Nikon introduces new F4, 200 - 400 mm lens

Nikon introduces new F4, 200 - 400 mm lens

PRESS RELEASE:
NIKON FOCUSES ON EXCEPTIONAL IMAGE QUALITY AT SUPER-TELEPHOTO FOCAL LENGTHS WITH NEW AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II HIGH POWER PROFESSIONAL ZOOM LENS

MELVILLE, N.Y. (April 27, 2010) – Today, the evolution of the super telephoto lens continues as Nikon Inc. announced the new AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens which delivers optical excellence and stunning image quality for professional photographers. Ideal for bringing to life exquisite detail for sports, nature and travel photography, this new lens affords a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and rugged construction for maximum versatility. Continued refinements and new technologies such as Vibration Reduction (VR) II, Nano Crystal Coat, and optimized autofocus (AF) modes enhance functionality and improve performance for discerning FX and DX-format photographers.

“The AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm lens builds upon a proven design for professional level optics by incorporating the latest Nikon lens technologies to give photographers the edge in the field, and the ability to capture the most intricate of details with extraordinary fidelity,” said Lisa Osorio, general manager of Marketing at Nikon Inc. “As both camera capabilities and the roles of photographers expand, NIKKOR enhancements will continue to meet demands and exceed expectations to remain the pinnacle of optical excellence for all types of photographers.”
Whether photographing the decisive play at home plate or predators of the Serengeti, the 200-400mm f/4 lens is an essential tool for photographers who require long focal lengths and maximum versatility without sacrificing image quality. The 200-400mm lens benefits from the addition of Nikon’s proprietary Nano Crystal Coat to reduce instances of ghosting and flaring. The result is unparalleled clarity and sharpness in challenging lighting environments typical to sports venues or harsh sunlight.

Additionally, this new NIKKOR lens features Nikon VR II image stabilization, which is specifically engineered for each lens for maximum performance. VR II is a valuable asset to those shooting photos or HD video, as image blur introduced by camera shake and telephoto magnification is significantly reduced. Users are able to shoot up to four stops* slower than otherwise possible, overcoming many of the challenges of handheld shooting with such extreme focal lengths. VR functionality is further augmented with Automatic Panning Detection and an Active VR Mode to help compensate for movement from an unstable position such as a moving vehicle. Additionally, VR is always engaged when shooting in the D-Movie mode on select Nikon D-SLRs, helping to stabilize HD video capture.

The new 200-400mm f/4 lens features a host of professional focusing features to further enhance functionality. Photographers can now select from three focus modes to match shooting conditions, including manual mode (M) and autofocus with manual override (M/A) mode, and new A/M mode which is used to avoid cancelling the AF setting by unintentionally moving the focus ring while shooting. The M/A and A/M focus modes enhance AF control with fast, secure switching from automatic and manual focus to adapt to personal shooting preference and techniques. Additionally, photographers can activate the AF Recall Mode at the press of a button that allows for instant return to a predetermined point of focus to confidently capture anticipated shots.

This professional lens is constructed of die-cast magnesium for maximum durability and is sealed to resist dust and moisture, with protective Meniscus glass to safeguard the lens’ front element. The optical formula features four Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements for superior sharpness, color and image quality, while minimizing chromatic aberration. The lens also features Nikon’s exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology, which enables high-speed autofocus performance with exceptional accuracy and powerful, super-quiet operation. Nikon's Super Integrated Coating further suppresses flare and offers superior color consistency throughout the frame.

Price and Availability
The AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens is scheduled to be available at Nikon authorized dealers in late May 2010 with an estimated selling price of $6,999.95**. For more information, please visit http://www.nikonusa.com/.

ASMP-NY invites you to enter the Image10 competition.

ASMP-NY invites you to enter the Image10 competition.

Image10 is a nationwide photo contest run by the New York chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers. It is open to all professional, serious amateur and student photographers residing in the United States.

Prizes (over $25,000 worth in all) are awarded in two categories: Professional and Student. Each category has a first, second and third prize.

Contestants are asked to submit one or more images that were created after January 1, 2009. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2010. More info — entry fees, galleries of past winners, submission guidelines — can be found on the contest website: www.asmp.org/image10.

25% OFF Photography E-Books Bundled Together

25% OFF Photography E-Books Bundled Together

Over the last 6 months dPS has launched two downloadable E-Books:
The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography
Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos

One of the most common requests we’ve had from readers about the E-Books is that people want to buy both of them and are wondering if we have a discount for that type of purchase.
Today we’re trialling this option and are offering 25% off when you buy both E-books at once. That makes the two E-books together $29.97. That’s real value as these E-books are packed with content (there’s no padding in these E-books).

Together these E-books make a great combination of information:
‘Photo Nuts and Bolts’ gives a great introduction to using your camera
‘The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography’ talks you through an array of techniques on how to use your camera for photographing people.
Together they give a great foundation of knowledge on how to get to know your camera, use it to it’s potential and apply it to one of the most common use for digital cameras – photographing the people we know and love.

Bonus Pocket Guide
We’re also throwing the handy little Photo Nuts Pocket Guide when you bundle the books – it has a whole heap of suggestions on how to set your camera up for different shooting conditions. We originally offered this bonus pocket guide when Photo Nuts was launched and it was very popular.

This bundle offer is a trial – we’re introducing it to test if its an option readers want. I’ll keep it running for at least one week to give everyone a go at it. As always with our resources – If you’re not satisfied that they are helping your photography within 30 days just let us know and we’ll refund your money.

Grab Your Bundle of E-Books Today. If you’d like to take advantage of it you can buy the books for immediate download and save 25% here.

NYC workshop Blurb books

Greetings,
Friendly reminder – it’s not too late to reserve a spot at our NYC workshop with pro photographer John Paul Caponigro on Thursday evening, April 29.
John Paul’s workshops get rave reviews. At $59, our workshop is a stellar deal and a great way to pick up some of John Paul’s best tips on book design and photography. Grab the opportunity and use it to jumpstart your creativity (not to mention your 2010 Photography Book Now submission).

By the way, the portfolio review by John Paul is already sold out. Sorry! Congratulations to the people who nabbed the spaces.

Also, be sure to join us at the post-workshop meet-up at the Red Sky Lounge. It’s open to all, whether or not you attend the workshop. Meet fellow Blurbarians, share the 411 on bookmaking, and bring your books. We’ll have food and drink on hand and plenty of Blurb books to check out. RSVP and get details here.
See you in New York,
The Blurberati

Canon Museum Etching paper

Turn your digital files into fine art prints with Canon Museum Etching paper, and we'll turn every two 20-packs of the 8.5x11" paper into three.

That's right. This week's headline deal gives you three packs of this textured heavyweight inkjet paper for the price of two. Your photos will come to life on its warm museum-quality surface, exhibiting vivid saturation and deep black tones. And you'll be able to stock up for a third off the normal price.

This offer is limited to the stock we have on hand, and backorders won't be able to be accepted.
Grab Three Packs of Canon Museum Etching Paper for the Price of Two »

George Fellner exhibit

To My Friends & Colleagues:

The Group Show
Shared Response
at
EO Art Lab
69 Main Street in Chester, Connecticut
will be exhibited from April 7 - May 30, 2010

A number of my new Imaginary Realms pieces will be featured including the Essence of Spirit series

I Hope to see some of you there!
George Fellner

"Studio Lighting & Portraiture"

"Studio Lighting & Portraiture"
with David Piazza

We're pleased to be welcoming back David Piazza of the FJ Westcott company for a 4 hour studio seminar & workshop on Sunday, May 2. David's expertise on lighting combined with his enthusiastic teaching style will make it a fun and educational experience. Check out this short video from our last seminar with David as he photographs Ashley, an excellent model, who will also be returning. The cost for the day is only $35.00 .... and you will receive a $30.00 gift certificate which can be used toward the purchase of any Westcott item(s). Check out the seminar details and register today!

"Capture the Possibilities"

"Capture the Possibilities" ..... ....... is just 6 weeks away. Don't miss out on this chance to learn from and be entertained by one of North America's most widely known outdoor and nature photographers, George Lepp. Over 100 people have already registered for the seminar and we're expecting this to be a sold out event. Sign-up now and lunch will be included in your registration fee at no extra charge. (After April 30th there will not be an option for lunch at the seminar due to catering arrangements.)
(Seminar Details & Registration)

“A Photographer’s Encounter with the American West”

thanks for sending this Pat!

