Posing, Lighting, and Photographing Models

YouTube link: http://youtu.be/EvT53FX6Ax4

by ImprovePhotography on 2011 - Jim Harmer from ImprovePhotography.com shows off one free lesson from his "30 Days to Professional Quality Portrait Photography" online class. Go to ImprovePhotography.com for more!

Category: Howto & Style 

Tags: photography, lighting, strobist, speedlight, yn-560, yn 560, flash, portrait photography, tips, flash photography tips, reflector, diffuser, 5-in-1 reflector, senior portrait, headshot

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Hasselblad Just Made You a Brand New Camera

And It’s Only a Click Away! Whether you’re already the proud owner of a Hasselblad H4D-40, H4D-50, H4D-50MS or H4D-200MS camera – or still considering making the move to Hasselblad photography – Hasselblad has some great news for you.

The Hasselblad H4D-60 set new industry standards for performance, resolution, and quality in medium format DSLR cameras and included a comprehensive firmware upgrade that brought a range of new features and functions such as:

• One-Click, instant digital focus check
• Two directional, electronic spirit level
• An improved, high resolution display
• New rear display with grip info displayed on the back

So Where’s My New Camera?
These new features will now be included in all new H4D cameras. And if you are already the proud owner of an H4D camera?

That’s where the great news comes in - a simple, free firmware upgrade will add each and every one of these features to your existing H4D-40, H4D-50, H4D-50MS or H4D-200MS camera*. Think of it as buying one camera and getting another, newer one, absolutely free. THE FIRMWARE UPGRADE IS AVAILABLE NOW.

To find out more about these great new features or simply to see what the H4D line of cameras can do to change your photography, check out the links to the right.

For further information, click here.

*Firmware upgrades listed above will not be able to be ported to the H4D-31 or CFV 39/50. H4D-50 customers, who have upgraded from the H3DII-50 and H3DII-50MS, can have their camera further upgraded with a new digital shell unit including new electronics and display for MRSP 1.990€ excl. VAT.

This offer is valid until March 31, 2012.

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Nikon Podcast 45: The Revolutionary Nikon 1 System

Host Mark Ellwood and guest Steve Heiner talk about the new Nikon 1 System, an advanced camera with interchangeable lenses.

Nikon Podcast 45: The Revolutionary Nikon 1 System


Join Mark Ellwood as he sits down with Nikon’s Steve Heiner to discuss some of the best features of the new Nikon 1 System, an advanced camera with interchangeable lenses built from the ground up to strike the perfect balance of performance and portability. Steve and Mark discuss the Nikon J1 and V1, as well as the benefits and features of the new camera system.

Listen and subscribe to this podcast in iTunes by clicking here.
For all other RSS readers, click here.

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Nikon Launches iP-PJ Transfer App for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch

Supports The New COOLPIX S1200pj with Built-In Projector Allowing Users to Project Content from iOS Devices


Melville, N.Y., November 16, 2011 – Nikon Inc. has announced the release of the iP-PJ Transfer App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch¹, now available on the App Store. The app enables users to project content stored on an iPhone or iPod touch using the new COOLPIX S1200pj with built-in projector.

The iP-PJ Transfer App lets users easily project still images in thumbnail and full-frame displays, business documents created with common presentation tools and websites² from their iPhone or iPod touch³. Whether sharing with friends and family or business colleagues, the iP-PJ Transfer App gives users quicker access to more content and lets them share it in a unique way with the COOLPIX S1200pj.

“With the introduction of the COOLPIX S1200pj, Nikon has delivered an easier way for consumers to share their photos and movies,” said Sharon Henley, Nikon’s senior manager of product lifecycle control. “Now, with the addition of the iP-PJ Transfer App, the COOLPIX S1200pj can project content straight from a user's iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.”

The COOLPIX S1200pj, Nikon’s third projector-equipped model, offers a 40% increase in projection brightness over its immediate predecessor and projects vivid images up to 60 inches.

The iP-PJ Transfer App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

About Nikon
Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics as well as the new Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system. In 2011, production of NIKKOR lenses surpassed 65 million, creating a new milestone in Nikon’s heritage of superior optics.  For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities. Connect with Nikon and other photographers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nikon and get the latest news and information from Twitter by following @Nikon_USA.

