January 2007 Archives

Grab Shot 88 - Cool Shades

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"I recently purchased a Canon Rebel XTi (Merry Christmas to me!)," said Eric Simon, "but owing to the horrible weather here in Denver, I haven'’t had much of a chance to get outside and take pictures (and man am I itching to take pictures!). As a compromise, I’ve been bugging my family by taking pictures of them engaged in various activities (... they’re itching for me to get outside too!) This picture is of my two-year-old daughter, Makenzie, reading a magazine."

"Her mom usually wears her glasses at night, and our daughter has picked up on this fact. Since she obviously doesn’t have prescription glasses to wear, she often puts on her sunglasses to mimick her mom reading. The magazine she is perusing is an issue of Time magazine. She is sitting in her little brown arm chair."

Eric used a Canon Rebel XTi equipped with a Canon 50/1.8 Mk II lens, wide open at ISO 800 using aperture priority and no flash. He converted the shot to black and white in Photoshop 7.

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After more than half million downloads of the beta version, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is complete and ready for action. In this podcast, I cover some of the details of the upcoming launch in February, plus I look at a few of my favorite features of this new photo management tool.

The 1.0 version of Lightroom will be available on Feb. 19, 2007 for both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Early adopters who purchase the application before April 30 can do so for $199 US. After April 30, Lightroom will cost you $299. Adobe is also providing a free trial download of the 1.0 version on Feb. 19. Current users of the beta version of Lightroom will have to decide what to do by Feb. 28, because that's when the current beta expires.

Feb. Photo Assignment

I also mention the February 2007 photo assignment, "Texture." Deadline for submission is Feb. 28. You can read the details on our Submissions page.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Lightroom 1.0." You can download the podcast here (28 minutes).

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The 1.0 version of Lightroom will be available on Feb. 19, 2007 for both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Early adopters who purchase the application before April 30 can do so for $199 US. After April 30, Lightroom will cost you $299. Adobe is also providing a free trial download of the 1.0 version on Feb. 19. Current users of the beta version of Lightroom will have to decide what to do by Feb. 28, because that's when the current beta expires.

Adobe engineers have been very busy during the final phases of application development. In addition to many performance and UI refinements, the shipping version includes some great new features. Two of my favorite new tools are "Targeted Adjustment" and "Clone and Healing." Both provide Photoshop-like power within Lightroom. Version 1.0 also includes support for 150 native Raw formats, including many of the latest camera models such as the Nikon D40, D80 and Pentax K10D.

Mac users will need OS X 10.4 and at least a PowerPC G4 processor, but I recommend an Intel Mac for best performance. On the Windows side, you'll need XP with Service Pack 2 and an Intel Pentium 4 processor or newer. Lightroom isn't certified for Vista yet, but will be soon.

There's good news on the Raw processing front too. Adobe Camera Raw 3.7 will also ship on Feb. 19, and this latest version is compatible with Lightroom, so the adjustments you make in ACR will look the same in Lightroom, and the other way around. This brings excellent compatibility between the two applications.

One of my favorite features in Lightroom is the ability to back up your masters to another hard drive at the time of import to Lightroom. By enabling backup at import, photographers can confidently erase their memory cards immediately, which is very important when working in the field.

Overall, Lightroom is a bold step forward for Adobe. If it's been the leading contender for your photo management tool, then I recommend that you take advantage of the early adopter discount and purchase it before April 30. I have lots more coverage in the coming weeks.

Dump the Fax with PDFPen

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The business side of photography is often less enjoyable than actually taking pictures. Not a day goes by where I don't have to Fax a signed W9, contract, NDA form, or some other legal document.

I'd generally receive the document as an email attachment, but then would have to open it up, print it out, sign it with a pen, fill out a Fax cover sheet, send it via Fax, then figure out what to do with a new stack of papers. I hated it!

Then at the Macworld Expo 2007, I discovered a new product called PDFpen. I've been using it for the last week, and it's saved me a lot much time. What this simple-to-use application does is enable me to edit PDF documents. So, if someone sends me a W9 to fill out and Fax back, I complete the form with PDFpen, add my signature electronically, and email it back. No more Fax machine.

The signature function is particularly cool. I scanned my real signature (bold black pen on white paper), then saved it as a Jpeg on my computer. When ever I need to add a signature to an electronic document, PDFpen allows me to import the scanned signature, scale it to the right size, and even make its background transparent so it sits right on the form's signature line. It looks great.

