Practical Photography Press Release

Everything you need to know about ?Still Life? photography.

Still life is all about turning everyday objects such as bottles, vases, and candles and turning them into interesting subjects for still life photographs. In other words, household objects into art. The latest issue of Practical Photography will teach you:

- To learn how to use a rooms ambience to your advantage
- To use natural window light to get the best out of still life photography
- How the most unusual objects can create fantastic photographs
- The best Digital and Film techniques

Plus…

Improve your portrait photography.
Read about top pro photographer Herbie Knott, who has snapped people such as Margaret Thatcher when she was Prime Minister, as he reveals the strategy behind his portrait sessions and suggests the ways that anyone can take great portrait shots at home.

The February issue of Practical Photography is on sale NOW, is just ?3.10 and is available at all good newsagents.

DON’T FORGET! If you signup to the PhotographyBLOG Newsletter, you could win a 3-month subscription to Practical Photography magazine!

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HP Press Release 28/01/04

YOU Can Win 15 Minutes of Fame in Digital Photography Contest Sponsored by HP and Project Greenlight

People encouraged to share their stories through digital photos via launch of worldwide contest

London, Jan. 28 2004 - HP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina and Project Greenlight executive producers Ben Affleck and Chris Moore have announced a worldwide digital photography contest titled “YOU Take Five!” at the recent Sundance Film Festival.

The contest gives people from around the world the chance to become an on-set photographer for Miramax’s third Project Greenlight independent film (which might also see them on television in the accompanying series set to air on Bravo) as well as earn a walk-on role in the movie and have their photo essay, or “YOUstory,” featured in an HP (NYSE:HPQ) advertisement.

“Our partnership with Project Greenlight brings together the best of technology and entertainment to inspire and empower a new generation of film-makers and photographers,” said Fiorina. “Technology today is helping to democratise creativity. Through the “YOU Take Five!” contest we hope to uncover many new and exciting artists.”

The contest, sponsored by HP and in partnership with Project Greenlight, supports HP?s advertising campaign, “YOU +hp,” which was launched in late 2003 and is designed to inspire individuals to see the photo in everything. The campaign showcases HP’s complete digital photography line-up ? from cameras and printers to PCs, ink and paper.

Funtigo LLC Press Release 22/01/03

San Francisco, CA—01/22/2004—Today, Funtigo LLC launched a significant upgrade to its photosharing site, Funtigo.com. With integrated PayPal e-commerce functionality, 10 free email addresses and search engine optimization support, Funtigo now also targets small to medium-sized businesses.

These new features supplement the existing features of Funtigo’s Deluxe membership program, which includes a free domain name and storage for up to 1,000 photos. According to Hans Hartman, partner at Funtigo, now small businesses can save themselves the costs of domain name registrars, hosting companies, and e-commerce service providers, because these services are all included in Funtigo Deluxe.

Why add e-commerce capabilities to a photo site? According to Hartman, this decision was a natural extension of how his customers create Funtigo sites.

“Many of our customers run small businesses that rely heavily on the display of photos to sell their products. They chose Funtigo because it is the easiest to use and the most flexible in how photos can be displayed, resized, and arranged on their Web pages. Now they can add “Buy Now” and “Add to Shopping Cart” buttons to photos that display items for sale. For these customers Funtigo has turned into a full-blown catalog site - an incredibly flexible and, at $5.95 per month, an inexpensive one as well.”

Following on from the earlier story today about Kodak offering a $1,000 instant discount on the purchase of the Kodak Professional DCS Pro 14n Digital Camera, it looks like job losses may be the reason. Kodak have today announced the loss of 15,000 jobs worldwide over the next 3 years, following a sharp fall in profits for the last three months of 2003. Apparently less popular product lines will be dropped, with a lot more emphasis placed on digital products. Click the link below for the ful story.

