Model Number L-ES014050,L-RS014150).
- Improved the performance of AE (An accuracy improvement of Auto Exposure at night scene).
- Improved the performance of AWB(Auto White Balance).
- Shortened the minimum shooting intervals on the single shooting mode.
- Enabled the Front/Rear dial operations in the fine white balance adjustment and the change of magnifying position on the MF Assist in Live View mode.

Download the v1.1 Firmware update for the DMC-L10.

Times-Picayune's McCusker Sentenced To 6 Months Probation

John McCusker, a staff photographer for the Times-Picayune, was placed on six months inactive probation and fined almost $900 as the result of a 2006 incident in which he pinned one police officer between the rear bumper of his car and a police cruiser and then drove away, starting a chase that ended with the photographer trying to goad police into shooting him to death.

A plea deal, which the Times-Picayune says was reached Thursday, gave McCusker, 44, probation instead of jail time and leaves open the possibility of the charges being eventually dismissed. He also agreed to take a weekly drug test for six consecutive weeks, the paper said, in an agreement with Judge Camille Buras that's commonly referred to in court as an "Alford plea," a deal that means McCusker doesn't admit any guilt but instead agrees with the court that it is in his best interest to stop fighting the charges.

When the incident happened in early August 2006, police said McCusker was depressed over learning that he didn't have enough insurance money to rebuild his home, destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Police commander James Arey, of the New Orleans police department's SWAT and police negotiating team, said at the time that McCusker was "really fine professional who was so depressed that he set out today to commit suicide by cop. It was to the great credit of the police officers on this scene that they would not do what he wanted and kill him but instead apprehended him alive by Tasering him.”

McCusker had returned to work one month before the encounter with police after taking a one-month leave of absence during which he spent the time away from the newspaper “sleeping off exhaustion and attending therapy sessions three times a week,” according to an article in the American Journalism Review by Mark Lisheron. McCusker’s family stayed in Alabama for four months while the photojournalist covered the aftermath of Katrina’s destruction of his hometown.

On August 8, 2006, New Orleans police tried to pull over McCusker when they saw him driving erratically near Napoleon Avenue and Baronne Street. Police said that after he hit several cars, he pulled over but refused to get out of his vehicle, telling police, "Just kill me, get it over with, kill me." The photographer put his car in reverse and pinned one officer between the rear of his car and a police car before driving away, starting the chase.

When news of McCusker's arrest spread through the journalism community, friends and co-workers responded with compassion and financial support. A relief fund that was already in place to help Times-Picayune staffers who lost their homes to Katrina also collected funds to help McCusker, and by the week after his arrest the fund had already received $10,000 in donations on his behalf.

In this week's plea deal, the charge of aggravated flight from a police officer, a felony, was reduced to resisting an officer, which is a misdemeanor, and a second charge of battery on a police officer was reduced to simple battery, also a misdemeanor. The Times-Picayune said McCusker apologized to the police officer and part of the restitution he's agreed to pay will go to the officer. In six months McCusker, who returned to work at the newspaper in January, can ask the court to dismiss the charges entirely.
provided by National Press Photographers Association.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Three New Digital Camera Reviews

Three new links have been added to the Recent Digital Camera Reviews section.

Panasonic DMC-L10 DSLR
Sony CyberShot DSC-H3
Sony CyberShot DSC-T2

Also, new links in the Budget & DIY Suggestions section include 'Product Light Box' and 'Studio Light Kit'.

Scott Kelby Reference Page On Amazon.com

Being a photographer and Adobe Photoshop user it made sense to finally join the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Not only do I already own several instructional books from Scott Kelby, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), including “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers” which is essential reading for anyone using or planning to use Adobe’s awesome Lightroom application, I’ve also recently picked up Kelby’s new “7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3” book. I can’t recommend his books and blog enough.