The software is a decent value. Adobe Acrobat 8 costs about $120 (and it enables digital signature signing), PDFpen runs $49 US, and you can download a demo to try it out. If you're spending too much time in front of the Fax machine, you might want to check it out.

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Olympus just announced the Olympus SP-550 UZ, and this looks like a sweet camera. Features include: 18x wide optical zoom (equivalent to 28-504mm on a 35mm camera) 1:2.8-4.5, Dual Image Stabilization, 7.1 megapixels, 15 fps burst rate, and super macro mode. And yes, the SP-550 captures in Raw mode. I think this is going to be a camera that many photographers toss in their backpack for day hikes and family outings.

Microsoft Photo Info

Here's a slick new tool for photographers who use Windows: the Microsoft Photo Info allows photographers to add, change and delete common metadata properties for digital photographs from inside Windows Explorer. It also provides enhanced hover tips and additional sort properties for digital photographs in Explorer (in Details view). Photo Info is a free download and works on both XP and Vista platforms.

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People often discover unexpected bounty in their iPhoto libraries: duplicate images. This double-the-joy scenario can happen accidentally in a variety of ways, but the prognosis is always the same -- extra pictures taking up additional hard disc space.

Duplicate Annihilator by Brattoo Propaganda Software will identify mirror images and remove them from your library. Duplicate Annihilator scans your entire library and takes one of two actions. Either you can automatically move the dups to the trash can, or you can have them identified by the comment "duplicate" for easy searching and subsequent action. Either way, this $7.95 shareware available from Brattoo Propaganda Software is an affordable way to slim down your iPhoto library.

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Cameras don't see the world as we do. Our eyes can pick out the shadow detail of a shaded tree trunk and the subtleties in a bright sky at the same time. A camera can't. At the root of this discrepancy is something called dynamic range, the ratio of the lightest point in the scene to the darkest. On a bright day, most people can easily see 50,000 subtle variations in tone. A typical 8-bit photo captured by a digital camera picks up a mere 256 variations.

In Photoshop CS2, Adobe added a Merge To HDR (High Dynamic Range) command that automates the process of combining pictures with different exposures. The result is closer to what you see with your eyes. In this podcast I explain how HDR works, how to capture your images for proper processing, and what to do with them once they're on the computer.

You might also be interested my article, Extend your dynamic range that I wrote for Macworld Magazine.

Jan. Photo Assignment

I also mention the January 2007 photo assignment, "Glimmer." You can use this theme literally -- shine faintly with a wavering of light... such as glimmer off water. Or you can go figuratively such as a glimmer of hope. There's lots to work with here. Deadline for submission is Jan. 31. You can read the details on our Submissions page.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "High Dynamic Range." You can download the podcast here (26 minutes).

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Grab Shot 87 - Two Ladies Shopping

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Cruelles de Ville: "Septegenarians peruse antiques in the market at the Cour Soleya, Nice," says Simon Saunders. "The furs, diamonds and crocodile- and snake-skin accessories are real, as is the blonde hair (although even that may not be their own). I followed these ladies and hid behind an arrangement of clothes to catch them with my Nikon 18-200mm."

"The image screams luxury, and decadance, although what it doesn't convey completely is the warmth of the day; temperatures on the French Riviera in January can reach the high 60s, which is why it's such a popular destination for the wealthy and especially the elderly. So the thick furs are entirely, as they say in those parts, de trop!"

"They are handling crucifixes, I discover later. One points a taloned finger to a selection shown them by the marketeer."
Combien? "How much?"
"This one?" he replies.
Non - touts. "No - all of them."

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iPhoto enables you to send pictures via email... sort of. As long as you use Mac Mail, Entourage, AOL, or Eudora, and realize that you can't send directly from iPhoto; it just opens your email app for you. And none of this helps all of those Gmail users out there.

Good news though. Thanks to Juan Ignacio Leon, Gmail fans can download iPhoto2Gmail and send pictures directly from iPhoto without ever opening their email client.

iPhoto2Gmail is an export plug-in that you access via File -> Export. All you have to do is select your picture(s) in iPhoto, open iPhoto2Gmail via Export, address your letter, and click the Export button. Your images will immediately be delivered via your Gmail account.

Currently you have the option to send full size pictures or scale them down to 800 pixels. But Juan says he'll have more resizing options in the next release. Plus, he's also working on integrating Gmail Contacts into the plug-in. Hopefully we'll see the new version before long.

