ClearCam 1.7 iPhone App

ClearCam 1.7 is a relatively new app that's been updated and now sports support for the 4th generation iPod Touch including faster and better algorithms. Current enhancements include:

✓ Increased capture rate
✓ 17 new EXIF fields stored to the Cam Roll
- Exposure Time
- Aperature Value
- Focal Length

Quick Mode Features Include

✓ Just point and shoot!
✓ Rapidly captures multiple images
✓ Keeps the best one to save you time
✓ Saves directly to the camera roll
✓ Retains GPS/EXIF/PLACES information

Enhanced Mode Features Include

✓ Create images with 2X resolution (up to 11MP)
✓ Produce sharper images with much less noise
✓ Save images with GPS/EXIF/PLACES support

Price: $1.99/Download

Canon G11 - iPhone App Training Video

A training video that explains the basic controls of the Canon G11. This video runs 1 hour and 20 minutes in length and can help new users become proficient with their camera in a short period of time.

Price: $24.99/Download

Rick Sammon's Light It Light - iPhone App

Rick Sammon’s Light It Light! is an iPhone app that’s designed to help you make professional-quality digital SLR people pictures – without spending a small fortune on professional lighting accessories. Note: Requires iOS 4.1 and later.
The app (packed with 570 MB of info) includes video lessons. It’s called Light It Light! because the iPhone version contains all the same great Rick Sammon video lessons as the iPad version but does not have the extensive photo gallery nor Library section that is included in the iPad version, Light It!

Rick Sammon took the illustrative photographs with a range of digital SLR cameras – from entry-level to top-of-the-line models. While watching the video lessons, you’ll learn how pros photograph people indoors and outdoors, in bright light and in low light, at home and on location, and even in a studio.
In the easy-to-follow and fun video lessons, some of which were originally shot for Wiley Publishing, Rick will show you how to use reflectors, diffusers, a flash, flash accessories, basic strobe kits, basic hot-light kits and more. Rick also cover camera settings, as well as some of my photo philosophies. Although Rick often refer to specific cameras, the basic camera settings can be applied to any digital SLR.

This is a basic, or starter, app about lighting. However, as you will see, pros use many of these techniques and accessories to get great shots.
Two of the videos in this app – Top 21 People Photography Tips and Top Ten Digital Photography Tips – feature some of Rick's favorite digital SLR pictures from around the world, accompanied with how-to tips, of course!

The movies, shot by Emmy-award winner David Leveen, are divided into five sections:
Basics 33 Minutes   
Outdoors 15 Minutes
In Your Home 16 Minutes
On-Location 12 Minutes
Studio Shooting 23 Minutes
The total viewing time is over 1.5 hours.
The app was developed by Craig Ellis of Great Oak Software. In discussing the app, Craig said, “My goal with the design of Light It Light! was to make it an intuitive yet rich learning experience that showcases Rick’s favorite lessons that are embodied in beautiful videos. His lessons are fun and easy to follow where he makes learning fast – so the user experience supports that flow. I am especially proud of look and feel where iPhone users should be immediately familiar, comfortable, and productive using the app to become seasoned photographers in taking better people pictures by learning from the teachings of Rick Sammon.”
Download - iPhone Version - $1.99
Download - iPad Version - $4.99

Professional Retouching Secrets by Karl Taylor - Is This The Most Expensive iPhone Photography App?

Well, at $129.95 it's certainly on the short list. This app has been designed to teach you some of the best kept industry retouching secrets used in professional advertising images to give your photographs that highly polished look. Apparently, you will learn the essential tools and techniques step by step for light shaping, skin smoothing, shading and much, much more.
So sounds good, this is just a prelimary preview and as soon as I can, I will review this app thoroughly to let you know if it's worth the ambitious initial investment.

This application is aimed at photographers who want to improve the impact and dynamism of their portrait, fashion, beauty or product images. To get the best out of this training course you should have an understanding of the most common tools and rudimentary functions of Adobe Photoshop.

Pro Masterclass Series Subjects

- Perfect Skin Techniques
- Retaining Skin Texture
- Light Shaping and Enhancement
- Retouching Fine Detail
- Contrast and Sharpening
- Image Impact
- Burn and Dodge Layers
- Healing and Cloning
- Airbrush
- Liquefy and Warp

Application Features

- 5 hours of stunning on the go video.
- No WIFI required after initial install for playback anywhere
- Subject Search
- Photo Note Pad

To try this app for yourself, download here

'Nikon Lenses' - iPhone App

Here's a new iPhone app to hit the iTunes store, entitled 'Nikon lenses' - I was rather surprised that it wasn't called 'Nikkor lenses' as that is by what they are known but nevertheless it looks like a competent app. The app is a guide to Nikon's current lineup of F-Mount lenses used by both Nikon's digital and film SLR cameras. You can view all the lenses at once or you can view lenses in a selected category. You have the ability to sort by aperture, minimum focal length and ESP (Estimated Retail Price).

