Sigma has announced that their controversial SD1 camera has been re-launched as the SD1 Merrill, in honour of Dick Merrill the late co-founder of Foveon. The new MSRP is $3,300, but the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) will be $2,299, which likely means an actual retail price of around $2,000 when it's released in March. This is the price that it should have launched with last year. This re-launch and price reduction quickly follows the recent passing of Sigma's co-founder and CEO Michihiro Yamaki. The new CEO is Kazuto Yamaki, the founder's son and the company's previous COO. The SD1 has been…
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Most Topular Stories
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8 February, 2012 - New Cameras, and New Pricing from Sigma
The Luminous Landscape - What's New8 Feb 2012 | 12:04 pm -
It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Jake Peterson!
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider7 Feb 2012 | 9:37 pmMaking History Come to LifeTen months ago I was attending Photoshop World in Orlando, FL. It was the second time I had been to Photoshop World, but after the blast of Vegas the previous September there was no way I was going to miss the one that Spring. One morning in the instructors’ lounge Jay Maisel, someone who I knew of but had never met, was sitting at a table. I introduced myself and we started to talk. Afterward Jay went up to my Dad and said, “You have failed as a parent if you let your kid go into photography as a career.” He smiled and my Dad just laughed;… -
First deliveries of Nikon D4 delayed until mid-March
Rob Galbraith DPI8 Feb 2012 | 1:45 pmInitial shipments of the Nikon D4 to retailers have been pushed into next month. The pro digital SLR had originally been scheduled for worldwide release beginning late next week. Now, says a Nikon USA PR representative, a "minor production delay" means dealers can expect to start taking delivery of the company's new flagship in the middle of March. -
In Today’s News…New Classes at Kelby Training
Joe McNally's Blog6 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amJust finished two new classes for Kelby Training, which are in the pipe, and will most likely come out fairly shortly. They’re pretty in depth looks at creating, with just light and a plain wall, an environment in which dancers can thrive, create their own sublime shapes, which then, at camera, you simply hope to capture. I’m a big believer in the fact that when the camera observes a performer, it simply stands in service to their creativity. Consequently, the best thing a shooter can do is provide a comfortable place for them to experiment, light them simply and well, and then… -
The Nikon D800 – First Thoughts
Photofocus8 Feb 2012 | 6:01 amUPDATE: Within minutes of posting this – several of you claiming to be video experts say you disagree that the 36MP is good for video. So be it. I was simply reporting what I had been told. I personally don’t have a dog in this hunt. As my post clearly expresses, I personally think 36mp is too many for a 35mm sensor. Your mileage may vary. I’ll start with the usual disclaimer. I am not one of the cool kids so I have never shot with a D800. This is not a review. Until I actually shoot the camera I won’t have a firm opinion, but looking at the specs, I am very confused…
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The Luminous Landscape - What's New
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8 February, 2012 - New Cameras, and New Pricing from Sigma
8 Feb 2012 | 12:04 pmSigma has announced that their controversial SD1 camera has been re-launched as the SD1 Merrill, in honour of Dick Merrill the late co-founder of Foveon. The new MSRP is $3,300, but the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) will be $2,299, which likely means an actual retail price of around $2,000 when it's released in March. This is the price that it should have launched with last year. This re-launch and price reduction quickly follows the recent passing of Sigma's co-founder and CEO Michihiro Yamaki. The new CEO is Kazuto Yamaki, the founder's son and the company's previous COO. The SD1 has been… -
7 February, 2012 - Master Class in San Miguel with Michael Reichmann
6 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pmAs previous announced, Phase One is having a Master Class in San Miguel de Allende in early March. It is being taught by Michael Reichmann and Mark Dubovoy. There have just been a couple of cancellations and these spots are now open. If you do not own Phase One gear, a loaner system can be made available for use during the workshop. Find out more right away. NEW I normally don't do new product announcements unless they are really significant. There are two though today that will have far reaching implications. Nikon has announced the 36 Megapixel D800, also available in a version without an… -