In the meantime, you can download iPhoto2Gmail today and start sharing pictures. The application is donationware. So if you like it, please put a few bucks in the jar.

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You get a lot of camera for under $200 with either of these new models. The A550 is a 7.1 megapixel compact with a 4x optical zoom lens and a 2-inch LCD screen. It has a DIGIC II processor under the hood and tons of features. Suggested retail will be $199 US.

The new PowerShot A460 digital camera features 5.0 megapixel resolution with a 4x optical zoom lens and a 2-inch LCD screen, up from 4.0 megapixels and a 1.8-inch LCD screen on last year's PowerShot A430 model. It also uses the DIGIC II processor, and will retail for $149 US.

You can get more information from the official Canon press release. But based on the specs, stellar track record of this line of cameras, and competitive pricing, these cameras should be very popular.

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Have you ever wondered about signing a book deal? If so, I have the interview for you. I sat down with the incredible Colleen Wheeler to discuss her work as an editor for O'Reilly Media. Colleen gives us an inside look at the publishing world and tells us a little bit about her projects with famous photographers such as Stephen Johnson, Mikkel Aaland, Eddie Tapp and more. It's a terrific conversation that I'm sure you'll enjoy. She also has some pointers for those thinking about trying to get a publishing contract.

Photo caption: Colleen Wheeler and Mikkel Aaland taking their first peek at Mikkel's "Photoshop CS2 Raw" book at PMA 2006. Photo by Derrick Story

Jan. Photo Assignment

I also mention the January 2007 photo assignment, "Glimmer." You can use this theme literally -- shine faintly with a wavering of light... such as glimmer off water. Or you can go figuratively such as a glimmer of hope. There's lots to work with here. Deadline for submission is Jan. 31. You can read the details on our Submissions page.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Photography Book Publishing." You can download the podcast here (32 minutes).

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Grab Shot 86 - The Smoker

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"I took this shot while walking along the river bank one Saturday afternoon," said Carlos Fernandez. "I noticed this cafe worker taking her smoke break on the river bank. She was oblivious to my presence which gave me time to frame up and grab the shot."

Carlos captured with a Nikon D80 at F5.6, 1/125, ISO 200, auto white balance, and 135mm focal length. Then converted the image to black and white.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

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I was happy to find a thoughtful weblog post on one of my favorite subjeccts: At what point do you delete your undesirable images? In his post, To Delete or Not, That Is the Question..., Carl Weese says, "To me it seems prudent to avoid deletion in camera. I also reformat the memory card in-camera, after downloading and making two copies of all the files on either hard drives or optical media. Call it belt'n'suspenders."

Carl discusses additional reasons not to be too delete-happy, even once the images have been loaded on to the computer and examined on the monitor. My personal view on this is to only delete the outright unusable dogs and archive the marginal stuff. A slightly underexposed, badly composed image of Uncle Bob might not mean much today, but 10 years from now could be a valuable, touching memory.

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A terrific group of podcasters congregated at the Apple Store on Thursday, Jan. 11 to discuss nearly every facet of this popular medium. I was lucky enough to join the panel that included Adam Christianson, Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Scott Bourne, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko, and many more. You can listen to that discussion by downloading the Podcaster Meetup on the Maccast web site.

On a separate podcasting note, the Digital Story episode that typically runs on Tuesdays will be delayed until Thursday. But it will be worth the wait. I have an interview with the incredible Colleen Wheeler who gives us an inside look at photography book publishing and discusses her work with famous photographers such as Stephen Johnson, Mikkel Aaland, Eddie Tapp and more. It's a terrific conversation that I'm sure you'll enjoy... but you have to wait until Thursday.

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Grab Shot 85 - Keynote Collapse

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"I took this shot while waiting in line for the keynote address by Steve Jobs at Macworld Expo," said Kevin Miller. "I got in line at 4am for the 9am presentation. Many had arrived earlier than I, in order to get a spot at the keynote. This faithful follower took a break in the middle of the anticipation."

Kevin captured this moment with a Canon 30D, 24-105mm f4.0 lens, f4.0, 1/125, ISO=800, Expodisc for custom white balance.

If you want to see more pictures from Macworld related events, take a look at this gallery I've posted.

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Macworld 2007 was about digital media -- photography, video, and yes, tons of audio. We saw Apple TV officially introduced at the Steve Jobs keynote, a brief solo performance by John Mayer, live podcasts such as MacBreak Weekly and the iLifeZone, and a special podcaster meetup at the Apple Store.