¹Compatible with iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPad and iPod touch 4^th generation
²All contents must be registered with the application before projection is possible
³iP-PJ Transfer runs as an iPhone app on the iPad and iPad 2

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Canon U.S.A. Provides Updates On EF Lens Availability

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., November 16, 2011 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced updated availability information for three of its EF lenses:

• Canon EF 200‐400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER l.4x lens availability yet to be determined
• Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens availability yet to be determined
• Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens availability yet to be determined

Additional information regarding the shipping date of each lens will be made available as soon as possible.

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER l.4x lens

The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER l.4x is being developed as an L-series super-telephoto lens with an integrated 1.4x extender and high-performance Image Stabilizer technology. The new lens will offer exceptional flexibility by incorporating a built-in 1.4x extender that increases the maximum focal length to 560mm for sports and wildlife photography. High-quality images with high levels of resolution and contrast will be possible through the use of advanced optical materials such as fluorite crystal. The new lens will also include dust- and water-resistant construction designed for extended usage under harsh conditions.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens for Sports and Nature Photography

The Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM offers professional photographers a lighter weight option for those situations that require a long focal length with improved image quality and enhanced durability over its predecessor. Great for a wide range of applications, the EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens is ideal for professional photojournalism, sports photography and nature and wildlife photography. The optical formula of the new lens has been enhanced to include two fluorite lens elements for improved image quality and reduced chromatic aberration. Canon has reduced the overall weight of the lens by 18 percent from 136.5 oz to 112.5 oz.
The Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens is expected to be available for an estimated retail price of $10,499.

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens for Wildlife and Photojournalism

The Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM is the successor to the current EF 600mm IS lens first introduced in 1999. This new lens has been engineered for outstanding optical performance and durability and includes two new fluorite lens elements for improved quality and reduced chromatic aberration. Helping photographers in the field, Canon has reduced the overall weight of the lens by a substantial 27 percent from 189.1 oz to 138.3 oz.
The Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens is expected to be available for an estimated retail price of $12,999.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With more than $45 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks fourth overall in patent holdings in the U.S. in 2010†, and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2011. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
Availability, prices, and specifications of all products are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.

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Lytro, Inc. Unveils the World’s First Consumer Light Field Camera

Groundbreaking new camera instantly captures interactive, living pictures to share with friends and family online


(click on the photo to change the focus point)

Mountain View, CA – 2011 - Today, Lytro, Inc. unveiled the first Lytro consumer light field camera, introducing a new way to take and experience pictures. Unlike conventional cameras, the Lytro light field camera captures all the rays of light in a scene, providing new capabilities never before possible, such as the ability to focus a picture after it’s taken. The pocket-sized camera, which offers a powerful 8x optical zoom and f/2 lens in an iconic design, creates interactive ―living pictures‖ that can be endlessly refocused. The camera is available in two models and three colors, starting at $399.

The Lytro is the only consumer camera that lets people instantly capture a scene just as they see it by recording a fundamentally richer set of data than ever before. Lytro cameras feature a light field sensor that collects the color, intensity, and the direction of every light ray flowing into the camera, capturing a scene in four dimensions. To process this additional information, Lytro cameras contain a light field engine that allows camera owners to refocus pictures directly on the camera. When the Lytro’s living pictures are shared online, the light field engine travels with each picture so anyone can interact with them on nearly any device, including web browsers, mobile phones, and tablets without having to download special software.

The Lytro’s sleek design was created with simplicity in mind. With no unnecessary modes or dials, the camera features just two buttons—power and shutter—and has an intuitive glass touchscreen that lets pictures be viewed and refocused directly on the camera. While the Lytro camera houses complex technology, it is fundamentally easy to use, opening new creative opportunities for anyone interested in sharing their favorite memories with friends and family.

The Lytro camera’s features include:

- Form follows function: The Lytro’s unique compact
design is driven by its 8x optical zoom lens, which features
a constant f/2 aperture. The Lytro’s anodized aluminum
body is lightweight yet sturdy. At less than eight ounces,
the Lytro puts remarkable power in a pocket-sized camera.

- Proprietary light field science: The Lytro is the only
camera that captures life in living pictures. Its innovative
light field sensor captures 11 million light rays of data (or 11
megarays), including the direction of each ray, something
conventional cameras don’t do. The light field engine then
processes the data into a picture that is displayed in HD quality.

- Unparalleled speed: The Lytro’s speed ensures that people never miss a moment. It turns on instantly and has an instant shutter. With no need to auto-focus, the Lytro has no shutter delays.