5 February, 2012 - A Photographer's Eulogy for Eastman Kodak
4 Feb 2012 | 2:25 pmIt's the end of an era. The Kodak that we knew and loved (or not) for the past hundred years is no more. Michael Chiusano shares with us today A Photographer's Eulogy for Eastman Kodak. "I have purchased many of your tutorials in the past and found them very helpful. However, Camera to Print and Screen is truly over the top in usefulness and helpfulness. I have gone back to it several times to get up to speed on a subject, or answer a question about sharpening, printing and/or moving photos to an iPad; it is great, and well worth the cost." … -
1 February, 2012 - The Game of Photography - What Are The Rules
31 Jan 2012 | 5:01 pmToday's new essay is by scientist, photographer and author Harold Merklinger. It is titled The Game of Photography – What Are The Rules? "You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos. I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years. Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner). -
27 January, 2012 - Learning Video Production The Hard Way
26 Jan 2012 | 4:33 pmHigh end video production is now within the reach of any modern DSLR owner. What does it take to achieve something really worthwhile though? Regular contributor Peter Cox shares the trials and tribulations of producing an hour long video tutorial/travelogue in Learning Video Production the Hard Way. "I have purchased many of your tutorials in the past and found them very helpful. However, Camera to Print and Screen is truly over the top in usefulness and helpfulness. I have gone back to it several times to get up to speed on a subject, or answer a…
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Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
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It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Jake Peterson!
7 Feb 2012 | 9:37 pmMaking History Come to LifeTen months ago I was attending Photoshop World in Orlando, FL. It was the second time I had been to Photoshop World, but after the blast of Vegas the previous September there was no way I was going to miss the one that Spring. One morning in the instructors’ lounge Jay Maisel, someone who I knew of but had never met, was sitting at a table. I introduced myself and we started to talk. Afterward Jay went up to my Dad and said, “You have failed as a parent if you let your kid go into photography as a career.” He smiled and my Dad just laughed;… -
Jumping the gun on the Nikon D800
7 Feb 2012 | 7:46 amSince my post last night here on Google+ (http://www.scottgplus.com), and here on my blog earlier today, I’ve seen a lot of comments flowing in pro and con about this camera, and I just want to say a quick few things about the comments I’ve been reading thus far:(1) The D800 was apparently created for a very specific type of photographer There is no law that every camera introduced by a camera company has to be designed to fit your personal needs. If you read that it has 36.3 megapixels and you’re like “36.3 megapixels is overkill!!!” then obviously this… -
Nikon Announces The D800 And Baby Does It Look Sweet!!!!
6 Feb 2012 | 9:33 pm36.3 megapixels (wow!) with a full frame sensor. Full HD video with stereo sound (yay) built in HDR (sweet) and it looks like its aimed at the commercial, wedding and landscape markets (photographers who shoot medium format digital backs. I mean who used to shoot digital backs). ;-)I haven’t seen one, held one, etc., but it sounds amazing and I want one. Bad!!!! (And yes, sometimes you need 36.3 megapixels). Two words: Whoo Hoo!Read the full scoop at Nikon USA: http://bit.ly/wVaU77 -
Lightroom 4 and Leaving The Past Behind
5 Feb 2012 | 9:04 pmYesterday I was in Cincinnati, Ohio teaching a mini-version of my “Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it” workshop at the ProPhoto Expo (a really excellent event by the way, put together with the help and vision of none other than David Ziser himself), and during one of the breaks between sessions a very nice woman came up and told me how upset she was that Lightroom 4 wouldn’t run on Windows XP, and that she feared when Photoshop CS6 ships it won’t support XP either.Here’s basically what I told her: It’s 2012. Windows XP came out in October of 2001 (more than 10… -
I Shot My First NHL Ice Hockey Game Last Night….
