Canon - Shoot like a pro

Canon

Shoot like a pro

For more info click here

DUGGAL

DUGGAL VISUAL SOLUTIONS

more info click here

Nikon SB-900

New Nikon SB-900

more info click here

• 
  
  Nikon’s Flagship Creative Lighting System Speedlight: Powerful and versatile SB-900 works as a stand-alone flash, featuring wireless operation as a Commander or wireless remote light source.
• Control up to three remote Speedlight groups and an unlimited number of compatible Speedlights: The SB-900's Wireless Commander Mode offers wireless control at the master Speedlight position. Four wireless channel options allow you to manage wireless conflicts in multiple photographer environments.
• Streamlined controls and menus: The Rotary Select Dial sets key flash functions quickly—a prominent Master and Remote control switch simplifies wireless operation.
• FX/DX format identification: Automatic FX/DX switching optimizes light distribution angle.
• Expanded Auto Power Zoom Coverage: The SB-900 provides zoom coverage from 17-200mm in the FX-format and 12-200mm coverage in the DX-format.
• Choose from 3 light distribution patterns: Improve light quality by selecting Standard for general illumination, Center-weighted for portraits, or Even for groups or interiors.
• User-friendly firmware updating: Allows uploading of performance enhancement developments to the SB-900 with select Nikon digital SLR cameras.
• Color gel filter identification: The SB-900 automatically identifies mounted color gel filters and adjusts the camera’s auto white-balance setting with select Nikon digital SLR cameras.
• Flash Tube Overheat Protection: An added measure of safety is provided for sustained high-speed bursts.
• Drip-proof mounting foot cover (Water Guard): for enhanced moisture protection (optional).

One on One with - Jose Villa

Prophotohub & Jose Villa...

josevillaphoto

josevillaworkshops

B-Day September-15

1) PPH: Where is home ?? JV: Home is the Danish Capital of America, Solvang, California.
I was born in a small town out side of Guadalajara, Mexico. And at the age of 5 my parents
settled in Solvang, where I make it my home today.

2) PPH: How long have you been shooting ?? JV: Well, I went to Brooks Institute of Photography
in Santa Barbara, CA in 1998 right after high school. I graduated 3 year later with a BA in
2001. I then started photographing kids and slowly transitioned to weddings. So I guess that
makes it 7 years professionally, but 10 years ago was when I picked up my first camera. I
had no idea what to do with it.. but I had it..

3) PPH: What  camera gear do you use / and what's your favorite
lens ?? JV: I shoot 100% fuji film! LOVE it!! it proved amazing color tones, nothing like it! I use
a contax medium format, and 2, 35 mm Canon 1v's. I try not to use flash at all, but have to
in most reception cases. My favorite lens is the 16-35 for my Canons , and the 80 2.0 on
my Contax.

4) PPH:

Do you have a memorable wedding photography moment ?? JV: Many, but my favorite
was being beachside on a small Island in belize when a huge tropical storm came in and all the table cloths and centerpieces blew into the ocean. The Bride and Groom were totally fine with it, they are scuba divers
and very into the water.. They laughed and m

oved the reception indoors.5) PPH: First car? Today's car? What do you want in the future ?? JV: My first car was a 1984
Honda Accord. My car today is the LR3 Land Rover.

6) PPH: Is there anyone else in the "biz" you enjoy shooting with? JV: I really haven't had the
time to shoot with another photographer, but if i could I would shoot with my good friend
Jesh de Rox, with his permission of course.
why? I would love to see how he communicates with his subject. The connection between
him and them is what I really want to enjoy.
who would you like to shoot with ?? Jesh de Rox

7) PPH: Where would you like to shoot that you haven't yet ??JV: I would love to shoot a
wedding in India, or Peru..

8) PPH: Where would be your dream " desti " location ??JV: Spain

9) PPH: What good tips can you give to a photographer starting off ? JV: Be true to your self
and your feelings. Don't let anyone tell you what you should be doing in photography.
Do what is within you.. you will enjoy that better, you will find YOURSELF, and not emulate
someone else. Would you want to be YOU. When we see your photo we can all say you
did that.. your signature.. At least that was my goal in starting out.