If you would like to try out this app, download it for free, here

Zacuto rolls out Z-Finder EVF

Zacuto, the US-based video accessory maker, has introduced an new 3.2-inch 16x9 aspect monitor for their existing Z-finder models. The EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) has a 800x600 resolution and boasts HDMI loop through to use with HDSLRs and a pro-level external monitor simultaneously. Although not available for sale just yet, Zacuto are taking reservations for a February 2011 delivery. The price is expected be in the region of $775. For more information, please see either the video below, or follow the link at the bottom of the post.

For more details, please follow the link.

British Storm Chaser, Roger Coulam's Electifying Weather Photographic Portfolio

Roger Coulam was born in Lincolnshire in 1965, but wound his way to the North East of England after an education in Yorkshire and then in Newcastle Upon Tyne, where he studied as an Environmental Scientist. Roger was one of the first UK photographers to capture the power and beauty of the weather, marking the way for many to follow. Much of this work was taken on film in Tornado Alley in the USA.
Not one to shy away from tornadoes, violent electrical storms or coast-battering waves to get the perfect shot, this adrenaline junkie's weather images are second to none.

M434D1 - Explosive development - Kansas, USA

He has always been fascinated in the energies and the extremes of nature, and in 2000 he visited the USA to photograph lightning and to chase storms and tornadoes. This journey led to him becoming part of a Storm Chasing Team in the States for eight years, and forming a reputation as a severe weather photographer, with his pictures becoming published worldwide.

784C4 - Tornado - Nebraska, USA

Roger turned professional in 2003, after developing his practice by supplying a wide range of clients with high quality pictures for editorial and stock use, through commissions and his own picture library.

M830B2 - Genesis - Nebraska, USA

Since 2008 he has increasingly concentrated on personal projects. These include working with found objects, camera-less and alternative photographic techniques, photo-polymer printmaking, and traditional film based and darkroom work.

921E2 - Boston, USA

M430A3 - Nebraska, USA

406A4 - Hill City, Kansas, USA

Self taught, he began to make pictures in the 1990's, on numerous trips to North West Scotland.

590C1 - Outflow dominant storm - Texas, USA

M442C2 - Nebraska, USA

M432C3 - Tornadic supercell storm - Nebraska

To see more of these amazing images and more besides, visit Roger Coulam's gallery here

Canon puts nature in focus

Canon has announced a series of photography-based events at three Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT) sites around the UK in November. The events run from 9.00am until 5.00pm. A full day’s booking will cost £79. For more details including purchasing tickets for the events, please see the links in the official UK press release below.

BJP's Vision returns

The world's longest running photography magazine, BJP, has announced its 12th year of Vision, a one day programme for imaging creatives. Featuring informative seminars, portfolio reviews and exhibitors, this years event is to be held on the 19th November at the Business Design Centre Islington, London. Registration prior to the event is £10 (£15 on the day), while the fee for portfolio review sessions is £25.

For more information, please follow the link.

Let's Face It 7 - The Portraiture Award Competition

This is a wonderful competition to enter, photographers are encouraged to interpret the brief in the widest sense, portraying your subjects with emphasis on their identity as individuals. You may enter a single image or a series of up to six related images. Images can be of both people and/or animals. A private view and continuing exhibition of the winners work will be held at the Assembly Rooms in April 2011, this will be supported by a catalogue of the winning work.

Current LPA Entries - Entry Number 13247

Naga Baba, Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, India

New Canon 2010 Photography Competition - Why Do You Love Football?

If you love football, American football that is, and you love photography then why not combine the two and enter this fantastic new competition sponsored by Canon. Canon U.S.A., Inc, a leader in digital imaging, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame are looking for the best youth football photos from across America. Football fans are encouraged to pick up a camera this season and show their passion for the sport through photography by entering the sixth annual “Why Do You Love Football?” photo challenge.
The nationwide amateur photo contest is divided into two divisions, Adults ages 18 and over and Teens 13-17, and consists of two categories. The category Action focuses on any image that captures football action during game play and Feature comprises any football imagery outside of game action. The winning photographer in both divisions will have the opportunity to attend Super Bowl XLV in North Texas and receive a trip to the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Celebration. The winning photos will be displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for one year.
Deadline: December 1, 2010
Entry Fee: Free

