The iPhone SLR Mount gives you the real thing. This case-adapter combo lets you mount your Canon EOS or Nikon SLR lenses to your iPhone 4 giving your phone powerful depth of field and manual focus. Telephoto, wide angle, macro, or your fixed-fifty lenses all attach to this mount giving you a full range of lenses at your iPhone lovin’ fingertips.

Plus, you’ll be putting the SLR lenses you already have to use with the camera you always have with you — your phone. Two loopholes on each end of the case let you tie on a camera strap, so you can hang it around your neck just like your real DSLR.

Now that your favorite camera has it all, what’re you going to do with your DSLR?

For more information visit: www.photojojo.com

New Service from MorePhotos Helps Photographers Get Found Online
Longtime website/shopping cart provider MorePhotos has recently expanded their service offerings to include search engine optimization (SEO) geared toward their client base of professional photographers. With over 13 years of e-commerce experience specific to the photography industry, this announcement is timely due to droves of “pro-sumers” (consumers that have taken to buying pro-level digital cameras), flooding the market in recent years.

“Photographers know they need to stand out in the crowd these days”, says MorePhotos SEO specialist Drew Warner. “Especially in medium to large size cities where competition is fierce and we can help them do just that”.

The SEO services are unique in that two completely different levels are being offered. One is a campaign management option for Photographers that lack the desire or technical ability to take on these tasks as part of their weekly schedule. The other, more out-of-the-box approach includes structured consulting sessions covering specific parts of search engine optimization and online marketing strategy. The latter option is for professional photographers that would like to learn what’s needed to “do it yourself” and goes against the grain of typical SEO firms desire to keep their secrets to themselves.

For more information Visit: www.morephotos.com

PhotoShelter Unveils the Freelancer’s Online Marketing Blueprint, a New Free E-Book
PhotoShelter released The Freelancer’s Online Marketing Blueprint, a free 53-page e-book for all creative freelancers (not just photographers) looking to use online marketing to generate more clients and increase revenue. The e-book can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/freelanceblueprint

Packed with actionable marketing strategies which can be implemented immediately, The Freelancer’s Online Marketing Blueprint includes step-by-step practical tips on how to generate inbound website traffic through SEO, social media platforms and blogs, building a successful leads list for email marketing, and the benefits of pay-per-click advertising. The guide also includes insights on optimizing websites to increase conversion of visitors to paying clients, and how to efficiently manage time and allocate scarce marketing budgets.

“When you’re a freelancer, it can be a real challenge to balance self-promotion with client demands,” says Allen Murabayashi, CEO of PhotoShelter. “This e-book is meant to coach freelancers on effective marketing strategies that will help optimize their online exposure and reach a larger pool of prospective clients.”

For more information visit: www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/

ModelDaily.com Offers Free Portfolio Critique
Models, photographers, hairstylists, and makeup artists can now obtain a complimentary portfolio examination through the New York based company modeldaily.com. Industry insiders know that exposing even one bad photo can hurt an otherwise perfect portfolio, resulting in a job loss. Getting a professional evaluation is the key to having an impressive portfolio.

ModelDaily believes that without their offer to share insider know-how, job opportunities and work could be missed by photographers, hairstylists, and make-up artists, resulting in frustration and failure. ModelDaily offers the opportunity to show their members how to market themselves and display their versatility.

Not only does ModelDaily offer a fresh pair of eyes to pinpoint a portfolio weakness, ModelDaily members receive access to modeling jobs, fashion industry news, hair tips, make-up trends and contests. Also, Modeldaily.com provides members with the ability to connect with other fashion industry workers and the capability to ask for free advice.

Fashion industry professionals say; “Sometimes less is better than more.” Meaning one strong photo is better than ten bad photos, ModelDaily.com now offers the unique service of ‘portfolio analyzing’. This complementary once-over allows artists to be at the top of their game, once they understand how to showcase their ability and talent.

For more information visit: www.modeldaily.com

FotoWeek DC Launches 4th Annual International Awards Competition
FotoDC is charging up for its annual festival, FotoWeek DC. The launch of the fourth annual International Awards Competition marks the continued celebration of the power of photography.