“A Photographer’s Encounter with the American West”
An illustrated talk by Karen Halverson

Thursday, April 22, 2010, 4:00 pm

Room 38, Beinecke Library, 121 Wall Street, New Haven

For nearly 40 years, Karen Halverson has traveled through Southern California, the Colorado River Valley and the basin and range country of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, making a series of color photographs that reflect her unsentimental appreciation of the intersection of nature, technology, and people in the American West. One of America’s few women landscape photographers, Halverson has created a series of images, sometimes wryly humorous, often biting, that add a contemporary chapter to the visual record of the West begun by 19th century photographers Carleton Watkins, Timothy O’Sullivan, William Henry Jackson, and John Hillers. Her photographs of the Colorado River, of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles, and of the vast interior basin of the inter-mountain West have evolved over the years in response to her experience with the West, its residents, and the people who think about the region’s challenges and potential. A selection of Ms. Halverson’s color prints will be available to be seen following her talk.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information about Ms. Halverson’s photography, consult http://www.karenhalverson.com/

The exhibition “From Aaron to Withington: Selections from Peter Palmquist’s Collection of Women Photographers” will be open for viewing during the library’s regular hours through June 26, 2010.

Sights & Sounds of the American Southwest

Hi Lisa,

Haxzel will be presenting a digital slide show on Wed., May 5th at 7:15 p.m. at the Greater Bridgeport Camera Club --"Sights & Sounds of the American Southwest".

It showcases five of our trips to the Southwest over the past three years -- Grand Canyon/Sedona; New Mexico; Bryce & Zion, Utah; Tucson, AZ; and Yellowstone.

The meeting is at the First Congregation Church, 2301 Main Street, Stratford. Directions can be found on the club website at www.GBCClub.org.

Thanks,
Hazel

BERKS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY’S 51ST ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCE

BERKS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY’S 51ST ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCE

Presented By Berks Photographic Society

June 11, 12 & 13, 2010
Boehm Science Building, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA

Featuring Programs by:
RICK SAMMON
Canon Explorer of Light
Sponsored by: Canon

LINDSAY ADLER
Sponsored by: MPix

Additional Sponsorship provided by Nik Software
Additional Speakers and Programs throughout the weekend
Doorprizes donated by Wacom and Photodex

For information:
Website: http://www.berkscamera.org/
Email: conference@berkscamera.org

printer cartridges

B&H accidentally sent me the wrong cartridges for my printer.
They are sending me the correct cartridges and said to toss out the wrong ones.

I have two Epson T559320 magenta cartridges for the RX700 printer.

Can anyone use them?

Linda Brinckerhoff
203-255-9751
linda@kanecomputer.com

Photography Contest:Details Matter

Photography Contest:Details Matter

Photographers are invited to submit one high resolution image that best showcases visual details using Kilozoom.

To enter, follow three simple steps:

Create a free or paid Kilozoom account.

Upload your high resolution image into your account.

Copy and paste the Kilozoom zoom URL to the contest entry form.

VIEW CONTEST DETAILS

Weekly Winners - $100

Winners will receive a cash prize of $100 USD via paypal and will have their work showcased on the Kilozoom's website.

Deadline Each week Friday 11:59pm EST.

130+ Stunning Examples of Macro Photography

130+ Stunning Examples of Macro Photography
you just HAVE to check these out!!
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/inspiration/130-stunning-examples-of-macro-photography/
Wow!

3 day moose photography workshop at Baxter State Park in Maine.

This will be a 3 day moose photography workshop at Baxter State Park in Maine.

June is when the new born moose are out and about so its a great time to go.

We will travel to Baxter on Fri. morning and check in to the hotel in the afternoon. Then we will shoot till it gets dark.

On Saturday we will shoot from early morning till lunch then take a break and come back in the afternoon till dark or stay all day if the moose are out and about. Saturday night will also be an image review night after dinner we can all get together and show off your great shots.

On Sunday we will shoot in the morning and travel home in the afternoon.

The cost of the workshop includes transportation, lodging and instruction. You should be physically fit enough to walk at least a mile.

http://www.meetup.com/Rhode-Island-Photography-Workshops/calendar/12844985/?from=list&offset=0

Photo Workflow Workout

Photo Workflow Workout

On May 1st and 2nd, I'll be leading a seminar titled "Outdoor Photography Workflow Workout." If you want to refine your skills in Photoshop and Lightroom and have some fun at the same time, this is the class for you. Here's the basic outline of the class:

1) Meet at the Hilton in Portsmouth, NH on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and spend the morning going over basic workflow theories using Lightroom and Photoshop and discuss shooting techniques for creating HDR images, panos, and images with extended depth of field using photo stacking techniques.

2) After lunch, we'll then head out into the field to make images. Where and when we shoot will depend on weather conditions, but all locations will be within 10 or 15 minutes from downtown Portsmouth. If the weather is good we'll probably shoot at sunset on Saturday and/or sunrise on Sunday morning.

3) After shooting on Sunday morning, we'll return to the Hilton, where we will import and organize our photos in Lightroom, then learn the various editing techniques needed to turn your raw files into the most excellent images possible. We'll be sticking primarily to Lightroom, Photoshop and an HDR program (Photomatix.) I'll also introduce some Lightroom plug-ins that I have found to be a big help when exporting images.

4) If time permits, we'll also go over printing and web templates in Lightroom.

This should be a lot of fun, and all participants will receive a free copy of one of our AMC Discover guides. Your choice of Acadia, the White Mountains, or Southern NH.

To register, visit: http://www.jerryandmarcymonkman.com/lightroom_photoshop.html

33rd Annual Cape May Spring Weekend

Cape May, NJ Join New Jersey Audubon as we celebrate spring at our 33rd
Annual Cape May Spring Weekend, May 21 – 23, 2010

Enjoy a weekend at one of North America's favorite birdwatching spots where there is something for everyone, from the novice to the seasoned naturalist, with 3 days full of programs, lectures, field trips, and a variety of boat trips and workshops. Witness the phenomena of migrating shorebirds and mating horseshoe crabs, breeding warblers, neotropical migrants, and so much more.

Special evening programs featuring New Jersey Audubon's
Dr. David Mizrahi - and - Pete Dunne
Friday, May 21

Dr. David Mizrahi, Vice President Research presents Extreme Globe Trotters: The Extraordinary Migrations of Shorebirds

Learn about the extreme migrations of shorebirds, what factors make them highly vulnerable, and current efforts to conserve at risk populations.

Saturday, May 22
Pete Dunne, CCO, Director Cape May Bird Observatory
presents Bayshore Summer

Between the tide and the pines lies New Jersey's forgotten shore. A land of Black Duck and blue mud; salt hay farmers and tenth generation watermen. Visitors skirt it; most residents don't know it exists. But the natural and cultural heritages of the Delaware Bayshore are as rich as they are unheralded. Bayshore resident, Pete Dunne, will share many of those secrets tonight.

Advance registration required for dinner and evening program.

Details and registration information is available on our website
http://www.birdcapemay.org/ under the Spring Weekend icon
or call the Cape May Bird Observatory at 609.861.0700

We look forward to seeing you
in Cape May !

Bill Sallak

Lisa -

We just found out that Bill and his wife sold their home in North Haven about 2 years ago and moved to Ashlar Village in Wallingford. The address cards should be addressed to is:

2209 Ashlar Village Road
Wallingford, CT 06492-3077

Gary

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks Tour April 16th

HURRY! ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER! SEATING IS LIMITED!

Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks Tour

Coming to New York City, NY Friday, April 16, 2010

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Three of the best graphic designers on the planet, Corey Barker, Dave Cross and Scott Kelby have joined forces to bring back one of the most successful seminar tours in history. They have created an amazing new tour packed full of the hottest, most-requested, eye-popping, jaw-dropping Photoshop effects, that look hard, but are easy (once you know the secrets). You'll learn the very latest Photoshop tips, tricks, and advanced techniques that give you the design skills to stand-out in a competitive market, and take your photography and Photoshop creativity to a whole new level!

These five amazing classes reflect the latest trends in Photoshop special effects, photographic effects, and design tricks. But this isn't a bunch of "bouncing text" and "exploding planet" type tutorials you find on the web; these are nothing but today's real world techniques-the same ones used by leading photographers, designers, and special effect masters, and it's all here in the only live workshop of its kind.