I was participating in many of these events and brought along my trusty Canon Rebel XT to capture a few close-up glimpses. I had a decent seat for the Jobs keynote (being on the conference faculty), and sat-in on the MacBreak show and the podcaster meetup.

I've posted the gallery here with the accompanying metadata for you to enjoy.

Picture: John Mayer performing at the Steve Jobs keynote. Photo by Derrick Story.

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Nikon Shows New Capture NX at Macworld

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Nikon was proudly demoing the Universal Binary version of Capture NX at Macworld this week. This latest version provides minor enhancements and bug fixes, but most importantly it runs an the new Intel versions of Macs.

Rob Galbraith reports that "in the brief demonstration we saw, the speed at which the program could render a D2X NEF as it opened was dramatically faster than the current PowerPC version of the program on the same machine." He also wrote: "Also new in the upcoming Capture NX update are larger histogram and Curves/Levels palettes, as well as various bug fixes and performance enhancements, says Nikon USA's Mike Rubin. A ship date hasn't been set for the new version of Capture NX, nor is the company revealing what the version number will be. When it's released it will be a free, downloadable update for licensed users. The update will be to both the Mac and Windows versions of the application."

You can read the entire Nikon press release on Ron's site. This is great news for Nikon shooters who capture in Raw and work on Macs.

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More Pool of Light: Found Treasure

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The things you find in the depths of your inbox. In this case, discovering Landon Michaelson's unpublished entry for Pool of Light was like discovering a $20 bill. I just couldn't leave it behind. So I asked him to tell me a bit more about the image so I could publish it.

"The idea came on quickly," said Landon, "but execution took some thought. I surrounded him in black fabric to keep everything dark. I gave him the device and allowed him to just look at the screen. This is hand-held, as he does not sit perfectly still, ever. So had to pick settings that allowed me to pull it off."

"I originally tried to keep everything in focus, but soon found that to be less desirable. With all the other shots I had visualized and shot, this one met my creative goals better for each. I liked this shot enough to enter it for both. I was on assignment for two assignments. One for "sound" and the other "pool of light" for December. While not technically the best photo ever taken, but I was more concerned with the mood. I entered this in time for the assignment, but something happened in the process. Gotta love technology when it works. No problem Derrick. ;-)"

Thanks Landon. By the way, he used a Nikon D200 with an 85mm lens, ISO 800, and manual exposure mode for this great shot.

The photo assignment for Jan. is "Glimmer." Please get your entries in by the end of the month, and I'll try not to lose them :)

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iPhone as a Camera

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One of the things that David Pogue commented on yesterday (David being one of the few living beings outside of Apple to operate the new iPhone) was how marvelous the LCD screen was on the iPhone. He said that when you use the 2-megpixel camera and look at the world though that screen, it was as big and open as anything he's seen on a consumer camera. Given that you can transfer those images easily via email, the Web, and other online tools via iPhone, this is one of the most "connected" cameras in the world -- WiFi, Edge, Bluetooth.

We don't know yet if the final version of iPhone (due out in June after FCC approval) will include video, but my guess is yes with H.264 compression. This could be a very sweet little point and shoot camera that you always have with you. More to be seen...

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Casio has found a way to squeeze a 7X optical zoom in a pocketable 7.2 megapixel beauty. The just-announced EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-V7 also features blur reduction technologies with the new CCD shift system, the redesigned EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processor, and now captures movies with H.264 encoding (which should be QuickTime compatible right out of the camera).

Casio is showing off the camera at the CES show in Las Vegas, NV. It will retail for $399 or less when available in March. This is a compact to keep our eyes on as the hands-on reviews begin to surface.

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Many of us have decisions to make about software in 2007. Are we going to continue with an existing Photoshop-based workflow and upgrade to CS3, make the switch to Lightroom, get serious with Aperture, or explore the new features in iPhoto? The tools available for photo management are better than ever. And the real trick now is finding the right match for you.

In this podcast, I take a look at the four leading contenders for your digital shoebox dollars, touch on their possible release dates, and help you figure out what's the best application for your images.

Jan. Photo Assignment

I also mention the January 2007 photo assignment, "Glimmer." You can use this theme literally -- shine faintly with a wavering of light... such as glimmer off water. Or you can go figuratively such as a glimmer of hope. There's lots to work with here. Deadline for submission is Jan. 31. You can read the details on our Submissions page.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Software for 2007." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes).