“For the past three years we have worked to uncover, discover, and spotlight professional and emerging photographers from our region and from around the globe,” said FotoDC Founder and President, Theo Adamstein. “This year promises to have more entries than ever before due to our year-round programming and the growth of our festival.”

The competition will feature 11 different categories of entry. For single images, contestants can enter under Photojournalism/Social Documentary, Commercial, Fine Art, Contemporary Life, Travel, Portrait, and/or The Natural World. If submitting a series, contestants can enter under Photojournalism/Social Documentary, Fine Art, and/or The Natural World. There will also be a Student Portfolio category (eligible for those 18 or older and enrolled in an accredited academic program), a Multimedia category, and a Mobile Phone category focused on the Spirit of Washington.

The competition is open to all photographers, both amateurs and professionals, and there is an early bird discount for work submitted by July 24, 2011. The final deadline for submissions before entries go to the panel of 17 world-class judges for review is September 12. Winners will be notified by October 5, 2011 via email.

With $20,000 in cash prizes, the top winners in each category will be well rewarded, with the opportunity for their work to be shown and/or projected duringFotoWeekDC, November 5-12, 2011.

For more information visit: http://awards.fotodc.org/

Four free Webinar topics this month are sure to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

RAW COLOR POWER with Adobe® Lightroom® and the ColorChecker Passport
Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT & 1:00 PM EDT

David Saffir’s End-to-End Workflow for Creative Photographers
Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT and 11:00 AM PDT

Creative Fusion: Stylistic Photographic Images with Brian Matiash
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 12:00pm PDT/ 3:00pm EDT/ 7:00pm GMT

Beyond Monitor Calibration – Get Prints That Match Your Display!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT and 1:00 PM EDT

For more information visit: July Webinars

Datacolor Releases SpyderGallery™ 1.1 iPad® Display Calibration Application

Datacolor^® today announced the release of its SpyderGallery^™iPad® app version 1.1 available for free download on the Apple® App Store. Originally introduced to the market by Datacolor last month, SpyderGallery is the first-ever color calibration app to allow for custom color profiling of iOS devices and is the first to provide a viewer to apply custom color corrections to images. To date, the app has received thousands of downloads.

The improved SpyderGallery 1.1, in addition to its earlier app features, offers more reliability for RAW and large JPEG image file support, faster thumbnail generation, display and scrolling, and no longer requires Location Services to be enabled, which was the number one request among current users. When disabled, SpyderGallery will use the standard photo picker to browse albums and select images from the iPad photo library.

For more information visit: www.datacolor.com

HP Offers Large Format Photo Negative Solution for Black and White Photo Prints

HP today announced a free, downloadable software application for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that enables professional photographers to generate large-format photo negatives for the production of high-quality, black and white silver halide photo prints.

HP is showcasing the Large Format Photo Negative solution for the first time at Les Rencontres d’Arles 2011 in Arles, France, during a conference titled, “The Best of Both Worlds: Digital Negatives for Black & White Silver Prints” on Tuesday, July 5 at 6 p.m. in Cour des Rencontres, Rue Fanton.

Available in September, the Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer series that allows photographers to print a digital negative from a film, scanned or digital capture file onto a transparent substrate. Once printed, these large-format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality black and white fine art prints through a contact process. The final print size is the same as that of the transparency, allowing an original 35 mm negative to be blown up as large as a 44-inch print.

While writing on film from digital data is not new, the Large Format Photo Negative solution offers one of the simplest, least expensive and highest-quality options available on the market. Users only need to have access to an HP Designjet Z3200 Photo Printer, the correct media and the free software package from the HP website to produce photo negatives. The Large Format Photo Negative solution can be used with any silver halide papers, including fixed or variable grade, and can be used to produce large-format prints from 35 mm images, enhance images from old or damaged negatives or archive digital files physically on film and paper.

For more information visit: www.hp.com

Easy Release – This easy app allows you to have a model or property release with you at all times. You fill in the models and your information in the field provided, they sign it right there and it gets e-mailed back to you and the model.

Portfolio – The iPads photo viewing app is OK, but it doesn’t let you arrange your photos the way you want. With Portfolio you can arrange your images in the order you want them viewed and you can add your logo so clients will see it first.