- Low-light sensitivity: By using all of the available light in a scene, the Lytro performs well in low-light environments without the use of a flash.

- Significant storage: The Lytro is available in both 8GB and 16GB models, storing 350 and 750 pictures respectively. In addition, our first camera owners will enjoy free storage for the light field pictures they’ve uploaded to Lytro.com.

- Seeing in 3D: Coming soon! Captured as a full light field, all pictures taken with the Lytro are inherently 3D. Special light field algorithms, available in 2012, will be applied to the light field pictures to enable viewing on any 3D display and to enable viewers to shift the perspective of the scene.

The Lytro light field camera is accompanied by Lytro’s desktop application, a free software download that easily imports pictures from camera to computer. Currently available for Mac OS X, the desktop application lets people view, interact with, organize and share their light field pictures. Lytro pictures can then be uploaded to Lytro.com to be shared via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or as links in email messages. Once shared, Lytro’s living pictures allow viewers to live the moment with the photographer and explore a scene like never before. Viewers can continually interact with Lytro pictures – focusing them over and over – expanding the creative possibilities of each and every shot.

Concepts related to the light field and computational photography have been researched in academic circles for more than a century. Light field science was the subject of Lytro CEO and Founder Dr. Ren Ng’s Ph.D. dissertation in computer science at Stanford, which was awarded the  internationally recognized ACM Dissertation Award in 2007 as well as Stanford University’s Arthur Samuel Award for Best Ph.D. Dissertation. Dr. Ng’s research focused on miniaturizing light field technology into the body of a single camera to make it practical for everyday use.

The digital still camera market is large and growing with $38.3 billion in worldwide revenue in 2010 and expectations to increase to $43.5 billion worldwide by 2015.* Visual storytelling is universal, with 60 billion photos shared on Facebook in 2010, projected to reach 100 billion photos by this summer.

Light field photography was once only possible with 100 cameras tethered to a supercomputer in a lab, said Ng. ―Today it’s accessible to everyone in a camera that’s small and powerful, but incredibly easy to use. Our goal is to forever change the way people take and experience pictures, and today marks our first major step.

Pricing & Availability
The Lytro camera is available in two models: 8GB ($399, 350 pictures, in Electric Blue or Graphite) and 16GB ($499, 750 pictures, in Red Hot). It is now available to order at Lytro.com and will ship in early 2012. The Lytro desktop application will be available initially for the Mac operating system; a
Windows version will be available in 2012.

For more information on the Lytro camera, please visit
www.lytro.com/camera. For b-roll and product images, visit
www.lytro.com/press.

For a demonstration of living pictures, visit the Lytro Picture Gallery:
www.lytro.com/living-pictures.

About Lytro:
Lytro is transforming the camera into a powerful computational photography platform, forever changing the way everyone takes and experiences pictures. The first Lytro light field camera offers photographic capabilities never before possible, such as focusing a picture after it’s taken, and creates interactive living pictures that can be endlessly refocused and enjoyed by friends and family online. CEO Ren Ng, whose Ph.D. research on light field photography won Stanford University’s prize for best thesis in computer science in 2006 as well as the internationally recognized ACM Dissertation award, founded the company in 2006. For additional information, visit Lytro.com.

* Digital Still Cameras: Devices, Features, Lenses, Sensors, and Semiconductors, In-Stat (2011)

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Blurb Launches Beautiful ebooks for the iPad

A game-changer: creating visually rich ebooks at the click of a button

San Francisco, Calif. — 2011 — Blurb, the creative publishing platform, announced the introduction of ebooks for Apple’s iPad® and iPhone®. Not only are the Blurb ebooks truly optimized to display images and text beautifully, they are created using Blurb’s easy-to-use bookmaking tools, Bookify™ and BookSmart®. Moreover, any book previously created with these tools can now be output as an ebook, automatically, with a click of a button.

Until now most self-published authors wanting to create a visually rich ebook had to hire a software developer to produce it, costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars and taking many weeks. With Blurb’s new ebook offering, the file conversion happens automatically in moments, and costs just $1.99 per download, saving Blurb authors considerable time, money and frustration.

“This is not just an ebook offering, it’s way more than that. Blurb now lets authors create their book once and then output their book to either print or ebook formats, from the same file, quickly and automatically. Fans and customers can then buy whichever version they prefer at the Blurb bookstore. That’s game-changing,” said Eileen Gittins, Founder and CEO.

