Photographer, filmmaker, composer and writer Gordon Parks died at his home in Manhattan on March 7.  He was 93.

Parks' work as the first African-American staff photographer for Life magazine brought his photography to the world, but he expressed his vision in many ways, writing novels, poetry, memoirs, music and screenplays.

Among his countless awards and accolades, Professional Photographers of America presented Parks with the PPA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. He is shown here receiving the award from PPA's current President-elect Jack Reznicki. 

"Gordon Parks was always an inspiration to me since high school when I read his autobiography, 'The Learning Tree.' To me it's a must-read for any photography student or any student of our American history and the American experience," said Reznicki.

By Mark Garber,  PEC Chair

Beginning at the International Print judging in July 2006, album competition entrants may submit their Album entries on CD. This exciting change in the International Print Competition will simplify the submission process and greatly reduce the cost of producing and shipping physical albums.

On May 5, Apple released Aperture 1.1.1 Update, reported to fix "several issues related to performance, stability, color correction, and display compatibility." This update is recommended to all Aperture users. 

According to Apple, fixes included with the Aperture 1.1.1 Update are as follows:

- White balance and Tint value controls have been fixed to deliver more accurate results.
- Import from iPhoto has been updated so that you can browse and select specific images from iPhoto Library for import.
- Addresses a bug that was causing Aperture to get the wrong results in a minimum display hardware check, thus preventing users with certain VGA displays from being able to use Aperture.

Note: You must first update to Aperture 1.1 and Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later before installing Aperture 1.1.1.

Fire up Adobe Photoshop This Summer and Get Cooking

All-Star Judges Includes Katrin Eismann, Deke McClelland, Bert Monroy, Eddie Tapp, Vincent Versace, and more

O'Reilly Media today announced The 2006 O’Reilly Photoshop Cook-Off, a contest featuring eighteen top Photoshop experts as judges, including Mikkel Aaland, Katrin Eismann, Harris Fogel, Tim Grey, Deke McClelland, Bert Monroy, Eddie Tapp, Vincent Versace, and John Beardsworth, among others. O'Reilly is aiming to inspire creativity and discover new and promising talent from the ranks of the 4,000,000 plus Photoshop users. The winners will be recognized with awards and fabulous prizes which will be presented at an event at PhotoPlus Expo in New York on November 2, 2006.

Registration opens with $100 advance sign-up discount

Press Release—Photoshop World Conference & Expo, the largest Photoshop educational event in the world, held Sept. 7-9 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, is offering an advance registration discount of $100 now through Friday, Aug. 4th. Registration is open at http://www.photoshopworld.com or by calling 800-738-8513, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM EST.

On Tuesday, June 27, iView Multimedia announced that it had been acquired by the Microsoft Corporation. iView Multimedia, a software development company, publishes iView MediaPro, a highly regarded and extremely flexible digital asset management program for photographers, which also happens to be very popular with Macintosh users.

According to a PR representative of iView, the company will move its development team from where the company began in London, England, to the home of Microsoft's headquarters, Redmond, Wash. Company founder and CEO Yan Calotychos will also move to Redmond, while marketing will continue to operate from London.

iView Multimedia has posted an FAQ page addressing questions about the acquisition, as well as a letter to customers from Calotychos.

Fire up Adobe Photoshop This Summer and Get Cooking

The 2006 O’Reilly Photoshop Cook-Off is underway. Just take up to three of your own photos and manipulate them with Adobe Photoshop, using recipes from any of the five O'Reilly Photoshop Cookbooks (no purchase necessary). Adapt the recipe as necessary for your creative vision. Then use the online entry form to reveal which recipe(s) you used, and submit both your original, unmanipulated digital image and the "cooked" image you've created. Submission deadline: August 15.