2 Feb 2012 | 10:55 pm… and it sure looked it! :((Above: That’s the game winning goal in Overtime above. Not a pretty shot, but then, none of them really were).I absolutely love shooting ice hockey! I’m just no good at it yet. Not only was it my first time shooting ice hockey, it was my first time at an ice hockey game. It was (as expected) a rough night. How rough was it? Well, I actually registered the domain you see below last night after I uploaded my photos to the wire service I was shooting for.But I Still Had to Submit Photos I was able to upload 25 shots to Southcreek Global that were,…
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Rob Galbraith DPI
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First deliveries of Nikon D4 delayed until mid-March
8 Feb 2012 | 1:45 pmInitial shipments of the Nikon D4 to retailers have been pushed into next month. The pro digital SLR had originally been scheduled for worldwide release beginning late next week. Now, says a Nikon USA PR representative, a "minor production delay" means dealers can expect to start taking delivery of the company's new flagship in the middle of March. -
The Atlantic features Civil War gallery
8 Feb 2012 | 12:15 pmThe Atlantic features The Civil War, Part 1, The Places, an historic gallery of interesting old black-and-white photos. -
Turnley slideshow features human condition
8 Feb 2012 | 11:15 amPeter Turnley features an interesting slideshow called Moments Of The Human Condition on his website. -
Photojournalist shares seven things learned
8 Feb 2012 | 9:30 amGetty Images photojournalist Peter Macdiarmid shares the Top 7 things I've earned as a Getty Images news photographer but what is more interesting is the video below the list. -
Sigma announces dramatic SD1 price reduction, updated DP1 and DP2
8 Feb 2012 | 7:45 amSigma today announced that the price of its SD1 DSLR camera has been reduced to US$2,299 in the U.S. (That is the Minimum Advertised Price, or MAP, which is normally also the actual street price.) This is a reduction of more than $4,500 from the previous MAP. At the same time, the company announced updated versions of the DP1 and DP2 large-sensor compact cameras, which now use the same 14.75 million image pixel, 3-layer Foveon sensor as the SD1.
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Joe McNally's Blog
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In Today’s News…New Classes at Kelby Training
6 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amJust finished two new classes for Kelby Training, which are in the pipe, and will most likely come out fairly shortly. They’re pretty in depth looks at creating, with just light and a plain wall, an environment in which dancers can thrive, create their own sublime shapes, which then, at camera, you simply hope to capture. I’m a big believer in the fact that when the camera observes a performer, it simply stands in service to their creativity. Consequently, the best thing a shooter can do is provide a comfortable place for them to experiment, light them simply and well, and then… -
GPP-A Reunion in the Desert
30 Jan 2012 | 1:52 amI’ve been away from Gulf Photo Plus for a couple years now, but heading back for 2012. Dubai remains fascinating, to be sure, but what really has rocked me, once again, is the gathering of talent in the city of the sands. I kinda wish I could go and clone myself for a week, and just shuttle around to hear some wisdom. I’m especially psyched for the return of Greg Heisler. I missed him there last year, and he knows light and color like no one else. Also, David Burnett is coming. David and I know each other now for thirty years. He’s simply one of the most intelligent… -
Nikon D4- Behind The Scenes Video
25 Jan 2012 | 3:53 amWe’ve got some major thank you’s to offer as we dipped our toe into the waters of video. First off to Nikon who trusted us with this project and their hand built, prototype D4 cameras. (See the video to reference the fact that I broke one--slightly.) And to Gen Umei, from the K&L agency in Tokyo, who is a wonderful friend and a wondrous art director. And as always to his colleague, Aoyagi Toshiaki, who we have known for years simply as Mr. Blue. Marco Tortato of the Manfrotto Corporation provided us with simple, wonderful tools to execute shots. And Victor Ha and Brian Hynes… -
Nikon D4 Video….The Blues in His Shoes….