I’ve been a member of NAPP for only a couple of weeks now, and I already have improved my Photoshop knowledge base and skills. The amount of information in the form of tips, tutorials, articles, forums, etc., from the NAPP website is overwhelming. That doesn’t even include all of the great information within the pages of the Photoshop User Magazine that is part of the NAPP membership or the optional Layers Magazine subscription.

Keep all of this in mind as I’m about to shill for Scott Kelby again (and will probably continue to do so), as Amazon.com now provides a Scott Kelby Boutique page with links and information pertaining to his many publications and short video clips about his books.

Fifth Official Lensbaby Photo Contest Ends Monday 12.17.07

Lensbabies recently launched the Fifth Official Lensbaby Photo Contest. The theme of the competition is Creative Bokeh, and entries must be taken with a Lensbaby lens and a creative aperture. Entrants are encouraged to use the Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit to cut their own apertures and capture original shapes and effects in blurred specular highlights. The kit works with Lensbaby 2.0 and 3G lenses. Lensbabies recommends that photographers using the Original Lensbaby craft their own aperture discs out of plastic, paper, or cardboard to participate in the contest. Photographs taken with standard round Lensbaby aperture discs are not eligible.

The Lensbabies Web site will accept submissions until noon PDT on December 17, 2007. Lensbabies has invited PopPhoto.com Online Technology Editor Jack Howard to judge the submitted images on the basis of originality, visual impact, technical proficiency, and adherence to the Creative Bokeh theme. The photographer who submits the image he selects will be awarded a Manfrotto 718B tripod and a one-year subscription to Popular Photography & Imaging Magazine.

A Popular Vote Prize will also be awarded to the photographer who captures the image selected by members of the online Lensbabies Friends Forum. The Popular Vote winner will also receive a Manfrotto 718B tripod and a one-year subscription to Popular Photography & Imaging.

Winners will be announced on December 21, 2007: For complete contest rules, go to the Lensbabies Web site.

Kelby Hands-On With Nikon D300 DSLR

Scott Kelby, editor and publisher of Photoshop User Magazine, Layers magazine (the how-to magazine for everything Adobe) and President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) provides his two cents regarding the new Nikon D300 DSLR.

Scott has personally put the camera through its paces and shares his insight on his Photoshop Insider Blog.

Adobe Camera RAW 4.3.1 Update and DNG Converter

Adobe DNG Converter The Adobe DNG Converter, a free utility that converts files from more than 150 cameras to DNG, enables you to easily convert camera-specific raw files to a more universal DNG raw file. Visit the Camera Raw page for a complete list of supported cameras. Digital Negative was developed to address the lack of an open standard for the proprietary and unique raw files created by each digital camera. DNG allows photographers to archive their raw camera files in a single format for easy cataloging and access in the future. With the format specification freely available, any developer can build software that supports and takes advantage of DNG.

For more information, visit the Digital Negative page. Camera Raw 4.3.1 update Support for the following camera has been added. Visit the Camera Raw page for a complete list of supported cameras.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
Canon PowerShot G9
Nikon D3
Nikon D300
Olympus E-3
Olympus SP-560 UZ
Panasonic DMC-L10

The Camera Raw 4.3.1 plug-in is not compatible with versions of Photoshop earlier than Photoshop CS3, versions of Photoshop Elements earlier than Photoshop Elements 4.01 for Macintosh or Photoshop Elements 5.0 for Windows, or versions of Premiere Elements earlier than 3.0. The latest versions of the Camera Raw plug-in available for previous Adobe software titles are listed below:

Mac
Photoshop CS2: Camera Raw 3.7
Photoshop Elements 3.0: Camera Raw 3.6

Windows
Photoshop CS2: Camera Raw 3.7
Photoshop Elements 4.0: Camera Raw 3.7
Photoshop Elements 3.0: Camera Raw 3.6

Downloads
Camera Raw 4.3.1 for Mac and Windows
Camera Raw 4.3.1 bundled with DNG Converter for Mac and Windows

New Fees For Filming And Photography On Public Lands

The House Committee on Natural Resources recently heard NPPA president Tony Overman testify, along with representatives of other media interest groups, that proposed new rules governing photography, news gathering, and filmmaking in federal parks and in wildlife refuges must be carefully considered so as to not restrict any press freedoms.