Grand Prize

• Adobe Web Bundle (Creative Suite 2 & Macromedia Studio 8)
• Epson Stylus Photo R2400 printer
• Pentax K100D Digital SLR and DA 18 - 55mm Lens Kit
• Pantone Reference Library
• GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 Pro monitor calibrator
• Nik Software Nik Sharpener Pro
• Premium Subscription to Lynda.com online
• iView Multimedia iView Media Pro3
• JupiterImages 1-year subscription to Photos.com
• Shutterstock.com 3-month subscription
• Lensbabies Lensbaby 2.0
• Software Cinema DVDs:
  - Working with Adjustment Layers
  - Photoshop Fundamentals and Advanced Techniques
  - Advanced Masking Techniques;
  - Image Restoration, Repair & Enhancement;
  - Pro Techniques I & II Plus Color Management;
  - Best of Photoshop CS2
• Total Training DVD: Advanced Photoshop CS2
• O'Reilly Media Gift Certificate
• iStockPhoto Gear & Free Credits
• Lowepro Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW Bag
• Wetzel & Co. Backgrounds/Textures 6 CD Bundle
• Pexagon Technology 1.8" 20 GB Store-It Portable Hard Drive

Features interviews with photographers Arnold Newman, Eve Arnold And Elliott Erwitt

There is an oft told tale of Marilyn Monroe walking down a New York City street, incognito, turning to her companion and saying, “Do you want to see her?” With that, she threw off all vestiges of Norma Jeane and miraculously transformed. There were no grand gestures, no change of clothes, no make-up.  It was a simple shift, a slithering out of one skin into the other. Arguably the most photographed person ever, the “outing” of Marilyn is something she looked at with both skepticism and awe. She once said, “I carry Marilyn Monroe around with me like an albatross.” In a new film, American Masters offers a unique take on one of the world’s first superstars by turning to the still photographs that captured Monroe’s beauty, her complexity and, ultimately, her own complicated relationship with the star side of herself.  AMERICAN MASTERS Marilyn Monroe: Still Life premieres Wednesday, July 19 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).      

Caption: Marilyn Monroe during a photo shoot for The Seven Year Itch, 1954, © George S. Zimbel 2005

PhotoPlus Expo 2006 Photography & Design Conference, a comprehensive photography expo and eduational conference, is set to open at the Jacob Javits Center in New York on Nov. 2. This is one of the biggest photo industry shows of the year, with a trade show featuring more than 200 manufacturers, speakers and an exhibition of winning entries in an ultimate travel photography contest. 

Press Release—Once again, studios across the country will join together this October to benefit Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that works to provide free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has designated October as Family Portrait Month. Professional photographers who pledge to donate a portion of Family Portrait Month sales to PPA Charities will benefit charatible partner Operation Smile.

More than $15,000 was raised during last year’s drive and more PPA member studios have pledged to contribute a portion of this year’s October sales to the cause.

Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility y with Adobe Photoshop

Press Release—DxO Labs has announced availability of a free, Windows PC public beta release of DxO Optics Pro v4 for all digital photographers to download from the DxO Labs Web site.  DxO Optics Pro software improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, noise and exposure corrections in an easy-to-use, feature rich application for Mac and PC users.

Press Release—The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), founders of the Photoshop Hall of Fame, is proud to announce that Eddie Tapp, Jeff Schewe and John Paul Caponigro—three prominent leaders in Photoshop and digital photography—will be inducted into the 2006 Photoshop Hall of Fame. Their official induction takes place during a special ceremony at the upcoming Photoshop World Conference & Expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Sept. 7th.

Press Release—The School of Visual Arts (SVA) has been authorized by the New York State Education Department to offer a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Digital Photography beginning in the fall of 2007. The new one-year degree program addresses the technical needs of experienced photographers who are looking to advance their skills in digital image capture, management and high-quality output, or make a career change into the field of digital photography. The program will be chaired by Katrin Eismann, who is currently on the faculty of the BFA Computer Art Department and the MFA Photography, Video and Related Media Department at SVA. Eismann is a computer artist, author and educator specializing in digital photography.