"Awesome seminar! Where else can you be inspired, entertained, and learn lots of amazing Photoshop tricks for $79! Really, you folks are terrific."P. Danko, Attendee - view more testimonials

Featuring Dave CrossBest-Selling Author, Photographer,Senior Developer for NAPP and Instructorfor Kelby Training Live

Register at www.kelbytraininglive.com today and secure your spot or call us at 1.800.201.7323.

Welcome to the New York Photo Awards 2010!

Welcome to the New York Photo Awards 2010!

Now open for submissions – ENTER CONTEST
First Interim Award Winner Announced: Congratulations Samantha Goldfien! Check out the winning entry, as well as video presentations of our interim finalists and honorable mentions!

Win over $1000 in prizes!
All winners of this year’s New York Photo Awards will receive:
a Canon S90 camera, courtesy of B&H, as well as
a Spyder 3 Studio, courtesy of Datacolor

All winning entries will also be automatically eligible for inclusion in the beautifully produced New York Photo Awards 2010 Annual, available later this year via the New York Photo Festival website and select bookstores everywhere.In the meantime, you can click here to check out the 2008 & 2009 editions.

But wait! There’s more…

On March 22, April 15 and April 30, a guest judge will be called upon to review incoming submissions and choose the best image or series across all categories.

Each Interim Award winner will receive:
a $250 B&H gift card
An online feature presentation on the New York Photo Festival website.

MONITORING AND MANAGING RAPTOR POPULATIONS

MONITORING AND MANAGING RAPTOR POPULATIONS:

Forging a Collaboration of Professional & Volunteer Conservationists
Friday, May 7th & Saturday, May 8th 2010

Audubon Greenwich will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) with a special scientific conference with guest speakers from conservation groups across the Americas. Please join us for this exciting collaborative conference created to identify raptor management priorities and expand opportunities to engage Citizen Scientists in these strategies.

The conference has a duel track, one is to focus on direct raptor conservation efforts and the other is to help improve the collection of data at hawk count sites. The direct conservation track will focus on how people can get involved in projects, both within the state, such as the Kestrel nest box program as well as how to support conservation efforts further afield such as at the key River of Raptors site in Veracruz. The protocols and new methods track was inspired by the suggestions in the State of North American Birds of Prey chapter on the need to harmonize hawkwatch data collection. The two tracks making it a must attend event for hawkwatchers and conservationists alike.

Greenwich Audubon is collaborating with Hawk Mountain, Birdlife International, Connecticut Ornithological Association, HMANA, Connecticut Audubon Society, Northeast Hawkwatch, Pro Natura as well as Audubon New York and Vermont amongst others on this project.

Please visit http://greenwich.audubon.org/News.html for further information on the conference, the schedule of events and to access the online booking form

Long Island Photo Workshop 2010

Mark Your Calendars! Monday Thru Thursday August 2-5, 2010
Long Island Photo Workshop 2010

We are very proud and excited to announce our lineup of 5 highly talented instructors for this year:

Fay Sirkis -Paint Like A Master! - Using Photoshop and the latest version of Corel Painter, learn to transform your images into paintings that replicate the former Masters of our time. Oils like Rembrandt , Impressionism like Monet, Photo realism like Norman Rockwell and even Cubism like Cezanne and Picasso ! Computer Required for this class.

Tony Corbell -The Power of Light 2010 -Understanding and controlling light quality is at the core of all of Tony’s presentations. Attendees will learn how to see a unique perspective and not be afraid to push the limits of their experience and talents. Tony will discuss and demonstrate all types of lighting and its tools in depth. Lighting tools include portable flash, studio strobes, sunlight and ambient light. Lighting applications include additive, subtractive, reflective and transmission. Each combination of tool and application will be shown and discussed in detail. Tony will also discuss and illustrate the importance of control in the digital capture and how a few seconds of extra time spent at time of capture can save hours in post production. Tony always spends time discussing Light Quality as well as Light Quantity and how Light Direction plays a significant role in the resulting mood of an image.

Gary Small -Professional Photoshop CS4 - From the Beginning -Using the latest version of Photoshop, Gary will teach you all the pro techniques to get you working on a production level with ease. Because Photoshop CS4 was recently released, and is a radically different interface, Gary decided it's time to start from the ground up. This is a Perfect opportunity for anybody who has not yet taken the plunge, or for those who have played around with Photoshop and want to learn the most efficient, professional way to use it. Computer Required for this class. *STAY TUNED FOR AN EXCITING UPDATE ON THIS CLASS!*

Dave Black -Light Is The Greatest Influence -This four day course will center around light and how the photographer can best use it to define a subject and capture the viewer’s attention. We will be making use of several avenues of lighting including off camera flash, sport strobes and lightpainting in an effort to communicate to the photographer that Light is the Greatest Influence. To learn more about this world-reknowned photographer with over a quarter century of experience, please visit his website at http://www.daveblackphotography.com/

Janice Wendt -Professional Polish -Ever wonder how these top, edgy photographers are getting these awesome looking digital images? Don’t you want your images to look that good? Janice Wendt, Nik Software’s leading authority and ambassador, reveals the secrets and how easily creativity through subtle image enhancements can be made, while saving the most valuable commodity we all share, "TIME"! Janice has fine-tuned her craft over the years and has a fool-proof way of getting the most out of every image. Computer Required for this class.

Be sure to check our website for more information, updates and online registration.
Visit http://www.liphotoworkshop.com/

For more information, Please contact the Director, Jerry Small at (516) 221-4058 or email us at: info@liphotoworkshop.com

Bill Sallak, a LONG time member of the NHCC, had passed away on Friday, April 9

To all -

On a totally different note, and a sad one, Frannie and I just came home from a long weekend in Vermont, and reading the Sunday NH Register a few moments ago, I saw that Bill Sallak, a LONG time member of the NHCC, had passed away on Friday, April 9. We did not have the newspaper delivered Fri or Sat so I don't know if this is the first public notice of Bill's death or not and whether this is common knowledge at this point, but considering the picture and the length of the obituary, I suspect today's paper is the first public announcement, and Bill's membership in the NHCC is mentioned.

The obituary mentions that Bill's funeral service is Wednesday, May 5,at 10:30 AM, with interment following in All Saints Cemetery (note that it says MAY 5), and that there are no visiting hours. Donations may be made to Faith United Methodist Church, 81 Clintonville Road, North Haven, CT, 06473.

I will send a card to Bill's wife from the club and if anyone else wishes to also send a card, the home address is 25 Pequot Avenue, North Haven, CT 06473-3328.

Gary

Top 13 reasons to upgrade to Adobe Photoshop CS5

Top 13 reasons to upgrade to Adobe Photoshop CS5 (from here)

Complex selections made easy – Get precise results in fewer clicks when selecting intricate image elements, such as hair, and eliminate background color around selection edges. Automatically vary selection edges and perfect masks using new refinement tools.

Content-Aware Fill – Remove any image detail or object and watch as Content-Aware Fill magically fills in the space left behind. This breakthrough technology matches lighting, tone, and noise so it looks as if the removed content never existed.

Superior HDR imaging – Create photorealistic or surreal high dynamic range (HDR) images with unprecedented speed, control, and accuracy. Get better-than-ever results thanks to automatic ghost removal and greater control with tone mapping and adjustments, and even give single-exposure photos the look of HDR.

State-of-the-art raw image processing – Use the Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 6 plug-in to nondestructively remove image noise while preserving color and detail; add grain to make digital photos look more organic; enjoy more control as you perform post-crop vignetting; and more.

Extraordinary painting effects – Achieve artistic results with the Mixer Brush, which offers on-canvas color blending, and Bristle Tips, which let you create lifelike, textured brush­strokes.

Puppet Warp – Precisely reposition or warp any image element. Swing a raised arm to a person’s side in a photo, stretch text to create new effects, and more.

Automatic lens correction – Save time with automatic correction of lens distortions, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. Photoshop CS5 uses an image file’s EXIF data to make precise adjustments based on the type of camera and lens you used.

Efficient workflow – Enjoy productivity and creativity boosts thanks to dozens of features and enhancements requested by Photoshop users. Straighten images automati­cally, pick colors from an onscreen color picker, adjust the opacity of many layers at once, and more.

Better media management – Easily manage media with more flexible batch renaming, and access your assets in the context of what you’re working on by using the customizable Adobe

Mini Bridge panel in Photoshop.

Faster performance across platforms – Speed up day-to-day imaging tasks and process very large images up to 10 times faster by taking advantage of cross-platform 64-bit support. (Requires a 64-bit version of Mac OS, Microsoft® Windows® 7, or Windows Vista®.)