The hearing was in response to the Department of the Interior's proposed "New Fees For Filming And Photography On Public Lands" which seeks to update and standardize long-standing permit requirements and fees for shooting on land managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

"The new rules would require many photographers to pay a fee, receive a permit, and submit to significant conditions before being allowed to photograph on public land.”

Read the entire NPPA article.

Closer Look At The Nikon D300 DSLR

Popular Photography & Imaging takes a closer look the Nikon D300 DSLR. Here is an excerpt:

"From the outside, the D300 looks a lot like the D200. But what's on the inside pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab:

• It's the first DSLR to earn an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 all the way up to ISO 3200.

• It sports the fastest (and most sophisticated) AF we've tested so far.

A major factor in the D300's stellar image quality is the new Sony-made 12.3MP (effective) CMOS sensor that captures RAW data with up to 14 bits of color per red, green, and blue channels. Most other DSLRs in this class only provide 12 bits per channel. This gives the D300 an advantage in reproducing fine color gradations, shadow details, and wider dynamic range. But it also increases the file size of images recorded in the 14-bit mode (selectable over normal 12-bit RAW). "

Read the entire review at popphoto.com.

Take Your Photography To The Next Level

Press release from Rocky Nook Publishing:

Written for the photographer who strives to achieve a higher level of results in their work, Take Your Photography to the Next Level is based on a series of essays originally featured on the popular Luminous Landscape Web site. These essays were expanded upon and updated and new essays have been added.

George Barr isn't afraid to tackle some of the rarely discussed, yet essential, aspects of successful photography. Photographers will learn what is required in order to grow in their creativity and to gain a deeper understanding of their craft.

This is not a technical book: no f-stops or shutter speeds are spoken here. Instead, Barr explores the more difficult subjects; the ones that will help you to grow as a photographer. This book takes a practical approach with specific suggestions and enough ideas and exercises to keep you busy and creative for years to come.

Topics include:

• Creativity and developing an eye

• Dealing with disappointment

• Making stronger images

• What photographs well and where to go looking for the best photographic subjects

• How to approach subject material

• Dealing with failure, mind games and being stuck in a rut

• Framing, cropping and manipulating prints to create mood and transmit your message

• Knowing your level in order to improve

• How to work the scene

• Sketching to create strong compositions

• Learn by looking at great images

• Assessing image quality

• Identifying your areas that need improvement and becoming a self-aware photographer

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Wacom Cintiq 20WSX Widescreen Tablet

Wacom has added a new model to its Cintiq line of graphics tablets. The Cintiq 20WSX has a 20.1-inch widescreen display that provides a 17x10.7-inch drawing area with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The screen offers 1680x1050-pixel display resolution and a wide, nearly 180-degree viewing angle.

The new tablet's controls include 14 user-assignable ExpressKeys and 2 finger-sensitive Touch Strips. Its Touch Strip Modifier ExpressKey allows up to six functions to be assigned to the touch strips so that the appropriate ones become active when different software tools are in use. The 20WSX also integrates with systems that have additional monitors, allowing the user to toggle between them with the tablet's pen and use the pen to control the cursor on all connected displays. The tablet comes with an adjustable stand that rotates and tilts, and receives graphics from a computer via an analog RGB or digital DVI connection.

A pen that is sensitive to 1,024 levels of pressure and has a +/- 60-degree tilt range is included with the Cintiq 20WSX. It has a latex-free silicone grip, an eraser tip, and two side switches. The pen comes with a stand, a stroke nib, a felt nib, and three standard nibs. The 20WSX is also compatible with Wacom's 6D Art, Airbrush, and Classic pens.

