NEWS DAL WEB

Just Posted: Panasonic DMC-GH1 in-depth review

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:21:00 +0200

Just Posted: Our in-depth review of the Panasonic DMC-GH1. After the G1 the GH1 is the second model in Panasonic's G-series of interchangeable lens cameras with a large (Four Thirds size) imaging sensor. It adds an HD-video mode, a multi-aspect sensor and a video-optimized lens to the G1's successful formula - it all looks very tempting on the spec sheet but how does it perform in the hands of the dpreview testers? Find out in our full review.

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When is a Point & Shoot Camera Enough?

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:07:29 +0200

The following post is by avid portrait photographer, Alan Morris, who shares his thoughts on if and when a point and shoot camera will do just fine. Learn more about Alan at the end of this post.

You don’t always need a DSLR to get good photographs. I own and love my Nikon D700 and D200 and use them for all types of event and wedding photography. The image quality is outstanding. However, when I am traveling or don’t need the high performance of these cameras, I usually use a Canon G9 or Fuji F200EXR. The Canon takes great images and The Fuji fits easily in my pocket.

I recently went to Chicago for a short vacation and took only my Fuji. The images are fine and I am not going to print anything larger than 5 x 7.

Two weeks ago we went to a wedding in the Berkshires and I took my Fuji and Flip Mino video camera. Both performed extremely well. The professional photographers used traditional gear. My shots were just snap shots and small clips which I put together for the wedding couple.

For web viewing, these small cameras are just fine.

So to answer my own question: A point and shoot camera is enough most of the time.

The best camera is always the one you have with you.

Alan has been a photography enthusiast since he worked on the high school year book in the 1950’s. He worked in a camera store as a teenager and fell in love with the very first 35mm SLRs from Canon and Nikon. Having 3 children and 5 grandchildren, Alan particularly enjoys photographing significant events in peoples lives: births, birthdays, parties, weddings, charitable events, childrens activities.

In Alan’s words: “I think photography lends itself especially well to providing a visual history. My approach is to a session is to tell a story in a series of still photographs. I think the next evolution will be combining video and stills and am working on a couple of projects integrating the two. You will see a couple of examples on the website. This is still a work in process.” To connect with Alan and see more of his work, visit his website at www.lakemercedphoto.com.

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ACDSee Pro 3 beta available

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:48:00 +0200

ACD Systems has released a beta version of its ACDSee Pro 3 image browsing software. It features an improved interface, more online publishing tools and advanced image processing options allowing both non-destructive and pixel-level editing on most file formats. It is now available for beta testing, with a full version to follow in Autumn 2009.

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Festival Sicilia Ambiente

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:11:42 +0200

Titolo Evento: Festival Sicilia Ambiente
Autore: Giuseppe Bozzotta
Data Evento: 20 Luglio 2009 (Evento singolo giornaliero)

ESPOSIZIONE FOTOGRAFICA:
AMBIENTE E NATURA

L�Arvis , Associazione per le Arti Visive in Sicilia, fondata a Palermo nel 1979,
in occasione del Festival Sicilia Ambiente, organizza una esposizione collettiva di fotografie sul tema dell�ambiente (fruizione, tutela, conservazione), relativamente a tutto il territorio comunale di S. Vito Lo Capo.

La partecipazione � aperta a tutti, con le seguenti modalit�:
vi saranno 2 sezioni: bianco e nero e colore;
ogni partecipante potr� inviare/consegnare non pi� di 3 foto per sezione, stampate nel formato non inferiore al 20x30 e montate su supporto tipo pico glass 30x40;
Unitamente alle stampe dovr� essere consegnato un CD con le medesime foto.
L�Associazione si riserva di non ammettere foto ritenute non attinenti al tema.

Le foto vanno consegnate entro il 10 Luglio alla Soc. Coop. MAREMONTI, via Amodeo n.15 San Vito Lo Capo,

Infopoint:
via Savoia aperto dal 18 al 24 luglio dalle ore 11.00 alle ore 19.00

Sede ufficiale del Festival Siciliambiente:
Giardino di Palazzo La Porta aperto dal 20 al 24 luglio dalle ore 19.00
www.festivalsiciliambiente.it

Clicca qui per visualizzare l'evento sul calendario

7 Awesome Memory Card Deals

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:48:47 +0200

1. Kingston 2GB SD Card

$6.95 @ B&H Photo

2. Kingston 4GB SD Card (Class 6)

$14.50 @ B&H Photo

I’ve got a bag full of the 2GB version of this card and they have performed great in a variety of Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLRs.

3. Kingston 8GB 133x CF Card

$22.95 @ B&H Photo

4. 5 PACK - SanDisk 2GB Extreme III SD Cards

$49.95 @ Adorama

5. Lexar 16GB 60x SD Card

$29.00 @ Adorama (after $30 mail-in rebate)

6. Kingston 2GB 50x CF Card

$9.95 @ Adorama

7. Kingston 8GB CF Card (standard version)

$19.74 @ Buy.com (still in stock for now)

Don’t get scammed by a deal that sounds too good to be true. Photography Bay recommends purchasing your photography equipment from Amazon, B&H Photo and Adorama.

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Would You Want a Suped-up Touchscreen DSLR?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:15:35 +0200

Camera companies usually take all of their developed technologies and spread them across any products that they put out. That being said, one can only wonder how far off we are from a Touchscreen DSLR of some sort with built-in WiFi and social-networking/sharing features.

Let’s think about all the technology that could go into such a thing: the touchscreen would need to be very high resolution and sensitivity would need to be excellent in order to get to what the user wants. It would probably eliminate the need for many buttons. The camera would need to be able to sense when your eye is close to the viewfinder in order to shut the touchscreen off and prevent any possible tampering with settings. Such a thing is already available with Panasonic’s G1 and GH1.

Scrolling through pictures if needed would quite possibly be done the way it currently is on an iPhone or T-Mobile G1: by swiping and viewing them all in a gallery of some sort. If you wanted to mass delete only specific photos you may have a problem of some sort. In this case I cannot figure out any practical way to do this, but that doesn’t mean that camera companies haven’t either.

Of course, this would require an excellent battery that can power that LCD (perhaps OLED or AMOLED) and also would be able to keep the shutter mechanism going when your firing away.

Many of the functions that require buttons may be able to be changed very easily through the touchscreen. Things like flash compensation, white balance, color settings, drive mode, etc. might benefit the camera user by getting rid of all these buttons. However, there is also the counter-argument: many pros like these buttons because they allow for quick access to their favorite settings. A touchscreen DSLR will mean scrolling through menus to find what they need. Perhaps the only buttons that are the camera might be programmable by the user to quickly access these favorite settings.

Things like shutter-speed and aperture would still need to be controlled by the wheel-dials. These two settings are what make your picture and messing with the way these work would greatly hinder the way a photographer works to a point where adapting will require a totally different learning curve.

Apple has something called tap-to-focus in their new iPhone 3GS. Focusing like this could prove very unreliable and so this is something that should remain inside of the lens. Manual focus fan-boys (such as myself) would demand an excellent system for low-light auto-focusing. In contrast, wildlife shooters may love a tap-to-focus technology. For example, if one was photographing moving birds, perhaps they could switch to Live View, tap on the exact point where they would like to focus, and that focus point would constantly stay in focus in order to better track moving targets and without the need to hold down the shutter button in order to auto-focus first. That way the photographer would be able to focus on anything else that they need to in order to get the shot.

In addition to the touchscreen technology we would love something like the technology built into a point-and-shoot camera like the Sony G3. The camera allows you to connect to WiFi hotspots and upload your images and video to a sharing website. This would need to be much better and of much more use to the photographer than a simple Eye-Fi card. Of course, we are talking about DSLRs here so much more information will be sent to the internet as compared to this little digicam. This once again calls for greater battery life as the AVCHD video from something like a Canon 5D MK II is much larger in file size than something like a Canon HF S10.