According to reports published in the Regina Leader-Post newspaper, Off the Wall Productions appears to have been declared insolvent and had its accounts frozen by the Canada Revenue Agency.

If you have paid for, but not received, merchandise from Off the Wall it appears unlikely that you will be able to obtain either a refund or the merchandise. Professional Photographers of America has received reports that Off the Wall's shipping company is holding all of the merchandise in its possession as collateral for funds owed to it by Off the Wall.

If you paid for your order by credit card, you may wish to contact the card issuer to see if it is possible to have the charge removed from your account. The telephone number listed on Off the Wall's Web site has been "temporarily disconnected."

PPA will continue to offer updates on this matter as they become available. See the original story: "Regina firm closes doors"

Updated Camera Raw Plug-in and DNG Converter Provides Support for Over 125 Camera Models with New Cameras from Kodak, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony

Press Release (Sept. 19, 2006)—Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced an update to the Camera Raw plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS2, extending RAW file support to five additional camera models. Available as a free download from Adobe's Web site, the Camera Raw 3.5 plug-in builds on the RAW file support integrated in Photoshop CS2 for digital cameras from leading manufacturers including Nikon, Kodak, Panasonic and Sony. Adobe today also announced that the DNG Converter is available as a Universal Binary, allowing it to perform natively on Macintosh Intel-based computers. The free Adobe DNG Converter, which translates all Photoshop-supported RAW photo formats into the universal .DNG file format, gives photographers a single unified file format for archiving RAW files.

The camera RAW functionality in the Adobe digital imaging software line provides fast and easy access to the RAW image formats produced by many leading professional and mid-range digital cameras. Camera Raw 3.5 allows professional photographers to easily manipulate RAW files without sacrificing any image quality. Professional photographers can more quickly and easily import and manipulate RAW data, saving time while increasing artistic control and flexibility.

With this update, Camera Raw 3.5 and the DNG Converter now support more than 125 different cameras. New cameras supported by Adobe Camera Raw 3.5 plug-in and DNG Converter include Nikon D2Xs, Kodak EasyShare P712, Panasonic DMC-FZ50 and DMC-L1, and Sony A100. 

Availability

The Adobe Camera Raw 3.5 plug-in requires Photoshop CS2, Photoshop Elements 3.0, Photoshop Elements 4.0 or the recently announced Photoshop Elements 5.0.  The plug-in is available with the purchase of Photoshop Elements 5.0 or can be downloaded for free by going to the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html.  The updated Adobe DNG Converter is available today as a free download at www.adobe.com/dng.

PHOTOKINA, Cologne, Germany (Press Release)—Today Lensbabies, LLC launched its third generation selective focus Single Lens Reflex (SLR) lens, Lensbaby 3G, introducing new features that dramatically expand the Lensbaby product family’s capabilities.

The Lensbaby 3G SLR lens allows photographers to lock the Lensbaby in a desired bent position simply by pressing a button. Then, using a traditional barrel focus mechanism, photographers can do fine focusing and precisely place the sweet spot of sharp focus before pressing the shutter release.  The Original Lensbaby lens and the Lensbaby 2.0 lens require the photographer to manually hold the Lensbaby in a bent position while pressing the shutter release.   

Professional Photographer was fortunate to get to try one of the prototypes, and the new design works wonderfully. Simply move the barrel of the lens to the position you want, push a button to lock it into place, and then you can fine tune with the focusing rails (which we like to call the Swedish Furniture Legs) and focusing ring. With this new design that moves the focal point where you want it and locks it in, you can create gorgeous, reliable effects with a camera mounted on a tripod.

Lensbaby selective focus SLR camera lenses take photos with one area in sharp focus, with that ‘sweet spot’ surrounded by graduated blur.  Photographers can move the sweet spot of sharp focus anywhere in the photo by bending the flexible lens tubing. 

Ron Eggers is in Cologne, Germany, reporting from Photokina. We'll post his updates on Bonus Content as they come in.