Software programs included in the 20WSX package are Adobe Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Essentials, Nik Color Efex Pro, and Wacom Brushes software. The Wacom application provides 81 customized brushes for use with Photoshop.

The Wacom Cintiq 20WSX is available now for $1,999 on Wacom's Web site.

War Photographer Peter van Agtmael

Peter van Agtmael talks about what drives him to the most dangerous assignments on earth: the hope that pictures can play a role in improving the future.

In the Popular Photography & Imaging ongoing series recognizing today's top professional photographers, Joerg Colberg speaks with Peter van Agtmael, a 26-year-old graduate of Yale University who has spent the majority of his young career in hotspots like Iraq and Afghanistan. Van Agtmael was named one of "25 under 25 - Up and Coming American Photographers" by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in 2006 and won a World Press Photo award in 2007 for General News Stories.

Read the entire interview on popphoto.com.
Image © Peter van Agtmael

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT Bargin

Digicam prices tend to drop around the holidays and the Canon Rebel XT is no exception. I’m always looking for a bargain and the 8MP Canon Digital Rebel XT (Body Only) is down to $399.95 on B&HPhoto.com. That’s a heck of a deal for an 8MP CMOS sensor Digital SLR with sufficient controls and access to a vast lens inventory.

This would make a great backup body, or introduction to digital SLR photography. See the B&H Photo listing.

New Flickr.com and Picnik.com Partnership

Yahoo-owned photo sharing site Flickr has announced a new partnership with Picnik.com to integrate Picnik's online photo editing tools directly into Flickr. The new features will enable Flickr users to crop, resize, and adjust exposure on their uploaded images, along with removing red-eye and applying special effects to images. Although the photo editing tools don't really compete with similar features in professional image editing applications, they will be available for free to all Flickr users, which can be incredibly handy for tweaking photos when users don't have access to a desktop photo editing application.

"Flickr continues to build on its vision to be the 'eyes of the world', and by bringing Picnik's rich editing tools to Flickr's global community we are enhancing the sharing and discovery of what people see and experience through photos," said Flickr's senior director of product management Kakul Srivastava, in a statement. "Providing the ability to edit directly within Flickr is an important step in offering our 20 million members around the globe a complete photo experience."

Picnik editing tools are now available in the Edit Photo tab within Flickr; users can edit individual images or whole batches of photos. After editing images, users can add the edited versions of the photos to their collections, or overwrite the original image. Picnik also offers a "Perfect Memory" feature that enables users to revert back to the original version of an image.

The new image editing tools are available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, traditional Chinese, and Korean. Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the partnership.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.3.1 Update

Adobe has released another update to its popular Photoshop Lightroom application. The Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 1.3.1 update includes these enhancements:

• Additional camera support for the Canon 1Ds Mark III, Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Olympus E-3, and more
• Updated Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard support

Important Note
If you have not backed up your Lightroom library, please do so before upgrading to Lightroom 1.3.1, and choose the optional "Test this database for corruption" feature during the backup. If you receive an error during the corruption testing, visit the Lightroom support page for further instructions before upgrading to Lightroom 1.3.1.

Windows Download
Mac Download

Back To Blogging

Back to blogging. Life’s distractions kept me away from FocalView, but it’s time to put some energy back into this information outlet. Over the last month or so I finally circled back around to my NYIP (New York Institute of Photography) course, which I started back in 2005 and ignored for about two years. I've begun completing and submitting the photo project assignments again. My portrait resides alongside the word “procrastinate” in a Webster’s Dictionary.

I recommend this course for anyone looking to improve their photography skills on a budget. The course is not that expensive and NYIP provides a large amount of instructional material including books, CDs, DVDs and online content. Their personal advisors and instructors are insightful and helpful.

The primary NYIP courses are a Complete Course in Professional Photography, Short Course: Fundamentals of Digital Photography, and the Adobe Photoshop for Photographers course. Apparently a Digital Video course is also in the works.

I’ve included a recent submission representing a photo with converging lines.