Also keep in mind that photographers need to compete with the like of ordinary folks these days. For example, the most iconic images that we were taken when a plane crashed into the Hudson River here in NYC were from an iPhone. The user simply posted them to his Twitter account. He most likely did not use a WiFi signal to do such a thing. To that end, this DSLR may also call for the need of 3G/2G and Bluetooth connectivity.

The more I go on, the more and more this begins to sound like we are putting a phone/compact camera into a DSLR. On the contrary, some compacts are taking technology from DSLRs and incorporating them.

What would you want out of a touchscreen DSLR?

Do you think it would be worth it: if not for pros then maybe the prosumer/consumer market?

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Nikon 2009-2010 DSLR Roadmap Leaked?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:01:24 +0200

Nikon may have just had a huge cat get out of the bag. Leaks like this don’t happen very often; however, they do happen. If this info, which was posted on a Czech forum is legit, Nikon’s rumor mill is going to be rather boring for the next couple of years.

The forum poster lays out a number of Nikon DSLR bodies and lenses, along with purported release dates for 2009 and 2010. Here’s the summary version of the possibly leaked roadmap:

August 2009

Nikon D3000

12.3 MP
3.5 fps
ISO 200-3200 (expandable to ISO 100-6400)
7 AF points (1 cross type)
Battery EN-EL9a

Nikon D300s

12.3 MP
7 fps (8.5 fps w/ grip)
14-bit
HD video - 1080p at 24 fps, Quicktime MOV, H.264 codec
AF fine tuning: -30 to 30
CF and SD slots

AF-S DX Nikkor 17-65mm f/3.2-4G ED VR

Mid-range zoom
Affordable price rangee
Possibly D300s kit lens?

October 2009

Nikon D700x

24.5 MP (D3x sensor)
5 fps (6.5 fps w/ grip)
HD video - 1080p at 24 fps, Quicktime MOV, H.264 codec

AF-S Nikkor 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

Lightweight
Affordable
77mm filter size
610g
7 blade round diaphragm
3 aspherical and 2 ED elements
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

Upgraded optics
VR II for up to 4 stops of handholdability
82mm filter size
1530g
Nanocrystal coating
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G

Revised design
Nanocrystal coating
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G

SWM focus
Nanocrystal coating
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

Quarter 1, 2010

AF-S Nikkor 14-28mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

77mm filter size
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

AF-S Nikkor 120-450mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR II

VR II for up to 4 stops of handholdability
82mm filter size
1480g
Enhanced contrast detect AF-S mode

Quarter 2, 2010

Nikon D4

15.7 MP
FX Sensor
1EV sensitivity increase
New dNEF raw format
Continuous high-speed mode: 11 fps in FX mode, 16 fps w/ double exposure per phase detection AF; 18 fps in DX mode w/ double exposure
Dynamic range double exposure mode: 5 fps for dNEF; 3 fps for JPEG (-Ed. it appears that the JPEG mode may make a single composit of the multiple images - can anyone help with the translation?)
ISO 200-12800 (expandable to 100-51200)
100 % viewfinder coverage
0.78x viewfinder magnification
HD video - 1080p at 30 fps
Multi-CAM 4500: 61-point AF
Dual histogram for double exposure mode

Nikon D400

13.8 MP
DX format
1 EV sensitivity increase
8 fps
10 fps w/ grip
12 fps w/ double exposure per phase detection AF
14 fps w/ grip and double exposure per phase detection AF
ISO 200-6400 (expandable to 100-12800)
HD video - 1080p at 24 fps
Multi-CAM 4500: 61-point AF
Dual histogram for double exposure mode

Quarter 3, 2010

Nikon Coolpix P1DX

Compact Camera
DX format
12.3 MP
28-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
VR built-in
2.9-inch 920k dot resolution LCD

AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4G VR
AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/5.6G VR
AF-S Nikkor 70-240mm f/3.5-4.5G VR
AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/2G DC
AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/4G VR
AF-S DX Nikkor 60-95mm f/2G VR
AF-S DX Nikkor 17-60mm f/2.8G VR

Quarter 4, 2010

Nikon D4x

30.2 MP
FX format
1 EV sensitivity increase
6 fps
10 fps w/ double exposure per phase detection AF
dNEF raw format
ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 50-12800)
HD video - 1080p at 30fps

[grafika.cz via Nikon Rumors]

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Pentax K-7 Now In Stock and Shipping

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:40:17 +0200

The Pentax K-7 is arriving on online store shelves. It appears to be in stock at Amazon and Adorama, while B&H say they’re taking orders for it.

Check availability:

Amazon.com

B&H Photo

Adorama

Sponsor: Now at Amazon.com - Canon 5D Mark II - Sony A900 - Canon 50D - Nikon D90 - Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS - Nikon D700 - Nikon D300

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Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G VR II Rumor Update

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:42:00 +0200

Rumors of a replacement for the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G VR have been around for a while now. About a year ago, Graham Watson (the cycling photographer) appeared to have inside details on the updated lens and that it would be announced September 2008. That came and went with no new lens.

Here we are a year later with this lens probably the hottest replacement desired among many Nikon shooters. On the Japanese site, Kakaku, a poster who was right on with a Nikon D700 and SB900 leak said the lens is coming and offers up some specs to boot:

VR II
Nano coating
New Auto focus priority and manual focus priority
Weight 1540g (+70g than Gen. I)
Length 209mm, slightly shorter than Gen. I
Closest focus distance 1.4m
77mm filter

I wouldn’t expect this lens to be bargain priced; however, I don’t think that it will stop it from flying off the shelves if this info is legit.

[via Nikon Rumors]

Sponsor: Now at Amazon.com - Canon 5D Mark II - Sony A900 - Canon 50D - Nikon D90 - Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS - Nikon D700 - Nikon D300

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Tips For Shooting Portraits of Timid People

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:15:20 +0200

“I’m not photogenic,” is what you hear from people sometimes, even if they know you’re a great photographer. There are people that are timid about their photographs being taken and sometimes we forget how to get around those problems. Here are a couple of methods that you can use to make people get over their self-consciousness and bring out the best in them.

Play Dress Up and Put the Person In Their Element (or take them out of it)

There is a part of every human being that loves, “playing dress up.” Whether it’s Halloween, a special event or something else we all put on different clothes for different purposes. People act differently in business attire than they do in their pajamas. In the above photo, this girl pictured is having fun with the stuffing of a pillow at the pillow fight in New York City. She was originally a bit wary about having her picture taken but when I presented this idea to her, she loved it.

As a photographer, you need to let your creative juices flow right there on the spot. It’s essential that you are able to use what you’ve got right there too.

What also helps is being able to take a person out of their element and make them bring out another side of them. This works very well with musicians, artsy types, or enthusiasts of some sort. In the photo above the girl was more than happy to dress 80’s style. Putting her in front of a car (which was another photographer’s idea) was something made the model comfortable and also put her in the situation and moment.

Extra Tip - there is a current trend where everyone loves vampires and the whole Twilight phenomenon. Why not make someone dress up as a vampire and do a photoshoot with you? It’s guaranteed to be heavily promoted on Twitter or be popular with at least one person in your social circle amongst others.

Use Masks/Props and Have a Vision

When a person is “in character” or they have a mask of some sort then their timidness cannot be shown. Add in props to this and explain your vision to them and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. The image above was taken for a class project that I had to do: photograph someone’s emotions without showing their face. This can be done through body language, doing something like that can make some people feel awkward.

When I explained the project and my particular idea to the subject, they thought that it was controversial and because his face wasn’t being shown, he liked it even more. Using the props that were available in the studio and adding in the extra creepiness factor made the images work and satisfied the subject quite a bit. Additionally, because the idea was “out of the box” it scored extra points for creativity.

Of course, keep in mind that your vision should be flexible and be able to accommodate to the person you are shooting’s demands, needs and wants. However, keep your project on track.

Give Into Their Demands

As stated earlier on in the post, models and the people you are photographing always have demands. Sometimes they are more quirky and weird than others. However, you should give into them or find a way to negotiate in such a way that both of you are satisfied. In the above photo (shot at Comic Con ‘09) the woman said that she is only allowed to be shot screaming, with a knife to her throat. In contrast, I wanted to photograph her Little Red Riding Hood costume. She said that wasn’t allowed so I let that pass with the understanding that she worked for After Dark Films and they have strict rules as to how certain people can be photographed. That’s how this expression was captured. It sure beats just seeing her in an over-sexed costume.