Website: BBC Business

With PMA 2004 looming on the horizon (only 3 weeks to go!), professional photographer and long-time Nikon user Thom Hogan has made a bunch of predictions for what will and won’t be revealed at the biggest photography trade show of the year (found via Digicamera.net):

“Every year I try to guess what’s in store for us Nikon-mount users at PMA based upon my reading of the patents, back channel rumors, etc. Since the pre-PMA DIMA starts in two weeks and that’s usually the point where initial press releases start flying, I need to get this out before the announcements, just in case I’m right ;~). Just so everyone knows, I’ve been mostly wrong in the past. But it’s a fun game that everyone can play, and I don’t mind wiping up the humble pie that hits the floor…”

Website: Thom Hogan’s PMA Predictions

Konica Minolta Press Release 16/01/04

Langenhagen, Germany, January 2004
In January 2003 Konica and Minolta announced their world-wide management integration. Now the Konica and Minolta European headquarters have been officially registered and are operating under Konica Minolta. The new companies have taken over all rights and obligations of the former Konica Business Machines Deutschland GmbH, Konica Europe GmbH and Minolta Europe GmbH.

The new companies are Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, located in Langenhagen, and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Europe GmbH, located in Hohenbrunn. The shareholders are Konica Minolta Business Technology, Inc. and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. in Japan.

The companies are operating in four business fields: business technologies, photo imaging, cameras, and measuring. With operative bases in 23 European countries the companies have a total workforce of around 6,000 employees.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe places major emphasis on the business of photocopiers and printers, especially in the field of colour output, as well as on business solutions, facsimiles and related supplies. Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Europe is a leading provider of consumer and commercial photographic materials, photographic equipment such as analogue and digital cameras and measuring instruments. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a camera manufacturer, the Konica Minolta Group in Europe aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging.

The German-based Business Solutions sales operations of both Konica and Minolta was spun-off to a new German sales company, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Deutschland GmbH, which is also based in Langenhagen. The domestic German sales operations of photo imaging and cameras are operating under Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Europe GmbH and based in Hohenbrunn.

[The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.]
The Record via NewsEdge Corporation : Jan. 14—Professor Frank Viggiano thinks the early years of the digital camera revolution could become known as the “lost years”—the years of the lost first birthday pictures, the lost Christmas pictures, and the lost vacation pictures.

Americans took those pictures, lots of them, on their brand new digital cameras in 2001, 2002, and 2003, but never printed them. And, says Viggiano, professor of consumer products at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, until retailers and photo processing labs do a better job of persuading consumers to make those prints, there are going to be a lot of gaps in America’s photo albums.

“What we are learning is that people are taking a whole bunch of digital pictures and not printing them,” he said. “Look at the number of digital cameras sold, and the prints made, and it’s pretty easy to figure out that people are not printing as much as they should.”

Those “lost” photographs also represent losses for traditional film processing labs.

The Photo Marketing Association International (PMAI) reported last month that consumer film processing dropped by nearly 10 percent from October 2002 to October 2003. The association blamed the decline largely on the fact that “more members of the most active consumer photographic segment—young parents—use digital cameras.”

Picture Services Network Press Release 07/01/04

LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 7, 2004—The Picture Services Network (PSN), a subsidiary of the leading global association for the imaging industry, I3A, has launched a service to enable digital photograpy users to quickly and easily locate and connect to digital imaging service providers nearby or wherever it’s most convenient - with any camera, through any Web browser, to any photofinisher participating in PSN.

PSN is the heart of the CPXe specification suite developed by I3A’s Common Picture eXchange Environment (CPXe) initiative, which delivered Version 1.0 in February 2003 and has just begun working on Version 2.0. Based on a Web Services framework, the CPXe specification comprises open standards for the exchange of digital images and photo services orders via the Internet.

By incorporating CPXe, photographic device and software vendors give their customers easy connection to a range of digital photography services. PSN’s private UDDI-based Directory Service allows any CPXe-compliant application to present consumers with a list of participating service providers. PSN thus enables digital camera users worldwide to quickly and easily locate digital imaging service providers near them, or wherever it may be convenient for them to purchase available services, such as near a friend’s or relatives’ home.

For example, a digital camera user in rural Vermont, where a winter storm has closed the roads, could take pictures of Baby’s first birthday party, then use PSN to locate a suitable CPXe-compliant photofinishing service in Los Angeles. The retailer will receive her images and order information, then create a keepsake for the Baby’s grandparents, or simply a set of prints made in one hour, for pick up near their home in Century City.