10) PPH: What is the one approach / step that took your studio to? JV: I wanted to be free
of other peoples suggestions. So I did what I loved and what felt right to me and that
helped shape my style I enjoy and my clients love me for.

where it is today ?? I believe it's a noticeable look in wedding photography that stands
out in todays highly competative wedding market.

PPH: In your words any great projects / workshop / seminars / dvds /
in the works ?? JV: Well I have workshops that I offer through out the year, where I share
my love for Fine Art Wedding photography. I share what has worked for me and what
has gotten me so much amazing attention in todays wedding Industry, which we all
knows changes very fast. I try not to use ant actions that another photographer made
because no action on an images means no dating .. meaning the images is timeless
with out textures and funky colors.. Im not saying I don't like that, Im just saying I
choose not to do that..

Canon 50D

New Canon 50D more info click here Canon's new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and you'll experience true digital inspiration!

Nikon D90

New Nikon D90 more info click here

12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS imaging sensor: Coupled with Nikon's EXPEED image processing technologies and NIKKOR optics, breathtaking image fidelity is assured.

Continuous shooting as fast as 4.5 frames-per-second: Combined with fast 0.15ms power-up and split-second 65ms shooting lag, dramatic action and decisive moments are captured easily.

D-Movie Mode—Cinematic 24fps HD with sound: Record cinematic-quality movie clips at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) in Motion JPEG format, enhanced by NIKKOR interchangeable lens quality and versatility.
Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200: High signal-to-noise components and design deliver exceptional performance, even at high ISO setting.

3-inch super-density 920,000-dot color LCD monitor: High resolution, 170-degree wide-angle viewing guarantees confident image review and movie playback.

Built-in image sensor cleaning: Effective 4-frequency, ultrasonic sensor cleaning frees image degrading dust particles from the sensor's optical low pass filter.

11-point AF system with Face Priority: Consistently fast and accurate autofocus, reinforced by the Nikon Scene Recognition System, delivers razor sharpness in a wide variety of conditions.

One-button Live View: Easy to use Live View activates access to 3 contrast detection focus modes including Face Priority AF.

Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System: Nikon's renowned 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, teamed with the exclusive Scene Recognition System, evaluates images, referencing an on-board database of over 30,000 photographic scenes, for unmatched exposure accuracy.

Comprehensive exposure control: Five advanced scene modes plus Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual. Auto Active D-Lighting: Selectable and Automatic,

Active D-Lighting optimizes details within shadows and highlights, taming high-contrast situations in real time.
Durable, high precision shutter: Testing to over 100,000 cycles assures shutter life and accuracy.
In-Camera Image Editing: Creative freedom stems from exclusive in-camera image editing, featuring Fisheye effect, Straighten and Distortion Control as well as D-Lighting, Red-eye Reduction, Image Overlay, Monochrome and more.
GPS geo-tagging: GP-1 GPS unit (optional) provides automatic real-time geo-tagging.
click here for more info nikonusa

Photo Mechanic

I started using this software back in 1999-2000 when I was shooting for AP.
Great software check it out camerabits.com

Photo Mechanic is a stand-alone image browser that lets you view your digital photos with convenience and speed. It is integral to any digital photographers workflow, being the fastest and most user-friendly software for organizing and accessing images.

"Walk into any newspaper photo department, or look over the shoulder of a photojournalist editing and transmitting images in the field, and Photo Mechanic is what you'll probably see on their screen."
- Quote from www.controlledvocabulary.com Photo Mechanic 4.5 review.

Import:

Photo Mechanic's powerful Ingest utility lets you copy images from several flash cards simultaneously, flatten the directory structure, apply IPTC metadata, create a backup on a separate hard drive and rename your files - all in one step!