Additionally, her eyes are piercing–which brings us to our final tip.

Accentuate Their Positive Features

This should be kept in mind at all times when photographing timid people. They usually have self-consciousness issues with their bodies or looks and are particular about how they are photographed (if they are at all). In the case of the actress that was photographed above while I was DP on a college film shoot, the actress just really wanted to be able to have the photo if it came out great looking. It did, but in order to get it this way her better features needed to be accentuated while still keeping the idea of the film in mind (which was about her playing a suicidal artist). She has beautiful skin, eyes and a natural beauty to her in addition to lovely hair: plus she wanted to ensure that it all looked flawless. All of this was captured while showing the fact that she had been crying for the past three days in order to keep her in character for the film. It was done with the use of precise lighting, make-up, and during a time that was convenient for both of us while the other details for shooting were being setup. In this case, it satisfied our portfolio needs and the needs of the film.

How do you bring out the Let us know of any other tips down below in the comments.

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Canon announces Pixma MP560 and MP490 printers

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0200

Canon has announced the MP560 and MP490 wireless all-in-one inkjet photo printers. Along with the print, copy and scan options, both include features such as Auto Photo Fix II, Duplex and Wireless Printing. The MP560 is also Canon's first Pixma printer with the ability to print out pictures directly from a USB flash memory device. The MP560 and MP490 are priced at $149.99 USD and $99.99 USD respectively.

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I Misteri di Campobasso - Mostra fotografica colle

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:23:44 +0200

Titolo Evento: I Misteri di Campobasso - Mostra fotografica colle
Autore: domiad
Data Evento: 11 Luglio 2009 fine 20-July 09 (Evento Continuativo)

I Misteri di Campobasso - Mostra fotografica collettiva -

Inaugura, alla presenza del Maestro Gianni Berengo Gardin, sabato 11 luglio 2009, alle ore 18, presso �Capo di Lucca�, via Capo di Lucca 12/a, Bologna, la mostra fotografica collettiva �I Misteri di Campobasso�, realizzata a conclusione del workshop col Maestro della fotografia italiana Berengo Gardin.

L�associazione Piccolo Formato ha organizzato la mostra fotografica collettiva �I Misteri di Campobasso�, che inaugurer� sabato 11 luglio 2009, alle ore 18, presso la sala espositiva �Capo di Lucca�, di via Capo di Lucca 12/a a Bologna.

La mostra nasce come evento conclusivo del workshop fotografico �I Misteri di Campobasso con Gianni Berengo Gardin� che Piccolo Formato ha organizzato nei giorni 13 e 14 giugno scorsi, e che ha visto il Maestro Berengo Gardin condurre un gruppo di 12 fotografi, pi� i due organizzatori, attraverso il mondo della fotografia di reportage e alla scoperta di una delle pi� interessanti processioni d�Italia, �I Misteri�di Campobasso appunto, che sfila ogni anno per le strade del capoluogo molisano in occasione del Corpus Domini.

Dodici sono i fotografi che esporranno, nella splendida cornice di Capo di Lucca, i lavori realizzati durante il workshop e scelti dallo stesso Berengo Gardin, per un totale di ventiquattro fotografie.
Il Maestro Gianni Berengo Gardin parteciper� all�inaugurazione.
L�evento � gratuito ed aperto al pubblico.

Autori in mostra:
Tomaso Mario Bolis, Maria Chiara Delfini, Luca Di Domenico, Nicola Esposito, Marco
Fusco, Lorena Gavazzoni, Carlo Infante, Tiziana Lembo, Eleonora Manto, Mauro Marini,
Donatella Pollini, Martina Salvi.

La mostra sar� esposta nella sede di Capo di Lucca per la sola giornata di sabato 11 luglio. Sar� successivamente allestita presso la vicina sede di Piccolo Formato, in via Marsala 20/a, dove rester� visibile su appuntamento (contattando il 328 3383634) e gratuitamente a partire da luned� 13 luglio e sino a luned� 20 luglio 2009.

La mostra � a cura di Laura De Marco e Roberto Alfano, membri di Piccolo Formato e organizzatori del workshop col Maestro Gardin.

Hanno collaborato alla realizzazione della mostra: Emil Banca-Credito Cooperativo, Capo di Lucca, Professione Colore, Studio No.

Clicca qui per visualizzare l'evento sul calendario[/b]

Samsung NX10

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:14:50 +0200

More rumors about Samsung’s NX Series have surfaced. Apparently, someone in Korea is claiming to have had a bit of hands-on with the new camera, dubbed the Samsung NX10. The forum poster notes that the camera does not have in-body image stabilization. Also, 3 lenses were shown off with the camera at the Korean trade show, which is consistent with what we saw at PMA (a prime, standard zoom and telephoto zoom).

Recall that reports from PMA and recent rumors suggest a formal announcement of the new NX Series camera this month.

[via 1001 noisy cameras]

Sponsor: Now at Amazon.com - Canon 5D Mark II - Sony A900 - Canon 50D - Nikon D90 - Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS - Nikon D700 - Nikon D300

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Kingston 8GB CF Card: Under $20 & Free Shipping

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:46:54 +0200

Buy.com has a Kingston 8GB CF card for $19.74 with free shipping. Note that this is one of their weekly promotions and these things often sell out. Get it here.

Don’t get scammed by a deal that sounds too good to be true. Photography Bay recommends purchasing your photography equipment from Amazon, B&H Photo and Adorama.

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Canon Announces New PIXMA and SELPHY Photo Printers

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:47:38 +0200

Canon has announced two new PIXMA all-in-one printers and a compact SELPHY photo printer model today. The PIXMA MP560, priced at $149.95, is a wireless and compact inkjet printer, also allows you to print directly from USB flash drives. The MP490 is a bargain-priced photo printer at $99.95 and features a 1.8-inch LCD screen.

The SELPHY CP790 is a $179.99 compact printer, which offers a 3.0-inch LCD panel that allows you to crop images directly from your memory card - no computer required. Additionally, it is capable of being powered by batteries to use a portable device.

More details on these new printers in the press release below.

Lake Success, N.Y., July 7, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced the addition of two new PIXMA Photo All-In-One (AIO) Printers along with one new SELPHY Compact Photo Printer. The two new PIXMA printers utilize Canon’s FINE print head technology, which has been recognized by consumers for its ability to deliver quality and performance simultaneously, whether printing images or business documents since its inception 10 years ago. Furthermore, with the overall ease-of-use, innovative design and affordability of these new printers, consumers will have many different options to choose from when deciding on how best to fulfill their printing needs.

The new and improved Auto Photo Fix II feature helps assure that images printed will be of superb quality while reproducing the vibrant colors that were first captured in the image. This technology resolves many common photo printing errors, such as underexposed images, through Multi-Zone Exposure Correction and improvements in overall face detection, scene analysis plus brightness and saturation correction. All of the new PIXMA printers feature this technology along with Easy-WebPrint EX1 software which will make printing out documents from the web that much easier. The Auto Clip feature allows for consumers to select a specific part of a Web page that they would like to have printed rather than printing out the whole page which will help users conserve their ink supply.

“The addition of these new printers to the product line-up further demonstrates the Canon commitment to providing consumers with high-quality digital imaging solutions at an affordable price,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “The addition of new technologies such as Auto Photo Fix II will help to resolve issues consumers have had in the past with images, such as red eye removal, while improving the overall image quality at the same time.”

