Sam Haskins

Sam Haskins is a photographer whose work has graced the pages of many fashion magazines and advertising campaigns. A prize winning photographer and early imageer whose work features the human form, still lifes, travelogues, surrealist influences and graphically powerful compositions.

He was one of the first photographers to pioneer the production and publishing of photographic essays. His first book Five Girls - 1962, created quite a stir when it was published in the early 60's. His second book Cowboy Kate and Other Stories - 1964, was so well received it was awarded the Prix Nadar.

Sam has been at the forefront of the creative manipulation of photography and has been especially innovative in his use of non digital techniques. Sam is also a convert to digital and spends many hours working with Photoshop. I've been told he continues to shoot with his much loved Pentax 6x7 and scanning his negatives and transparencies with an Imacon and printing on an Epson 7800. Visit his site and blog for more information.

Around the Web, 14th January 2007

In this first posting of a regular feature, in which we hope to share some of the interesting and inspirational content we come across in our regular forays for creative and digital imaging info on the web, and which will hopefully be of interest to readers of this blog.

DOP Interview John Sexton
DOP have posted their first ever audio interview. Uwe and Bettina interview master B&W photographer and printer John Sexton, in what proves to be a fascinating session. Visit DOP for the podcast.

To Delete, or Not: A Thread Worth Reading
Josh Hawkins, Carl Weese and Dave New have all written their own takes on what they think of the habit many digital photographers have in deleting photos they have taken. The Posts can all be found over at the very popular The Online Photographer blog. Well worth the read.

Marting Evening on Cloning in Photoshop CS3
Over at PhotoshopNews.com, Martin has written a piece on the new Clone Source palette in the Photoshop CS3 beta. Basically you can now clone and heal more precisely by using a translucent overlay of your source pixels. These sources can also be modified on the fly using the keyboard shortcuts I came across in the article and at the John Nack on Adobe blog:

Opt/Alt + Shift temporarily shows the clone overlay, plus it lets you drag it around and 'tack' it down at the desired location.
Opt/Alt + Shift + the arrow keys nudges the overlay up, down and side to side.
Opt/Alt + Shift + [ or ] rotate the source
Opt/Alt + Shift + <> scale the source

Also, to adjust rotation, position, or scale, you can also use "scrubby sliders": hover over the label on each field (H, W, etc.), then drag left or right.

New Products for CES and Macworld 2007 Week

Bibble Updated to v4.9.5
Bibble Labs, Inc. has announced their first update of 2007, adding support for 12 New Cameras and includes several free 3rd Party Plug-ins. The Lens correction capabilites have been improved and the plug-ins included are:

Andy - B&W Film Simulation,
Gina - Skin Tone Correction Plug-in
Roy - Color Correction Plug-in,
Marky - Watermarking Plug-in
Matty - Image Framing Plug-in
Percy - Perspective Correction Plug-in
Sadie - Saturation Control Plug-in
Siggy - Exposure Control Plug-in
Tony - Image Colouring / Toning

As daft as these plug-ins are named they actually look very useful. Pro versions are also available if you like the free one and want more capabilities. Visit this page for more info on the plug-ins and bibble 4 for info on the upgrade.

PictoColor Releases CorrectPhoto 2.0
PictoColor has announced the release of CorrectPhoto 2.0, which is aimed at consumers and enthusiasts and features their one-click color correction technology that they claim takes the guesswork out of making your images color right. I'll have to give it a try.

Lowepro Announce New Line of All-Weather Bags
The new Apex line represents the largest and most complete line of protective pouches and cases in the industry. Lightweight and rugged, Apex AW shoulder bags and pouches are designed with the even the most discerning and adventurous photographer in mind. Their patented All Weather Cover™ protects against weather, dust and sand. The Apex-series will be available in Black/Gray and Arctic Blue/Black this month and are priced from $19.99 to $49.99.

Kodak Announces Four New EasyShare Digital Picture Frames
Kodak announced four new KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Picture Frames at CES. These frames play slideshows of your favorite pictures and videos and also feature the capability to play back a soundtrack. The Frames are available in 10-inch and 8-inch Wi-Fi and 8-inch and 7-inch standard models. The frames also feature true plug-and-play ease of use and a poweful range of easy to use features which can be accessed via an intuitive, multifunction remote control. Optional interchangeable faceplates let you customise you frame to reflect your tastes.