Rules

2010 "Why Do You Love Football"
"Pro Football Hall of Fame/Canon Adult and Teen Amateur Photo Challenge"
• TEEN ENTRANT – must be 13-17 years of age by 9/2/10.
• ADULT ENTRANT – must be 18 years of age and over as of 9/2/10.
• This contest is for amateur photographer only; professional photographers (see Official Rules for definition) are ineligible.
• Photos must have been taken during the 2010 football season and must depict youth football, which DOES NOT include collegiate or professional football.
• All persons reasonably identifiable in the photo must have signed a photo release form. A model release form is available from this site.
• Two categories of photo subject matter – ACTION and FEATURE. See Official Rules for full explanation.
• 28 finalists will be selected by a panel of judges as finalists (14 in each age category, 7 in each subject category). Grand Prize winners in each age group will be determined by fan voting.
• Grand Prize Winners will receive a trip for 4 to the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Celebration (8/6/11) AND a trip for 4 to the Super Bowl XLV schedule on 2/6/11 in North Texas. See Official Rules for complete prize details and restrictions.

Prizes

The grand prize winner in both the adult and teen divisions will win a trip for (4) to Super XLV in Dallas, Texas and also a trip for (4) to the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies in Canton, OH to see their winning photo unveiled at the Hall of Fame. In addition, both winners will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T2i camera with 18-55 IS lens kit, a Pixma MG8120 Photo Printer and a $500 gift certificate to the Hall of Fame Museum Store.
Secondary Prizes
First Place in each category will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T2i with 18-55 IS lens kit and Pixma MG8120 Photo Printer and a $500 gift certificate to the Hall of Fame Museum Store.
Second Place in each category will receive a Canon PowerShot SX 210 IS and Pixma MG5220 Photo Printer and a $250 gift certificate to the Hall of Fame Museum Store.
Third Place in each category will receive a Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH SD1400 IS and CP800 Photo Printer and a $100 gift certificate to the Hall of Fame Museum Store.
All honorable mentions will receive a plaque of recognition from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Judge

Click here to register and submit your images

Free Photography Magazine - Online

Enjoy free online photography magazines? Who doesn't? Download PhotographyBB now - contents shown below.

PhotographyBB magazine. Issue #32 (10MB PDF, 50 pages) covers a number of topics including:

+ YouTube as a social media tool for photographers
+ protecting your gear while travelin'
+ photo-visit to the Adirondacks
+ Photoshop World coverage
+ digital noise primer
+ product photography with a single light source
+ post-processing tutorials
+ and more!

Via: 1001NoisyCameras
Download

Accidental Photographer - Francis Hills - The Tour Begins Today - September 28, 2010

Francis Hills is known as the Accidental Photographer, and for a compelling reason: seven years ago, after losing his job during the dot.com bust, he picked up a point-and-shoot and discovered his true passion. Today, Francis shoots celebrity, fashion and beauty from his New York Studio. A digital photography evangelist, he's worked closely with Hasselblad and Hewlett Packard, giving presentations about his photographic journey and demonstrating high-end digital photography, worldwide. His work is primarily shot on high resolution digital using medium format backs. Francis has appeared numerous times as photographer and judge on Scandinavia's Top Model, Norway's Top Model, Sweden's Top Model (as resident photographer) and TLC's Covershot TV shows. In 2007 Francis had the rare opportunity to fly to Africa and France to take portraits of the enigmatic French Foreign Legion, documenting first hand the Legionnaires for a book and exhibition. His work has appeared in numerous magazines world wide including: Elle, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Essence, Gotham, GQ, Las Vegas, LA Confidential, Ocean Drive, Oprah, Time and Zink.

First Stop - Seattle

Join renowned celebrity photographer Francis Hills for a 3-hour photographer's workshop where he will demonstrate the digital photo workflow he uses to create iconic images of today's most interesting and influential personalities. In addition to an intimate look at how Hills achieves his unique photographic style, you will learn image capture with SanDisk memory, how to edit, showcase and manage your images with Aperture, and create gallery-quality prints with large format photo printers.

Francis Hills' workshop will demonstrate his photo digital workflow using products from Apple, HP, and SanDisk.

Learn How To:

1. Capture with SanDisk imaging memory cards & readers
2. Refine and manage massive libraries with Aperture.
3. Print with HP DesignJet Large Format printer.

