Sigma Corporation Introduces New 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC Wide Angle Lens


Company’s latest super-wide angle zoom lens offers professional photographers exceptional image quality with Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) functionality

Ronkonkoma, NY, June 29, 2009 - Sigma Corporation (www.sigmaphoto.com), a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider for some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, has announced the availability of the Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM super-wide angle lens.

The 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM is the widest zoom range lens that incorporates Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) technology, ensuring quiet and high speed auto focus (AF), as well as offering full-time manual focusing capabilities. This unique lens is the only ultra wide zoom lens with a fixed aperture, which affords photographers better light and speed capabilities. This DC lens has a maximum aperture of F3.5 throughout the entire zoom range, making it ideal for indoor low light situations, as well as architectural and scenic photography, truly enabling photographers to emphasize the subject they are shooting.

“Starting in the late 1970s with the introduction of the Sigma Zoom Gamma 21-35mm F3.5-4, the first wide zoom lens in the industry, Sigma Corporation has led the way in providing photographers with innovative lenses at accessible prices,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, general manager of Sigma Corporation of America. “With the introduction of the highly anticipated Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM, we’re combining exceptional performance with unparalleled quality, allowing photographers to produce strikingly sharp images with less vignetting and decreased instances of distortion.”

By incorporating two Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass elements, combined with a Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass element, the Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM provides the photographer with excellent correction of color aberration, producing sharper end results. Furthermore, the inclusion of four aspherical lenses, along with Super Multi-Layer coating, ensures exceptional image quality throughout the entire zoom range by providing correction for distortion and allowing for reduced flare and ghosting.

This lens, ideal for professional photographers, has a minimum focusing distance of 9.4 inches (24cm) throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:6.6. The light-weight design also incorporates an inner focusing system that eliminates front lens rotation, making it particularly suitable for using the Petal-type hood and polarizing filter to block extraneous light and reduce internal reflection.

The Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM is currently available for Canon and Nikon mounts for $950 MSRP in stores nationwide, and will be available for Sigma, Pentax and Sony mounts in July.

To locate an authorized Sigma dealer nearest to you, visit www.sigmaphoto.com/where/where.asp. For information about Sigma Corporation of America, visit www.sigmaphoto.com.

Fujifilm Distinctions Awards 2009 - Photography Competitions


“Win up to £1,000 cash in the Fujifilm Distinctions Awards 2009.Film is the creative choice. Photographers choose film for creativity and for quality. Photographers choose film for the art of photography, which is why we have created the Fujifilm Distinctions Awards.” — Photography Competitions

Source and Read More: photographycompetitions.net

Lake District Life and Landscapes - Photography Competitions


“The photos will be judged by an independent panel of judges, whose decision is final and binding. NO correspondence will be entered into. The judges will look for images which best capture the variety of English Lake District Life and Scenery in all its formats and seasons, and in which the photographer has shown skill and imagination in taking the photo.” — Photography Competitions

Source and Read More: photographycompetitions.net

WWT Nikon Photography Competition 2009 - Photography Competitions


Following the success of our national photography competition over the last two years, WWT and Nikon are once again challenging photographers of all ages to send in their photos of wildlife, landscapes and people at WWT centres.
As last year, the competition has three categories:

  • WWT Nikon Photo of the Year (general photography)
  • WWT Nikon Junior Photo of the Year
  • WWT Nikon Digiscoping Photo of the Year

Source and Read More: phootgraphycompetitions.net

Free Online Image Converter and Editor


Craiova, Romania (PRWEB) July 1, 2009 — Bits&Coffee, the creators of batch image converter program BatchPhoto, introduces today an online application designed to perform common image processing operations on pictures.

The online application can perform operations like: convert, resize, crop, and rotate. The tool is designed to be easy to use and easily accessible from any computer connected to the Internet without the need to install a software program. This is a free, no-frills service offered by Bits&Coffee as a complement to its commercial image converter program, BatchPhoto.

Source and Read More: phootclique.com

New Photography Styles Change Wedding Industry


CLEVELAND, June 30 /PRNewswire/ — Long gone are the days when wedding albums were filled with posed portraits of the bridal party standing on the church steps and families smiling in front of a simple backdrop. Unusual photography locations, photojournalistic styles, and dramatic lighting dominate wedding photos today as couples strive to record every aspect of the big day in their own unique style. This trend towards more customization has been embraced by many companies, including PhotoWorks.com, from the online photo sharing division of American Greetings Corp (NYSE:AM) , which incorporates personal photography into one-of-a-kind gifts for all occasions.