Adobe Photoshop Express – A very pared down version of the ubiquitous photo-editing tool, yes, but handy none the less for making basic corrections such as rotating photos, cropping, straightening and even more creative functions such as saturation, tint and convert to black and white.

Sun Seeker – As an architectural photographer I love this app, but If you are a nature photographer or you shoot outdoors this is a must have app. It will tell you when sunset and sunrise is and show you with a compass on the screen exactly where the sun will be.

HelloPhoto – This iPad app that can effectively resurrect photos taken on slides and negatives, reviving an art form that’s slowly being overlooked in this digital era. Whether you are nostalgic, a photo purist, or have boxes of slides and negatives to sort through, HelloPhoto can rescue your film from dust.

Fotopedia Heritage – 20,000 photos from across the world’s 890 World Heritage Sites and 3,000 points of interest – if travel, landscape and architecture photography is your bag you could easily find yourself lost in this app for hours.

Filterstorm – It contains a suite of powerful tools including curves manipulation, color correction abilities, noise reduction, sharpening, vignetting, and black and white conversion fine-tuning.

DSLR Camera Remote – DSLR Camera Remote lets photographers control a long list of compatible cameras from a distance. You can remotely adjust the white balance, shutter speed, aperture and exposure. You can look at images sitting on the camera’s memory card. And you can even look through the viewfinder to see what the camera sees when you’re on the other side of the studio.

Camera Manual – This is not an app but if you have an PDF of your camera manual you can drop it into iBook and have it with whenever you go.

Square – Photographers who sell they’re images outside the studio, Square is both a unique and invaluable way to take payments on location. It allows photographers to accept credit card payments on their mobile devices.

Of course it’s possible to shoot efficiently and well without an iPad, and Apple’s tablet is never going to replace the laptop. But a few well-chosen apps can make life easier for photographers.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an image released on SmartPress.com speaks volumes. The recently published infographic looks at personal preferences and industry trends of 22 professional photographers.

The infographic – along with interviews with each photographer – can be found at http://blog.smartpress.com/photography-we-like/photographers-life-through-the-lens-infographic.

The interviews revealed several key insights, including preferred camera, software and opinions on digital versus film photography.

According to the interviews, an overwhelming majority of photographers – roughly 95% – prefer relatively inexpensive cameras such as Nikon and Canon to high-priced counterparts like Mamiya and Hasselblad.

For more information visit: www.SmartPress.com

New Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader Dramatically Accelerates Digital Workflow

The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader features the new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, which operates at 500MB per second; while the Hi-Speed USB 2.0  interface operates at 60MB per second*. The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader takes advantage of the performance of high-speed cards. Real-world tests prove that today’s high-performance cards can be read more than six times faster with the Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader than with previous generation USB 2.0 card readers, and future high-performance cards are likely to enable an even faster data transfer experience. The reader can transfer content from both SD and CF cards simultaneously, and allows for easy file transfer from one card to another. The USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader also features an innovative, pop-up mechanism that lets users close the reader when not in use, protecting it from dirt and debris. Its compact, portable design means users can take it on the go, and its smooth contours help it slip easily in and out of a photo bag or briefcase.

For more information visit: www.Lexar.com

Tether Tools® Releases LAJO-4® ProBracket

Tether Tools®, designer and manufacturer of the Tether Table Aero System for tethered photography, has upgraded their patented LAJO® ProBracket to serve professional and enthusiast photographers using the Arca-style quick release mounting platform. The state-of-the-art LAJO-4 ProBracket now integrates the Arca-style functionality into the bracket along with the existing 1/4″-20 tripod threads, 3/8″ tripod mount threads and 5/8″ pins found on studio stands and arms.

The Tether Table Aero System, a convenient platform for laptop computers or versatile workstation for lenses, gear, staging, and more, is mounted via the ProBracket and designed to work with the tripods, stands and arms photographers already own and use.  Now with the LAJO-4, Arca-style users no longer have to dedicate an Arca-style plate to mount their Tether Table.  The built-in attachment enables photographers to mount their Tether Table directly to any Arca-style compatible head such as Really Right Stuff, Acratech and Arca Swiss.