23 Jan 2012 | 5:44 amLittle Freddie King is the real deal. He hopped the rails at the age of 14, and went from his family farm in Mississippi down to New Orleans, ’cause that town was swayin’ with sound, and he knew he had to be there. The ever magical Lynn Delmastro in our studio got in touch with him, and his manager, “Wacko” Wade Wright, and we were invited, briefly, into his life, and his music. It was enriching and wonderful to be around Little Freddie. I doubt a nicer man ever picked up a guitar. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpo5AC-wETY We shot this short, sweet and simple,’cause… -
Buds
17 Jan 2012 | 8:21 amOne of the cool things about shooting for Nikon a bit of late has been hanging with my Italian and Jewish brothers, Mike Corrado and Lindsay Silverman. Among the three of us, we must have about eighty years of camera experience. (They would immediately assure you right now that they each have ten of those and the remaining sixty belong to me.) We collectively survived the acetate era, and arrived intact in the age of digital. Intact physically, anyway. Mentally, the three of us are a few pixels short of a full frame chip, if you know what I mean. I love going on location with Corrado. His…
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Photofocus
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The Nikon D800 – First Thoughts
8 Feb 2012 | 6:01 amUPDATE: Within minutes of posting this – several of you claiming to be video experts say you disagree that the 36MP is good for video. So be it. I was simply reporting what I had been told. I personally don’t have a dog in this hunt. As my post clearly expresses, I personally think 36mp is too many for a 35mm sensor. Your mileage may vary. I’ll start with the usual disclaimer. I am not one of the cool kids so I have never shot with a D800. This is not a review. Until I actually shoot the camera I won’t have a firm opinion, but looking at the specs, I am very confused… -
Don’t Banish the Trashing of the Dress, Elevate It
7 Feb 2012 | 5:20 amGuest Post by Catherine Hall – Follow Catherine on Twitter In wedding photography, the “Trash the Dress” trend has veered increasingly toward shock-and-awe novelty, rather than artistry. The phenomenon all too often leaves me feeling squeamish. You know the drill: A beautiful bride in her lovely white dress gets convinced by a well-meaning photographer to trash her gorgeous gown for art’s sake. She ends up with food dumped on her head or is induced to take part in a mud-wrestling match. Whatever the scenario, her once-pristine gown is not only soiled, but irrevocably besmirched. The… -
What Photographic Tools & Technology Will We Use Today And Lose Tomorrow?
6 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amI used to make photographs with film that I developed and printed in a wet dark room. When I started photographing art for painters I used polarized lights to provide non-reflective illumination on the art work. When I first switched to digital, I scanned all my photos on a drum scanner, then stored them on floppy disks or magnetic tape drives. These are but a few of the examples I can think of that point to technology and tools that are for me at least, gone by. I know there are people still using all of these tools. But I am not and nobody else I work with is either. With the exception of a… -
Photofocus Podcast Episode #101
5 Feb 2012 | 6:15 amMake sure you don’t miss a single Photofocus post – point your feed reader to the free Photofocus RSS Feed here and subscribe. PLEASE BE PATIENT – OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH. Download episode… Photofocus Episode 101 Host: Scott Bourne (www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne) Show notes by Bruce Clarke (www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke) Welcome to Episode Number 101 of Photofocus with Scott Bourne. Photofocus is the show devoted to discussing photography and… -
Nik Snapseed for Mac – Mini Review
4 Feb 2012 | 5:13 amWhen Nik Software released Snapseed for the iPad it got quite a lot of attention. I’m one of those rare people who doesn’t use an iPad for content creation. My iPad essentially serves only two purposes… 1. To show off my portfolio 2. To consume data I wasn’t all that interested in fixing photos on my iPad. But my laptop? That’s a different story. So when I heard that Snapseed was available for my Mac laptop, I went to the App Store, plunked down my $19.95 and started playing. While most serious photographers I know (me included) like Nik ColorEfex Pro, Snapseed is…
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Strobist
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Lighting Inside the Box
6 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amAfter 15 years of long-term planning (and saving) Susan and I finally took the plunge with a full kitchen remodel. We were really pleased with the results, and at some point I had promised the contractor a nice photo of the final product.In a room like this you are basically illuminating the inside of a box by using hidden lights, which turned out to be an interesting exercise. And it's something I would recommend for just about any photographer. Read more » -
Core Knowledge: Working With Remotes