Edit:

You can quickly rotate, preview, copy, delete, tag, watermark, rename, resize, and add IPTC metadata to photos both individually and in batches. Adjust capture dates and times, change a file's resolution, or embed an ICC profile into your JPEGs. Lock previews and pan then around together to compare details efficiently. Manually arrange photos in arbitrary order, including across multiple folders.

Annotate:

Photo Mechanic makes it easy to add common IPTC (metadata) information to groups of photos at once. Use the IPTC Info dialog to add or update your file's metadata, or use the IPTC Stationary Pad to add metadata to a group of images at one time. Reduce time and improve accuracy when captioning files by using the Code Replacement feature.

Export:

Create web galleries, print contact sheets, transfer photos to an FTP server or upload them to PhotoShelter, Digital Railroad, and the new PhotoShelter Collection. Send photos to your clients via E-mail, or archive your keepers by burning them to CDs or DVDs.

The cost to purchase Photo Mechanic is $150 ($160 with media), which gives you a full year to upgrade to anything they release. If your upgrade period is over and you want to use the latest version, you can purchase a new year of upgrades for only $90 at any time. To make Photo Mechanic even more desirable, the team at Camera Bits always picks up the phone to answer your questions (during regular business hours), no matter how big or small. To read more about Photo Mechanic, go to www.camerabits.com. If you call 503-547-2800 and mention this blog when you order, they will give you a free CD with your order!

iomega Ego

Iomega 1TB Ego Desktop USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (Ruby Red)

Overview

Great capacity with style to match! The Iomega® eGo Desktop Hard Drive provides a simple and stylish solution for all your storage needs. Ideal for adding capacity, this plug-and-play drive is available in your choice of three colors: Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, and Jet Black. With EMC® Retrospect HD (PC) included (via download) for easy file backup, it's the easiest way to save photos, music, videos and more!

At-A-Glance:

• Easy-to-use — Just plug-and-play
• Secure — EMC® Retrospect HD included for easy backup (PC software free via download)
• Stylish Colors — Available in your choice of 3 colors: Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, and Jet Black

What You Get:

• Desktop Hard Drive
• USB 2.0 cable
• Power supply
• Quick Start Guide
• One year warranty

Tech Specs

System Requirements

• Preformatted NTFS
• Fast 7200 RPM
• Compatible with PC and Mac®
• 8MB or higher Cache Buffer
• One-year limited warranty

What You Need:

PC Users:

• Pentium® II-class or equivalent processor or higher
• Built-in USB connection (USB 2.0 host connection or controller for USB 2.0 speeds)
• Microsoft® Windows® Vista* / 2000 / XP Home / XP Professional
• 256MB RAM or more as required by operating system

Mac® Users:

• Mac® PowerPC G3 or Intel Core Duo processor
• Mac OS X, version 10.1—10.5
• Built-in USB connection (USB 2.0 host connection or controller for USB 2.0 speeds)
• 128MB RAM or more as required by operating system
• Drive must be reformatted for use with Mac (instructions included)

To View User's Manual: Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0, Firefox® 1.0, Apple Safari 1.2 or higher browser Dimensions (L x W x H): 8.1 L x 5 W x 1.65 H

Adobe Lightroom 2

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 now available

Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 offers powerful new and enhanced features across the entire program to help you streamline your digital photography workflow. Sort and find the photos you want faster, target specific photo areas for more precise adjustments, showcase your talent using more flexible printing templates, and more.

Local adjustment brush New

Enjoy more flexible, accurate enhancements by targeting a specific area of a photo for dodging, burning, and other local adjustments.

Multiple monitor support New

Add a second monitor and enjoy more room to work. Support for multiple monitors enables you to configure your workspace to manage image workflow and presentation more efficiently.

Extensible architecture New

Take advantage of the wide range of plug-ins to help you quickly and easily transfer images to your favorite sharing sites and photo labs.

Volume management New

Freely manage and organize your images across multiple drives, and continue to work with the high-resolution previews — even when your originals are offline, and more.