Epson ColorBase 2.0
Epson have made ColorBase 2.0, available for download from Epson Europe. ColorBase 2.0 is Epson's utility for calibrating the Epson Stylus Photo R2400, Stylus Pro 3800, Stylus Pro 4800, Stylus Pro 7800 and Stylus Pro 9800, is available for download from the Epson Europe website. Epson ColorBase 2.0 for Windows is a free download. A supported spectrophotometer is required to perform the calibration.

Raw Developer 1.6.2 released
Iridient Digital have released Raw Developer 1.6.2, their latest update to their RAW conversion program for Mac OS. The update includes support for the Olympus E-400 digital SLR and improvements to the default color rendering for the Leica M8 and Phase One P30. It is available for download at the Raw Developer 1.6.2 product page.

PixelGenius Universal Binary Beta's of their Plug-ins.
PixelGenius, have released betas of Universal Binary (UB) versions of their products. The UB versions of PhotoKit, PhotoKit Sharpener and PhotoKit Color 2.0 are needed for the Mac version of the Photoshop CS3 public beta.

Apple Announce iPhone & More

It's been a busy day for many bloggers at CES ... I guess there are a lot of excited tech heads in Vegas, however in San Francisco, Steve Jobs finally released details about the new iPhone and a whole bunch of other kit. I have to admit, the new iPhone is a sexy looking piece of kit. It appears that they have done their usual job of creating a product which will create a great deal of interest. The new device uses a technology called multi-touch, which allows users to work the interface without a stylus, using finger gestures for enhanced functionality.


The iPhone is also a Widescreen iPod, with touch controls that let the user browse and use their music and media by easily scrolling through entire lists of songs, artists, albums and playlists with the flick of a finger. The included Cover Flow app looks great, on the demos I've seen on their website and in the Footnote Speech.



It also features a version of OS X, designed by Apple for the iPhone and can sync data from a PC or Mac, enabling users to call contacts in their address books by simply touching their names.

Other features include:
Edge transfer technology.
Bluetooth 2.0 (I wonder if this has A2DP support).
802.11b/g Wi-Fi.
A 2 megapixel camera.
Proximity sensor for using the phone near your ear.
Ambient light sensor which adjusts the illumination for use under different lighting conditions.
An Accellerometer which detects and adapts the display based upon the units orientation.
Safari based web browser.
A rich email client, Google Maps Support and Widgets.

I must congratulate Apple on what they're achieved in the iPhone, it does indeed look great. However, Apple have erred in providing no support for 3G and again the ridiculous oversight of not facilitating the use of interchangeable batteries. So what happens if my battery fails ... do I really have to send the iPhone to a service centre? Come on guys get your act together and follow the lead of other manufacturers with this one capability at least. The other problem I have with the iPhone is with the size of the keys on the virtual keyboard ... they seem a little small, we don't all have dainty little fingers. Even so, I will probably try one...

Pricing & Availability
iPhone will be available in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for US$499 and an 8GB model for US$599, and will work with either a PC or Mac.


Other Apple News
iTunes hits 2 billion song Mark, 50 million TV shows, Paramount adds its movies to iTunes. AppleTV explained in depth. Apple Computer, Inc. becomes Apple Inc. Visit Apple to watch the Keynote Address.

I've reposted this from Kickstartnews because of the photo capabilities of the unit ... nice user interface, shame about the storage capacity though ... 8 Gb is not nearly enough. What I really want is a micro tablet, something which sits between this beauty and the capabilities of a tablet pc. I'm guessing that when this get released, the market will be flooded with useful accessories. Come on, Steve and gang put a 30 gig drive in there at least.

d'artiste—Concept Art, ISBN: 1-921002-33-6

Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou, November 2006
Published by: Ballistic Publishing
Requires: N/A
MSRP: US$55.00 (softcover), US$145.00 (limited edition hardcover)

Many of the sci-fi and fantasy movies being made today, make extensive use of conceptual artists. These artists are extremely talented illustrators and industrial designers, whose understanding of light, color, form and space enable them to bring life to the concepts and visions of writers, movie directors and game creators. As any artist will tell you, one of the biggest challenges presented to them is the creation of art which represents another person's concept and vision. Concept artists created the visuals which helped to sell projects such as Star Wars, Blade Runner and The Matrix to the film studios. d'artiste: Concept Art, like other books in the series, primarily features the work of several prominent artists who work in the industry, in this case George Hull, Viktor Antonov, Andrew Jones and Nicolas Bouvier.

