The SAA Photo Metadata Project is set to resume educating photographic professionals with more getMETAsmart events. All getMETAsmart events, which are designed to teach imaging professionals how to use metadata, are free to those who register in advance at www.photometadata.org. All who attend can also register for a free raffle featuring valuable professional software and services from Adobe, Microsoft, Camera Bits, Photoshelter, and now, liveBooks. The Chicago event held on 24 September 2009 at Prairie Production at 1314 W. Randolph Street, will fit between the American Society of Picture Professionals’ Midwest education day and an evening presentation by Judy Herrmann of the American Society of Media Photographers. While those events require an admission fee, the getMETAsmart seminar will be free to all registrants. Then, David Riecks will travel to Atlanta on Saturday, 10 October, to share the metadata message with Southeast professionals at Big Studio, 881 W. Marietta Street N.W.

Panasonic’s Living in HD community is looking for bloggers, video bloggers, photographers, podcasters and other content creators on the Social Web to participate in the Living in HD Insider programme. Living in HD Insiders will have the opportunity to see new Panasonic HD technology before products hit store shelves and spend time with Greg Harper, technology expert and Living in HD Answerman.  As part of the programme, one winner will receive a full content creator suite of Panasonic High Definition products to fuel their creativity, as well as the unique opportunity share their experiences with HD technology with community members. The winning Living in HD Insider will also receive a Panasonic LUMIX G1 camera to give away to their own online network to encourage their readers and followers to join the Living in HD community. To enter for a chance to become the next Living in HD Insider, people should visit www.livinginhd.com/lihdinsider/ until 9 October. Along with their application, entrants must also submit a video that compellingly and convincingly answers why they believe they should win the content creator suite and how they would encourage their community to get involved with LivinginHD.com.

Enlight Photo has announced the upcoming launch of a mounting bracket for the Orbis ring flash - the Orbis Arm. The Orbis is a photo lighting device that turns the harsh light of a regular photographer’s flash into beautiful, shadowless light especially useful in portrait photography. The Orbis Arm provides a solid mount for photographers who want to use their Orbis in its primary ‘ring flash’ position for extended shoots. The Orbis Arm will retail for £39.95 at www.orbisflash.com and all good camera stores.

Olympus has issued firmware updates for the Olympus E-P1 camera and the two Olympus-branded Micro Four Thirds lenses released so far. Version 1.1 improves the continuous autofocus (C-AF) performance of the camera and lenses alike. In order to install the firmware updates, hook up the E-P1 - with lens attached - to the computer, run Olympus Master and select ‘Update Camera’ from the Online Service menu.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Olympus E-P1

SanDisk today introduced a new line of SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash memory cards, which feature a new SanDisk Power Core Controller, an advanced memory controller that enables read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. This represents a doubling of from previous SanDisk high-end camera memory cards.  SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards feature RTV Silicone coating for added protection against moisture and humidity. The cards can withstand accidental drops of up to nine feet, and carry a lifetime limited warranty. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards will be available in capacities of 16GB to 64GB and MSRP ranging from about $300 to $800 in the U.S. market.

Adobe Systems, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Nikon, Nik Software, Wacom and X-Rite have joined forces for a unique, nine-city Creative Alliance Tour. The tour has been set up to provide creative professionals with a comprehensive insight into a complete digital workflow. A full-day seminar will take place at each city stop, hosted by renowned photo professionals and evangelists - Robin Preston, Boudewijn Krijger and Guy Gowan, among others. The seminars will consist of inspirational presentations and in-depth technical workshops, with the opportunity to share questions and experiences with the experts. The Creative Alliance Tour will begin in autumn 2009, with stops in the Netherlands, UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. The next stops will be in Manchester on September 15 and in London on September 17.

Between 10.30am GMT on 14 September 2009 and 10.30am GMT on 16 September 2009, PhotographyBLOG readers can sign up for FREE for the London event by going to www.thecreativealliancetour.com and visiting their special London page.