Canon 18-200mm

New from Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Canon EF-S 18-200mm telephoto zoom lens : Canon strengthens its EF-S series of lenses with the launch of a versatile new model: the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. With an equivalent focal length of 29-320mm, the lens offers an 11x zoom range - making it a powerful, lightweight alternative to carrying multiple lenses. The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is designed exclusively for use with EOS cameras featuring an EF-S lens mount - including the new EOS 50D, EOS 1000D, EOS 450D, and earlier models. The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS features a 16 element, 12 group construction. This includes UD and aspherical lens elements, which minimise chromatic aberration and ensure crisp, corner-to-corner detail across the zoom range.
Canon 18-200mm lens
The Canon EF-S 18-200mm telephoto lens has an close focusing distance of just 45cm offers photographers total framing flexibility. A Canon 4-stop optical Image Stabilizer - specially designed for the lens’ specific focal length range - works to counteract image blur that can occur when shooting handheld, or at slow shutter speeds. Automatic panning detection ensures effective performance when tracking moving subjects. Plus, because the IS system is based in the lens, results are visible through the viewfinder during framing.

Canon EF-S 18-200mm telephoto lens
Reflection off a digital camera’s image sensor can cause flare and ghosting. To suppress this, the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS uses optics treated with Canon’s patented Super Spectra coatings - for crisp, undistorted images with natural colour balance. The Canon 18-200mm lens has a suggested retail price of $699 USD.

Mike Colon DVD Sale

Check out this DVD sale offering best pricing all year !!

**** CLICK HERE TO ORDER****

FAST TRACK

Hot off the Press !!!

Dane Sanders FAST TRACK PHOTOGRAPHERS.

"Photography that focuses on you... Fast Track Photographer gives you powerful tools for discovering your core strengths and a foolproof plan for maximizing them in the flat new world we live in. If you want to build a recession-proof, competition-proof photo business in the 21st Century, you need to throw out the old rule book. You need to get on the Fast Track!"

Click here to order..

COLORMUNKI PHOTO

Great Calibration software check it out...
X-Rite and Pantone Launch ColorMunki Family of Breakthrough Color Products for Photo and Design Markets
The ColorMunki Portfolio Includes: ColorMunki Photo Designed for the digital workflow of social, wedding and portrait photographers – or anyone passionate about photography – ColorMunki Photo delivers an easy, quick and affordable solution for matching colors from display to print.
Developed with professional photographer input, ColorMunki Photo is a completely integrated, versatile solution that calibrates displays, projectors and printers, measures ambient light and captures spot colors. The new AppSet™ automatically sets the printer profile for the user.
ColorMunki Photo also includes new, exciting color creation and communication tools, such as automatically extracting colors from images and transporting images with DigitalPouch™ to ensure ViewSafe™ environments. ColorMunki Photo gives photographers ultimate color control for their images.

ColorMunki Design Developed for graphic professionals from freelancers to corporate in-house designers, ColorMunki Design provides the freedom and simplicity to select, specify and store color palettes in a calibrated environment, assuring precise color viewing and reproduction. Palettes can then be seamlessly imported into popular design applications including Adobe® Photoshop®, InDesign® and QuarkXPress®, as well as other industry-standard applications. Colors can be selected from multiple sources including PANTONE Color Libraries, system-level color pickers, inspirational images, color harmonies and key word searches.

ColorMunki Design allows users to quickly and accurately capture colors from any surface, easily calibrate monitors, projectors and printers for accurate display-to-print matching, and verify spot colors for process-safe reproduction in any medium.
ColorMunki Create ColorMunki Create is an affordable, simple starting point for designers whose primary requirement is color palette creation. ColorMunki Create offers spectral color selection from system-level color pickers, inspirational images, color harmonies and key word searches, with the ability to snap-to PANTONE Goe Colors for repurposing into usable palettes. In addition to software, ColorMunki Create offers a simplified approach to on-screen color control to let designers realize their creative vision. ColorMunki Create is easily upgraded to ColorMunki Design using the discount voucher included in the box.