Streamlined creative reviews through integration with CS Live services – Use Adobe CS Review, part of new CS Live online services*, to initiate a more secure review without leaving Photoshop. Reviewers can add comments to your images from their browsers, and you see those comments appear automatically on your screen.

New GPU-accelerated features – Take advantage of GPU-enabled enhancements to everyday tools. Crop with the Rule of Thirds grid; zoom with click-and-scrub functionality; and sample colors with better visualization and an onscreen color picker.

Easier user interface management – Use the collapsible Workspace Switcher to quickly navigate and choose among favorite user interface configurations. Live workspaces automatically record your user interface changes so panels will remain in place even if you switch away for a while.

Superior black-and-white conversion – Explore an endless variety of B&W looks. Use the integrated Lab B&W Action to interactively convert color images; create gorgeous HDR black-and-whites with greater ease and speed; and experiment with new presets.

It is April 12th -- CS5 is here!

It is 11hours away from the offical release at 11am later today...

Just hearing from Adobe now that ALL products in their online store (including CS5) will ship free for one day only on Monday, if you enter the promo code FREESHIP when checking out. Coupon code expires April 12, 2010, at 11:59pm PDT.

Carl Heilman Photography Workshops and Greta Heilman Photoshop Workshops

Take your outdoor photography to the next level with our many Nature Photography Workshops, Photography Tours, and Photoshop Workshops. We offer instruction and guidance for all levels of photographers with a wide variety of workshops and classes.

May 2010
15 - Comprehensive One Day Spring Landscapes Photo Workshop - (filled 3/18/10)
16 - Photo Tour - Spring Lakes and Waterfalls - (filled 3/15/10)
22 - Comprehensive One Day Spring Landscapes Photo Workshop - (4 of 6 spaces left)
23 - Photo Tour - Spring Lakes and Waterfalls - (3 of 6 spaces left)
29 - Wild Center One Day Spring Photography Workshop - (9 of 12 spaces left)

June 2010
21 - 25 - Acadia National Park Five Day Photo Workshop / Tour - (5 of 10 spaces left)

July 2010
24 - Photo Tour - Full Moon / Summer Landscapes - (6 of 6 spaces left)

August 2010
14 - 15 - Digital Photography / Photoshop Weekend - (6 of 6 spaces left)

September 2010
26 - 29 - Adirondack High Peaks Four Day Fall Photography Workshop / Tour - (10 of 10 spaces left)


October 2010
2 - Wild Center One Day Fall Photography Workshop - (12 of 12 spaces left)
3 - Photo Tour - Fall High Peaks Region - (5 of 6 spaces left)
9 - Comprehensive Day Long Fall Landscapes Photography Workshop - (5 of 6 spaces left)
10 - Photo Tour - Fall Landscapes and Waterways - (6 of 6 spaces left)
16 - 17 Digital Photography / Photoshop Weekend - (6 of 6 spaces left)
23 - Photo Tour - Full Moon / Lake George Fall Landscapes - (6 of 6 spaces left)


Our Comprehensive One Day Adirondack Outdoor Photography Workshops for begining and intermediate photographers feature instruction on many facets of digital and film photography including - camera basics, digital camera features and menus, RAW files, digital workflow, lenses, depth of field, composition, lighting, and various photo techniques. The 8 hour day features about 3 - 4 hours of instruction, Q & A, and critique - and then several hours of photography at nearby photo locations practicing camera techniques and photography principles. One day workshops are limited in size to 6 particpants for individual attention (except for Wild Center workshops).

Advanced Outdoor Photography Workshops are an 8 hour day with a couple of hours of instruction and several hours of photography. Topics will cover various aspects of photography such as --- Wide Angle Landscapes, Panoramas, and Depth of Field --- Creative PhotographyTechniques --Understanding the Weather --- Creating a Sense of Place.
Adirondack Nature Photography Tours are one day photo shoots spent entirely in the field. In addition to brief group discussion, Carl will give individual attention for questions and critique throughout the 8 - 10 hour day.

Both Advanced Workshops and Photo Tours are for intermediate and advanced photographers who are comfortable with camera mechanics and techniques - including aperture / shutter / ISO settings / depth of field. One day photo tours and advanced workshops are limited to 6 partcipants for personal attention and to be less intrusive at photo locations.

Digital Photography / Photoshop Weekend Workshops are for all levels of photographers and offer instruction on the complete digital workflow from image creation to presentation. Subjects covered include shooting for Photoshop, Photoshop basics and tricks, databases, digital camera basics, menus, settings, photo composition and lighting, lenses, depth of field, panoramas, stitching, and presentation.

The Four and Five Day Outdoor Photography Workshops include a mix of comprehensive instruction, critiques, and photography shoots - and allow you to completely immerse yourself in nature photography and photo techniques in unique natural settings. We are doing a 5 day workshop in Acadia National Park on the spectacular Maine Coast, and we are also doing a 4 day fall workshop in the Adirondack High Peaks.

We offer several different Photoshop for Photographers and Artists Workshops. These include a variety of 'digital darkroom' classes for all levels of Photoshop users. The list includes half day Introductory Classes, Intensive Day Long Workshps, and more specific classes on HDR and Sitching Techniques, Advanced Color Work, and Image Restoration. Photoshop workshops are limited to 3 persons each and are based in the Wild Visions, Inc.office at Carl's home in Brant Lake, NY in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Park.

Carl brings over 30 years of photo experience and enthusiasm for many different aspects of photography to each workshop and tour. He has been working digitally with Photoshop since 1997 and a digital SLR since early 2007 - and thoroughly enjoys the additional freedom afforded by digital photography. He has led photo workshops since the early 1990's and has been presenting photography workshops in Brant Lake since 1997 through Wild Visions, Inc. He has also done workshops for the The Wild Center, the Adirondack Photography Institute, NANPA, the Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondack Life, the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, the Lake George Association, and the Lower Adirondack Region Arts Council. His coffee table books on the Adirondacks, Lake George, New York State, and Maine have been published by Rizzoli, Voyageur Press, and North Country Books. His photography has been used by publications and businesses around the world. His AV programs have aired on regional PBS stations, and he was interviewed for the May 2008 national PBS special, 'The Adirondacks'.

Greta Heilman, has been instructing Photoshop classes since 2002. She does graphic design in addition to photo enhancement, and works with Photoshop and related Adobe products full time in the Wild Viisions, Inc.office.

It's good to sign up early since the workshops often fill up well ahead of time. We can also schedule private photography or Photoshop workshop sessions for those interested in individual attention and more advanced techniques. For more information, please Email us or contact us by mail or phone.

ASMP Copyright Symposium in NYC

ASMP will present an important symposium

Copyright and the New Economy: Issues & Trends Facing Visual Artists

ASMP will bring together thought leaders representing different points of view on the subject of copyright to explore its significant issues, challenges and trends.

This symposium is intended to seek sustainable business solutions by engaging in an important conversation about economic shifts in the industry, the current state of copyright, and what the future holds for those who produce and use visual works.

When:Wednesday, April 21, 20109:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Doors open half an hour earlier.

Where:TimesCenter, 242 West 41st StNew York, NY

REGISTER NOWThis event is free, but you must register to ensure a seat. SPACE IS LIMITED

Presenters

Lawrence Lessig, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Professor of Law, HarvardDavid Carson, U.S. Copyright Office General CounselWilliam Patry, author and Google Copyright CounselDarrell Perry, former Director of Photography, Wall Street JournalJeff Sedlik, Founder & CEO of the PLUS CoalitionChase Jarvis, photographerLiz Ordonez, photographerVictor Perlman, ASMP General Counsel

For those that cannot attend, this symposium will be recorded and made available online a few weeks after the event.

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Our yard is certified... is yours?

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat™

Join the thousands of wildlife enthusiasts across the country who have been recognized for creating wildlife havens in their very own yards. These individuals have provided the essential elements needed for healthy and sustainable wildlife habitats and have earned the distinction of being part of NWF's Certified Habitat™ program.Go to www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife or call 1-800-822-9919 and certify today.