George Hull designed for the second and third Matrix films. Andrew Jones is creative director for the Massive Black Design Studio which he helped form after working at Industrial Light & Magic. Nicolas Bouvier worked on Alone in the Dark 4 and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Viktor Antonov conceptualized for Half Life 2, Renaissance and Skyland. The selected artists are featured with samples of their work and a few step by step examples which showcase their unique way of working. The book is capped with a guest gallery of artists whose work has been chosen and critiqued by the book's main contributors.

The range of media used and styles represented in this book is truly reflective of the range of work being created in this highly imaginative field. The skills required to create these grand visions from the imagination are very similar to those required by matte artists and illustrators. Some of the samples presented demonstrate that the artist has to be more than capable of rendering costumes, buildings, vehicles and other technologies. In many situations the artists also have to be able to make the concepts convincing enough to make believable the artificial world being created. The modern concept artist is required to be fluent in both analog and digital processes; capable of wielding a pen and mouse with equal dexterity.

Thumbing through the book you rapidly gain an appreciation of the range of talents presented therein, you also appreciate the love and care Ballistic Publishing has lavished book production. The printing and packaging all reflect the high quality that I've come to expect from this publishing house.

There is still however only one real weakness with this series of books and that is the lack of any hands on tutorials and the necessary CD containing in-progress versions of the tutorial examples. All this aside, I thoroughly enjoyed looking through and reading this excellent book. The field of concept art is one which creates visual clues for the creators of movies, games and other projects. If you're interested, you can also check out the work of Ralph McQuarrie and Syd Mead, two other famous conceptual artists who have influenced a generation of aspiring creatives.

Cons: No tutorial and content CD.

Pros: Well presented with excellent production values. The artists selected for this book are all top notch. d'artiste: Concept Art is an excellent reference book which will appeal to both amateurs and professionals. It is a must-have aimed at artists interested in the techniques and skills used to create art for movies and games. Highly recommended.

This review has been reproduced in its entirety from Kickstartnews.com

For more information about d'artiste: Concept Art visit Ballistic Publishing

News for Jan 5th 2007

The first week of 2007 has kicked into gear with a number of announcements and product updates. With the CES show about to kick off next week, there should be all sorts of goodies, for us to peruse over the next week or so.

Darkroom Magazine.
NAPP have announced "Darkroom" a new publication aimed at users of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Although a publication date has not been announced, you can get more information by simply visiting and registering at Darkroom.

Fujifilm announce new cameras ahead of CES

Fuji Film have led the pack with product announcements for CES. New products include the IS-1 digital camera, which is aimed at the forensic, scientific and law enforcement market; the new 8 Megapixel F40fd and the FinePix A610 and FinePix A800.

Light Craft releases 2.0.6 update of LightZone.
The LightZone 2.0.6 update is available for Windows and Mac, and features improvements to its Zone System-based image editing and RAW conversion software which corrects the crop tool and includes fixes for several bugs. Visit LightCraft for the update.

Bron's Light Shaper Comparison.
After a visit to Rob Galbraiths DPI, I came a cross a link to a page at Bron Electroniks which provides visual comparisons of their light shapers ... I like the effort they've put into presenting their products. Visit the Light Shaper Comparison and try it out.

Speaking of Rob Galbraith, they've produced a roundup of a whole range of sites, featuring the best photography of 2006. Well worth a visit...

Bruce Fraser to be honored at Macworld Expo

Last but not least, Bruce Fraser and his contributions to the digital creative world will be celebrated at Macworld Expo. The tribute will be held Wednesday, January 10, 2007 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm; at Moscone Center in room 134, North Hall. For more info, read Photoshopnews.