2 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amThere are two things you should always remember about radio remotes:One, radio can be fickle. This is true whether you are using your time-honored PocketWizards or a brand new Chinese offering.Two, radio waves -- and success with your remotes -- are all about the physics. So a little knowledge can go a long way toward ensuring good range and reliability. Some basics that every lighting photographer should know, inside. Read more » -
Tyler Stableford: Dispatches From the Underground
30 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amAspen, Colorado-based photographer Tyler Stableford generally shoots action and adventure, most of it aboveground. But this shoot for Timberland PRO would send him a half-mile deep into the earth. That far down, before adding light it is absolutely pitch black. As in, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. And the lights the miners use while extracting coal there aren't much friendlier -- low-level, and a mix of tungsten and fluorescents. So Stableford shot the entire campaign working on the edge of the quality envelope, and lighting with only a few speedlights. Read more » -
Q&A: Dealing with Glare from Dark Wood Backgrounds
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amReader Jefferson, from California in the US, asked via Twitter:"How do you deal with glare on dark wood in background for portraits? Is this covered in Lighting 101 or 102?"Actually, it is covered in L102, if a little obliquely. And yes, pretty much any time you light into dark wood as a background you are gonna get some blowback.But rather than look at this as a problem, I prefer to think of it as a feature… Read more » -
Ono Shouichi: The Spirit of a Century
22 Jan 2012 | 10:30 pmPhotos © Ono ShouichiBy Irwin Wong -- Multi-light setups, gear reviews and lighting tricks are all worthwhile food for thought. But when people are looking back at your life’s work, will you be remembered for your lighting or for what you tried to tell the world with your camera? In a long-spanning portrait series, Tokyo-based editorial photographer Ono Shouichi has (to date) photographed two hundred Japanese centenarians. The lighting, while there, is subordinate to the message. As it should be. Read more »
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Features RSS
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How Do You Prepare for Fashion Week?
6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amAs the New York fashion shows approach, PDN asks four photographers what equipment they pack to cover runway shows, the backstage scene and street style. -
DIY Camera: John Chiara's Giant Camera Obscura
6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amThe landscape photographer talks about how and why he built a 50 x 80 camera. -
3 Photo Book Picks
2 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amLooking for some good photography reading? Check out these three terrific photo tomes. -
Cookbooks Come Out of the Kitchen
2 Feb 2012 | 12:00 amA slate of new cookbooks are using extraordinary photography to entice consumers. -
How To Land Environmental Portrait Assignments
31 Jan 2012 | 12:00 amPhoto editors explain what they need to see in photographers’ images before giving them the challenging job of shooting environmental portraits.
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PhotoWalkPro
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If Sharpness Is What You Want, the D800E is What You Need
7 Feb 2012 | 4:40 amAs predicted, Nikon unleashed the D800 on the hungry camera consumers last night and it is everything that the pundits had said it would be. There are some eye-popping specs associated with this ambitious release and it is sure to be the hot camera for the year (unless Canon gets off their butts and does something special with the 5D Mark III). I’m not going to get into all the features, I’ll let you do that for yourself (LINK), but I do want to bring your attention to something at the bottom of the product page. That’s where the little banner above is taken from. If you… -
Creating Faux HDR in Lightroom – the New and the Old
5 Feb 2012 | 9:03 pmI was working on one of my Lightroom chapters and I got to the section where I described how to do a faux HDR look using the sliders in the Basic panel when it hit me, the sliders I normally use for creating the effect are not there anymore. In LR3 there is a Recovery, Fill Light and Brightness sliders but those are gone, having been replaced by a Highlights, Shadows, and Whites sliders. I then remembered that my buddy Matt Kloskowski had written a post on his Lightroom Killer Tips blog about new HDR presets using LR4 so I figured I would play around with the sliders and see what I could do. -
February Wallpaper Calendar Now Available
1 Feb 2012 | 2:44 amI’m trying out something new here on the blog. As a way of saying thankyou to all my readers I am giving away computer desktop wallpapers made from my images – free of charge. I have uploaded the first image that is available in various sizes and all I ask is that you don’t use it for anything but a wallpaper. To access the February wallpaper calendar just click this link (WALLPAPER) or click on the Desktop Wallpaper link in the menu at the top of the page. Thanks and have a great February! No related posts. -
How do you Say Exposure in French?