TAMRON USA ANNOUNCES 2010 PHOTO CONTEST TWO: BACKYARD WILDLIFE

TAMRON USA ANNOUNCES 2010 PHOTO CONTEST TWO:BACKYARD WILDLIFE— DEADLINE JUNE 30, 2010

Backyard Wildlife photo contest supports wildlife conservation with donationby Tamron for every photo entered*

March 25, 2010, Commack, NY— Tamron USA, Inc. announced the second in its series of four photo contests for 2010: Backyard Wildlife. This quarter's contest asks entrants to submit photographic portraits of their local wildlife, whether found in their own backyard, local parks, or other urban and rural neighborhood areas. The contest is looking for local wildlife indigenous to the photographer's home town, so photos from zoos, aquariums and the like will not be considered. The contest runs from April 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010. The Grand Prize Winner of Contest Two 2010 will receive his/her choice of one of these Tamron lenses: SP AF60mm F2 Di-II 1:1 Macro; SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di-II; SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 Di-II VC; or AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC. Users of any camera equipment may enter the Tamron photo contest.

Our Guest Judge: Jackie Bailey LabovitzThe "Backyard Wildlife" photo contest entries will be evaluated and selected by a guest judge, Jackie Bailey Labovitz, a former art curator and current photographer from the Washington, D.C. area whose recent mission is to help preserve and celebrate local wildlife through photography. In 2003, Jackie Bailey Labovitz picked up a camera. For more than a decade Jackie and her husband, David, have been creating a safe haven for ordinary wildlife. Her photographic safari began in their backyard sanctuary in Shenandoah Valley. Born in rural Virginia, Jackie began collecting insects at an early age. Meticulously arranging arthropods in cigar boxes that Mrs. Tyson at the general store saved for her was her first curatorial attempt. She moved on to curate art collections for major corporations and American embassies abroad. Her award-winning photographs have been published in Virginia Wildlife. You can see her work featuring wildlife subjects at www.baileylabovitz.com.

Contest Supports Wildlife ConservationUnique to this contest is Tamron's promise to support wildlife conservation with a donation of 25¢ per entry* to the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org), an organization admired and supported by our guest judge.

Prizes And RecognitionIn addition to receiving the Tamron lens of choice, the winner’s picture will be showcased on the Tamron website. The winner and twenty photographers whose images are selected by our judge as Favorites will have their names and winning images published on the website and on the Tamron Page on Facebook™ for all to admire.

HOW TO ENTER: Email your lo-res images to webmaster@tamron.com, Subject line of email must read Backyard Wildlife Photo Contest. (Winner & Finalists will be contacted for hi-res images). By sending your images you agree to Tamron’s terms & conditions. Tamron reserves the right to disqualify any images that do not fit the theme of this photo contest. Complete rules and an entry form can be found at www.tamron.com or by accessing the contest page at http://www.tamron.com/lenses/contests.asp. Submissions are limited to a maximum of three per person. Pictures submitted must be original and the property of the photographer. The contest is open to any person 18 years or older residing in the United States and all entries must be received no later than June 30, 2010.

About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of photographic lenses. Among its many optical and mechanical innovations since the founding of the company in 1950, Tamron's development of mass-produced hybrid aspherical elements paved the way for today’s compact high ratio zoom lenses when, in 1992, this technology was incorporated into the groundbreaking 28-200mm. Tamron continues to lead in this category with the award-winning 18-270mm — featuring an unprecedented 15X zoom range—and featuring Tamron's proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) system. Tamron has garnered international acclaim for its high ratio zoom lenses. Tamron celebrates its 60th anniversary this November.

For Photographers, the Image of a Shrinking Path

For Photographers, the Image of a Shrinking Path

By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published: March 29, 2010

By the time Matt Eich entered photojournalism school in 2004, the magazine and newspaper business was already declining.

But Mr. Eich had been shooting photographs since he was a child, and when he married and had a baby during college, he stuck with photography as a career.

“I had to hit the ground running and try to make enough money to keep a roof over our heads,” he said.

Since graduation in 2008, Mr. Eich, 23, has gotten magazine assignments here and there, but “industrywide, the sentiment now, at least among my peers, is that this is not a sustainable thing,” he said. He has been supplementing magazine work with advertising and art projects, in a pastiche of ways to earn a living. “There was a path, and there isn’t anymore.”
Then there is D. Sharon Pruitt, a 40-year-old mother of six who lives on Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Ms. Pruitt’s husband is in the military, and their frequent moves meant a full-time job was not practical. But after a vacation to Hawaii in 2006, Ms. Pruitt uploaded some photos — taken with a $99 Kodak digital camera — to the site Flickr.

Since then, through her Flickr photos, she has received a contract with the stock-photography company Getty Images that gives her a monthly income when publishers or advertisers license the images. The checks are sometimes enough to take the family out to dinner, sometimes almost enough for a mortgage payment. “At the moment, it’s just great to have extra money,” she said.

Mr. Eich and Ms. Pruitt illustrate the huge shake-up in photography during the last decade. Amateurs, happy to accept small checks for snapshots of children and sunsets, have increasing opportunities to make money on photos but are underpricing professional photographers and leaving them with limited career options. Professionals are also being hurt because magazines and newspapers are cutting pages or shutting altogether.

“There are very few professional photographers who, right now, are not hurting,” said Holly Stuart Hughes, editor of the magazine Photo District News.

That has left professional photographers with a bit of an identity crisis. Nine years ago, when Livia Corona was fresh out of art school, she got assignments from magazines like Travel and Leisure and Time. Then, she said, “three forces coincided.”

They were the advertising downturn, the popularity and accessibility of digital photography, and changes in the stock-photo market.

Magazines’ editorial pages tend to rise or fall depending on how many ad pages they have. In 2000, the magazines measured by Publishers Information Bureau, a trade group, had 286,932 ad pages. In 2009, there were 169,218 — a decline of 41 percent. That means less physical space in which to print photographs.

“Pages are at a premium, and there’s more competition to get anything into a magazine now, and the bar is just higher for excellent work,” said Bill Shapiro, the editor of Life.com, who ran the print revival of Life before Time Inc. shut it in 2007. And that is for the publications that survived — 428 magazines closed in 2009 alone, according to the publication database MediaFinder.com, including ones that regularly assigned original photography, like Gourmet, Portfolio and National Geographic Adventure.

And while magazines once sniffed at stock photographs, which are existing images, not original assignments, shrinking editorial budgets made them reconsider.

“When we began, stock photography or licensed images, preshot images being licensed, was perceived as the armpit of the photo industry,” said Jonathan Klein, the chief executive of Getty Images who helped found the agency in 1995. “No self-respecting art director or creative director would use a preshot image, because it wasn’t original, it hadn’t been commissioned by them, it wasn’t their creativity.”

At the same time, the Internet has made it easier for editors to find and license stock photos — they can do it in seconds with a search term and a few clicks, rather than spending seven weeks mailing film transparencies back and forth.

Concurrently, digital photography took off. “It used to be you really needed to know how to use a camera,” said Keith Marlowe, a photographer who has worked for Spin and Rolling Stone. “If you messed up a roll, you couldn’t redo the concert.” Now, though, any photographer can instantly see if a shot is good, or whether the light balances or other technical aspects need to be adjusted.
That meant a flood of pretty decent photographs, and that changed the stock-photography industry. In the last few years, stock agencies have created or acquired so-called microstock divisions. They charge $1 to $100, in most cases, for publishers or others to rerun a photo, often supplied by an amateur. And Getty made a deal with Flickr in 2008, permitting Getty’s photo editors to comb through customers’ images and strike license agreements with the amateur photographers.

“The quality of licensed imagery is virtually indistinguishable now from the quality of images they might commission,” Mr. Klein said. Yet “the price point that the client, or customer, is charged is a fraction of the price point which they would pay for a professional image.”
In 2005, Getty Images licensed 1.4 million preshot commercial photos. Last year, it licensed 22 million — and “all of the growth was through our user-generated business,” Mr. Klein said.
That is because amateurs are largely happy to be paid anything for their photos. “People that don’t have to make a living from photography and do it as a hobby don’t feel the need to charge a reasonable rate,” Mr. Eich said.

With stock-photography payments declining and magazines pulling back on original assignments, some Web sites like Life.com and BurnMagazine.org have popped up as homes for original photography. Life commissions about two projects a month — it sent Mr. Marlowe to Haiti after the earthquake, for instance, and the entertainment photographer Jeff Vespa to cover the European news media tour by the “Avatar” cast.

There seems to be an audience for professional photography on these sites. The average number of photos each visitor viewed for “Michael Jackson: The Memorial” at Life.com was 41, for example, and for “Oscars 2010: The Best Dresses,” it was 38 images.

Still, the pay, compared with print, is “less, for sure,” Mr. Shapiro of Life.com said, since some professional photographers “are really more excited for the exposure than they are to drive a hard bargain.”