Several digital photography websites are covering the Consumer Electronics Show 2004, live from the show floor. A-Digital-Eye, LetsGoDigital and Imaging Resource all have representatives at the show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be posting news as it happens. Apparently Panasonic are set to announce some new digital cameras today…

Website: A-Digital-Eye

Website: LetsGoDigital

Website: Imaging Resource

Practical Photography Press Release

The single most important way to improve your photography is…?

“Photography is the greatest passion of all and we all strive to take pictures that we can be proud of. As the New Year starts, it is the perfect time to take stock and assess your approach to photography.”
Andrew James, Editor, Practical Photography magazine

The Practical Photography editorial team have combined both their knowledge and experience and then added to it the skills of professional photographers, contributors to the magazine and the magazine reader?s up and down the country. This has helped forge the ulitmate guide to improving your photos - 101 steps to really improving your photography.

There are over 30 pages of advice, inspiration and techniques ranging from the obvious to the obscure, including:

- Take control of your camera ? Don?t let your camera make the decisions for you
- Add atmosphere and drama ? use natures elements to inject life and impact
- Master the art of composition ? understand the elements of a great photo
- Critique your photography ? honesty is the best policy!
- Enter competitions and win ? introduce a new edge to your photography
- Tell a story in pictures ? they say a picture paints a thousands words?
- Explore your subject fully ? open your eyes and discover!
- Take advice from the professionals ? our pro?s expell their wisdom

But do you think you know what the single most important thing you can do to ensure better photographs? Even after you have mastered compisition and gained the photographers ?eye? what tip sits at No1? Well buy the latest issue of Practical Photography, read & absorb all 31 pages of sound advice, expert tuition & 100 tips and then turn the page to find out! 

The January issue of Practical Photography is on sale from the 2nd January and is available at all good newsagents.

PMA Newsline International Press Release

European photo specialty retailer Jessops is now selling a range of cameraphones in a joint agreement with Vodafone. Jessops will offer a selection of mobile phones, each with a built-in digital camera, with customers being connected to the non-contract pay as you talk service on Vodafone live!. The choice of phones will include models from Sharp, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Sagem.

The Vodafone live! service offers a host of features including picture messaging, games, polyphonic ringtones, e-mail, and a wide range of information and entertainment services.

The company says the move reinforces Jessops’ continued commitment to remaining at the forefront of digital imaging, and is set to further expand the company’s customer base - with industry experts predicting camera phone ownership will reach 55 million handsets worldwide in 2003, rising to 130 million in 2004.

“Jessops has a proud history of digital imaging innovation - including being the first to introduce digital camera demonstration areas in stores, and the first to offer in-store digital processing, says Jessops’ chief executive Derek Hine. “By offering picture messaging mobile phones we’re again demonstrating our commitment to embracing the latest imaging technology, and maintaining our market leading position in this exciting and fast moving field.”

In other Jessops news, the retailer is working with national charity CLIC - Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood - to raise funds for children with cancer and leukemia. The campaign entitled ‘Click for CLIC’ aims to raise at least ?50,000 by the end of 2004 and Jessops is celebrating the new partnership by presenting CLIC with a cheque for ?5,000, the company said.

Jessops launched the campaign by supporting CLIC’s ‘Win a day off work’ fund-raiser Dec. 12th - whereby companies donate extra days holiday to raffle off amongst staff to raise funds.

CLIC offers practical hands-on care and has a unique all-embracing approach to the well being of children affected by cancer and their families. CLIC fund specialist doctors, nurses, and play specialists, care grants, home from home accommodation, research and teenager support.

Digital cameras have hit the mainstream this year, at least as far as Olympus and Hewlett Packard are concerned. Here in the UK, these two manufacturers have both spent a small fortune on TV advertising. During every commercial break, one of them is running their ad campaign. Well, maybe not every break, but it sure seems like it after spending the last few days watching too much TV.

HP is advertising the wider picture by promoting both the digital camera and printer as an all-in-one experience, whilst not actually mentioning any specific products. Olympus has opted for an entirely different approach by wrapping up David Bailey in Christmas paper. Yes, you read that right, the most famous British photographer stands looking slightly bemused as he’s wrapped up by a woman in her mid-30’s. Then the ad cuts away to a picture of the Olympus 400 Digital camera, with some voiceover along the lines of “you can’t send someone David Bailey, so send them this camera instead”. Very cheesy and very, very annoying after the 100th repeat viewing.