This is a radically different Photokina. Even before the show started, it was obvious that things were going to be different this year. The entire West Messe complex, which served as the heart of the show in past years, had been gutted. Only the exterior walls were left standing. It looked like a bomb had hit it. It reminded me a little of pictures I had seen of Dresden after World War II, just the shells of the buildings.  This year, all the action was east of the tracks that divide the massive Messe grounds.

For show goers, particularly people like me, who have attended Photokina for many many years, the main impact was totally confusion. Asking directions didn't help, since many of the people who should have known what was going on were more confused than the show-goers. It was amazing the amount of misinformation that was out there, to the point that finding some things that should have taken minutes took hours. That decreased productivity for anybody who wasn't anchored to an exhibit booth.

The show is a lot more low-key this year than it has been in the past. Many of the companies with new product announcements prereleased their introductions, so much of the anticipation that has been a traditional part of Photokina just isn't there.

But that doesn't mean there isn't much to see at the show. With more than 1600 manufacturers, distributors and suppliers from 45 countries, showing off their wares in 11 massive exhibit halls, it could still be called the center of the photographic universe, at least for the week.

—Ron Eggers

Things are picking up for the second day of Photokina 2006. There are a lot more people and there seems to be a lot more interest in what's being shown. Even vendors in some of the less visited halls felt better about today.

Apple's major upgrade to its Aperture image editing program has gotten a lot of attention. Version 1.5 is a major upgrade. Someone had suggested that Apple keep the revisions in sync with actual aperture numbers, which would have made this 1.4 (which is the aperture that's on the box).

Several new digital SLRs were rolled out, including Fujifilm's new FinePix S5 Pro. It has a maximum resolution of 12.3 megapixels (if you count both the S and R pixels), an expanded dynamic range, less noise, a larger buffer and Wi-Fi image transfer. There was a lot of interest in Canon's EOS 400D (the European version of the Digital Rebel XTi) and Nikon's D80, both of which had been pre-released. But this was the first show where they were available. Panasonic has the Lumix L1 that has the look and feel of a rangefinder. It's paired with the Leica D 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 aspherical lens, the first Leica lens with optical image stabilization. Targeted at pros, it should be interesting to play with.

Sigma's new SD14 digital SLR utilizes the Foveon 14.1 megapixel X3 chip. The company is going to be using the same chip in its soon-to-be-released DP1 consumer digital. That should make it the highest resolution consumer digital on the market.

Several companies have introduced the new 4GB SDHC memory cards, including SanDisk and Kingston. It's important to remember that, while these cards offer higher speeds and higher capacities, they're not compatible with older devices that take SD cards. SanDisk also introduced 12- and 16GB capacity Extreme III CompactFlash cards to their line of professional products.

—Ron Eggers

The Web publication itnews.com.au of Australia reported on Sept. 16 that Anthology Solutions, makers of Yellow Machine, a raid system reviewed in the August issue of Professional Photographer magazine, has gone into liquidation.

The product Web site, www.yellowmachine.com, now routes to www.yellowmachinecommunity.org, a user forum where Yellow Machine users offer advice and troubleshooting support. A Yellow Machine database of technical support FAQs is also still available.

According to itnews.com, a company statement previously available on the Web stated that Anthology Solutions had permanently closed as of Sept. 15. The story quotes John Robinson, country manager for Australia and New Zealand at Anthology, said the company’s closure was related to funding issues.

“The product was doing well and was getting good traction in the US and locally. However, there were issues relating to funding, management needed funding to bring the company through the year and they just couldn’t do it any longer," Robinson was quoted as saying in the article.

PPA constantly strives to increase and improve benefits for members, so we are excited to announce a great new find: BrokenJoeyRecords.com, one of the best sources for emotional, lyric-based music for photographers.

This site is custom-built around the needs of photographers by allowing searches for music based on type of photography. For example, type in the words “portrait / child” and you’ll be directed to music specifically designed for families with young children. Looking for wedding music? Type in “wedding / ceremony” and you will get music written with the ceremony in mind.