But it is hard to live on exposure alone. And some professionals worry that with ways to make a salary in photography disappearing, the impact will be severe.

“The important thing that a photojournalist does is they know how to tell the story — they know they’re not there to skew, interpret or bias,” said Katrin Eismann, chairwoman of the Masters in Digital Photography program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. “A photographer can go to a rally or demonstration, and they can make it look as though 10 people showed up, or 1,000 people showed up, and that’s a big difference. I’m not sure I’m going to trust an amateur to understand how important that visual communication is.”

“Can an amateur take a picture as good as a professional? Sure,” Ms. Eismann said. “Can they do it on demand? Can they do it again? Can they do it over and over? Can they do it when a scene isn’t that interesting?”

But amateurs like Ms. Pruitt do not particularly care.

“I never followed any traditional photography rules only because I didn’t know of any — I never went to photography school, never took any classes,” she said. “People don’t know the rules, so they just shoot what they like — and other people like it, too.”

Daily Webinars FREE Nik

Daily Webinars -- Free live webinars held 3 times a day, 5 days a week

Nik Software creates digital photographic filters that plug in to Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom®, or Apple® Aperture™.

No matter which image-editing tool you use, these daily webinars will introduce you to our award-winning solutions and show you how use them quickly and efficiently. You'll streamline and enhance your digital photography workflow and take your photos to a new level.
To register, simply click the Webinar that you would like to attend in the chart below. A confirmation email will be sent to you with a link to join the webinar at the appropriate time.

Lessons for Nik Software

Lessons for Nik Software products have been created to illustrate some of the basic filter application and enhancement techniques possible with Dfine 2.0, Viveza, Color Efex Pro 3.0, Silver Efex Pro, and Sharpener Pro 3.0 software products. http://www.niksoftware.com/learnmore/usa/entry.php

Adam Jones Workshop

Fun at the Track
Hope everyone is enjoying the fact that winter is finally over!!!! I would like to invite you to join me for a fun filled and educational weekend at Keeneland race track for thoroughbred horse racing at its fine

Saturday will start with a sunrise shoot at a local horse farm and a trip to Keeneland for early morning shots of jockeys exercising and grooming their steeds among paddocks and barns. After breakfast at the track kitchen (we may be dining beside a famous jockey or celebrity.) and classroom instruction, we will return to Keeneland in the afternoon and capture the racing action! Sunday morning we will capture the light moving across the landscapes of the local Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a 3000 acre National Historic Landmark. We will photograph beautiful pastoral scenes, craft demonstrations, and 14 pristinely restored Shaker buildings. You will be shoulder to shoulder with me learning how to compose and capture. We will end the weekend with image reviews and critiques. This event is sponsored by Canon and of course there will be plenty of high quality Canon gear available for loan.Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations. We have arranged discount printing at Hilton Lexington/Downtown if you book by March 24th. Mention Canon Live Learning to receive the special $159/night pricing.

For more information and to register, please go to:
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3345

Adam Jones
502-327-0416
www.adamjonesphoto.com
adam@adamjonesphoto.com

Camera Failure Versus Price and Brand

Read the article here: Camera Failure Versus Price and Brand

Very interesting!

The Raw Facts About Infrared Processing Digital Infrared Raw Files Using Adobe Camera Raw

The Raw Facts About Infrared Processing Digital Infrared Raw Files Using Adobe Camera Raw by Joe Farace

read the article here: http://www.shutterbug.com/newsletter/2009_EPT_IRFACTS/#

Buy the book here

Photography Book Now international-juried self-published book competition

Photography Book Now is an international-juried self-published book competition, and a celebration of the most creative, most innovative, and finest photography books – and the people behind them.

Gather your best work, create your finest photography book, and toss your hat in the ring for a chance to win $25,000 and worldwide kudos.

http://photographybooknow.blurb.com/awards
Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. PDT on Thursday, July 15, 2010.

The 2010 Photography Book Now competition has three categories in which you can enter — Fine Art, Editorial, and Portfolio. Enter as many books as you like. Submission fee applies to each entry.

Fine Art
The field of contemporary art is the arena to which many photographers aspire, and the photography book is a central means of expression within that field. Entries in this category celebrate the photography book as an experience that is more than just the sum of its parts, regardless of whether your working methods are conceptual or stylistic, whether your aesthetic is deadpan or modernist, whether your artistic practice is rooted in the home or in the world of performance.

Editorial
Photography has a rich history of telling compelling narratives, especially in book form. If your work is rooted in the documentary tradition or is based on a long-term project, this is the category for your book.

Portfolio
The portfolio book reveals the depth and breadth of your photographic vision, and does so with style and eye-catching brilliance. Whether it was work produced for a commercial project or images that spring from your creative core, the portfolio translated into book form allows you to showcase the best of what makes you a creative photographer.

How it works: Renowned experts review the entries and after a lot of coffee and discussion, they choose the grand prize winner, the top winners in each category, and first- and second-runners up in each category.

And, you – the people – get to chime in and vote on your favorites for the People’s Choice Award.

Grand Prize: $25,000

Category Winners
Ultimate Camera PackageSony DSLR-A850 CameraSony SAL-28-75 mm f/2.8 Zoom LensesX-Rite ColorChecker and Passport ColorMunki PhotoInduro Carbon Fiber Tripods and Induro BallHeadsBlurb Gift Card
First Runners-Up
Photographic Experience PackageAdmission to Center's Review LARoundtrip airline ticket for use in the Continental U.S. Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen TabletB&H Photo Gift CardSubscription to Digital Photo Pro MagazineLensbaby Gift CardBlurb Gift Card
Second Runners-Up
Photographic Workshop AdventureTenba Shootout Rolling BackpackAll-inclusive week at Maine Media WorkshopBlurb Gift Card

Hubbard Park

This just in from Warren...
Apr 3, 2010 4:20 PM

I took a ride thru Hubbard Park this afternoon and I don't think there will be much left by the time they have their festival on April 24/25. As of today, most of the common yellow ones are out, though there are some large patches in the woods that still have a ways to go. The custom varieties are not quite out yet.I'm planning on next weekend, I think that might be peak or near peak. By the 17-18th, I'm sure everything will be out, but the stuff that's out now might not last.

Control Your DSLR with a Nintendo DS

I found this on Steve's digicam

Control Your DSLR with a Nintendo DS
This may be the single most interesting community driven DIY projects we have seen this year. The Open Camera Controller (OCC) is a fully customizable... Continue Reading

Canon 5D Mark II-shaped cake

This post is from http://www.petapixel.com/

This Canon 5D Mark II-shaped cake is by Studio Cake based in Menlo Park, CA. We’re not sure what the back looks like, but it’s amazing how much detail they were able to add to the cake. If a photographer in your life has a special occasion coming up, check out your local cake shop — they might be able to create a similar masterpiece for you!

http://www.studiocake.com/sculpted_26.html

A Photographer's Best Friend

All you need is a tripod. But if you are not going to buy a decent tripod, don't even bother.

So why should you fork out for a good tripod, and how do you choose?

Tripod Buying 101

Read the article here:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/03/most-powerful-light-in-your-bag.html

CS5 Pre-Release

Wow! Thanks Rick for passing this along!!

Hi Lisa,
I’ve attached a Word document that summarizes links to CS5 from your blog with some additional info.
Rick

For all you Photoshop mavens, the long-awaited CS5 (White Rabbit) is almost here. I have 4 links below with brief descriptions above them (links originally from Lisa’s blogs). I’ve been a beta-tester of the expanded pre-release version of Adobe Photoshop CS5. Because of the non-disclosure document I agreed to, I wasn’t able to say anything about this until about 2 weeks ago. I still can’t mention any of the features or even show the interface until April 12. But at that time, everyone will be able to see the launch (the link at the bottom). Because one of the features, Content Aware Fill, is all over the Internet and was also shown at the NAPP conference in Orlando, I can talk about this one. It will save you an immense amount of time in retouching! I can only marvel at the algorithms that went into the programming code to do this. Take a look at these links. - Rick

Photoshop World 2010 Orlando – Sneak Peek at Photoshop CS5 with Katrin Eismann on Content Aware FillKatrin is Chair of the Masters in Digital Photography Program at the School of Visual Arts in NY & has authored a number of books and DVDs on digital photography and Photoshop.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCWPH1AuXw&feature=player_embedded

More on Content Aware Fill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0aEp1oDOI

Just incredible what Content Aware Fill can do! Posted 4/1/10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ScWu7pG7r0&feature=player_embedded

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Launch to be held 4/12/10 at 11 am EDT. You’ll need to register at this site.http://cs5launch.adobe.com/?trackingid=FDJZH

BEYOND THE SNAPSHOT with Alan M. Thornton April 21 - 25, 2010

BEYOND THE SNAPSHOT with Alan M. Thornton April 21 - 25, 2010

Photography is an amazing mixture of technical skills and creative talents. A great photograph results from the subjective combination of these two forces, as crafted by you, the photographer. The stronger your skill set and the more you’re willing to express your creativity, the better your photographs become. This workshop is for the amateur wishing to improve skills and unleash creativity to generate portraits and landscapes that are meaningfully better than your snapshots of the past.