31 Jan 2012 | 9:02 pmI have to admit that I didn’t know until last week. That’s when I got a copy of my book, Exposure – Snapshots to Great Shots in French. The word is Exposition by the way. So the funny thing is that a couple of week ago my wife and I were looking at a sales report for my books and we noticed that there was an entry for sales of my books in China. We thought that was pretty cool and we commented that it would be pretty cool to see some of my books in different languages. I had seen some Czech translations about a year ago but had never seen any other translations. Then, out… -
Adobe Improves the Already Great Adjustment Brush in Lightroom 4
29 Jan 2012 | 9:33 pmI have been doing a lot of work with the beta version of Lightroom 4 as I prepare to write my next book and at first glance, you might think that there really isn’t much change between versions 3 and 4. But the more that I use version 4, the more I am noticing that Adobe has really taken the time to refine and improve a lot of the existing features. Just the other day, my buddy Scott Kelby wrote about how much better the Develop module is and I totally agree. And today I found another feature that is better than it used to be, the Adjustment Brush. As soon as you click on the Adjustment…
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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips
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Why I Don’t Backup My Photos Using Lightroom
7 Feb 2012 | 5:39 amIf you’ve used the Import dialog in Lightroom, you’ve probably noticed an area under File Handing called “Make a Second Copy To:”. This is Lightroom’s way of letting you make a backup of your photos as you import them. That way you can get your import and your backup all done at once. A while back, some one pointed out that when you use this feature, you don’t have much control over how the backup drive stores the photos. Basically, it just stores them in a folder named “Imported on….”. For me this is a big problem because it’s not… -
Lightroom Worth-a-click
3 Feb 2012 | 6:26 amHappy Friday! Here’s a few Lightroom/Photography related things that are worth a quick click if you’re surfing around. • A friend of mine from Paris (who I shot with while I visited last year and was a HUGE help!), Serge Ramelli has a Lightroom app on the iTunes store. Here’s the link if you want to check it out. • It’s not exactly brand new news but I had a new class go up on Kelby Training last month that’s all about Lightroom presets and how I create them. If you’re looking for a peak inside the mind of the preset creator (and some cool ideas for… -
Lightroom Video – Dynamic Watermarks (well… not really, but kinda)
1 Feb 2012 | 8:08 amI always like to do videos that answer questions I get, rather than just doing a video that I “think” everyone wants to know about. Well, this weeks video comes from a question that I’ve gotten in several forms over the last couple years. Recently, some one asked if they could add a watermark to their photos with the current year on them. So basically, Lightroom would have to figure out the year from the metadata (probably not hard) and dynamically add it to the photos when you export them into JPEGS (not so easy). So, there’s really no way to do this, but there is an… -
Your Burning Lightroom 4 Questions Answered From Adobe
30 Jan 2012 | 7:10 amI just saw a post over on Adobe’s Photoshop.com blog where product manager Sharad Mangalick, answered a bunch of Lightroom 4 questions. Everything from catalogs, to video, new features, you name it. Below is one question I pulled directly from the page because I’ve been asked quite a bit too, but there’s lots more in the full article. @luxx11 and @jennawoodward Ask: @Lightroom why can’t I use my LR3 catalogs in LR4? Is there a way to easily transfer my Lr3 catalogue into Lr4? Sharad: Since Lightroom 4 is still in beta form, we restricted the ability to bring in catalogs… -
Lightroom 4 and Windows XP
23 Jan 2012 | 7:52 amI’ve seen quite a few comments about the fact that Lightroom 4 Beta doesn’t work with Windows XP (and you can probably guess that the full version isn’t going to work with it either). Last week Tom Hogarty (Lightroom Product Manager) wrote about the reasons behind that decision on his blog. Here’s a quick snippet but you can go here to read the rest: “As many have noticed, the Lightroom 4 public beta we released last week does not support Windows XP. This decision did not come lightly and was based on a number of factors. With each version of Lightroom, our goal…