Canon PIXMA Photo All-In-One Printers

For the consumer who wants and needs to have a printer that can print, copy and scan, the new Canon PIXMA Photo AIO Printers provide all this and more. The new PIXMA MP560 Wireless2 Photo AIO Printer is the most compact Canon inkjet printer to have both wireless capabilities and built-in Auto Duplex Printing. This new AIO Printer, the successor to the popular PIXMA MP620 Wireless Photo AIO Printer, also is the first Canon PIXMA Printer to have the ability to print out pictures directly from a USB Flash Memory device3. With a new sleek design, the PIXMA MP560 Photo AIO Printer features five individual ink tanks with the ChromaLife100+ ink system providing more vibrant and longer-lasting photos. The PIXMA MP560 printer can print out a photo-lab quality borderless 4″x 6″ in approximately 39 seconds6. The 2.0-inch LCD screen and integrated Easy-Scroll Wheel allow for easy navigation through menus and viewing images. Under the new ISO print speed standard, the PIXMA MP560 AIO Photo Printer will deliver output at approximately 9.2 ipm for black-and-white documents and approximately 6.0 ipm for color4. The estimated retail price of the PIXMA MP560 Photo AIO Printer is $149.995.

The new Canon PIXMA MP490 AIO Photo Printer offers high-quality at a very affordable price point. This printer utilizes the ChromaLife100+ four-color ink system and can print out a photo-lab quality borderless 4″ x 6″ photo in approximately 43 seconds6. FINE technology is unique in the inkjet printing world enabling the PIXMA MP490 AIO Photo Printer to produce high quality prints without sacrificing speed. The PIXMA MP490 Photo AIO Printer also boasts a 1.8-inch LCD screen and a self-opening output tray which helps to prevent any paper jams. The template printing feature has been enhanced to now include 11 different templates, which now include schedules and handwriting paper. Under the new ISO print speed standard, the PIXMA MP490 Photo AIO Printer will create letter-sized documents at approximately 8.4 ipm for black-and-white documents and approximately 4.8 ipm for color4. The PIXMA MP490 Photo AIO Printer will have an estimated retail price of $99.995

SELPHY CP790 Compact Photo Printer

Following in the footsteps of the successful and innovative Canon SELPHY CP770 Compact Photo Printer is the new SELPHY CP790 Photo Printer. This new compact photo printer has been upgraded with a new stylish green color with a convenient storage basket, which not only houses the printer, but also stores accessories including paper, ink cartridge and the power cord. The new Creative Options allow users to add their own creative touch to photos before cropping them on the 3.0-inch LCD screen. One of the new Creative Options is the Photo Diary Creative Print. This feature allows users to choose from six different layouts, six background colors, and 18 clip art stamps to personalize their photos. This truly portable printer features an optional battery and memory card slots7 allowing for printing on-the-go without the need of a computer. The SELPHY CP790 Compact Photo Printer produces images of a higher quality than the previous model due to enhancements to the Portrait Image Optimize feature. The Face Detection brightness correction and color cast correction have been vastly improved so that skin tones and faces will be produced with more natural and realistic colors. The Canon SELPHY CP790 Compact Photo Printer prints a 4″x6″ photo in approximately 43 seconds,8 which is 10% faster than the previous model. The Canon SELPHY CP790 Compact Photo Printer carries an estimated retail price of $179.995 with the optional NB-CP2L battery pack carrying an estimated retail price of $79.995.

Windows 7 Operating System

Canon is pleased to announce that its PIXMA inkjet printer products will be compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system. According to Microsoft, this operating system has new features to make everyday tasks easier and faster. Please stay tuned for updates regarding driver downloads and a full list of compatible Canon products.

Canon Supports ISO/IEC 24734 and 24735 Productivity Standards for Inkjet Printers

Helping customers evaluate and compare print speeds of various printer models, Canon utilizes the ISO/IEC 24734 and 24735 International Standards for measuring print and copy speed. The standards measure print and copy output in images-per-minute (ipm), and calculate print and copy speed by printing out a number of standard Microsoft Excel, Word and PDF documents on letter-sized paper in default mode.

Generation Green

Canon’s commitment to the environment and helping to make it more sustainable is an inherent part of the Company’s kyosei philosophy and new product offerings. From duplex printing to ENERGY STAR compliance and significant changes to product packaging, the Generation Green initiative is designed to provide partner companies, enterprise customers and consumers a way to identify and learn about the various environmentally-conscious product features and solutions select Canon printers offer. For more information on Generation Green, and the many eco-conscious aspects of select Canon inkjet and laser printers, please visit www.usa.canon.com/green.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number seven in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2008 list, and is on the 2008 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.
# # #

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Specifications subject to change without notice.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners

1 Compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8 in Windows Vista or XP only. Not included on installation CD. Requires internet connection during installation. It is unlawful to reproduce or edit the copyrighted work of another person without permission from the copyright holder, except for personal non-commercial use , or other use within the limited scope as defined by copyright law. Additionally, reproducing or editing photographs of people may infringe on portrait rights.
2 Wireless printing requires a working Ethernet network with wireless 802.11g/b capability. Wireless performance may vary based on terrain and distance between the printer and wireless network clients.
3 USB flash memory with security enabled may not be used. Requires an extension cable if cannot be attached.
4 ISO/IEC 24734, 24735 defines the default print and copy speed measurement methods.. Print speeds are the averages of ESAT in Office Category Test for the default simplex mode, ISO/IEC 24734, excluding time to print the first set. Copy speed is the average of FCOT , ISO 24735 Annex D. ADF copy speed is the average of ESAT in General Performance Test for the default simplex mode, ISO/IEC 24735, exc;uding time to copy the first set.. See www.usa.canon.com/ipm for additional details.
5 Pricing subject to change at any time. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.
6 Print speed measured as soon as first page begins to feed into printer and will vary depending on system configuration, interface, software, document complexity, print mode, types of paper used and page coverage. See www.usa.canon.com/printspeed for additional information.
7 Compatible memory cards include SD(tm) Memory Card, miniSD Card, SDHC™ Memory Card, miniSDHC™ Card, MultiMediaCard®, MMCplus Card, MMCmobile Card, HC MMCplus Card, RS-MMC™, CompactFlash® Card, Microdrive®, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick® PRO™, Memory Stick® Duo™ and Memory Stick® PRO Duo™. The following can be used with the addition of a special adapter sold separately: microSD(tm) Card, microSDHC(tm) Card, MMCmicro Card, xD-Picture Card® and Memory Stick Micro™.
8 Print speed obtained using compatible Canon compact digital camera incorporating DIGIC II (other camera models may vary).

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Could Olympus DSLR’s be Getting a New “PMOS” Sensor?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:24:54 +0200

Advanced Imaging Pro has an interesting article on Kodak’s latest developments in sensor manufacturing. This was found via Flickr, which alludes to the possibility of a PMOS sensor.

The new PMOS apparently a new take on CMOS pixels and how they work on a camera sensor. In the Kodak PMOS the underlying polarity of the silicon is reversed, so the absence of electrons is used to detect a signal. This works the opposite way that normal pixels work: which instead detects electrons that are generated when light interacts with the sensor surface.

In addition to this, a new CCD sensor is being developed that, according to Samsung (as noted in the article), only uses 1/10th of the power that a regular CCD sensor uses: which means an insanely long battery life.

For current Olympus (and Panasonic) users, you can be glad to hear that the new sensors are focused on low-light photography, speed and HD video capabilities. However, we can still only just wait to see the results. When the Live MOS sensor was released it promised better low-light capabilities. In truth, it couldn’t match the capabilities of Canon or Nikon. Further, that isn’t a totally fair statement because of the fact that the sensor is smaller in size.

The new PMOS sensor could be what we see in the higher end pro camera models.

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8 Great Tips to Get More Out of Your Camera Batteries

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:16:10 +0200

Wouldn’t it be an absolute nightmare to have your batteries die in the middle of an important shoot? Granted, we’re all responsible people that take great care to ensure that something like that doesn’t happen when we’re out on the job. However, after shooting with different systems one can easily see that the battery life of cameras from different companies can vary. Being in the tech industry, I’ve learned tips for conserving battery power and extending overall life. At the beginning of the year, I’ve started applying those tips to cameras: with amazingly positive results. Here are 8 pointers to keep in mind no matter what type of camera you shoot with.