Source and Read More: photoclique.com

Video Review: Reichmann and Resnick’s “Where the #%*! are My Pictures?” - Joe Decker


“Several times a year I teach a one-day workshop on optimizing images using Lightroom at the local art league, and in doing so I’m often asked for a good book recommendation for someone learnning Lightroom. As I’ve mentioned in my previous review, my usual recommendation has been Martin Evening’s book The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers. In the process of keeping my eyes open for new resources, I recently purchased and watched “Where the #%*! are My Pictures?”, a three-hour video series by Michael Reichmann and Seth Resnick which focuses on the the file-handling, digital asset management (roughly speaking, the Library module) aspects of Lightroom.” — Joe Decker

Source and Read More: photocrati.com

Mystical Tint Tone and Color Photoshop filters - Julie Easton (PhotoshopDaily)


Mystical Tint Tone and Color 2.0 is a suite of 60 production oriented filters that enhance the look and feel of a photo, allowing the user to quickly and efficiently capture the perfect mood for their shot.

MTTC 2.0 uses an intuitive brush-on / brush-off methodology to give the user precise control over the results. Dynamic rendering allows the user to combine an unlimited number of filter combinations to enhance their images in a non-destructive environment that fosters creative exploration and experimentation without the need for all the layers, masking and techniques necessary in Photoshop.

Source and Read More: photoshopdaily.co.uk

//REVIEW// Review: Wacom Intuos4 - Julie Easton (PhotoshopDaily)


“The Intuos4 is the latest in a long line of successful Wacom drawing tablets. With every evolution and redesign, users expect more from their creative applications. The Wacom Intuos4 lives up to these expectations. This is a simple yet super-efficient piece of design hardware and it’s damn sexy, too. The drawing tablet radiates style with its slick streamline black shell, high-gloss ExpressKey panel as well as blue LED lighting.” — Julie Easton

Source and Read More: photoshopdaily.co.uk

Iranian Demonstrations Generate Income for Citizen Photojournalists - Dean (Photopreneur)


“Is it really possible to make money as a citizen photojournalist? It’s a question that must have passed through the mind of every wannabe news photographer. Anyone can now earn money from stock photography.” — Dean

Source and Read More: phootpreneur.com

Composition In Real Estate Photography - Larry Lohrman


“Photographic composition is a slippery subject. On the one hand, some like to codify it with a list of rules that if followed will lead to success.

On the other hand, some say, “there are no rules, you know it when you see it.”” — Larry Lohrman

Source and Read More: photographyforrealestate.net

Lighten Up with the Clone Tool - Jeff Revell


“I was working on some images yesterday and as I was eliminating a shadow in one particular shot, the thought crossed my mind to share the simple technique I was using. The clone tool is often used to eliminate unwanted items in an image but it can also be used to lighten or darken areas based on the sample source. That is what I did with this particular image. “ — Jeff Revell

Source and Read More: revellphotography.com

I Did It In Lightroom - Jeff Revell


“I was reading my buddy Scott Kelby’s blog yesterday and enjoying all the great images he took of the red Cadillac in Savannah when something he wrote kind of struck me as funny. When discussing the post processing of the images, Scott wrote, “I didn’t even need to run a noise reduction filter. In fact, there are no effects filters or HDR used on any of these shots—-just Lightroom”. I completely understand what it is that Scott was saying but the thought that crossed my mind was that these days, you can process the heck out of an image using just Lightroom. So much so that you can completely change the look and feel of an image to the point that it appears that plug-ins and special filters were applied.” — Jeff Revell

Source and Read More: revellphotography.com

//REVIEW// Getting a Better Look [Hoodman HoodLoupe) - Jeff Revell


“You’ve probably heard me talk about the Hoodman HoodLoupe in the past and what a great tool it is for shooting outdoors. By sealing the LCD into a light tight environment, the LCD screen can then be easily seen even in the bright sun of the beach. It’s something that I try not to leave at home if I know I am going to be shooting outdoors. Now I have an even greater incentive for keeping it close by, in any shooting situation. It helps me see the screen with my old eyes.” — Jeff Revell

Source and Read More: revellphotography.com

VSO Software announces the release of PhotoDVD 3, a major new version …


VSO Software announces the release of PhotoDVD 3, a major new version of its award-winning DVD slideshow software

TOULOUSE, France (July 1st, 2009) - DVD Photo slideshows are now widely used to share pictures in an original way. But creating a slideshow can be a heavy and confusing process if one doesn’t use the right tool.

“Our aim was to create a simple, no-fuss application, combining at the same time the support of specialized formats to suit advanced photographers” explains Fabrice Meuwissen, Executive manager of VSO Software.