The music on BrokenJoeyRecords.com is high quality, and with the purchase of an affordable one-year license you maintain legal rights to use your chosen songs as many times as you want during that year.

O'Reilly Media announced today the winners of the Photoshop Cook-Off Contest at PhotoPlus Expo 2006. Grand Prize Winner Suzanne Pitts and 10 additional winners in five categories were selected from hundreds of submissions created by Photoshop aficionados.

"What's so wonderful about the Cook-Off contest is that everyone's a winner," says Betsy Waliszewski, who organized the contest along with Cookbooks editor Edie Freedman. "The O'Reilly recipes used to manipulate the images stirred the creative visions of photographers at all levels, from enthusiasts to seasoned professionals."

A panel of 15 A-list photographers chose the winning entries. The winning images range from Pitts' arresting black-and-white photo of a ballet trio to a fancifully surreal image of a flower budding from a peeled orange.

©Suzanne Pitts

Press Release—Adobe Systems Incorporated has updated the Camera Raw plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS2, extending RAW file support to 13 additional camera models. Available as a free download from the Adobe Web site, the Camera Raw 3.6 plug-in builds on the RAW file support integrated in Photoshop CS2 for digital cameras.

With this update, Camera Raw and DNG Converter 3.6 now support more than 140 different cameras from 14 manufacturers. New cameras supported include Canon EOS 400D (Rebel XTi/EOS Kiss Digital X), Fuji FinePix S6000fd, Fuji FinePix S9100/9600, Leica D-LUX 3, Leica Digilux 3, Leica V-LUX 1, Nikon D80, Olympus E400, Olympus SP-510 UZ, Panasonic DMC-LX2, Pentax K100D, Pentax K110D and Samsung GX-1L.

The Adobe Camera Raw 3.6 plug-in requires Photoshop CS2, Photoshop Elements 3.0, Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Photoshop Elements 5.0. The plug-in is available as a free download on the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw. The updated Adobe DNG Converter is also available as a free download at www.adobe.com/dng.

Press Release—Fujifilm has announced plans to re-introduce an ISO 50 Fujichrome Velvia professional film, tentatively named Velvia II. Fujichrome Velvia (RVP 50) was the first high color saturation, high contrast transparency E-6 compatible film when it was introduced in 1990 and was a favorite among photographers. Its discontinuation was announced last year due to difficulties in procuring some of the raw materials used to produce the emulsion.

“Since we announced the discontinuation of Velvia 50, we have been inundated with requests from photographers worldwide to continue production,” said Christian Fridholm, Director of Marketing, Picture Taking, Imaging Division, Fujifilm USA. “They had used Velvia for many years and consider it unmatched in terms of quality and character. One of Fujifilm’s main priorities is to nurture the culture of photography, so we took those requests very seriously.”

As a result, Fujifilm research and development teams have developed substitute raw materials and new manufacturing technologies that enable the company to restart production. The new film is expected to be available in late spring 2007. The characteristics of the new emulsion will mirror that of the previous product.

“We are pleased to, once again, demonstrate our commitment to photographic film and to our photographer customers,” concluded Fridholm. Specific details, including naming, pricing and shipment dates will be announced when they become available. 

Press Release—Olympus intends to introduce a successor to its Olympus E-1 "designed-for-digital" SLR camera, launched in 2003. The Olympus E-System currently includes five camera bodies and 17 Zuiko Digital lenses. Olympus has stated that future plans include a flagship model aimed at working professionals.

Mock-up images of the new professional model have been released.

Press Release—General Products L.L.C. has changed its company name to GP Albums. GP’s new name coincides with their aggressive focus on flush mount and digital offset albums along with their new extensive line of self-mount albums and folios.  As a manufacturer, GP Albums also has the ability to create custom photo packaging products upon request.

GP Albums is committed to providing professional photographers with the best high quality albums and folios, value added services and studio workflow solutions. For more information, please visit us at www.gpalbums.com or call 800-888-1934.