Engineered from T6 Aerospace Aluminum, the LAJO-4 ProBracket weighs less than 10 ounces (.28 kilograms) and can hold up to 30 pounds (13.5 kilograms). The bracket is finished in a brushed silver or non-reflective black complementing the Tether Table Aero and accompanying line of accessories.

The LAJO-4 ProBracket integrates fully with the complete line of Tether Tables in the Aero System.  Perfect for studio work or on-location tethered photo shoots, the Tether Table mounts to any tripod, studio stand, MagicArm or SuperClamp in seconds; no adapters needed.  The Aero line is thoughtfully designed to easily fit into any photographer’s current workflow.

For more information visit:

AfterCapture Magazine Wins Fourth MAGGIE Award

AfterCapture Magazine, a professional publication focused on digital photographic and post-production digital image processing(and one of my favorite magazines), announces that the publication has been honored with its fourth consecutive MAGGIE Award since the magazine’s launch in 2007.

During the recent 60th Annual 2011 MAGGIE Awards Banquet, sponsored by and hosted by Western Publishing Association (WPA), AfterCapture Magazine won the Best Single Editorial Enhanced Photo or Illustration/Trade and Consumer magazines category. AfterCapture was selected for the December 2010/January 2011 issue, which featured an article about digital wizard Rob Burman written by Peter Kotsinadelis, “Ordinary to Extraordinary.” The image that garnered the award is the lead photo of the Statue of Liberty almost submerged underwater with Army helicopters in the sky and the Manhattan skyline ablaze in the background. Visit www.AfterCapture.com to see the article in its entirety.

“The MAGGIE Awards have long been known as the most prestigious publishing event in the Western United States. Receiving a fourth consecutive MAGGIE Award since the launch of AfterCapture recognizes that we strive for excellence in publishing,” said Bill Hurter, Editor of AfterCapture Magazine. “To all of AfterCapture’s staff and contributors, a hearty congratulations on a job well done!”

For more information visit: www.AfrerCapure.com

But it’s not just having the images on the iPad that’s great, if you’re photographer you are going to love some of the apps that you can buy or get free that will help in your everyday photographic endeavors. There is a Photoshop app and every kind of app you can think of that will adjust or create a new look for your photo, all you have to do is search Apples’s App Store for photography and you’ll get pages upon pages of apps for  manipulate your photographs on your iPad.

It’s not just for photography, there are a great number of apps that will help your business, everything from writing, storing, time management, and you get the idea. I love Apples’s Mobile Me, as it allows me to sync all my Apple devices, home computer, laptop, iPhone and iPad without actually having to connect them to each other, it’s all done with the cloud system. This alone makes my life easier since I know everything has the same updated information on it.

Now that I am a new iPad owner you become part of the iPad community where everyone is showing you the apps that they have and telling you what apps you need to get to make your iPad even better. Which, because you don’t want to be rude, you downloading and you get trapped into buying more apps and sharing more apps with everyone else. It’s a vicious circle.

Did I tell you that I love my iPad, I just want to make sure.

Think Tank Photo just released solutions for carrying those smaller items that tend to rattle around

and get lost in photographers’ bags and pockets.  These include the Credential Holder, the AA Battery Holder, the Passport Holder, and the Large and Small Travel Pouches.

• The Credential Holder features a clear window that always keeps credentials of various sizes in view, an adjustable neck strap, a zippered business card pocket on the front flap, a roomy interior pocket that fits a smart phone, and a back side that has two pen pockets and a pocket that fits a reporter’s pad or small note pad.  Exterior dimensions:  5.7″ W x 7″ H x 0.3″ D (14.5 x 17.8 x 0.8cm).  Weight: 0.1lbs (0.05kg).
• Small AA batteries are one of those accessories that tend to fall to the bottom of whatever bag being used.  The AA Battery Holder lets photographers store eight AA batteries in a soft, compact case that folds in half and is easy to find.  Exterior Dimensions:  3″ W x 3″ H x 0.5″ D (7.6 x 7.6 x 1.3cm).  Weight: 0.05lbs (0.02kg).
• Travel humid or inclement weather can beat up a passport.  With the Passport Holder photographers can carry one passport, airline ticket, credit cards and other identification in a sleek leather case.  It features a front pocket for airline ticket stubs and three small pockets for additional identification, coffee gift cards, frequent flyer membership cards, and the like. External dimensions:  3.8″ W x 5.5″ H x 0.5″ D (9.7 x 14 x 1.3cm).  Weight: 0.1lbs (0.05kg).
• When forced to mix photo gear and clothing in a roller or backpack, clothing often gets wedged into a corner.  The Travel Pouch-Large is designed to hold clothing and other items that need to be protected in a lightweight and soft pouch.  It folds easily when empty and the mesh front keeps the enclosed items visible.  It features a webbing carrying handle.  External dimensions:  11.5″ W x 15.5″ H x 3″ D (29.2 x 39.4 x 7.6cm). Weight: 0.3lbs (0.1kg).
• The Travel Pouch-Small is a smaller pouch for organizing non-photo gear, such as toiletries and socks.  It is lightweight and soft, and folds easily when empty.  The mesh front keeps enclosed items visible.  It features a webbing carrying handle.  External dimensions:  6.7″ W x 10″ H x 2.5″ D (17 x 25.4 x 6.4cm).  Weight: 0.2lbs (0.1kg).