Schedule

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (PT)

Location

REI Seattle
Casey Schwabland Conference Room
222 Yale Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

Tickets $29.95 - order here

Next Stop - LA

Date:     September 30th, 2010
Time: 10:00-1:00pm
Location:     Samy's Camera Fairfax Classroom
Instructor:     Francis Hills
Fee:     $25 - order here

Next Stop - Gaithersburg

Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 -Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Time: 10:00 -1:00 pm
Location:    Mac Business Solutions , 9057 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg MD 20877 (US).
Fee: Free - book place here

Next Stop - New York

Session 1

Date: Monday, October 11, 2010
Time: 10:00 - 1:00 pm
Location: B&H Super Store, 420 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Fee: Free - book place here

Session 2

Date: Monday, October 11, 2010
Time: 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Location: B&H Super Store, 420 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Fee: Free - book place here

Next Stop - New York City

Date: To be determined
Time: As above
Location: Adorama, 42 West 18th Street, New York City, NY 10011
Fee: $25

NEC adds 23-inch MultiSync PA231W to range

NEC make some of the best displays in the business, and the new PA231W seems like an ideal replacement for Apple's now no longer available 23-inch HD Cinema Display. The PA231W has a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution has dual digital DVI-D interfaces and features digital DisplayPort connection. However, if you're using a Mac with a mini-display port, you'll need one of these, or this. The PA231W is available now at $635 / £535 (plus VAT).

NEC Display Solutions presents 23” model in the MultiSync® PA series


Future-proof features to increase productivity


London, 28 September 2010 – NEC Display Solutions is launching the MultiSync® PA231W, a 23-inch monitor in its award-winning PA series of professional class displays. The display, with its powerful IPS technology, delivers excellent picture quality in the new 16:9 format and includes sophisticated features such as a future-proof DisplayPort connection and ergonomic comfort through height adjustability. With a focus on improving user productivity and having an attractive price/performance ratio, this monitor is designed to meet the demands of the CAD/CAM and DTP sector, precision engineering and for detailed image reproduction in the field of medical radiology.

With a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the PA231W offers outstanding viewing angle stability and image precision. The Digital Uniformity Control (ColorComp) automatically regulates the evenness of the brightness and colour distribution, thereby guaranteeing consistent display quality. The monitor also features a programmable 3D LUT for precise colour space emulation.

Intelligent features such as the picture-in-picture function for the parallel display of multiple video feeds enhance productivity and facilitate effective working practices. The model also comes with an integrated, programmable USB hub (DisplaySync Pro) that allows flexible connections to multiple PC platforms. The NEC MultiSync® PA231W scores brilliantly with its first-class connectivity. As well as VGA and dual digital DVI-D interfaces it also features a future-proof, high-bandwidth, digital DisplayPort connection.

The height adjustability of up to 150 mm and the optional landscape or portrait viewing mode mean that the display can be set up to suit the individual user’s specific needs. These ergonomic features were an important contribution in the PA231W’s achievement of the TCO 5.0 certification.

When developing the 23” model, NEC focused greatly on the issue of environmental responsibility. The use of recycled plastic for the monitor housing, the use of arsenic-free materials and the transparency of the carbon savings meter are all consistent with NEC’s acclaimed “Green Vision” campaign. In order to minimise environmental impact, the company employs a green product design methodology with energy-efficient technology solutions and seeks sustainability in the manufacturing process.

“Current users of conventional 19, 20 and 21-inch 4:3 format professional displays will appreciate the move to a wide screen format and all the well known advantages and qualities of NEC products,” says Christopher Parker, Product Line Manager for Professional Displays at NEC Display Solutions Europe. “The NEC MultiSync® PA231W offers the combination of a new format and future-proof features to boost productivity and ensure our customers will be well equipped to meet the growing demands of today’s working life.”

Availability, price and warranty
The NEC MultiSync® PA231W is currently available in black priced at £535.00 (excl. VAT). The package supplied includes a power cable, one digital DVI-D, one DisplayPort signal cable, one analogue VGA cable, a manual and an installation and driver CD-ROM. NEC Display Solutions Europe offers a three-year warranty including backlights.

Further information can be found here.

The Most Beautiful Insect Photos You Have Ever Seen

I'm totally serious, these images are fantastic. They represent a very distinctive style of brightly colored macro photography that Leon Baas has spent over eight years perfecting. I love them.

A ladybird is pictured at the water's edge in this picture taken by Dutch photographer Leon Baas.

Leica release background video of M9 Titan

Leica has released an interview with the italian car designer of the M9 Titan, Walter de'Silva. Unfortunately for us English-only speakers, the video is in Italian, with German subtitles.

Leica UK has kindly sent the DJP a selection of images to accompany the video.

We're having some technical difficulties embedding the code, so please visit here, instead.