Kyocera Corporation today announced that it has developed the world’s fastest inkjet printhead — the key component in inkjet printing equipment. Each nozzle in the new KJ4 Series printhead ejects ink at up to 60,000 dots per second (at 60kHz drive frequency); with 2,656 nozzles per head, the device is capable of printing approximately 150 million dots per second. The newly developed printhead sets new records for high resolution, full-color inkjet printing, offering the world’s fastest print speeds in any of three resolutions: 600×360dpi (330m/min. at 40kHz), 600×600dpi (200m/min at 40kHz), and 1200×1200dpi (150m/min at 60kHz). Kyocera will display the new printhead at the Japan Graphic Arts Show 2009 from October 6 through 10 at the Tokyo Big Sight.

North American visitors to fodors.com have until the end of this month to enter their favourite photos of America’s National Parks in the “Show Us Your National Parks” photo contest. Ten winners will receive a copy of The National Parks by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns as well as a Fodor’s guide of their choice. Photographs will be considered for inclusion in upcoming editions of Fodor’s National Parks guides and all winning photos will be featured in an online gallery. You must be an 18+ user of fodors.com and reside in the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) to be eligible to win. As usual, we encourage you to read the rules before entering your work.

Carl Zeiss today announced the pricing and availability of its Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZE ultra-wide lens for Canon EOS SLRs. The lens’s extremely wide 99°-angle view is suitable especially for full-frame sensor cameras, delivering an array of new creative possibilities. The Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE has a relatively compact design, especially when compared to zoom lenses. Internal focusing also helps to reduce its size while delivering extremely precise and smooth focus control, according to claims made by Carl Zeiss. Following the Planar T* 1,4/50 ZE and 1,4/85 ZE, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE is the first wide-angle lens with EF bayonet mount on the market. The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE will be available in autumn 2009 at a suggested retail price of €1,049+VAT.

For the ninth consecutive year, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops hosts 12 week-long workshops in San Miguel de Allende, a charming colonial town set in the northern highlands of central Mexico. Veteran photographers such Sam Abell, Joyce Tenneson, Greg Gorman, Ralph Lee Hopkins, and Eddie Soloway, inspire all levels of photographers in pursuit of personal vision, portraiture, documentary storytelling, and travel photography. Participants explore the soul of San Miguel amid the vibrant culture, rich heritage, private gardens, and Day of the Dead festivities. The three-week programme, occurring October 25 through November 15, is hosted on a private campus within walking distance of the main plaza of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. San Miguel remains a safe refuge for participants to grow creatively while capturing fireworks illuminating the gothic spires of the Parroquia, listening to strolling musicians in El Jardin, and making personal connections with local families. For more information on workshops in San Miguel de Allende, or other workshops offered by Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, visit the website below.

Website: Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust has announced an in-depth interior and exterior tour of Wright’s Robie House, a photogenic building in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighbourhood. The tour, which will take place at 9 a.m. on Sunday, 18 October, presents wonderful opportunities for professional and amateur photographers to explore one of the most famous architectural landmarks in the United States. Wright’s Robie House is located at 5757 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago. Tickets are $80 for Preservation Trust members and $90 for non-members. Advance ticket purchases are required, and possible via the website below.

Website: Go Wright

Dazzboard will officially announce a partnership with the social cloud storage provider MySites, allowing anyone to upload an unlimited amount of photographs, videos or music files for free. Dazzboard is a free service, to remotely store, and share data online or on the phone.  In exchange for endless cloud space, MySites users will get access to Dazzboard’s ability to move cloud-stored files to and from portable devices, to organise files on a computer or across the social web (e.g. Facebook) with a simple drag-and-drop. The service features the ability to use Facebook Connect, to publish comments on users’ files to their Facebook stream and to post content from the phone, directly to a profile. Dazzboard currently supports Windows XP, Vista and 7, Internet Explorer version 6 (XP only), 7 and 8, as well as Firefox 3.X. In the near future, Dazzboard will be compatible with Google Chrome and Mac OS, the company says.

