Photos of the Month, June 2007: Voting is now open!

Submissions are now closed for Photos of the Month, June 2007. Visit the CameraArts site at Smugmug to vote. Simply leave a comment with a rating of one to five stars on as many entries as you wish. You will not be able to post more than one rating per photo.

Voting will remain open until Noon PST on Friday, July 6, 2007. Good luck to all of our participants!

Read our rules and guidelines here.

Photos of the Month: Sports and Action

These images have recently been uploaded to the CameraArts Community on SmugMug. for more about our new process for submitting to Photos of the Month, read our post about the recent change. Changes to our voting process are outlined as well.

Two Little Boys in the Surf

Reminder: Voting for Photos of the Month in two days!

Remember, on June 30, 2007, Voting will begin for Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action. Everyone is welcome to come to the competition gallery and leave a comment on each image, along with a rating of 1 to 5 stars. These ratings will be tallied up and the top three winners declared. Remember, you can only vote once per photo. You do not to be a SmugMug member to vote, though I encourage you to give them a try.

Click here to see the rules for this free competition.

Good luck to all of our participants!

Photos of the Month: Sports and Action

These images have recently been uploaded to the CameraArts Community on SmugMug. for more about our new process for submitting to Photos of the Month, read our post about the recent change. Changes to our voting process are outlined as well.

Robert Golding
Email: rgolding(at)nmia.com
Title: Hang Gliding in the Southwest
Info: Hang glider enthusiast after launching off La Jara Mesa near Grants, New Mexico. The day was just perfect and the winds were going his way. Lucky shot of him just above the horizon.
Picture taken in 2000 when digital was a new thing.

by Ken Fox

1st Swim Meet 2007
by Jeff Cable
Check out my portfolio at www.jeffcable.com

Joe Fisher
fisherking64(at)hotmail.com

by Zack Lynch
zacklynch1(at)yahoo.com

Jason House gives Marc Stevens something to think about during their Ring of Combat fight.
Despite the brain-jarring punch Stevens outfought Mr. House and won the decision.

Rebel XTI 2007 for MMAphotography.com

Take note: Photo Competition

Recently I posted an entry about this very original competition. A reader writes:

Dear Tom,

As a representative of Rockwool Poland – the contest’s organizer – I’d like to thank you for sharing your thoughts on the idea of our photography contest. We believe this idea will be an exciting challenge for artists, who are tired of romantic sunsets.

We’re glad to hear that our contest drew your attention. It means that you consider taking part in it. This is precisely our objective – to bring art to a new level.

Our previous projects, such as a satirical drawing contest, proved that the same subject matter may be shown in a funny & light-hearted way. The results turned out to be a great success.

This year we’d like to see if photographers can fire their imagination in a similar wide range of ideas.

It may seem easy to ridicule the idea (believe me, we are the first to laugh at it), but what we offer is a serious opportunity for real artists to show their photographic talents. And all are invited. We can’t wait to see your creativity.

Daria Stasinska
Coordinator of the photo contest “Protection against cold and heat”
Rockwool Poland

You heard her. Click here to find out how you can participate. However, you may have to do some translation. Unless there's an English version that I'm not seeing. How about it, Daria?

New: CameraArts Preview Portfolios

Here they are, back by popular demand! The posting of our three latest Preview Portfolios has been a much less painful endeavor than the first, and you should expect to see more (with much more regularity) released here and on CameraArts.com. Thanks to all our readers for making the first batch such a success!

We have three superb black-and-white photographers this time around: the sepia-toned silver gelatin series "Daylight Savings" by Meg Birnbaum, the digital photography series "Entropic Metapatterns" by Andy Ilachinski, and the traditional photography series "Mayan Journeys" by Robert Teteruck. Just as before, you are invited to leave your opinions in the comments section below the fold.

CameraArts July/August 2007: Table of Contents posted!

We have just posted the table of contents preview from our next issue of CameraArts, July/August 2007. Check it out here. Among the photographers featured will be Lisa Holden, Smith Eliot, Charlotte Grace, Ann Ginsburgh-Hofkin, Cole Thompson, and Richard Quataert. As always, Jim Hughes will be penning his column, The Long View, and Bryan Dahlberg will present the next installment of Second Sight. If that weren't enough, Hamidah Glasgow will be making a report on the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph. George DeWolfe will share his thoughts on photography and Chinese painting (and how the two share more connection than one might expect). The issue will be available soon!