1. Don’t Overcharge

Something I see often amongst other photographers (and even myself when I first started) is that when they pack their camera’s away they put the batteries in the charger and leave them in there for a long period of time well beyond the battery’s point of being fully charged. Doing this kills the Lithium Ion cells in the battery–therefore lowering the potential longevity of its life. Don’t overcharge your batteries. When the light on the charger turns green, take the batteries out.

2. Dim Your LCD Screen

Not all cameras have this option, but the ones that do allow for a blessing on your battery life. Dim the screen to the lowest brightness possible while still allowing you to see and read the information. LCD screens use quite a bit of battery life no matter how high quality they may be. The dimmer it is, the less energy will be pulled.

3. Let the LCD Screen Go to Sleep

More importantly, let the LCD screen go to sleep. I’ve shot alongside some photographers who try to keep their LCD screen on for as long as possible. The longer it stays on, the more life will be pulled from the battery. Most of the information you may require can be seen in the viewfinder. Shooting in RAW will allow you to customize your white balance, saturation, contrast etc later on in post.

4. Stay Out of Live View As Much As You Can

Using Live View is another way of using the battery to power your LCD. Live View is extremely useful in many situations (studio, over-the-head shooting, and others) but looking through your viewfinder typically gives you a much better viewing experience.

5. While on a Shoot, Only Delete Images When You Need To

There are many good reasons as to why you should delete images only when you need to. Besides missing great shooting opportunities while spending time deleting your images, deleting your images on camera uses more battery life. You should only do this if your memory card is running out of space. Further, you should also use your training and what you’ve learned from your mistakes to get the shot perfect in the first place in under three shots. While your deleting your images, people sometimes look over your shoulder and say stuff like, “Oh that’s a nice shot.” In a situation like that, you spend more time with your LCD screen not asleep. That continues us onto the next point.

6. Buy A Faster Memory Card

As a pointer: if you’re going to clear the space on the memory card, there is the option of doing so while it is hooked up to your computer. However, it is recommended that you format the card on your camera so that they two stay synced closely together. Depending on which card you have, the formatting process may take much longer. For example, on my Olympus E-510 it is much faster to format my PNY CF card than my Olympus xD card (I’m talking about 1 sec. vs 15+ sec.) Obviously the longer formatting will use more battery life.

7. Clean The Sensor Yourself

I’ve seen some photographers turn their cameras on and off over and over again just to clean their sensors. Doing this uses a lot more battery power. Instead, what you may want to do is pick up something like an Arctic Butterfly. This little brush can keep your sensor very, very clean when used in addition to your system’s self-cleaning methods.

8. Use An External Flash

Using an external flash can tremendously cut down on the need for extra juice from your battery. I’ve done a shoot with just an on-board flash before. While the pictures (like the one above) came out looking very good the battery life on my camera was cut down tremendously and I went through both of my batteries very quickly.

Using an external flash means that the camera will be pulling less power from the battery. External flashes run on their own batteries, so use those instead. You’ll get very nice results as externals are usually much more versatile.

However, there is always the option of shooting without a flash too. Chances are that if you’re shooting an event that other photographers around you will be using their flashes too. In that case, just time your shooting with theirs and you’ll get almost the same results by using less battery power. That was done in the image above: I shot alongside AP, Daily News, NY Post and other photographers–all of whom had flashes.

What Did I Miss?

Do you have any other pointers to help the rest of us make the most of our camera batteries? Share you tips in the comments below.

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Mpix Sale = 25% Off Large Prints

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:57:05 +0200

Mpix, a solid professional grade printing company, just announced a nice sale on their large prints, which they define as prints above 16×20″. Between now and July 15, you get 25% off large sized prints when you use the promo code “largeprints” at checkout.

So what are you waiting for? Go order some ginormous prints. Mpix.com.

Don’t get scammed by a deal that sounds too good to be true. Photography Bay recommends purchasing your photography equipment from Amazon, B&H Photo and Adorama.

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Just Posted: Olympus E-620 in-depth review

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:42:00 +0200

Just Posted: Our in-depth review of the Olympus E-620. The E-620 takes most of the features from the semi-pro E-30 and fits them into a body only slightly larger than the E-420, making it the most powerful entry-level Four Thirds camera yet. It has been a little overwhelmed by the buzz about E-P1, but does the little DSLR deserve a second look? Find out in our full review.

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Canon 3D Rumor Refreshed

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:01:48 +0200

Rumors of a Canon EOS 3D have been around since the original Canon 5D was released (maybe before it was released). The film-based EOS 3 was a very popular camera, and still brings a decent penny in good, used condition. Canon Rumors received a tip from a confidential source yesterday that brings a bit of a resurgence to the fabled EOS 3D.

I’ve been told, that the EOS 3D is coming. My source sad to me it will be announced after the replacement from the Nikon D300. It is going to be something between the 1D MarkIII and the 50D/60D. The Body is similar to the 5D MarkII. He won´t me to tell something about the specs but said that the D300/D400 will be blown away.

Aside from the totally bogus image above (that’s been floating around the blogosphere and forum world for a couple of years), there’s really no support for such a rumor over the past couple of years that Canon gear heads have been pining for this camera.

Frankly, it seems a bit of an ill fit in Canon’s current lineup. The camera would presumably be situated between the Canon 5D Mark II and 1D/1Ds models. That’s really just spreading the top end of cameras a little too thin.

Enough of my commentary . . . What do you think? Is there a place for a Canon 3D? What’s the price point need to be for you to buy one?

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Tips For Shooting Wildlife

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:21:06 +0200

No matter how excited we get, there are certain things we need to remember when photographing wildlife. This is especially true when you are looking for animals that are notoriously hard to capture on camera. Whatever you do though, you need to keep in mind that practice makes perfect and that perseverance will eventually get you that shot. Here are a couple of reminders for your reference.

Slow Down and Control Your Breathing and Heart Rate

These tips, above all else, are what I’ve had to keep in mind to get my shots. By slowing down, you are letting the animal not think that you are a threat to it and you probably will not bother it while it is going about its normal business. This way you can move in closer and closer to the animal. Further, you may want to switch on manual focus: in my experience I’ve found that the “chirping” noise made by my camera’s autofocus has sounded a bit like a bird. That can scare off some animals and you don’t want to do that in order to get the shot.

By slowing down and stopping at some intervals you also calm yourself down and your heart rate won’t pick up. When you’re excited, your body language shows it. Animals communicate heavily through body language and are masters at reading it. The picture above was taken after slowing and quietly approaching the bee while it was on the flower. In addition, I made sure that I did not block any incoming light in order to not alert the bee to my presence. Manual focus was used.

Find Intimacy and Love

Intimacy in the animal world is always displayed: sometimes we just don’t pay attention to it or read into the body language of animals. That’s where slowing down and observing nature as occurrences happen comes in.

Yes, it looks like the bugs above are, “doing it like they do on the discovery channel.” In truth, I don’t know what they’re doing. But they’re surely not fighting and it’s not something one sees everyday. A conclusion can be made to say that they are being intimate.

As humans, we know that intimacy and love can all be photographed and some of history’s most iconic shots show intimacy. In the shot above, a mother duck is leading her ducklings in a swim. Some people find ducks and ducklings so darn cute and the shot above displays the bond between a mother and her babies. Her babies obviously follow her anywhere.

This can be easily shot, especially around summertime. All you have to do is go looking for it and observe. Approaching a family of ducks too quickly and enthusiastically can set off an alarm with the parents who will quickly turn against you. Granted, this shot was taken with a telephoto zoom lens right as the ducks were coming out from underneath a bridge. But the framing is what counts here as the point of intimacy and animal love is captured.

In this shot, a man is feeding a squirrel. Now how often do you see squirrels taking food straight out of a person’s hand? It’s obviously not often. However just like your dog, cat or bird, animals are always happy for a free meal. The reason why this shot looks intimate is because of the lighting. The squirrel is in a spot in which the rays from the sun coming through the trees is brightest. Additionally, the squirrel looks very happy and with the “spotlight” on him it looks almost as if it’s in heaven and being fed by the hand of God.

Despite all this, the image isn’t perfect. A tighter crop would have been much better: to the point of only showing the full body of the squirrel, the rays of light and the hand. The reason why it wasn’t achieved was because of the kit lens being used (Canon XSi) and because I wasn’t able to get in closer in time. The fence really takes away from the true focus of the image.