Canon, Nikon and Sony are conspicuous by their absence…

PMA Newsline International Release 19/12/03

Leica kicks off its Oskar Barnack Award competition for pro photographers
 
Leica Camera AG, Solms, Germany, is accepting entries for its next international “Leica Oskar Barnack Award” competition for professional photographers. The annual “Leica Oskar Barnack Award” is given to the photographer whose observations most vividly express man’s relationship to his environment in a single photograph or photo story consisting of up to 12 pictures. The closing date for entering the “Leica Oskar Barnack Award” competition is Jan. 31, 2004.Either of 35 mm slide copies or enlargements may be submitted (minimum 7-by-9 inches, maximum 9-by-11 inches).

To qualify, entries must either be series of photos taken in 2003 or long-term projects with at least some of the photos dating from 2003. The winner will receive Euro 5,000 or a Leica camera of the same value. Entries should be marked “Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2004” and sent to: Leica Camera SARL, 106, Boulevard H?loise, F-95814 Argenteuil-Cedex, France. Further information is available at:

www.leica-camera.com/kultur/events/wettbewerbe/obp/index_e.html

Eleven-year-old Gareth Newton from Manchester has won the 2003 RSPCA Young Photographer Award with his amazing underwater close-up of an intrigued hippopotamus. The award, sponsored by Olympus and Truprint, is now in its thirteenth year and encourages budding young photographers to take pictures of animals, ranging from family pets and local wildlife, to exotic animals whilst on the other side of the world.

This year, a massive 8,000 entries were received from youngsters all over the UK, making it the most hotly contested competition yet. Television presenter and wildlife photographer, Chris Packham, comments: ?The winning entries this year are very strong and make a powerful exhibition.  This competition gives the children a lot of scope and they respond very well to this, photographing a wide range of farm animals, wild animals and pets. The winning photo is a fantastic portrait.  The picture makes the most of the hippo’s big, bulbous head and really shows its character.  I love the movement, the colours and streaks of light in the photo, and the fact the hippo is under water.?

Gareth won an Olympus Mju 300 Digital camera and a ?250 cash prize from Truprint, which were presented to his grandparents earlier today by Chris Packham during an awards ceremony at the prestigious Spencer Gallery, at the Natural History Museum in London.

Although he could not be there in person, Gareth commented: ?Visiting Disney?s Animal Kingdom in Florida and seeing the hippo was cool but winning this competition with my picture is really fantastic, this is the biggest and best thing I’ve ever won. I wish I could be there at the award ceremony but my Grandma and Grandad will be there for me.”

Entries were split into two age groups, under 12?s and 12-18s. The under 12 category was clinched by eleven-year-old Emma Sture, from Ulverston in Cumbria, with a striking close-up shot of her pet guinea pig, Sandy.  Fifteen-year-old Anja Jones from County Antrim soared above the competition to success in the 12-18s category with her winning photo of a seagull in the sky.

Both Emma and Anja were awarded an Olympus Mju V compact camera and ?100 from Truprint. In addition, eight runners-up will each get an Olympus Mju III 100 compact camera and ?50 from Truprint.

Sara Cubitt, head of marketing communications at Olympus, added: ?Olympus is glad to be able to encourage children to get creative with their cameras. Judging by the quality of the entries this year, it?s plain to see that they all took it very seriously indeed. They should all feel very proud of their efforts - we certainly are.?

The 34 winning photos will be displayed at American diner ?Tootsies?, Old Brompton Road, London until the end of January 2004.