Beyond the Snapshot will be a fun and creative workshop that will help build and develop a distinctive eye that is all your own. Through demonstrations and assignments we will participate in creative exercises to learn to view everyday things from different perspectives and to begin to appreciate the possibilities that every scene offers. We will also devote attention to basic shooting skills, including making sure you have a full understanding of every important function of your camera and how it influences exposure, depth of field, and other important properties of an image.

Our backdrop will be the mountains and desert of southeastern Arizona, providing us with dramatic landscapes, small border towns and colorful local people as subjects. Daily classroom critiques will also provide you with critical feedback and lead to further development of your creative eye as you venture out on the next day’s assignment. By the end of the workshop you will not only know how to make your images stronger, but you also will have expanded your distinctive eye and creative flare for imagery. You will no longer be satisfied with just a snapshot.
Although we generally require the use of a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) in other workshops, we are sympathetic to the convenience and ease-of-use that point-and-shoot cameras offer. Should you choose to bring one, please make sure that it is capable of shooting RAW images, and that both the aperture and shutter speed are accessible in some sort of manual mode. If you can’t determine if your camera shoots RAW and has a manual mode, please give us a call for guidance.

Alan M. Thornton has been an advertising, editorial, and fine-art photographer for 16 years, working with such clients as John Deere, Land Rover, Nike, Apple, Hewlett Packard, and TV Guide. His company’s current work involves classic and contemporary styled portrait illustrations for advertising and editorial clients that are captured in the studio, and on location. You can read more about Alan on his website, www.amtproductions.com.

Cost: Includes the workshop, 4 nights (shared) accommodation, three meals a day and gratuities: $1,625 plus tax (add $270 for single occupancy). Maximum: 8 participants. Location Fee: $90.

wow -- all this in CS5, what a bargain!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ScWu7pG7r0&feature=player_embedded



April fools...
:-)

Ask Tim Grey Gathering in New York and Presentation at B&H Photo in New York

Presentation at B&H Photo in New York - I'll be presenting a free two-hour session on "Photoshop Workflow" at B&H Photo in New York on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, from 11am to 1pm. This event will fill quickly, so if you'd like to attend be sure to register soon here:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/eventDetails.jsp/id/657

Ask Tim Grey Gathering in New York - Immediately following my presentation at B&H Photo in New York on April 13th, I'll be hosting another "Ask Tim Grey" Gathering. If you'd like to join me for a casual lunch to talk all things digital photography (or just about anything else), please email me at tim@timgrey.com to let me know. Location will be determined and announced as soon as I have a good idea of how many will be able to attend, but it will be relatively close to B&H Photo.

Ask Tim Grey - JPEG in Camera Raw

Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, March 29, 2010, Learn more at http://www.timgrey.com/

Today's Question:
Are there any benefits opening and adjusting JPEG files in Adobe Camara Raw over Photoshop adjustments, since JPEG files are in a way already compressed image files that don´t have the advantages of RAW files?

Tim's Answer:
The benefits of opening JPEG images with Adobe Camera Raw relate primarily to workflow and convenience rather than image quality. You're absolutely right that the primary benefits of converting a RAW capture through Adobe Camera Raw (or any other RAW conversion software) relate in large part to the fact that the RAW capture contains high-bit data that has not yet been full translated in terms of actual RGB pixel values. With JPEG images, not only has compression been applied, but the RGB values have been determined and the information is in 8-bit per channel mode. Thus, most of the benefits you could gain through RAW conversion will not apply to JPEG images processed with Adobe Camera Raw.

While you really won't gain anything in terms of image quality when it comes to opening JPEG (or TIFF, for that matter) images with Adobe Camera Raw, there are some potential benefits. For example, the White Balance adjustments (which are actually based on the color balance adjustments you'll find in the Lab color mode) can sometimes be easier to work with than the traditional color balance controls you'll work with in RGB mode. Another good example relates to image cleanup. While I generally prefer to perform image cleanup work on a separate layer within Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw does provide the benefit of being able to apply the same cleanup to multiple images. So, for example, if you have captured a series of images that exhibit spots caused by dust on the imaging sensor, chances are the exact same adjustments that will work for cleaning up one of the images will work well for all of the images in the series.
So, there are some potential workflow advantages to opening JPEG and TIFF images (especially multiple images) in Adobe Camera Raw, but these benefits only relate to workflow issues and do not relate to image quality.

Become a Member
The Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter is free to receive, but paid Ask Tim Grey Members receive special benefits, including:
Discounts on all purchases made through the Tim Grey online store
Opportunity to submit questions to be considered for inclusion in the Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter.
Discounts and special offers available only to Members.
Access to the full archive of previous emails (going back over eight years) with search capability.
The knowledge you are supporting this valuable service.
Much more!
Details on becoming a member can be found here:www.timgrey.com/asktimgrey/

CS5: more on content aware fill

more on content aware fill...cannot wait until April 12th!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCWPH1AuXw&feature=player_embedded

how to make a tear drop

Howard is always wonderfully willing to share his photography skills and secrets with everyone. Thanks Howard!

Linda requested instuctions on how to make a tear drop. This is a continuation from the globe. Please send it out on the blog.

Tear Drop 1: Select a picture and open in the editor

2: Crop it to square

3: Select Filter; Distort; Polar Coordinates; Polar to Rectangular.

4: Select Image; Rotate; Flip Vertical

5: Select Filter; Distort; Polar Coordinates; Rectangular to Polar.

This will return an orb to you IMPORTANT: use the eyedropper tool and select the color that surrounds the orb as your foreground color

6: Next, select Image; Resize; Canvas Size...

Enter 300 percent in both the Width and Heigth boxes (300 percent gives a good result. I have used 200 and 250 to make shorter fatter droplets - so play around! )

Click on the bottom center arrow in the Anchor to force the orb to the bottom

Make sure Foreground is selected in the dropdown at the bottom of the Canvas

Size window

Click OK If the add to canvas didn’t turn on you may have to use the magic wand to select the blank space and the paint bucket to fill it in. Then control D to deselect.

7: Select Filter; Distort; Polar Coordinates; Polar to Rectangular.

8: Select Image; Rotate; Flip Vertical

9: Select Filter; Distort; Polar Coordinates; Rectangular to Polar.

You should now have a droplet.

My distorted droplets where done using the Liquify filter.

Short course on macro from Nikon....

Short course on macro from Nikon....

Gary
http://www.nikonusa.com/Learn-And-Explore/Photography-Techniques/g588owv5/1/Natural-Selections.html?cid=emaillemar10featuredimg

Short course on zoo photography from Nikon....

Short course on zoo photography from Nikon....

Gary

http://www.nikonusa.com/Learn-And-Explore/Photography-Tips/g022fm0x/1/The-A-List-At-the-Zoo.html

70-200mm Canon L-series Coffee Mug

I want one :-)

Wind Over Wings Photographers Invitational

Dear Friends of Wind Over Wings,

Wind Over Wings is excited to once again be hosting our Photographers Invitational. This is a must attend event for serious photographers.

PHOTOGRAPHERS INVITATIONALat Wind Over Wings in Clinton, CT
An Opportunity to Photograph Magnificent Birds of Prey!Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 10am – 12 noon (Rain Date - Sunday, May 2, 2010)

Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Great Horned Owl, Great Grey Owl, Saw-whet Owls, Eastern Screech Owl, Red-tailed Hawk

Several photographs of head-shots of these impressive raptors have won awards.

LIMITED TO 25 PHOTOGRAPHERS

Early Bird Registration: $150.00

Standard Registration: $175.00 (postmarked after April 19, 2010)

***PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED (No refund after April 19, 2010)

You can register online using PayPal or a credit card

** Be sure to include your email and phone number when registering online in case of rain.

To register by mail, please fill out the form below and mail to Wind Over Wings with your check.