Go For the Unusual

Animals do weird things that make us laugh all the time. Think about the times that your cat falls asleep on your laptop keyboard, your ferret getting its head stuck in a tube, or your puppy spinning around and chasing his tail. Capturing these moments always elicit responses from people: anything from being in awe to nostalgia amongst other expressions.

How many times have you seen a squirrel climb up onto someone’s knee to get food? Most squirrels are not that brazen or bold. In fact, most animals aren’t. This is all part of the unusual. Capturing the unusual makes people stare are your pictures longer and gets expressions/comments out of them. Getting the timing perfect and documenting the exact moment the event happens can sometimes be better than filming or seeing it happen in real life.

The above image was taken with a Canon S5 IS hacked with the CHDK: similar to the firmware update for the 5D Mk II blogged about earlier.

Look For Action Shots

Searching for action shots and timing your shutter release perfectly should be a no-brainer for you sports photographers. The animal kingdom is filled with action: from hunting, to fighting, to following the pecking order and beyond. This is the case with the above image. The seagull on the left and the seagull in the mid-ground were fighting over the lizard in the mouth of the seagull in flight. When the lizard was thrown into the air and landed on the ground again, the bird in flight swooped in and gobbled up the free meal all by being opportunistic. The bird in the mid-ground is in total confusion as to what’s going on and doesn’t notice his meal is gone. The bird on the left is angry that it’s meal is gone.

In this shot, the bird is not in pain or did not land hard on the sand. In fact, it’s sand batheing in order to get rid of an bugs or parasites. You may not see something like this often, but timing your shot correctly will give your audience the feeling that you probably got when looking at this picture: what’s going on here? What a moment!

Happy shooting (photos, that is)!

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SmugWallet (iPhone App) Review

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:14:06 +0200

While I like some apps on my iPhone, I have always stuck to the free apps. I really hate being nickled and dimed for every little app that comes along.

Maybe it’s just the principle of it; however, I had never purchased an iPhone app until a couple of weeks ago, when a friend showed me some photos on his iPhone by using SmugWallet. Instantly, I knew I had to get this app.

As you may know, I am an avid SmugMug user/evangelist. It’s a service that works and is constantly improved upon by the founders. You can always find someone to return your emails within a few minutes, and the SmugMug staff act like they really care. SmugMug accounts start at $40/year. You can get $5 off the first year by using a referral code (mine’s 7jCtURK05RxC if anyone is in need - in the interest of disclosure, I get a credit toward my annual fees as well).

Ok, so you know I like SmugMug and SmugWallet obviously has something to do with SmugMug.

Now, let’s get to the point of this discussion.

So, What is Smug Wallet?

SmugWallet is an iPhone app from Midnight Mobility that sync’s your SmugMug photos to your iPhone locally. The sync takes place over the cell network or WiFi. Once the sync is completed, you can view all of your SmugMug photos on your iPhone (or iPod Touch) instantly.

There is no waiting for the image to load from a website. All images are now stored locally on your iPhone.

SmugWallet reduces the size of the images so that they don’t hog all the space on your iPhone. All the images are sharp and very contrasty on the iPhone screen. It also syncs video files. I have to say that the videos looking stunning as well.

I was a little worried about file size and hard drive capacity on my 8GB iPhone. It’s not really a problem though. I’ve got 7285 photos and videos that I have sync’d to my iPhone and they take up 821MB.

You can also pick and choose which galleries to sync if you don’t want everything. After you sync SmugWallet with your SmugMug account and get the initial barrage of photos to your iPhone, you can then go back and tell it to sync again once you upload new images to SmugMug.

There’s no fuss with making SmugWallet work into my work flow. My work flow remains the same. I just happen to have all my finished photos on my phone anytime that I want to see them or show them to a friend.

(Note that SmugWallet does not allow you to upload images to your SmugMug account. There’s already an app for that called SmugShots - and it’s free.)

SmugWallet Key Features

Full screen photos and videos (480×480 max)
Choose categories and galleries to sync
“Ken Burns”-style animated slideshows
Square or Original sized thumbnails
Email photo and gallery links
Save to camera roll (for wallpaper, etc.)

Is It Worth the Price?

The thing is . . . it’s only $2.99. I would pay $20 for this app - seriously. I don’t use iPhoto or Aperture, so getting photos on my iPhone is a multi-step process. As a result, I never before bothered putting photos on my iPhone.

Before, if I wanted to show someone an image I had taken, I had to open Safari and browse to the gallery and image. As fast as the 3G network is, it just hasn’t arrived yet, particularly with images. The load times meant that I didn’t really use my iPhone for sharing photos.

The good thing about SmugWallet is that it allows me to share all of the photos that I would otherwise want to share. Since I am a heavy SmugMug user, this means I literally have thousands of photos at my fingertips. No load times. Just there.

So, yeah. To me, it’s worth the price.

Obviously, Smug Wallet is not for everyone. There are a couple of prerequisites before it even comes into consideration - namely, an iPhone (or iPod Touch) and a SmugMug account.

If you have those two things though, SmugWallet is just what the doctor ordered.

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, here’s the iTunes store link for SmugWallet.

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Concert Photography - Capturing the Essence of a Concert

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:14:46 +0200

The following post is by New York-based photographer and artist Angela Datre, who provides a thorough introduction into concert photography and delves into what it takes to capture the essence of a concert. Learn more about her at the end of this post.

“It’s very hard with a still photograph to capture the action of a concert. You try to see something in the face, the body, the lighting…Once I see a good shot in the viewfinder, it’s gone. The music gets inside of me, it’s in my brain, I’m close enough to the stage so that the vibration from the speakers is making my skin tingle, and I’m filling the viewfinder with the musician. I just always feel high.”

-Baron Wolman, Concert Photographer

When it comes down to it, I take photographs at the shows I attend because I can’t not take photographs when I am there. I feel awkward if I am not all the way up front-able to see everything, shoot everything. It started with snapshots in the crowd when I was younger and has now become a lifestyle, an obsession.

I thought I would write a blog post on live music photography because it is something that is so near and dear to me. And I’ll admit it; I started off the same way many young photographers start out-bringing a point and shoot digital camera to shows and shooting with a slow-shutter speed or tilting the camera so the image is askew. It took me some time to realize that there is so so much more you can do with live music photography and I feel the need to share what I have learned with others.

Smaller Venues First

My first recommendation for people interested in this field is to start small. Do not go and ask for a press pass for Madison Square Garden before you have shot the bar around the corner from your house. Start by shooting local bands in a variety of venues, but mostly, venues where you will not need a photo pass. Afterwards, send the images to the bands and allow them to use them on their websites. You are helping out the band while simultaneously promoting your work. You have to be realistic and understand that you may not be getting paid to this for a while, as you build up a portfolio, and be okay with that fact. You have to be doing it because you love it, not because you are trying to make some cash.

Shoot What You Know

My next bit of advice is to shoot what you know and it comes with a story. One winter night early in 2007, I drove about an hour out east on Long Island to go shoot some hardcore bands in a temple basement and I consider that night one to be one of the defining moments in my life as a photographer. The year before I had shot some musicians because of acquired photo passes, at a local venue and at a music festival in New York City, but somehow this night meant more. It was then that I realized that I did not need a photo pass to create “important” images and that shooting the bands I was into was what I should have been doing all along. You should always start with shooting what you know. In that case, you are not an outsider to the scene; you are a member of the scene. You understand the music and in turn, should know the best way to describe it. Personally, I discovered that shooting hardcore and punk shows was all about describing the connection between the band and the crowd and the intense energy the music brings, and since that night, that has been my main objective.