Making of a Canon Lens

Following up on our post about the making of camera lenses is this excellent video demonstration by Canon. Like the final product, every step of the process seems elegant and refined, even when molten glass and men with large sticks raking through the newly-cooled material are involved...

New Kodak sensor claims to eliminate noise

Last week, Eastman Kodak announced a new super-sensitive sensor, one that will eliminate the need for a flash in low light settings. This is a bold claim, and is sure to get a lot of attention, what with Kodak's name recognition and ISO being the new buzz-word for digital cameras (following "now with ten additional megapixels!").

Recently, a higher ISO (a term for the speed of photographic exposures, adapted to digital to indicate a sensor's general sensitivity to light) has been hyped by many camera-makers as the "remedy" for noisy images taken in low light with point-and-shoot cameras.

What they don't tell you is that 1000 ISO (among the highest available) doesn't make much of a positive difference if the camera isn't an SLR. I was relieved that Kodak hasn't plastered the term all over its press announcements. This new invention seems to be something different indeed.

From Reuters:

The world's biggest maker of photographic film says its proprietary sensor technology significantly increases sensitivity to light. Image sensors act as a digital camera's eyes by converting light into an electric charge to begin the capture process.

The technology, in fact, doesn't govern the ISO at all. Kodak is reaching into its stockpile of patents to make innovations they hope will give them an edge in a market dominated by Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, and other "beasts from the east." It's a strategy they employed with their successful line of inkjet printers. Observers are already voicing doubts about the present situation, however.

Two words: we'll see. I know I haven't been too kind to Kodak in the past. My admiration of the company and its legacy is in no way diminished, but its management in the age of digital photography has been all but a disaster. When I learned that they were retiring their legendary color film, only to phase out their low-end digital cameras about a year later, I became very doubtful about the future of the company.

I want to see Kodak do well, as much as anyone. Here's hoping they recover from the last few years and become more than a nostalgic icon.

Photos of the Month: Sports and Action

These images have recently been uploaded to the CameraArts Community on SmugMug. for more about our new process for submitting to Photos of the Month, read our post about the recent change. Changes to our voting process are outlined as well.

Jamie Gannon
jamie@surprisemedia.net
Visit the photographer's website
Hopeful team members show off their tumbling ability. Select kids are awarded the honor of inclusion in the internationally known Jesse
White Tumbling Team from Chicago. The Jesse White Tumbling Team is a juvenile delinquency prevention program.

Iris Posner
iposner@ix.netcom.com
Title: Twizzlers
Info: The photo was taken during a competitive meet. Performing is a colorful teenage Team Skating group known as the Twizzlers. I tried to capture their speed and enthusiasm.

A bill to protect the images of Monroe, Hendrix, etc.

In New York State, lawmakers are at work on a bill that will protect the image of deceased persons from unauthorized use for commercial purposes. This permission would come from the heirs of the person (read: deceased celebrity) in question. The bill has been supported by the families of Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, and Mickey Mantle.

From Photo District News:

The bill was introduced May 31 in the New York State Senate by Senator Marty Golden and in the State Assembly by Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein. The bill remains in committee in both houses.

"The fact that unscrupulous quick buck artists can profiteer on a loophole in our law by selling insulting and degrading images of those who are deceased is shameful," Golden said in a statement this week. "New York law should protect those families and institutions that could be harmed by these identity predators."

I wonder what it says about me when I read something like this and my curiosity is peaked immediately. What was done by whom this time? Another curious thing is that the names mentioned above are among the most revered in American popular culture.

Also, 300th post!!! Woo!

Photos of the Month: Sports and Action

These images have recently been uploaded to the CameraArts Community on SmugMug. for more about our new process for submitting to Photos of the Month, read our post about the recent change.

A quick note about our voting process: we're still working out the kinks. We will announce when you can vote and how in the next couple of days.

Yulian Martinez
yulianmanu@hotmail.com

Title: Africa leads
Date taken: March 31/2007
Location: Charleston,SC during the Cooper River Bridge Run
Taken with a Nikon D50
ISO 400
1/50
F/5.6
18-55 Lens

Flak Photo and the Photobloggies

Isthmus magazine's online edition, The Daily Page, has just featured our friends over at Flak Photo, and the recognition they have received at the 2007 Photobloggies. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Flak Photo is an online magazine dedicated to fine art photography. Editor Andy Adams has proven that a screen can serve as well as print, as long as one is ready to embrace a different set of considerations.