For additional information visit: www.thinktankphoto.com

Canon U.S.A. Announces 2011 Schedule for Canon Live Learning Workshop

Canon U.S.A. is proud to announce the continuation of its exclusive on-site educational experience, Canon Live Learning, which has been designed to help advanced amateur imaging enthusiasts and budding professionals improve their skills with the support of professional photographers and industry experts. Back this year by popular demand are the EOS Immersion Seminars and Workshops and the EOS Destination Workshops, each with updated and improved content. Appearing for the first time will be a new workshop series called “Deconstructing the Story: Light, Sound, Motion & EOS HD,” aimed at professional videographers and transitioning still photographers, and led by instructors from the industry-leading stillmotion™ team.

EOS Immersion Seminars and Workshops
Canon EOS Immersion Saturday Seminars are full-day events consisting of individual presentations on Creative Essentials, Speedlite Creativity & Techniques, HD Video Basics, andTravel & Landscape Photography. Canon Live Learning instructors Jeff Greene and Sharon Levy Freed deliver inspiring multimedia presentations and perform live demos on stage for up to 200 attendees.

Offered separately, EOS Immersion Sunday Workshops provide a full-day hands-on educational experience for up to 16 attendees. From the top-of-the-line EOS-1D Mark IV to the advanced EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D, students can use and learn with the camera body that best fits their needs while also experiencing Canon’s award-winning EF and EF-S lens lineup and other EOS System accessories. This year, students can choose workshops on EOS HD Video Techniques or Creative Lighting with Canon Speedlites. Ten EOS Immersion weekends are scheduled to date in 2011.Tickets for the Saturday seminar and each Sunday workshop are sold separately.
The next set of EOS Immersion Seminars and Workshops is scheduled on March 26-27, 2011 in Dallas. It will be followed by stops in other major cities such as Columbus, St. Louis, Nashville, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, New York City and Washington, DC.

EOS Destination Workshops
Building off the success of last year’s programs, the EOS Destination Workshops are back helping photographers not only to develop their portfolios but also to enhance their photographic skill sets through hands-on shooting sessions with a wide range of Canon photo equipment.  These two-day workshops will take place in scenic locations such as Death Valley National Park, Acadia National Park, and the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, among others.  EOS Destination Workshops allow participants the chance of a lifetime to receive personal instruction from Canon Explorers of Light photographers including Jennifer Wu, Tyler Stableford and Ken Sklute, as well as other industry leading professionals, while enjoying scenic views and capturing outstanding images. Reservations for EOS Destination Workshops can be booked in advance on Canon’s web site: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning.

The next EOS Destination Workshop is scheduled for April 9-10, 2011 in Utah’s Arches National Park with Canon Explorer of Light Tyler Stableford as the instructor, followed by workshops in Nevada, Arizona, New Jersey, Maine, and Colorado.

Deconstructing the Story: Light, Sound, Motion & EOS HD
The introduction of Full HD video into Canon EOS DSLR cameras has completely changed the art of videography.  Working with stillmotion, a team of leading innovators in the use of EOS HD video products, this three day workshop series is designed to help educate aspiring videographers on the creative and technical essentials of storytelling with a focus on camera handling, audio, lighting, movement, composition, storyboarding and editing.

