ACDSee announces photo-sharing compatiblility with new updates

ACD Systems, makers of ACDSee Pro 2 and ACDSee 10 Photo Manager, both excellent applications for digital photographers, has released a suite of updates for these two new products. These updates are second in a series of web downloads designd to hlp photographers make the most of customization options on photo-sharing sites like Flickr and SmugMug, and selected features on a range of digital cameras, as well as file format support.

This includes ACDSee's Flickr Uploader Version 2.0. Many other uploaders automatically send images to online photo-sharing sites, and this one is no exception: the ability to easily resize large images and apply tags for individual photographs or for groups. ACDSee also utilizes metadata fields, and this information can be uploaded as well. Think all of the information about an image that can't actually be seen in the image itself: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and other attributes are identified by ACDSee, and the oppportunity to organize images by these quantities should be very desirable to photographers in need of workflow solutions.

The user can do all of this without leaving the ACDSee program. Security, safety and content type can also be designated in this updated uploader. Click here to get the updates from ACDSee's website.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Where in the World is Smuggy?

SmugMug, the photo-sharing site with support options for everyone from the casual digital photographer to the hard-core shutterbug with a name to promote and prints to sell, is hosting an online competition for its members. An all-expenses-paid trip to Napa Valley, CA, awaits the photographer who captures the SmugMug logo in the most outlandish, eclectic, and exotic location possible. Free SmugMug subscriptions will also be offered.

Deadline for entries is December 5, 2007.

Also, SmugMug has partnered with Blurb, online publishers of creative books. As a result, SmugMug users will have the tools to create, publish, market, and sell professional quality books of photography. If you haven't tried SmugMug yet, you will be surprised at just how many professional features are being offered to the career photographer.

You may submit to "Where in the World is Smuggy?" online at this site. Two-week free trials are available to non-members. Winners will be announced one week after the contest ends.

Yahoo Photos to shut down September 20, Smugmug moves in

Yahoo Photos users will find themselves adrift when the company will discard its photo-sharing feature in favor of Flickr, which was bought by Yahoo in March 2005. Yahoo has acknowledged the differences between the two programs, and has offered the alternatives of Shutterfly and Kodak Gallery services. Smugmug, the “anti-establishment” photo site, has weighed in with a unique offer for Yahoo Photos customers.

A discount of 50% will be applied to new Smugmug subscriptions made by Yahoo customers. Emphasizing a low number of pop-ups or banner ads, Smugmug offers many features to the professional photographer, such as a user rating system that makes images increasingly visible on Smugmug’s site-wide search engine, shopping cart options for prints, and options for customization.

Having worked with both Flickr and Smugmug, I have to give the gold star to the latter. Smugmug is also pushing the envelope in uploading options, and functionality with Adobe programs.

From Smugmug’s press release:

“While sites like Flickr and Shutterfly have design limitations due to built-in editing applications, SmugMug unleashes a file uploader for Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6. Adobe Photoshop files can now be manipulated/edited and uploaded for display on a SmugMug user’s site, with the best and brightest picture clarity.”

Senior Vice President of Yahoo Brad Garlinghouse has expressed a wish to focus on clear-set goals, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. This is outlined in his memo, “The Peanut Butter Manifesto,” in which worries are expressed that Yahoo is being spread too thin.

On the other hand, Smugmug’s customer service is truly enviable. With the profusion of websites and online services, customer service is usually the first thing that is left by the wayside by companies struggling to keep ahead and adapt. It’s good to see that a well-specified service can keep going, and meet success in doing so.

Pentax opens part gallery showcase, part photo sharing website

Pentax has unveiled a new Photo Gallery website. Fully original in layout and design, built from scratch by in-house imaging professionals, this commerical-free site is intended to educate budding photographers about the creative capabilities of individual camera bodies and lenses. There is also a voting system, reminiscient of sharing sites like SmugMug, to gauge the popularity of photographers and their images.

Having launched August 6, 2007, the site features 2,500 selected works from more than 300 photographers of ages ranging from 16 to 80. More than 40 countries are depicted in these images, throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Rim. Biographies of each photographer are also posted.

Images are searchable by camera bodies and individual lenses as well, so surfing Pentax's galleries become much more than an elaborate ad for the company. The site has the potential for budding photographers looking to learn more about what kind of images can be shot with what cameras, or long-term professionals trying to make the leap into digital.

For photographers interested in being featured in the gallery,email Pentax for more information.

A flash demonstration of how the gallery works is also available here.

Winners Announced: Photos of the Month, June 2007

Somewhere on the California Coast

TIE: Two entries received the same number of votes for Third Place in the Competition.
WINNER: Third Place, 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!

Congratulations Fred!

Untitled

WINNER: Third Place, Sports and Action

Untitled
by Dorothy Gantenbein

Congratulations Dorothy!

Untitled

WINNER: Second Place, Sports and Action

Untitled
by Ken Fox

Congratulations Ken!

House vs. Stevens

WINNER: First Place, Sports and Action

House vs. Stevens
by Zack Lynch
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


Congratulations Zack!

Photos of the Month on hiatus

Due to unexpected technical difficulties, we at CameraArts have put Photos of the Month on temporary hiatus until these issues can be addressed. Apologies to all of you hopefuls that have recently discovered us on SmugMug. The good news is that the June 2007 competition, Sports and Action, will run its course, and the three winners will still receive prizes.

Voting is still open, and will remain so until 12 noon PST on Friday, July 6, 2007. Click here to participate. Thanks to all who have submitted and voted. You have made Photos of the Month a great success, and we hope you will return. This competition surely will, just not for a couple of months.

If you're interested in entering our new competition, The CameraArts ShowCase, click here to see the complete details. This is a one-of-a-kind chance to see your work in the pages of CameraArts, and to be promoted online through The Center for Fine Art Photography's online presence, as well as on CameraArts.com.

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

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.

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

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!