The Decisive Moment

Another essential element of concert photography that I would like to reveal to young photographers is to think about “the decisive moment”. Henri Cartier-Bresson had it right. Concert photography is also about discovering that perfect split second in time. In this case, it is the second that can define the show, the band, and the night. It is about creating an image that can stand alone, that needs no introduction or description. Most concert photographers shoot digital these days, which can be a gift and a curse. The pro is that you can shoot a ridiculous amount of pictures. Ironically, it is also the con. You want to think about each shot as if you were shooting film and had to conserve frames (You should also try shooting actual film!). That way you are probably more likely to compose the musician into the shot the way you would compose a portrait. Pay attention to the way light hits them, crop out what is unnecessary, think about exposure, and do not forget to focus. When it comes down to it, you basically have half a second to consider all these things but soon it will simply come natural. You will not have to think about it, you will just find yourself doing it.

Camera Equipment and Technique

Once you have shot a few concerts you will realize that every venue and every band can be a different experience. In some concert halls you may only be able to shoot the first three songs. In others, you may not be allowed to use a flash. It is all about adapting to your situation. Bring a few lenses; bring two cameras (I usually do). Move around, try and shoot each member of the band, and do not forget one of my favorite things-shoot the crowd! It is because of them that the band is where they are and they can be full of such genuine emotion. And finally, look into your viewfinder to compose an image! Something that I have begun to see a lot of is photographers who do not look in their viewfinders while shooting a band but instead hold the camera out in front of them and just shoot shoot shoot. I find it to be absurd. It is one thing if you do it a few times at a specific moment in a show, like if they singer of the band jumps into the crowd and the only way you can shoot it is to put the camera above your head. But if that is not the case, please look in your viewfinder. Make a picture; do not take a picture.

Learning From Others

And lastly, learn from the masters. It is difficult to find good music photography on the Internet or even in bookstores or libraries these days. It is still not considered much of an art form when compared to various other “types” of photography. However, I know a multitude of photographers that challenge that statement and have created truly special images of iconic moments in music history in which you can really feel the era, the band, and the music scene in their work. You know it is a good photograph when you can almost hear the music.

The furthest back I could go was the 1940s and the photographer was Herman Leonard. Leonard shot jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington in New York City during the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. His powerful black and white images feel like movie stills-perfect little moments in time with amazing lighting illuminating the musician. He captured the true essence of New York City jazz clubs during his time.

Jim Marshall’s work should also be noted. He shot the well-known image of Johnny Cash “flipping the bird” at San Quentin Prison in 1970 and continued to shoot the 70s in an exciting way. His pictures of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones epitomized rock and roll.

When it comes to the 1980s, Glen E. Friedman and Edward Colver come to mind. They were around at the beginning of hardcore music in Los Angeles and shot iconic bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat. Basically, they were in the right places at the right time, the beginning of so many new and exciting things.

Friedman has been known to shoot few photos-just enough to get what he needs. He once said “When you have these voyeurs coming in to shoot this certain thing because it’s hot or it’s what the kids are doing, it’s ****ing lame. They may get a good shot now and then, but do they really feel it?” It is vital that photographers feel a personal connection to what they shoot and I think that it is evident in the work they produce.

I first came across Colver’s photographs when I read the book “American Hardcore”. His picture graced the front cover of the book-a startling image of the singer of the band Wasted Youth singing with blood dripping down his face and chest. These photographs put Colver right in the center of what was happening. Cynthia Murphy from Photographer’s Forum said, “He was visible at every punk show within a seventy-mile radius from downtown LA to Riverside County.” His photographs show an urgency and energy you do not see in many photographers’ work these days and he clearly had the dedication. If you want to see images of someone who was there for the music, down in the pit shooting every part of the scene-then take a look at Edward Colver’s work.

Putting It All Together

I think that a lot of people do not realize how difficult music photography can be. You want to capture these perfect moments without bothering the musicians or disrupting a show. You have to remain invisible in a way. Different situations make it “easier” of course. If you are standing in front of a barrier at a larger concert venue it is a lot different then being cramped in a basement hardcore show where you’re standing on the floor with the band and the crowd is pushing into you. But in my opinion, the latter makes it a whole lot more fun, more intense and spontaneous.

Music photography is just like other types of photography I suppose. You have the people that stand way up front with their fancy equipment and shoot the same typical, tired images and then you have the select few that are really there for the music and can totally capture a scene in a new and exciting way. I think that the advent of digital photography created a lot more concert photographers. Would this many people be photographing if they had to manually focus each picture then spend an hour or more developing their film afterwards? Probably not. You just hope that everyone is there for the music and that the photographers that are taking up space up front are trying to create something memorable.

Angela Datre is an artist living and working in New York. She attended Adelphi University on the Provost Talent Scholarship from 2005-2008 and concluded her time there with the BA Exhibition award. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Studio Arts. Her work has been shown in both Long Island and Manhattan galleries. You can see some of her work and connect with Angela at AngelaDatre.com.

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Sigma updates Photo Pro software

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:15:00 +0200

Sigma has released an update to its Photo Pro image-editing software. Version 3.5.2 for Windows and v3.3 for Mac claim to improve processing of highlight areas in RAW images and now offer the 'ProPhoto RGB' color space. Exposure warning is also displayed for RGB channels in the histogram in the Windows version.

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Turn Off Autofocus - Do it Yourself!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:21:13 +0200

Recently, I’ve been shooting all my shots without autofocusing and only relying on the manual focus wheel on my Olympus E-510. What I’ve discovered is that it’s making me think more about my shots, framing, and forcing me to concentrate more on achieving the perfect photo that I have set in my mind already.

In contrast, the world of commercial and event shooting has called for the “spray and pray” method of shooting. On top of this, your camera’s autofocusing may not always be up to par with your expectations and standards; especially in low light as is the case with the above photo. It was achieved with manual focus.

First off, we need to keep in mind that after working with our cameras for a while, we become familiar with and know exactly where the buttons and control dials are that we need to use in order to manipulate the camera to do what we want. However, how many photographers can say the same things about their lenses? Can you twist the focus wheel on your lens and know exactly at what depth it will focus without looking through the viewfinder but instead just by feeling it?

As an Olympus shooter, I’ve got an E-510 with a 14-42mm F3.5-5.6, a 40-150mm F 4-5.6 and sometimes I handhold an old Canon FD F1.4 lens in front of the sensor (yes I know that can be not smart at times but the shots I get are worth it.) After shooting only with autofocus for a while I came the realize that it isn’t always reliable enough to get the shots that I want and sometimes can even be frustrating. This is the case even with selecting the exact autofocus point. Therefore, focusing manually has become habitual.

This goes all across the board: I’ve shot with Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony. Nikon autofocusing is perhaps the best with autofocus but there are other reasons as to why focusing manually has its benefits that I’ll get to.

Take for example the photo above: the focus is on the writing on the window which was carved into it by one of the house’s previous owners. How many systems do you really think would have been able to capture something like that while autofocusing? Many systems would probably “think” that the photographer would want to take a picture of the beautiful garden outside. However, that may not be what the photographer may want.

Let’s go back to this shot for a moment: while manually focusing one thinks about their composition of their shot much more. The focus is on the closest chair and a visual rhythm and beauty is created with the light in the background and showing the row of them parallel with the other lines in the image. This is how I actually see without glasses on.

The picture above was taken out in Center Island in Canada during a huge downpour of rain. When seeing this, I was awestruck at the beauty. The shot was taken in manual focus mode and set to infinity focus because autofocus wasn’t working through all the mist and haze. This is why the leaves on top of the frame are blurry and why the ducks, trees on the right hand side and Toronto are clear.

Zooming in and out, I was able to set the exact point on where I wanted to focus and also took the time to wait for the exact moment when the swaying trees in the top of the frame weren’t blocking the perfect view of the city. Manually focusing helped me keep my cool in the harsh weather by forcing me to focus on the shot. This is true even further in an instance where I had to ditch my glasses.