Website: Dazzboard

Photoscala has posted an interesting Gain & Loss analysis of the worldwide DSLR market, for the period 2006-2008. According to their findings Canon, who were the undisputed worldwide leaders in 2006, have lost 9 percentage points and barely managed to keep their number one position against Nikon, who have gained 4 percentage points in the meantime. The biggest winner is Sony, who managed to more than double their market share, and took the third position from Olympus with ease. The rest of the market is devoid of any major changes, although Panasonic has managed to double its share, partially owing to its introduction of the DMC-G1 (which is, technically speaking, not a DSLR, but is nevertheless included in the figures). Nota bene: Photoscala warns that these numbers, which were derived from multiple sources, are to be taken with a grain of salt, but allegedly “the tendencies have been captured quite accurately”.

Source: Photoscala

JVC Visual Systems Division has introduced its new DLA-RS4000 Reference Series projector, which is capable of delivering a 10 megapixel image with a native resolution of 4,096x2,400 pixels. This is nearly five times more than the so-called Full HD resolution of 1,920x1080 pixels, and approximates the pixel count of most current digital still cameras. So in theory, you can now enjoy huge projections of your digital photographs at - or close to - their native resolution. In practice, it will depend very much on your budget - at $175,000 the JVC DLA-RS4000 projector (which, to be fair, is targeted at well-heeled home cinema owners rather than photographers) makes the Leica S2 camera look cheap in comparison.

Digieffects has announced that Camera Mapper, a plugin for Adobe After Effects, allows you to simulate a 3D scene from 2D stills or footage, is available for purchase. It allows you to isolate one or several objects in your footage, project these objects on a separate layer and pull that layer out of the background, creating the visual illusion of the object floating in front of the original footage. The Camera Mapper plugin, which is compatible with Adobe After Effects 7, CS3 and CS4, sells for $79. Camera Maker is also available in a $229 bundle with PlaneSpace, a program developed by Red Giant Software for arranging and animating 3D layers easily.

PhotoShelter have released Google Analytics for Photographers, a free, downloadable kit designed to help photographers succeed online. This kit contains comprehensive guidance - specifically for photographers - on how to implement and make sense of Google’s powerful tool for monitoring website traffic. The primary content is PhotoShelter’s a 43-page, comprehensive e-book that explains how to install Google Analytics, how to read and interpret the data, key metrics to follow, and how to set benchmarks and goals for evaluating website performance. PhotoShelter also includes a quickstart guide, and a chart that demonstrates how to use Google Analytics to address five key marketing questions. The kit can be downloaded at the website below.

Website: Google Analytics for Photographers

InvenSense has announced the new IDG-2000 dual-axis pitch and roll gyroscope, which provides the imaging market with a smaller and thinner gyroscope ideal for improving optical image stabilisation in digital still cameras and high-resolution, eight megapixel and above camera phones. “Optical image stabilisation is quickly becoming a standard key feature consumers look for in new cameras,” said Chris Chute, IDC Research Manager in the Worldwide Digital Imaging Practice. “Even with millions of digital cameras still being sold worldwide, competition for product differentiation, coupled with lower price points are forcing camera vendors to manage costs more closely than ever. New technologies like the IDG-2000 can help camera vendors remain competitive in the market.” The IDG-2000 family of digital dual-axis gyroscopes begins sampling in October 2009 to selected OEM partners.

Partnering with the NSPCC and their ChildLine service to support the Child’s Voice Appeal, PhotoBox has announced its 2009 Young Photographer of the Year competition. The contest launched on September 8th and aims to capture the world of young people through their own eyes. It will be judged by an expert panel including renowned photographers, Annabel Williams and Charlie Waite along with senior representatives from NSPCC and PhotoBox. Children are encouraged to enter via http://youngphotographer.photobox.com and their photographs will be grouped under four age categories - under 8 yrs, 9-12 yrs, 13-15 yrs or 16-18 yrs with different prizes for each.