New Canon

First look check it out...

First look at the New Canon EOS Rebel XSi (EOS 450D); Lightweight And Easy 12.2Mp D-SLR

The Canon Digital Rebel series draws on a long tradition of Rebel cameras, going back to the 35mm SLR days, with cameras that were always companionable, easy to use, lightweight, and “simplified” for the general user. That simplification does not mean unsophisticated; to get simple to work there has to be lots of tech in the background. That was true with the Rebel film cameras and has become more so with the Digital Rebel series. The XSi sports a 12.2-megapixel (effective) sensor and DIGIC III processor, which allows for some new tricks up the Rebel’s sleeve.

In a number of ways the Rebel is sort of a junior EOS 40D (for a complete review of the 40D see our December 2007 issue or online by typing Canon 40D in the Search box at www.shutterbug.com). The 40D, oddly enough, drew some inspiration from the previous Rebel and its pro siblings; now the circle becomes complete with the new Rebel model. This circular migration of technology benefits buyers of lower-priced models (the XSi runs about $899 with kit lens and $799 body only) and sometimes the borders between the advanced and amateur models get fuzzy. But in the end, it shouldn’t matter what niche the camera gets placed in by marketers; what really matters is how it performs in the field.
The first thing that strikes you about the XSi is the weight, or should I say lack of it. At 16.8 oz without lens and an additional 7.1 oz with the kit EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, it hardly gets in the way. It is also wonderfully “packable,” something that will become more and more appreciated as airlines get more stringent about carryons. The XSi is the first Rebel to use SD cards, it being compatible with the higher capacity SDHC format, plus there’s a new battery (and charger form) that adds to the shooting time and capacity over the previous model. The charger does not use a cord and plugs right into a wall socket, another plus for packing efficiency. One of the most noticeable changes is the 3” LCD screen, which is nicely set flush to the left-hand side of the body, thus buttons and toggles are not cramped as they sometimes can be when the screen is set dead center. Other items of note are a depth of field preview button placed nicely on the front lower left; a well marked mode dial atop the camera (no LED read-out screen); and a set of buttons that bring you right to the menus on a very well lit LCD screen. And there is Live View, with numerous options.

Custom Functions (CF) are clearly explained when accessed on the Menu, a sort of Help menu that goes along with the item itself. These CFs can be used to have the Set button bring up one Menu option or another; set the functioning of the shutter release and exposure lock buttons for AF or AE or any combination thereof; set AF during Live View; and set Noise Reduction and Highlight Tone Priority, among others.

Another bonus is the information display during playback. Press the Display button on the camera and you get all the shooting information plus a histogram and a small screen displaying “blinkies,” as they have affectionately become known, in highlight areas. I would very much like to see the blinkies available right after the shot on the instant review or simply as an option on playback without having to go through the Display button and options. Like almost every camera the playback on the raw+JPEG is the JPEG image, but I don’t think you should make judgments based on screen playback alone anyway. Speaking of the screen it is quite good in playback in the field; more importantly the graphics and options read very well even in bright daylight. There’s a “sensible” font and the aforementioned excellent coordination between graphic and body control configurations.

Rodolfo Arpia launches forodefotografos.com

Wedding photographer Rodolfo Arpía (Pasadena, CA, 626/487-0014, www.arpiaphoto.com) launched the online community Foro de Fotógrafos (www.forodefotografos.com) in October of 2007. The online forum geared towards wedding photography is conducted 100% in Spanish and membership is free.

In 10 short months since its creation, the forum consists of 900+ registered members from all over the United States, Latin America, Spain and many other countries where Spanish speaking photographers reside and conduct business.

45,000 posts distributed among a broad range of topics covering from technical aspects of photography to specific ones relevant to the community like Quinceañeras, create a place for photographers to learn and share from one another in a supportive and encouraging way.