The first session of ‘Deconstructing the Story’ is slated for May 24-26, 2011 in Orlando, Florida followed by workshops in Cincinnati, New York City, Austin, and Seattle.

For more information and a complete listing of the 2011 Canon Live Learning workshops and seminars, please visit www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning.

Marketing Essentials International Announces Launch of Skip’s Summer School

It’s year three for Skip’s Summer School and founder, Skip Cohen, is once again launching what has repeatedly been described as one of the best educational programs in the professional photographic community.

“We have an all-star faculty and I’m ecstatic that Pulitzer Prize winner, Vincent LaForet will be joining us as our closing speaker for the conference. A major direction for the complete Summer School series has been to focus on diversity and new technologies. Vincent is known for his forward-thinking approach to image-making and storytelling. It’s a real honor to have him join us and a program our attendees will find incredibly valuable,” commented Cohen.

This year’s faculty includes, Scott Bourne, Jules Bianchi and Joy Bianchi-Brown, Clay Blackmore, Bambi Cantrell, Skip Cohen, Tony Corbell, Bob Davis, Jerry Ghionis, Doug Gordon, Kevin Kubota, Tamara Lackey, Vincent LaForet, Bobbi Lane, Matthew Jordan Smith and Roberto Valenzuela. New programming for 2011 includes a full day of demonstration/hands-on shooting with special concentration on lighting. Attendees will be able to chose three two-hour hands-on programs from eight different instructors on the second day of Summer School.

Just like the incredible talent of the faculty, sponsors announced so far for this year’s event are equally impressive: Albums Inc, Animoto, Asukabook, Backgrounds by Maheu, Bay Photo Lab, Canon, CLIQ, DWF, GhostRighters, GoingPro, H&H Color Lab, Marathon Press,Nik Software, Photodex, Photofocus, Profoto, PWSPI, SmugMug, Tamron, WHCC and X-Rite.
Summer School 2011 will be held at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas starting late Sunday afternoon July 31 and ending at 12:30 pm on August 3.
“We’re very happy with the new relationship with the Mirage Hotel. The space we’re using is perfect for this kind of programming. Plus, the Mirage has a special room rate for our attendees.”

The cost to attend Skip’s Summer School is only $279. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend eleven different programs over the three days. Plus, networking with the various speakers, other attendees and vendors adds a dimension not easily found at larger programs. There’s also a special discount for alumni of previous Summer Schools, giving them an opportunity to get a 50% or full rebate of their tuition. Complete information is available on the Summer School site.

For more information about Skip’s Summer School, contact Skip Cohen at Skip@mei500.com. Full information on the complete program is available at www.mei500.com.

Tether Tools introduces the Studio Vu monitor bracket which is designed to hold large-scale monitors for optimal viewing while shooting tethered, using LiveView or filming HD Video.  The Studio VU enhances photographers’ and videographers’ tethering capability by providing a seamless connection from camera to any large monitor, iMac, or Cinema Display

The VESA compliant bracket is engineered to hold up to 80 pounds (36.5 kilograms) and is designed to fit any standard 5/8-inch(16mm) pin found on common studio support equipment. This allows for easy integration into any studio set-up. The bracket also is extremely versatile and enables photographers the ability to lock any monitor in-place while providing a tilt of ±45 degrees for optimal image viewing. The Studio Vu’s dual 5/8-inch receptors allow the monitor to rotate quickly, changing orientation from landscape to portrait depending on the desired set-up.

For additional information visit: www.TetherTools.com

Award-Winning Travel Photographer Launches New App for iPhone and iPod Touch

My Shot Lists For Travel (http://www.MyShotLists.com), a new app for iPhone and iPod touch developed by Southern California-based travel photography instructor, author and international tour guide Ralph Velasco, takes the guesswork out of travel photography and gives the user the ability to organize and track a shot list for any destination or subject.

Even the most amateur of photographers can return home with a well-rounded set of images that truly creates an overall cultural portrait of a place, and in the end, the result should be the basis for compelling slide shows, websites or photo albums, whether traveling around the world or around the corner.