Photographer Thom Hogan has written one of the most interesting articles that I’ve read all year, and who knows, some of it may well turn out to be true. “What Will Happen in 2004?” is Thom’s personal predictions of what will happen in the photography world next year. Amongst other things, he predicts that there will be 9 new DSLRs released:

“The third new Nikon DSLR will shake up the industry. Last year I predicted the appearance of parts of the F6 (the autofocus system ended up in the D2h). Well, this year I’m going further, saying it will appear fully. Essentially, the F6 will be like a medium format camera in 35mm size. The main component will simply be a light-proof box with lens mount, shutter, and mirror mechanism. Perhaps that part will also have a power supply in it. But everything else (and perhaps the power supply) will be modular. You’ll have your choice of bolt-on film or digital backs and your choice of viewfinders. Backs and viewfinders can be interchanged mid-roll/mid-card. I’ll go further and point out that Nikon will use the Olympics in Greece to launch this hybrid.”

Website: Thom Hogan - What Will Happen in 2004?

The Tokyo-based Camera and Imaging Products Association has issued a report stating that shipments of digital cameras from the various Japanese manufacturers has increased to 5.18 million units, from 2.8 million a year earlier. Sales have increased 54 percent to 132 billion yen ($1.2 billion), from 85.8 billion yen. North America and Europe were the biggest growth areas (found via BytePhoto).

“U.S. officials are preparing a warning to airlines alerting them to watch out for travelers carrying electronic devices that may be carrying small weapons or bombs.

The warning, which is due Tuesday, follows raids of al Qaeda safe houses which turned up evidence the group is trying to modify electronic devices to carry small weapons or explosives, administration officials told CNN.

A camera flash was found being modified to convert to, or carry, a stun gun, the officials said.

There is also, from interrogations, a concern about toys, specifically “stuffed animal toys.”

Several news agencies yesterday reported that US airport security staff have been instructed to check electronic devices as a potential terroist threat, including cameras and flash guns. So if you’re travelling to the USA fully expect to have your camera checked by airport officials when you check-in.

Website: MSNBC News

Website: CNN

Meanwhile, the magazine Photography Monthly have reviewed the curiously named Pentax *ist in the August 2003 review. As well as giving the 35mm SLR camera a rating of 9 out of 10 and saying “the Pentax joins the Canon EOS 300V and Nikon F75 as the pick of the best sub-?300 SLRS”, they also contacted Pentax UK to explain the reasoning behind that strange name (to say the least). To quote:

“Apparently, it’s meant to be used as a suffix to describe the type of photographer who might use the camera. You can be a Pentax-ist - someone who loves using their Pentax. Or, an Artist, Specialist, Pictorialist, Perfectionist, Portraitist, Publicist…”

So now you know :-)

The Canon Powershot G5 was recently released, following on from the previous G3 model. A few PhotographyBLOG visitors wondered what happened to the G4 name. Well, it appears that guest Krishna was right when they said “In Japanese characters(kanji) numeral 4 also represents death/bad thing and hence is avioded in most of the version numbers of products”, at least according to the UK magazine Amateur Photographer.

AP say on page 28 of the 19th July issue that “the truth behind the leap from 3 to 5 is one based on cultural superstition - in Japan, the number 4 is considered unlucky. This is because the pronunciation of 4 - “shi” - is the same pronunciation as death. This is the reason why the EOS range jumps from the EOS 3 to EOS 5, and why the latest IXUS digital compacts bucks the trend of the IXUS v2 and IXUS v3 models by becoming the IXUS 400. Indeed, to find a Canon camera with a model number 4 you have to look back as far as the 1950s to the Canon IV.”

So now you know :-)

By the way, Amateur Photographer loved the Canon G5, awarding it a rating of 92% and summarising “In short, the five-million-pixel camera market contains a lot of good cameras, but very few exceptional ones. The Powershot G5 must certainly be counted among their number and is arguably the best that we have seen so far.”

This is more of a web design post than anything to do with photography, but it seems that a number of prominent publisihing houses that specialize in Web Design/Development books have gone under. I’ve bought quite a few books published by friends of ED - their books taught me the fundamentals of Photoshop, Flash and Actionscript - and there were many more titles that I wanted to buy. Wrox Press and glasshaus have also bitten the proverbial dust.

“Wrox Press, along with sibling companies friends of ED and glasshaus, have notified current authors to stop work on all projects, promising news after a 3-4 week hiatus. Presumably, liquidators will attempt to sell off the projects (along with the authors’ contracts) to 3rd parties during this time, though most authors have already begun the search for new jobs.” (SitePoint Tech Times newsletter)