A whole section covering topics for videographers was added by popular demand and due to the nature of the social event coverage characteristics of the Hispanic market in which is very common that the services of photography and videography are offered by the same studio.

Video tutorials, image posting for critique and inspiration, live video interviews and seminars, networking, and ultimately, passion for photography are some of the things that keep members visiting the forum on a daily basis.



Arpía, an Argentina native, runs his wedding photography studio in the greater Los Angeles area where he is very active in the Hispanic photographer's community. He will be a platform speaker at the Spanish Program in the WPPI 2009 convention.

EPSON P-7000 Mutimedia Photo Viewer

Sweet piece of machine check it out...
New from EPSON P-6000 & P-7000 check it out click here EPSON

• Exclusive 4-inch Epson Photo Fine® Premia LCD
• Displays over 16.7 million colors
• Encompasses 94% of Adobe ® RGB color space
• 160GB hard drive
• Faster download speed - up to 35% faster than previous models¹
• Zoom function to confirm focus/fine detail
• JPEG and RAW file support
• Jog dial to scroll through images
• Long battery life for extended photo shoots
• Audio/video output
• Travel Pack — battery charger, car adapter & more

Superior image quality for professionals.

An essential tool for the on-the-go, professional photographer, the Epson P-7000 offers superior image quality, plus a high-capacity, 160GB hard drive. The perfect partner to your digital SLR camera, this powerful device makes it easier than ever to backup and view thousands of photos on the spot.

Preview both RAW and JPEG images while on location with the Photo Fine® Premia LCD, exclusively from Epson. Displaying over 16.7 million colors, this 4-inch LCD supports 94% of the Adobe® RGB color space, so you get incredible color accuracy. Zoom in to confirm focus and fine detail. Then, share your images the way they were meant to be seen — just as you captured them. With both audio and video output, it’s easy to create customized slide shows to take your digital portfolio with you wherever you go. The portable P-7000 is the perfect choice for client presentations or on-location shoots. Why transport your laptop when you can quickly store and backup images right from your memory card using this convenient, compact device? With the Epson P-7000 and its included Travel Pack, you’ve got everything you need for all your photographic assignments.

Nikon D3

The Nikon D3 it just ROCKS !!!

Nikon's original FX-format CMOS image sensor with 36.0 (H) x 23.9 (V) mm image size; 12.1 effective megapixels

• Compatible with three image-sensor formats – FX format (36 x 24), 5:4 (30 x 24) and DX format (24 x 16)
  
• Sensitivity range ISO 200 to 6400 at normal setting for exceptionally high-quality images; can be set to ISO-equivalent 25,600
• Incorporates Nikon's original EXPEED digital image processing concept
• Nikon's original Scene Recognition system, utilizing the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor, greatly improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance
  
• New 51-point autofocus system features 15 cross-type sensors that maximize the potential of lenses with apertures as small as f/5.6
• High-speed continuous shooting at approx. 9 frames per second [FX format (36 x 24)/5:4 (30 x 24)]/approx. 11 fps [DX format (24 x 16)] ^*1
• Newly employed Picture Control System enables creation of desired picture with preferred tones
• Accurate focal-plane contrast AF^*2 available with built-in Liveview mode
• Wireless Transmitter WT-4^*3 (optional) realizes wireless connection of cameras with a PC, enabling thumbnail display of images taken with up to five of them, and downloading of images selected
• CF card double slot accepts two CF cards
• Quick response with approx. 0.12 sec. startup time and 37 ms Shutter-release time lag
  
• Viewfinder with approx. 100% frame coverage and approx. 0.7x magnification in FX format
• High-definition (920,000 dots), 170˚ viewing angle, 3-inch VGA LCD monitor with tempered glass
• Active D-Lighting optimizes tone reproduction in both shadows and highlights
  

*1 With Continuous-servo AF, S or M exposure mode, shutter speed 1/250 sec. or faster; other settings are set at "Default".
*2 When Tripod mode is selected.
*3 Specifications differ depending on country or area.