With a new design, playlist management, menu and chapter creation PhotoDVD 3 now offers all the options required to make a professional-looking slideshow:

  • A wizard-style interface to guide user through the steps of slideshow creation
  • Photo enhancement tools
  • Transitions, panning and zooming effects, Hotpoint…
  • 3 channels of text and music to create different atmospheres
  • Quick burning to DVD
  • A live preview to see slideshow during creation

The software creates a DVD-like video of your pictures and music, with a menu complete with chapters, audio and subtitles selection.

With PhotoDVD anyone can turn into the director of its own movie of memories! Wedding, Birthday, Holidays, Tribute, Business presentation, Real Estate.

Lightroom Backups Made Easy - David duChemin (pixelatedimage)


“Hope you all had a great weekend. I’m gearing up for Ethiopia this week, I leave Friday morning. That means I’m up to my ears in creative briefs, gear, and a mountain of little detaily things that always seems to predicate these trips. But you’ll be pleased to know I’ve got posts lined up for the week and there will be a new desktop wallpaper on the 30th. July 1st is Canada Day so to celebrate I’ll be announcing the winner of the signed 20×30 canvas I announced HERE.” — David duChemin

Source and Read More: pixelatedimage.com

The Tuesday Composition: Blacks, Shadows and Silhouettes - Joe Decker (photocrati)


“Two weeks back we looked at how our eyes tend to behave around photographic highlights, this week we’ll spend a little time looking at the flip side of that coin, dark areas in an image.

Silhouettes provide the clearest examples. Much as our eyes seem to want to dwell in highlights, our eyes avoid dwelling in the blacks of featureless silhouettes.” — Joe Decker

Source and Read More: photocrati.com

Professional Matric Dance Photos - Louise Diesel


“Getting married and having the perfect matric farewell dress are just two of the big milestones all girls look forward to. You spend months looking for the dress and then you have to have it made or buy one. “ — Louise Diesel

Source and Read More: louisedieselphotography.co.za

Bad News: The Pentax Muesum is to be Closed Down by July 31! :-| - RiceHigh


“The 1000 Pentax cameras will be gone, and so as those collected lenses and accessories, exhibits, illustrations and photos. July 31 will mark a very sad day for Pentax. The museum was established by the Asahi Optical Company back to 1968 in which the full history of Pentax is contained, updated and most of the old and new Pentax items are collected.” — RiceHigh

Source and Read More: ricehigh.blogspot.com

NYCphotoWorks me over - Robert Wright


“Is it me or do they go out of their way NOT to mention money?

So I apply and get taken to a very nice website with a lovely list of editors. Two weeks later, voila, I am accepted and get a login to register.

WHAMO!” — Robert Wright

Source and Read More: robertwrightphoto.com

Studio Photo Lighting - San Antonio Photographer


“Whether capturing photos of products or shooting portraits or other images. Achieving great photos of publishable quality, does require some photographic ability whether natural or learned. Photographers often utilize photography equipment such as muslin backdrops and photo studio lighting kits or lighting stands to highlight the subject. Often times a back light or fill light will be employed as well to eliminate any shadowing affects in the background of the images.” — San Antonio Photographer

Source and Read More: photography-photographer.com

Night Photography: Photographing The Moon In The Landscape - Richard and Patty


“Photographers have been trying to utilize the light of the moon in their landscape photography ever since the photographic process was invented. It was not until World War II, however, that technology had improved enough to make night photography possible.” — Richard and Patty

Source and Read More: richardandpatty.com

Olympus E-P1 London Launch & Hands-on - SeriousCompacts


“The official UK launch of the highly anticipated and long awaited m4/3 camera from Olympus was today. Olympus chose the Jessops store near Tottenham Court Road in London for the event and has even invited photographer David Bailey for the event.” — SeriousCompacts

Source and Read More: seriouscompacts.com

Adobe Lightroom:101 - Jun Miranda (MB.com.ph)


“In Part 2 of this series, I discussed how to create a catalog in Lightroom (See June 16 issue). Creating a catalog is the starting point in Lightroom (LR). Once you have created a catalog of your photos, then you can proceed to organize, edit, and output them (print, slideshow or via web gallery).” — Jun Miranda

Source and Read More: mb.com.ph

SLR Snapshots to Great Shots Week: Day 3 - A-Depth is A-OK - Rick Sammon


“This week’s blog is devoted to SLR tips - in honor of the Wiley DVD that I am currently shooting on the new Canon Rebel T1i (available this fall). All the photos were and will be taken with that camera. It’s a also to celebrate my new SLR classes on Kelbytraining.com (available now).” — Rick Sammon

Source and Read More: rickrawrulessammon.blogspot.com