The care that must be taken in presenting high quality images online is apparent at Flak Photo, which may have the best web layout for a publication I've yet seen. Adams insists that it wasn't the work of one person alone that has earned likewise distinction across the blogosphere. It was started about two years ago as part of Flak Magazine, a more verbal take on a publication with an online format. Editor James Norton planted the idea,

From The Isthmus Daily Page:

(Online publishing) also allows you to send editions of your magazine to subscribers via e-mail, an option Adams has introduced. He has 800 e-mail subscribers, he says, and they skew toward photographers and art directors who view the site on larger-than-standard monitors. "I'm all about giving a photograph room to breathe," he says.

Flak Photo saw a major redesign in the summer of last year. Hats off to everyone at Flak Photo for achieving such recognition, and wasting no time in doing it (the Photobloggies nominees were announced in February 2007, and the final decision made in April). Adams has also assembled a list of galleries representative of what Flak Photo has to offer. You can reach it here.

Goodbye Flickr, Hello SmugMug!

As useful as Flickr has been for posting photographs, we at CameraArts have decided to overhaul our Photos of the Month competition. The good folks at SmugMug will be hosting from now on, and they have gone so far as to provide free subscriptions to our winners! To find out about how you can submit and see your image immediately, read our updated rules here.

Just as before, with Flickr, you do not need to be signed up with SmugMug to enter, or to vote. Simply click here, attach your photo to the email, and type "hello2403" in the subject line. You must type your name and email address in the email message body. Otherwise we can't get in touch with you. If you would like to leave a description, type it below your name. If not, simply leave it blank.

Failure to provide your name and email address will result in the removal of your image. If this happens, it isn't reflective of the quality of your image. We just have to be able to contact you. Email me if you need help or have questions.

The CameraArts Community is our gateway at SmugMug, and I encourage you all to sign up for SmugMug and join us. Fresh submissions are posted at the community Email gallery until the end of the month. On the last day of the month, voting will be open at the Email gallery. The makers of the three most popular photos will be declared afterwards.

UPDATE (06/19/07): To vote, leave a comment with a rating of one to five stars on the last day of the month. You can do this for as many photos as you like, but only once per photo. All ratings made before the voting date will not be counted. It should be noted that SmugMug's popularity system applies to the entire directory, not just the CameraArts Community. This is a great chance to get exposure, and to score a free SmugMug account, along with our other great prizes!

We will keep posting new entries here at The CameraArts Blog. The only difference is that we will post every entry we receive, not just the five from every week that we have chosen. This means that judging all entries will be in the hands of our readers.

Remember, only one submission per person, per month! A list of upcoming categories, as well as our rules and guidelines, can be viewed here.

Good luck!

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

These images have recently been uploaded to the CameraArts Community on SmugMug. for more about our new process for submitting to Photos of the Month, read our post about the recent change. To vote for these photos, click on one or on the link above. You will be able to rate a photo "thumbs up" or "thumbs down." You may only vote once per photo.

Untitled
by Dorothy Gantenbein

Coming Soon: CameraArts July/August 2007

Our next issue is on its way, and our cover has been unveiled at www.CameraArts.com. The photography of Lisa Holden will be one of our many features for the upcoming July/August 2007 issue. Other features include: full feature portfolios from Smith Eliot, Cole Thompson, and Richard Quataert; George DeWolfe's first installment in a new series of articles about the contemplative photography of China; a new edition of The Artists' Showcase; articles by Bryan Dahlberg and Jim Hughes; and much more.

Speaking of upcoming releases, Tim Anderson's Poser: A Sketchbook of Idea for Artists and Models is at the presses. The style of this book, with Tim Anderson's sketches and commentary, is truly unique, and many photographers (as well as a model or two) lend their perspectives on capturing the human figure. Contributors include Kim Weston, Lucien Clergue, Robert Farber, and Jeff Dunas. You can pre-order your copy here.

Keep checking back for more exclusive extended articles and portfolios at www.CameraArts.com.