I’m part of the Blind Photographer’s group on Flickr, and if you’re visually impaired then not only do you see the world differently than most people but you also usually require your glasses while shooting. In the above photo, I experienced one of the hardest stories I’d ever shot. Every year there is a giant pillow fight in New York City where people gather to, well, smack each other with pillows. I’m one of the psychopath photographers that jump head-on into the chaos in order to get shots, expressions and the best moments from inside. People with glasses are usually told to take them off as you get smacked in the face often. To shoot this story, I had to get a feel for where my lenses would manually focus just by twisting the wheel because I had to ditch my glasses. Capturing the expression on this guy’s face before he brought a fluffy pillow down on my head and camera was priceless because I literally swung the camera in his direction, twisted the focus wheel and snapped the photo. Autofocusing would have worked to a certain point: but it could also risk losing many critical moments that could not be repeated. Additionally, I don’t know where the autofocus points will go for but I do know what the focus wheel will go for.

Lastly, there is also portraiture. Shooting products and people in a studio has taught me that focusing manually will give your image the focus point that you will exactly need to satisfy your clients. Autofocusing can be a hassle and slow down your productivity time vs composing the shot and focusing manually yourself so as to cut out unnecessary cropping and post-production work.

As I’ve learned when shooting actresses in short films while in college, it’s best to zoom in the tightest you can, focus on the exact point that you want the shot to be, zoom all the way out and then recompose your shot. This way all the detail that you could possibly want to make your shot work will be available to you.

Give it a try for a while, see how you grow and change as a photographer.

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Hasselblad unveils CFV-39 digital back

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:09:00 +0200

Hasselblad has announced the CFV-39 digital back to be used in conjunction with its V series of camera bodies. Featuring a 39 megapixel sensor, it offers two capture formats: 4:3 and square (at 29MP). It allows tethered shooting and offers a capture rate of 1.4fps. The bundled image processing software features digital lens correction for Carl Zeiss lenses that corrects distortion, lateral chromatic aberration and vignetting.

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Nikon firmware development transfered to new company

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:51:00 +0200

Firmware development for all Nikon digital cameras and interchangeable lenses will now be undertaken by a new company named Nikon Imaging Systems. The new company is a joint venture between Fujitsu Broad Solution & Consulting Inc. and Nikon Systems, a subsidiary of Nikon Corporation. The initial investment will be around $1m and the company will employ 100 people.

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Using High ISO and Image Noise to Your Advantage

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04:03 +0200

Like many of you, I’m for getting the cleanest image possible while shooting. Raising that ISO up to levels where you see lots of banding and image noise isn’t really worth it for selling your shots considering how much post-process noise reduction you have to do. Therefore, anything less is totally unacceptable, right? Well, not all the time. If you look at old film photos you’ll see that this isn’t always true. Additionally, there’s lot more you can do besides making the image smaller to hide the flaws. Here’s how to use Image Noise to your advantage:

Black and White

The above shot is terribly grainy. Even when it’s that small you can see the image noise all over it. However, if you convert the image to black and white it suddenly brings out areas of the image that may not be visable in full color and also gives it a totally different feeling. In that image (taken at South St. Seaport in New York City) one can get an old vintage newspaper type feel when looking at it. All this is because of the subject matter and the black and white amongst other reasons.

Edit It to Ensure Emotions Are Felt No Matter What

In photojournalism, you’re taught that there are elements to every good shot: intimacy, newsworthiness, emotions, and the unusual. Therefore, don’t just take some random image and try to pass it off as artwork. Make sure that when it’s edited that everyone feels something from the picture.

The above image was shot totally clean and free of any image noise and graininess. It was all added in post production. However, it gives the impression and feeling that those flags are old and need to be replaced. Further, if you didn’t know that this image was shot this summer then you may think that the image is very old and that it could be from a time of extreme hardship in America.

In truth, the flags are just old and desperately need to be replaced.

Blur The Photo A Bit

Your picture can still be in color for full viewing but you can still mask the ISO if you’d like by blurring the image. Depending on how the image noise may look, you can deliver a more dream-like feeling to the photo. People love these-especially in Wedding photos. All you need to do is ensure that you’re shooting in RAW and adjust the clarity levels once you put it into Photoshop. I do all this type of stuff very easily with just Photoshop Elements. These dreamy images elicit emotions in viewers that make them smile and get a nostalgic feeling.

In the case of the above photo, a girl I know was sitting next to me going through the images I took. She loved this image and wanted it. So I edited it in front of her and surely enough her eyes lit up when she saw the “dreamy” version of the photo vs the original, which was quite noisy to be honest.

If It’s there, Embrace It!

In the above image, the noise and banding from ISO 1600 is clearly evident and getting rid of it may potentially make me lose detail unless I’m careful. So I took the alternative route–embracing it. I added even more image grain in Photoshop. The key is to keep playing with it until you achieve a look that is not only appealing but that you can use to your advantage in the pitch to your clients. The image above is plagued with noise issues but it works because of the old ISO 1600 film grain type of look.

All of this comes with the general philosophy of not working around “mistakes” but instead using them and making them adapt to work for your benefit. It’s a philosophy that can do very well for you and help you work through problems such as High ISO problems.

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Just posted! Waterproof Camera Group Test

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:33:00 +0200

Just posted! Our waterproof camera group test. Summer time means visiting the seaside, riverside, or your local pool - these are times for fun in and out of the water. And your camera should be able to keep up with you every step of the way. In our latest group test we look at five waterproof cameras to see which is the most deserving of your hard-earned cash so you can enjoy a summer of worry-free shooting.

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How To Shoot Fireworks

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:19:19 +0200

The 4th of July is coming: that means BBQ’s, fireworks, and lots of picture taking. You’re not the average person that just likes taking snapshots of everything and gets mediocre photos to share with their friends. You’re the type that will take lots of pictures, pick the best of the bunch and publish them. You may even sell them. Here’s how to ensure that your images of the fireworks this 4th of July stand out from other people’s.

Have Lots of Memory Cards and Backups

This is important. You’ll be shooting lots of long exposure shots and your timing will not always be perfect because of how long each set of fireworks lasts. So bring extra memory cards. More than that, make sure that these images are backed up onto a good hard drive of some sort. I had a Western Digital that only worked via USB port. When it stopped working, I lost all my images of fireworks from last years 4th of July. Even worse–they were around South St Seaport when the waterfalls were underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. So always back up your images because fireworks like this rarely happen.

Arrive early, Scout the Locations and Prepare

If there is anything that being a photographer shooting big, jam packed events will teach you it is to arrive to your location early. This way, no one is bugging you while shooting, getting in your way or taking the spot that you want in order to get your shots. Perhaps talk to the crews if you can and ask them to suggest the best places to setup your vantage point. Explain to them exactly what you’re going for in your images. Perhaps you’d love wide shots or maybe images of the fireworks going straight up into the air: each vantage point will allow you different types of images and therefore give off different feelings to your viewers.

Bring a Tripod

I’m the first photographer that will tell you to ditch a tripod. Being a tech journalist/photographer/videographer I can tell you how much your back will hurt from lugging around 50lbs or more of gear from location to location in New York City. However, in some situations it can be worth it to have one–this is one of them. You’re taking long exposures at night, you’re in an event where you will probably elbow-to-elbow with other people jumping around and sticking their point-and-shoots into the air trying to achieve the same type of image quality that you have, and there will be lots of chaos. The images coming from your DSLR should not shot evidence that you are in chaos because there is motion blur on your part. Rest it down on a tripod and securely fix it in a way that people won’t bump into it if you can.

If you want to switch locations, keep the camera on the tripod and move to your new setup location.

Long Exposure Settings, Lowest ISO Setting and Infinity Focus

As I’ve stated before, this is your best bet to get the images that you want. Shooting around 4-10 seconds long with F11-22 should deliver the quality that you want. Obviously, you’re not using a flash as your flash will do nothing to help your images from that range. To get the cleanest image quality without banding or grain, you may want to go for ISO 100-400. Additionally, use the method of focusing that video professionals use: zoom in, focus perfectly on the subject and then zoom out to compose your shot.

You’ll go home with dreamy, colorful images that will astound people.

Get it Right the First Time Around

Take the images correctly while the event is happening and don’t do much post-processing. Otherwise, you may risk having other photoshop wizards spot your production work. Keep in mind that this happened last year with the fireworks during the Olympics in China. Granted those were video images, but the same concept applies here.

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Play Dress Up and Put the Person In Their Element (or take them out of it)

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