Available on the App Store in iTunes, My Shot Lists For Travel fits within even the most casual photographer’s routine, and according to one reviewer it’s “like having an entire Travel Photography course in your pocket.”

• • For photographers of all skill levels – amateur to professional.
  • More than 50 categories for travel photography, such as Landscapes, People, Architecture, Markets, Natural Wonders, Landmarks and more.
  • Assists users in creating custom shot lists for any destination, subject or shooting environment.
  • Includes descriptions and sample images by Ralph Velasco for each category.
  • The My Data feature seamlessly makes use of the device’s internal camera capabilities and lets users create a visual list of photos, complete with notes.
  • The Challenge Me feature tests users’ creativity by randomly selecting a category to focus on.

Isn’t it better to have friends and family asking you to share your pictures, website or slide show, not the other way around?!

Zacuto to Sponsor Canon Filmmakers Live Events

Zacuto USA is proud to announce their sponsorship of Canon Filmmakers Live, a series of live events aimed to educate, entertain, and inspire individuals shooting video with Canon’s line of DSLR cameras. DSLR expert Philip Bloom will host each of the live events. The project was started by filmmakers Jon Connor and Cristina Valdivieso after recently holding their first workshop again with keynote speaker Philip Bloom. The event sold out and was a huge success.

“We thought if people in our own city were hungry for educational events like this, what about other cities? One thing led to another and after months of planning and preparation the Canon Filmmakers Live U.S. Tour was born,” said Connor.

The first of the 12 events will take place in Chicago on March 8^th. Over the next 30 days, the project will visit Washington, D.C., Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Austin, Albuquerque, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. At each event, individuals will be able to speak with Philip Bloom about everything from camera setup to post workflow. Bloom will also be covering the latest gear and cameras, including the entire Canon DSLR line as well as the Panasonic GH2 and the Panasonic AF100.

“It has definitely been a labor of love but we really think a lot of aspiring filmmakers that wouldn’t have access to Philip Bloom, his knowledge, and experience are going to benefit greatly from this tour. Logistically this has been an overwhelming undertaking, so we definitely appreciate all of our sponsors because without them and their dedication to the independent and event filmmaking communities, none of this would be possible,” said Connor.

For additional information visit: www.canonfilmmakers.com

Lensbaby, announces the addition of the Sweet 35 Optic to its Optic Swap System. The Sweet 35 Optic, a 35mm selective focus optic with an internal 12-blade adjustable aperture, creates a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that photographers can move around the photo by tilting their Lensbaby lens. The Sweet 35 Optic boasts the widest focal length of any selective focus Lensbaby optic, features close-focus capabilities, and is available now for use with the Lensbaby Composer®, Muse®, Control Freak™ and Scout lenses.

Departing from its interchangeable magnetic aperture system, Lensbaby has created its first optic with an adjustable aperture.  With the Sweet 35, photographers can quickly and seamlessly change the aperture from f/2.5 through f/22, simply by rotating the dial on the front of the optic. The aperture opening is what controls the size of the Sweet Spot of sharp focus, giving photographers the ability to see the Sweet Spot change through the lens, without missing a moment.

For additional information visit: Lensbaby

Free Webinar – When you Travel, Bring your Passport! with Seth Resnick

Join photographer Seth Resnick in this free Webinar that will provide helpful tips on shooting in diverse locations, using X-Rite’s ColorChecker Passport to make sure color is right every time and streamline RAW workflows, using Lightroom for cataloging and filing, and more. Traveling is fun and the only thing better is enjoying beautiful photographs for years to come.

3/31/2011 – 1:00pm and 3:00pm EST

For additional information visit: X-rite Photo

Apple Unleashes New MacBook Pro Laptops with High-Speed Thunderbolt Connectivity

Apple unleashed an update to its popular MacBook Pro line this morning, adding new high-speed connectivity technology called Thunderbolt to its high-end laptops. The transfer technology was co-developed by Intel, which calls it LightPeak.

Thunderbolt is designed to help users move files — such as large images or video clips — onto the MacBook Pro laptops at approximately 10 gigabits per second. The new MacBook Pros also add a new FaceTime HD camera and feature the latest dual-core and quad-core Intel Core processors. Apple says the new MacBook Pro line is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.