Website: www.windoverwings.org

Information: windoverwings@comcast.net

Registration Form :

Name: ______________________________

Contact Phone: ____________________

Address: ___________________________________

Email: _____________________

Amount Enclosed: _____$150 Early Bird _____$175 Standard Registration

Mail registration with payment to: Wind Over Wings, 22 Old Road, Clinton, CT 06413

Counting down to CS5

With the right tools, your creative horizon changes. A tree is still timber, but suddenly in a whole new way. Old ideas germinate again, and new ideas branch into unexpected opportunities. Welcome to Adobe® Creative Suite® 5—software that will allow you to reach more people, more effectively, in more places, with whatever masterpiece you can imagine.

Join us for the exclusive Global Online Launch Event, Monday, April 12, 2010.

Want to Receive a Slice of Steve's Digicams in your Inbox?

Want to Receive a Slice of Steve's Digicams in your Inbox?

Steve's Digicams is launching our newsletter this week and we will be dishing out updates twice a month right into your inbox. If you don't have time to check out the site everyday, be sure to sign up today and we will deliver our latest reviews, news, feature articles and camera deals to you. Just click on the Newsletter tab on the top of the page and enter your email address. It's that simple.
While you are at it, don't forget to join the conversation on our Facebook page and become our fan. Over 1,500 fans are currently perusing through over 1,500 winning photos over the last 4 years of photo of the day entries. We want to know what you think and we would love for you to post your own excellent photos for the community to check out.

To all of our current Facebook fans, Thanks for the Support! You are what makes Steve's Digicams so awesome!

Sneak Peek At Photoshop’s Mind-Boggling Content Aware Fill

Sneak Peek At Photoshop’s Mind-Boggling Content Aware Fill

Adobe is working on a new feature for Photoshop CS5 called “Content Aware Fill”, and posted a mind-boggling demonstration of it on YouTube.

The description states:
One of the biggest requests we get of Photoshop is to make adding, removing, moving or repairing items faster and more seamless. From retouching to completely reimagining an image, heres an early glimpse of what could happen in the future when you press the delete key.

Adobe announces release date of Creative Suite 5

Adobe has put up an online teaser for the forthcoming versions of its Creative Suite design and production software packages. To be unveiled on April 12, photographers are likely to be particularly interested to see what the CS5 version of Photoshop has to offer.
Click here to visit the CS5 launch link

Adobe Delivers Lightroom 3 Public Beta Update

Adobe releases Lightroom 3 Beta update

Adobe has opened the second public beta of its Photoshop Lightoom 3 software for immediate download from its Adobe Labs site. Lightroom 3 will be based around a new processing engine and the second iteration adds luminance noise reduction to the color noise reduction options that appeared in the initial beta. The latest beta also supports tethered shooting for a number of Nikon and Canon DSLRs, enables importing and management of video files and improves overall functioning of the software.
Click here to download the second public beta of Photoshop Lightroom 3 from Adobe Labs

Press release:
Adobe Delivers Lightroom 3 Public Beta Update

Adobe today released an update to its Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta software, available immediately through Adobe Labs. Building on the success of the first Lightroom 3 beta, which was downloaded by more than 350,000 photographers, Lightroom 3 beta 2 incorporates feedback from the first iteration of the beta while offering users several new features and greatly improved performance throughout the application.

New features in this release include tethered shooting support for select Nikon and Canon cameras, the ability to import and manage video files from DSLR cameras for a streamlined workflow and additional behind-the-scenes architecture enhancements for faster importing and loading of images. The addition of luminance noise reduction to the color noise reduction options already available in the beta helps photographers achieve overall exceptional image quality from high ISO images. The import experience and watermarking functionality have also been modified to reflect feedback received from the Lightroom community during the first beta period.

The input from the photography community has been extremely valuable and Adobe would like to thank everyone who has participated in the beta program. Adobe encourages photographers to test this new selection of features and provide the product team with feedback so they can produce the highest quality final product.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Adobe Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, perfect and showcase all their images in one intuitive application.

Pricing and Availability Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta 2 is available as a free download to anyone on a Macintosh or Windows platform and is available in 12 languages.

Visit http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/ to learn more and download the second beta.

Feedback can be submitted on the Lightroom forums: http://forums.adobe.com/community/labs/lightroom3/.

Acadia National Park Creative Vision Photography Workshop

Acadia National Park Creative Vision Photography Workshop
Fall in Acadia National Park Workshop Dates: October 12-16, 2010 (Tuesday - Saturday)

Location: Bar Harbor, MaineInstructors: Ian Plant, Richard Bernabe

Tuition: $1195.00

Deposit: $200.00

The Workshop Looking to take your creative expression to the next level?

Creative Vision Photo Workshops are designed to challenge you to reach new heights with your nature photography. Join Creative Vision instructors Ian Plant and Richard Bernabe on an intensive, multi-day field and classroom instructional workshop that will help you create photographs you've always dreamed of making.

The Destination: Acadia National Park contains some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the eastern United States. With towering seaside cliffs, pounding waves, scenic lighthouses, granite-topped mountains, and tranquil ponds, Acadia is the perfect setting to capture the wonderful fall color of New England. This 5 day workshop will explore the very best Acadia has to offer.

Getting There: Bangor International Airport (http://www.flybangor.com/) is the closest airport to Bar Harbor, and is just over an hour away by car.

Transportation: Driving conditions will consist of mainly paved roads. When possible we prefer that participants car pool with each other to help limit our impact and get to know each other. A standard rental car will be sufficient.

Fitness Level: Moderate. This workshop does involve some short trail hiking to arrive at certain shooting locations, while other shooting locations will be just beyond the parking lot. Even short hikes to coastal locations can involve slippery, uneven terrain, so hiking boots are recommended. You don't have to be in tip-top shape, but your enjoyment will be enhanced by good health and preparation. A standard liability release form will be required before departure.

Whats Included: Location guiding, instruction, software training, PDF lesson plan and shooting notes for study, classroom lessons, critiques and tons of inspiration!

Responsibility of the participants: Transportation to and from Bar Harbor, Maine; lodging accommodations and meals; and transportation to and from shooting locations.

Additional Post Workshop Training" For an additional fee of $500.00, workshop students may purchase 3 months of additional post software training and critiques by the instructors. This gives you liberal email support and an invitatation to a private virtual online classroom where you can post questions and upload images for critique and feedback.

"The Tonight Show" Opening Shots Captured Using Canon's EOS 7D

"The Tonight Show" Opening Shots Captured Using Canon's EOS 7D and Redrock Rigs

3-Year-Old’s Photos on Display in SF

3-Year-Old’s Photos on Display in SF
From http://www.petapixel.com/ "The San Francisco Chronicle has a neat story about Ruby Ellenby, a 3-year-old photographer who is celebrating her first photography exhibition. 22 of her photographs are mounted as 8×10 prints on the walls of Moshi Moshi restaurant in San Francisco. "

Dress Shirt with Built-In Microfiber Cloth

Dress Shirt with Built-In Microfiber Cloth

Mats and frames for full frame digital

There was a discussion of Mats and frames for full frame digital on NPN recently, with links to mat companies...http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=53984&CGISESSID=f7ceaf019949fcb667316dcddba1359f&u=27275

NPN now has a Facebook Page

NPN now has a Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nature-Photographers-Network-NPN/333066118322 Follow all the latest happenings by becoming a fan.

Also, just in case you missed it, NPN is also on Twitter. Follow us here: http://twitter.com/NaturePhotoNet

Photoshop CS5

This came from Robert O'Toole's newsletter

Photoshop CS5
If you haven't had a chance to see any of the cool new Photoshop CS5 features you should follow this link. Some of the new tools Adobe is developing are just incredible. Take a minute to follow the link and check it out, you will be amazed! http://cs5.org/

Last Chance to Upgrade PS CS
Rumors say that PS CS5 will be out sometime in April. So this means that if you are still on PS CS1 and want to upgrade you need to act fast. So if you own a product from the first generation of the Creative Suite released in 2003 and want to be able to upgrade it to CS4 now is the time. Years ago Adobe adopted a the"three versions back" policy, this means that you can upgrade from CS, CS2, or CS3 to the current version (CS4) right now for a lot less than the full price of CS4. But when CS5 comes out next month (rumor) the cutoff for upgrades will be CS2.

Website: RobertOToolePhotography.com Email: Robert@RobertOToolePhotography.com