Blurb ebooks include all the design and interaction benefits of Apple iOS® technology: two-page spreads, pinch and zoom capabilities and uncompressed images, providing a stunningly rich visual experience, with no quality compromise.

Like all Blurb books, ebooks can be listed for sale at the Blurb bookstore. Authors can set their own price and keep 100% of the mark-up from sales.
More information about ebooks can be found at: http://www.blurb.com/ebook

About Blurb®

Blurb® is a creative publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb’s platform makes it easy to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, using the Blurb Bookify™ online bookmaking tool, Blurb’s free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® app or by using Blurb’s PDF to Book workflow. Blurb’s bookstore and online marketing tools enable customers to market and sell their books, and keep 100% of their profit. Blurb’s social and community features allow customers to create and share Blurb books among friends and colleagues with ease.

Blurb was founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005, and includes a team of design, Internet and media veterans who share a passion for helping people bring their stories to life. In 2010, Blurb shipped just under 1.4 million books to more than 70 countries and territories. In 2010, Blurb was ranked the fastest growing media company on the Inc. 500. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London. For more info, visit www.blurb.com.

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Nikon Podcast 44: Photoplus 2011

Host David Schloss and guest Steve Heiner bring you the latest from PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo 2011. Adventure photographer Lucas Gilman also joins to talk about his photographic techniques and insights from the field.

Nikon Podcast 44: PhotoPlus 2011 and Lucas Gilman

Join David Schloss as he sits down with Nikon’s Steve Heiner to discuss the latest sensations at PhotoPlus 2010, including latest Nikon 1 system cameras the J1 and V1 and the rugged COOLPIX AW100. Steve also gives an  update on the latest photographers in the Nikon Featured Photographers site.  Adventure photographer Lucas Gilman, takes a break from the Nikon booth to speak about his photographic techniques and insights of working internationally.

Listen and subscribe to this podcast in iTunes by clicking here.

For all other RSS readers, click here.

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Yuri Arcurs Free Photo Business Bootcamp

Are you looking for new horizons, new opportunities; a way to make your mark on the world? Are you dedicated and driven to succeed in the dynamic and vibrant world of photography? 

The Yuri Arcurs International Commercial Photography Academy is the perfect opportunity for you! 

Boasting an elite international academy program, it hopes to produce the most gifted photography class of 2015. 

This privately funded program will run for three years, during which the participants will be provided with a free education that includes food, basic accommodation, Internet, access to Apple Mac computers and top-of-the-range camera equipment, plus the added possibility of earning pocket money based on the participants performance. 

This three year photography course will include tuition from some of the industry's foremost experts and working experience through interactions with real projects, clients and top models. 

The Yuri Arcurs International Commercial Photography Academy is looking to recruit 10 - 15 of the most motivated, ambitious and bright candidates for this tuition course. 

Candidates will be be given the opportunity to prove their mettle during a two-week long photography boot camp in January 2012.  Very little photography knowledge is needed, and Yuri Arcurs Photography will equip you with what you need to know. 

Danish-born Yuri Arcurs is one of the industries leading photographers and shoots lifestyle photography at the highest commercial level, as well as being the world's highest seller of stock photography.  

Yuri is also one of the highest earning photographers in the world and as a testament to this, PDN magazine voted him one of the most influential photographers of the decade. He is dedicated to the highest quality of digital photography and was recently inducted into a small, select group of photographers sponsored by Hasselbad. Yuri was recently granted one of the largest sponsorship agreements ever made by Profoto, Sweden. 

A quick Google search generates close to 2.1 million hits which is twice as many as the former Danish Prime Minister! 

But along with all of the accolades and success, hard work and determination walked hand in hand.  

With the Yuri Arcurs International Commercial Photography Academy he is offering 10 - 15 lucky candidates a chance to get a firm foothold in this competitive industry with a practical, highly informative three year education. Candidates who would otherwise not be able to afford such a notable education will have the chance to begin a promising career upon a firm and knowledgable foundation. 

The Yuri Arcurs International Commercial Photography Academy is an opportunity that all fledgling photographers and creatives alike cannot afford to let pass by. 
For more information on the criteria for application visit www.arcurs.com 

Applications to be in no later than 1 DECEMBER 2011.

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