Features Interviews with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tina Brown, Graydon Carter, Rosanne Cash, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Demi Moore, Mark Morris, Yoko Ono, Keith Richards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patti Smith, Gloria Steinem, Jann Wenner, Anna Wintour,  and family members

Press Release—It’s 1972, the year of Watergate, "The Godfather" and Exile on Main Street. On a suburban Maryland lawn, a young Anna-lou Leibovitz peers into her Nikon as members of her family scramble into place.  As they pose, an ever-present Super 8 camera captures the scene. Although Leibovitz is a Rolling Stone magazine photographer, this event—her first turn as the official family photographer—is as important to her as any arena concert or movie shoot.

Flash forward 34 years to 2006. This time, the now-famous photographer is on the other side of the lens. And this time, her younger sister Barbara is pointing the camera, documenting the life and times of Annie Leibovitz for AMERICAN MASTERS.  "Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens" premieres Wednesday, January 3 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

Caption: Café Flore, Paris, 1997; photo by Martin Schoeller

Photoshop Legend Recognized for a Lifetime of Contributions to the Development, Advancement and Education of the Digital Imaging Community

Press Release –The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has announced that Bruce Fraser – best-selling author, internationally recognized Adobe Photoshop expert, Photoshop Hall of Famer, and co-founder and principal of Pixel Genius LLC – has been named as the recipient of the first NAPP Lifetime Achievement Award.

According to Scott Kelby, president of NAPP, “I don't think there's a Photoshop professional out there, that doesn't owe a significant chunk of their expertise, and a big debt of gratitude, to Bruce Fraser. He almost single-handedly shaped the way we work with color, how we process RAW images in Photoshop, and even how we sharpen our photos. I think it's safe to say that this industry wouldn't be where it is today without Bruce's input, advice, and guidance. He's a gifted and talented instructor who has dedicated his life to taking the mystery out of digital imaging technology, and that's why we're proud to honor him as the first recipient of NAPP's Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Bruce Fraser was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer earlier this year and, according to a Dec. 13 posting on PhotoshopNews, his condition has worsened in recent weeks.

New Release Includes Chroma Key and Masking Tools, Keyframing Controls, and Expanded, Popular Output Options Like Adobe, Flash,QuickTime and HD Video.

Press Release—Photodex Corporation has announced the release of the next generation of its slide show software for professional photographers. The all-new ProShow Producer 3.0 expands upon the impressive list of creative features and production control options. Now photographers can create polished, professional-grade slide shows with advanced, high-end artistic effects previously achievable only through using third-party professional photo and video editing software.

From digital proofing to high-end multimedia slide shows, ProShow Producer has introduced photographers to a new way of presenting their images to the world. With Producer, photographers can create multimedia slide show presentations and output them to their choice of 14 different formats, including DVD, CD and the newly-added HD Video, Flash and QuickTime output options.

Photoshop CS3 beta includes a pre-release version of a major upgrade to Adobe Bridge, as well as a preview release of all-new Adobe Device Central

Press Release—Adobe Systems Incorporated introduced a beta version of Adobe Photoshop CS3 software on Friday, December 15. Adobe is delivering a widely available Photoshop CS3 beta to enable customers to more easily transition to the latest hardware platforms, particularly Apple's new Intel-based systems. The beta is available as a Universal Binary for the Macintosh platform, as well as for Microsoft(r) Windows(r) XP and Windows Vista computers. The final shipping release of Adobe Photoshop CS3 is planned for Spring 2007. The software can be downloaded at: http://labs.adobe.com, in the early hours Pacific Standard Time on December 15.

Improvements of interest to professional photographers include an automated alignment feature, useful for quickly compiling the best expressions from group photos into one image. Bridge has a whole new look and a lot more flexibility in organization. And new edge-detection advances speed the process of making selections.