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The December Photo Assignment was "Pool of Light," and we have a thrilling gallery for you -- 17 images submitted by The Digital Story members demonstrate the collective keen eyes of our virtual camera club shooters. Many of these pictures are stunning.

To produce the gallery, the pictures were first loaded into Aperture. I then added the accompanying stories to the IPTC caption field and combined it with the EXIF data from the photograph. The final step was to create a web gallery in Aperture and upload it to the Digial Story server. You can view this month's photo assignment here.

The January assignment is "Glimmer." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Submissions page. Because of our new gallery format, you can now submit photo assignment pictures up to 600 pixels wide for horzontal shots, 400 pixels wide for verticals. Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. I use that for the caption data.

Good luck with your January assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for December. It's a terrific collection of images.

Photo by Maarten Sneep

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Boinx Software has released a public beta of the redesigned FotoMagico to garner user feedback before making the final version available. Major improvements in 2.0 include the ability to create a standalone player for your presentations, watermark capability, fresh user interface, and performance enhancements.

Oliver Breidenbach of Boinx Software comments, "FotoMagico 2 enters the Public Beta testing phase. FotoMagico 2 represents a significant step forward by introducing high resolution, standalone slideshow players that can be shared with people who do not have a license for FotoMagico. In order to test this new capability thoroughly, FotoMagico 2 is now available as a public beta with a final release planned for March, 2007."

You can download the public beta today and give it a spin. Be sure to let Boinx know what you like and what needs improvement.

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Grab Shot 84 - Tears of Joy

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"Here is a shot that my wife captured of me and the kids celebrating after I opened the new 20” iMac," said Ernie Hagenow. "This was our family gift for Christmas. Our oldest son was so happy he had tears of joy."

"The motion blur was recorded because this was the ninth shot in a row and the flash fell behind in recharging."

"I look forward of going to the next level in my digital photography with the iMac and Aperture. My kids love Photo Booth, and as you see it in the background the M-Audio keyboard has been used a lot in GarageBand."

This fun grab shot was captured with a Canon EOS 30D set to ISO 200, shutter speed was 1/13th and aperture at f-3.5, exposure compensation +1/3. And yes, the flash didn't fire.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

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iPhoto Slideshow Tips and Tricks

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iPhoto's slideshow authoring tools have come a long way since the early days of the application. You can author very good presentations without ever leaving your digital shoebox... that is if you know a few tricks.

In a recent article I wrote for Macworld Magazine titled, Create stunning slide shows, I show many of the techniques that I've perfected over the years to create terrific presentations with my iPhoto images. If you're an iPhoto user, you might want to give it a read.

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An Australian scientist has calculated how many frames you need to record during a group shot to give you the best odds that at least one image will have everyone with their eyes open. In the article, Picture Perfect: How to Make Blink-Free Holiday Photos, physicist Piers Barnes calculates the average number of times a person blinks (10 per minute), how long a blink lasts (250 milliseconds), camera shutter speed (8 milliseconds in a typical setting), and the number of people in the group.

The article goes on to provide some rules of thumb for shooting in both good light and bad. It's interesting stuff, and the formulas work out to about the same as experience has taught me over years of working weddings -- I average about 5 frames for most group shots.

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Memory Cards

Listeners have submitted some of the things they have learned the hard way. In this episode, I tell the stories shared by Landon Michaelson, Brian Reilly, Kevin Miller, and Arnold Prasent. Their experiences hold valuable information for all of us to help us protect our images and improve our photography. It's an entertaining and informative podcast.

Jan. Photo Assignment

I also mention the January 2007 photo assignment, "Glimmer." You can use this theme literally -- shine faintly with a wavering of light... such as glimmer off water. Or you can go figuratively such as a glimmer of hope. There's lots to work with here. Deadline for submission is Jan. 31. You can read the details on our Submissions page.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "More Things I Learned the Hard Way." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes).

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Sponsor Note...

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

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Those eagle-eyed shooters at Popular Photography have identified 25 great products from 2006 and recognized them with Pop Awards. This is a terrific list including many products I've covered here on The Digital Story, such as Apple Aperture, the Epson R2400 printer, Canon PowerShot G7, and the Lumix DMC-LX2.

I also read with great interest other items in the Pop Awards that I wasn't familiar with, and now have some new gear to investigate further. There's lots of good stuff here, and it's really worth spending a few minutes perusing the list.

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ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com