For additional information visit: Apple

It started with the iPhone, whenever you had a few photographers together you would see one photographer pull out their iPhone and then all of a sudden there would be more iPhones being pulled out to show everyone their new images. The iphone was a small portable portfolio that was always with you to show potential clients your work, but the iPad has taken this to new heights on steroids. With the iPad we can show potential clients our portfolios without a printed book like we had in the past and now your clients can zoom in on images to see more details within those photos.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, he did that on a couch to show how easy it was to view images in the comfort of your home. We now have that same comfort to show our clients; instead of looking at a laptop we have a 1.5-pound view screen that we can hand to them to look at our images. This introduces a new opportunity, or problem depending on how you look at it, how do we deliver to our clients a product for the iPad.

As traditional book publishers and stores have to deal with the new digital media such as the iPad, Kindel and NOOKcolor eReader, we as photographers will also have to deal with this new media. Do we need to offer a product for the iPad and if so how much do we charge for this product compared to what we charge for a printed wedding album? Do we do one version for an iPad and another for an iPhone? These are the questions we have to answer to be competitive in this digital world.

The iPad is also a help to photographers, with the numerous apps that are created just for photographers. We have photo editing and photo manipulation apps along with different ways to view photographs on these devices. There are apps to tell you when the sun sets and when the sun rises, apps for figuring out depth of field and scouting apps that let you photograph a location and then ads in GPS data that allows you to come back later when the light is correct or with your client.

Face time is also coming to the iPad so now we will have a nice large image of ourselves talking to our clients. Are we really ready for that? As more and more of these types of devices are introduced and accepted, we as photographers will have to change and find new ways to stay relevant and competitive in our market to stay profitable.

onOne Software, Inc., announced the immediate availability of the major update to it’s wildly popular application for remotely controlling Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras using Apple iOS devices. Specifically designed for the iPad, the new DSLR Camera Remote HD includes a redesigned interface that takes full advantage of the larger screen on the iPad, improved gesture-based preview functionality and the addition of starting, stopping and monitoring video from supported HD DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon.

For additional information visit: onOne Software, Inc

Phase One Launches 2011 Phase One Digital Artist Series Workshops

Phase One has announced its first two Phase One Digital Artist Series (PODAS) workshops for 2011. These workshops are intensive learning experiences for photographers who want to experience the very best image quality possible.  Workshops feature high quality, low student-to-instructor ratios, all-inclusive accommodations, and the personal use of a 60.5 megapixel P65+ medium format digital camera, plus access to a range of lenses, for the duration of the workshop.  Participants will have the opportunity to test and sharpen their landscape shooting skills in some of the world’s most beautiful natural locations. They will also expand their knowledge with the help of highly trained technical staff and world-renowned landscape photographers to aid and inspire them.

Designed for serious photographers who want an exciting and rewarding challenge, PODAS workshops are in a class by themselves.

For additional information visit: Phase One

Sigma Shares Pricing, Availability for Three Weather-Resistant Lenses

Sigma Corporation of America, has announced the pricing and availability for three lenses that incorporate the company’s new, weather-resistant design.

The Sigma APO 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM and APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM were first introduced at Photokina in September 2010. Those lenses will be available for purchase in late February and the end of March for the U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $4,700 and $1,600, respectively.  In April, they will be joined by a weather-resistant update to another old favorite, the 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM, for the U.S. MSRP of $1,400. All lenses will be released in Nikon and Canon mounts first, and will be available in Sigma, Pentax and Sony mounts shortly thereafter.

For additional information visit: Sigma Corporation of America

Moab Introduces Lasal Exhibition Luster 300

Moab launches the new Lasal Exhibition Luster 300, a true heavyweight (300gsm), archival exhibition-quality luster paper, designed for use with all inkjet printers.

Ideal for gallery and exhibition prints, Lasal Exhibition Luster 300 is coated with the latest fourth-generation technology to produce an extra-wide color gamut never before seen in a luster paper.  The coating allows for ultra-high D-Max to achieve very broad tonal range with deep, rich blacks and bright whites to deliver unprecedented image quality.  This new coating also improves scratch resistance, enhances stiffness, reduces curl and increases opacity to better prevent light from spilling through the paper.

For additional information visit: Moab by Legion Paper