Packed with new features, Photoshop CS3 beta also includes a pre-release version of a major upgrade to Adobe Bridge, as well as a preview release of the all-new Adobe Device Central. Photoshop customers can use Adobe Device Central to design, preview, and test compelling mobile content, created specifically for smaller screens. This new tool, integrated in the Photoshop CS3 beta, simplifies and accelerates the creation of mobile content through a preview environment and built-in device profiles.

CS3 Learning Center Offers Tutorials, New Feature Overviews, Interviews and More for the Newly-Released Adobe Photoshop CS3 Public Beta Preview

Press Release—The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has announced the launch of their online learning center in conjunction with the release of the Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 3 public beta preview. The CS3 Learning Center is now live and available at http://www.photoshopuser.com/cs3.

"Adobe did the right thing by releasing this first-ever public beta preview of Photoshop CS3,” said Scott Kelby, NAPP president and editor-in-chief of Photoshop User and Layers magazines. “This is a huge boon to Mac users because CS3 is optimized to run on Apple's Intel-based machines. They included the Windows users too, so everybody gets a chance to take this amazing new upgrade for a spin. This free public beta preview is a big risk for Adobe, but I applaud them for taking that risk and doing what's right for their customers on both platforms."

Press Release — Kubota Image Tools is pleased to announce its return to Italy for its third creative photography workshop for professional and advanced amateur photographers. This seven-day photography workshop includes several photo excursions, classroom instruction, photography critiquing and more.

Meeting in Florence, the workshop group will be driven to the nearby village of Chianti to begin the Tuscan part of the adventure. Here photographers will spend two nights at the incredible hilltop villa Hotel Radda (www.hotelradda.com).During the stay here there will be photo excursions to surrounding Tuscan villages.

The last photographer to take a formal portrait of former President Gerald R. Ford speaks with Professional Photographer

On January 8, 2007, Senior Editor Joan T. Sherwood spoke to photographer David DeJonge about photographing former President Gerald R. Ford during his visits to Grand Rapids, Mich. DeJonge also discusses his experience attending and photographing the ceremonies surrounding the arrival of Air Force One with the former president's remains and the interment ceremony at the Ford Presidential Museum.

The Ford family (foreground) observes as former President Ford's casket is transferred from Air Force One for the procession to his funeral services in East Grand Rapids, Mich., on January 2, 2007. Image ©David DeJonge

If you purchased qualified Canon cameras and lenses between October 15, 2006 and February 19, 2007, you are eligible for rebates up to $300.

Press Release—Canon U.S.A., Inc. is extending its popular “Cash In With Canon” rebate program that offers consumers the chance to build or expand their EOS camera system. With this extension, consumers who purchase qualified products between now and February 19, 2007 are eligible to receive rebates of up to $300 on select Canon Digital SLR Cameras, such as the full frame EOS 5D.  What’s more, consumers can double rebates when purchasing two or more different eligible EOS Digital SLR Cameras, Canon EF or EF-S Lenses and EOS system accessories. The “Cash In With Canon” rebate program has also been extended through February 19, 2007, on Image Stabilizer binoculars.

Staples Copy & Print Centers has launched its first nationwide “Hometown Views” Photo Contest. The grand prize winner will be selected by Staples with the assistance of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Staples is offering amateur photographers a chance to have their photos viewed and sold to countless customers in Staples stores throughout the country.

Professional photographers are prohibited from entering, but you can encourage friends, relatives and clients who are photography enthusiasts to enter. Each contest entrant will receive a coupon for one free big color poster redeemable at any Staples Copy & Print Center inside every Staples store. Approximately 40 regional finalists will be selected and will receive prizes, which may include Staples gift cards and royalties of up to $5,000 from photos sold in over 1,300 Staples stores. One grand prize winner will receive an “Ultimate Photo Vacation to Iceland.”   

Log on to www.staples.com/hometownviews for contest details, how to submit an entry and a complete list of rules and eligibility requirements. The 40 finalists and grand prize winner will be announced in May. The deadline to enter Staples “Hometown Views” Photo Contest is March 15, 2007.