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

Mixing Things Up!
by William Geradino

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

Chinese Dragon Dance
by TK Wei
The performance of "Chinese Dragon Dance" is one of the most popular among the Chinese people during a cultural festival (normally arranged by a temple).

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

Running on Air
by Susan O'Carroll
This horse makes this year's Memorial Day Grand Prix jumping competition in Burbank look easy, appearing to canter through the air while taking the jump.

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

Untitled
by Russ Osterweil
Visit the photographer's website

Photos of the Month, June 2007: Sports and Action

Somewhere on the California Coast
by Fred Reaves
Nikon F3, 180 mm lens Kodak Ektachrome EPP. Just a matter of being in the right place at the right time!

Winners Announced: Photos of the Month, May 2007

In Expectation of Good Fortune

WINNER: Third Place, Weddings and Gatherings

In Expectation of Good Fortune
by Georgiy Londarenko
Shot with a Diana camera.

Congratulations Georgiy!

Wedding Games

WINNER: Second Place, Weddings and Gatherings

Wedding Games
by Rick Rembisz

I attended a traditional Chinese wedding. The first part of the evening was very formal, however it abruptly changed course when the games began. This picture, in context, makes sense. The bride tries to maneuver a raw egg up one pant leg of the groom and down the other. It never works.

Congratulations Rick!

Joseph at the Wedding

WINNER: First Place, Weddings and Gatherings

Joseph at the Wedding
by Erin Wolfe


Congratulations Erin!

New from Nick Ut: Somebody named "Hilton"

It's great to see that photographer Nick Ut is still in the thick of things. Check out this candid photograph of a distressed young blonde woman in a limousine. Certainly it is an unlikely follow-up to the photograph that made him famous (warning: if you don't know who Nick Ut is, or what other photograph of his that I'm linking to, be warned that it is highly graphic in nature). I'm not exactly sure what this young woman's story is—something about DWIs and being heir to a billion-dollar fortune. Maybe Lauren Greenfield will lend her lens to the subject next. It seems to be a worthy subject of additional media attention.

Speaking of which, there is a new mini-documentary at the New York Times website entitled "Kids and Money" by Lauren Greenfield. I don't know how she does it—teenagers are by nature one of the most private, non-communicative species on the planet. Not to mention that these teenagers are fashion-conscious, affluent, and living in L.A. Nevertheless, Greenfield somehow manages to get them to open up and utter more than a handful of words at a time. I recommend checking out this series, as well as some of her other films at her website.

Find a CameraArts Retailer

We have just posted a complete list of all United States retail locations carrying CameraArts Magazine. Oftentimes we get asked the question "where can I find a copy?" by readers who would like that extra copy, or two, or three, or twenty. Click here to check it out, and if you are in a position to support your local bookstore, do that too.

The title of the post doesn't say "near you" on the end. This is because I would like to see the English language at least partially restored to her former glory, if only little by little...

Finally, the photo contest we've all been waiting for

Finally, my dream has come true. I have always been an outspoken supporter of fiberglass photography. Now insulation is getting its own international photo contest: “Protection against cold and heat,” made possible by Rockwool Poland. (Their site offers both Polish and Russian versions.)

From the press release:

We decided to organise such a photo contest as we were very interested to see how artists from all over the world would capture their impressions over thermal insulation – our core business. We co-organised a similar contest for satirical drawings last year and it brought spectacular results. We hope that also these year contest participants will astonish us with their creativity. – says Jacek Kieszkowski, Marketing Director Rockwool Poland.

The originality of this idea should be applauded across the world of fine art photography. Now the world can experience artful views of this universal basement and attic decoration. I'm planning on doing a panorama of colors from the entire spectrum of insulation: salmon pink, burnt orange, yellow off-white, yellowish off-green off-white, platinum yellowish off-green off-white, and puce.

This should meet with a great deal of success, much more than the fiberglass underwear design workshop recently hosted in Odessa...

Photos of the Month, May 2007: Voting Now Open!

We are now accepting votes for Photos of the Month, May 2007: Weddings and Gatherings! To view and choose from a gallery of entries, click here.

We are also accepting entries for our new competition, June 2007: Sports and Action. Remember, you don't have to be a professional to win, and it costs nothing to enter! What is your take on a good sports photograph? We've all seen the glossy freeze-motion images on magazine covers. We want to see your take on the subject. Click here to read our complete rules and guidelines.