Just when it looked like things might finally slow down in the rumor mill, this ad pops up. Supposedly from Nikon Japan, Nikon Rumors has reported this, and has a few related posts over on their site. Apparently it says ‘BIG” in Japanese.

If this is a Nikon ad I definatly see them trying to cash in the the mysterious side that Canon was using to get so much press. Cmon Nikon, be original. You got good stuff, don’t copy Canon. Anyways what do you all think this could be? Speak Up.

For us photographer in the US it looks like politicians may have their way, and we may have to start jumping through hoops just to protect our images.

The orphan works act basically allows our photography to to be used by anyone, as long as they can’t find it registered in a database that would to be created for images. NPPA is reporting that the Senate snuck this through under the radar a few nights ago. Granted it still has to pass congress, and be signs off by the president but it their really trying to sneak this through.

Your can read more details about the effect of the Orpan Works Act in our original post.

by Gavin Seim… Thanks to Metal

Many rules are universal to any photographer, of any style, any experience level. Of course rules are made to be broken, but we all need inspiration and reminders. These are things that I try to remember in my own work, and I’ve spend the past week compiling them. Share yours in the comments, then post some of your work in the forums and get some personal feedback. OK let’s go…

1. Omit needless objects:
2. Simplicity is at the heart of great images:
3. Bold colors make bold photographs:
4. If a background is too cluttered, blur it:
5. If a background still doesn’t add to a scene dump it:
6. Light; Where’s it coming from? how can you leverage it?:
7. Don’t center everything. Use the rule of thirds. It works:
8. Eye’s? Watch them close. They control emotion:
9. Blur used right can be magical:
10. Keep it vivid. Watch your shutter speed, and movement:
11. Crop out needless space:
12. Harsh sunlight is usually bad:
13. Shadows are dramatic. Use them:
14. Clouds are your friend, they give shade & put you in control:
15. Go with your gut. Have an idea? Then try it:
16. If the weather is foul, it doesn’t mean pictures will be:

Images & Content By Gavin Seim

Today Adobe hosted a live online presentation of the up coming Creative Suite 4. It kinda failed on that side. For me (and others) it was so choppy and slow that it was unwatchable. Still the new features have been announced and though we’re not seeing a exact release date yet you can probably expect it soon.

There’s lots inside, though this update looks mainly evolutionary and not revolutionary. There’s some good videos over on the CS4 learning center that you can check out to get a visual.

A few of the things we’ll see are…

• Interface update:
• A new adjustment layers panel:
• Mask Panel:
• New 3d features:
• Updates to Bridge:
• Focus Blending (from multiple images):
• And one of my favorites, Content Aware image scaling (this is like the Liquid Resize product we saw talked about last year:

So, what do you think? Super. Blah. Overpriced. Are you gonna get it? What are your favorite new features? Post up those comments folks.

For this weeks CPPOTW I want to talk about something really simple and useful. Many of us photographers use hotshoe flashes for light on the go. I use a Canon 580EX myself and though it’s a great flash, the light is still really harsh. The Lightsphere is quite simply a diffuser for that harsh light. It helps me have control.

The Lighsphere is made by Gary Fong. I’ve never met him personally, but a lot of you know of him. I’ve tried more than one diffuser, and the Lightsphere (often called a Fong Dong) has worked the best. Many photographer will vouch for this, and I’m no exception.

It’s simple and straight forward. Put it on your flash, and get better light. It’s kinda like a tiny softbox for your flash. The bottom line it that it works really good. You can pick up a Lightsphere for around fifty bucks. I use the clear version myself, but their both good. I can light pretty big area with just a single on camera flash using this simple tool.

Gary also has a new diffuser called the Whale Tale. It looks good as well, though I have not tried it yet. When I get my hands on one and have an option I’ll let you know.

Check out the Lightsphere here…

Well Adobe Labs made 2.1 available today. It won’t be in automatic update yet, but it’s worth getting manually. Though I have not used it much yet I do see indications that there are some good improvements. Brushes may even be working smoother now. I won’t make this long. It’s time for bed. Go get it for yourself and share a comment about what you find.

~ Download LR 2.1 here ~

Thanks to Twitterer’s for letting us know…
Gavin Seim