Do you know how to light an elf or an airplane? Can you do it with small flashes? Photographer Joe McNally has and shares the secrets and the results in this unusual book on photography lighting.

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Nikon designed their new AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX lens so photographers using DX-sensor Nikon digital SLRs like the D90, D5000 and D300 could have the image quality and performance of a classic 50mm prime lens. With a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and an effective focal length of 52.5mm, the 35mm f/1.8G Nikkor is very similar to a 50mm lens on a full frame camera - a focal length historically favored for street photography and photojournalism.
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Many years ago I used to obsess about inkjet prints. Countless hours, not to mention pints of ink and reams of paper, were spent in search of the perfect print. Perfectionism is a terrible disease! “Why isn’t this easier?” I asked myself as I tossed yet another handful of incorrect work prints into the garbage.

Now it is easier. Thanks to HP, I am now what I used to think of as a “lazy” photo printer. I am now happy with prints that are “good enough” because the prints from HP’s Photosmart C6380 inkjet printer are so good that I get what I want on the first or second try. The Photosmart C6380 produces a reasonably high standard of screen-to-print WYSIWYG hue and saturation. The skin tones are accurate. The color balance and contrast reasonably match my screen. And the big benefit is not having to play with infinite combinations of color management settings in the printer driver, photo software, and planetary alignments. Thanks to HP’s Photosmart C6380 all-in-one color inkjet printer I can now spend my time shooting pictures (up to 8.5×11 in.) instead of printing them.
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Clik Elite was officially introduced to the world at the PMA tradeshow this spring. I was really impressed with the backapcks they had at the show. But I was even more impressed by their genuine interest in what outdoor, action sports photographers like me want. These guys are making the camera packs I’ve been wanting (and requesting) for years. The Clik Elite packs are built for photographers who actually spend time in the backcountry, with an eye for real backcountry needs - hydration, food and clothing storage, and good fit. I need a backpack that allows me to ride, ski or hike comfortably and safely and that can accommodate extra clothing, tools and food as well as my camera gear. Since the majority of my photography is done from skis or a mountain bike, I was anxious to get my hands on a pack to test.
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It’s small and unassuming, but Datacolor’s SpyderCube was one of the coolest things I saw at PMA this year. It looks like a small toy - a photographer’s dradle, maybe. But the SpyderCube is actually a sophisticated white balance and exposure tool. I wanted one as soon as I saw it. It’s small enough to keep in any camera bag and it makes a real difference in the quality of your final images. Shoot a RAW photo of it in any kind of lighting and you’re pretty much guaranteed accurate color and exposure with minimal post-processing.
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My friend Uwe Steinmueller, an excellent fine art photographer who runs OutbackPhoto.com, just called to tell me about something he’s very excited about. He called himself a “happy camper” and said he’s “relieved” that he’s discovered an acceptable method for using point-and-shoot cameras. Uwe is very much a detail-oriented photographer. He’s an expert on the subtleties of RAW processing and technical landscape photography. If you know him and his photography, you probably think of him behind a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III on a tripod, not with a tiny point-and-shoot camera in his hands. In the past, he’s told me that point-and-shoot cameras don’t allow him to shoot the way he likes. He wanted the convenience and immediacy of a point-and-shoot, but compact digital cameras just didn’t offer him the control he wanted. So it’s notable and exciting that he’s found a solution.
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I discovered Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop during the Holidays while I was putting together our Cheap Gifts for Photographers guide. It was suggested as a possible fit and when I looked it up on the Web I was impressed enough to include it in the guide. Basically, the Lightscoop allows cameras with pop-up flashes and hot shoe mounts to bounce the flash off the ceiling for better indoor portraits. It’s a really easy and inexpensive solution for the generally poor quality of direct flash lighting.
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Sometimes I come across a product and wonder what it’s for, or why I’d want to use it even knowing what it’s for.

Here’s the second, Dust-Aid’s Dust-Shield, a clear film seal for the mirror chamber of your DSLR.
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X-Rite’s ColorMunki line was announced at PMA this spring. A novel design, combined screen and printer calibration, and an affordable $500 price point is plenty to get attention with. I’ve used spectrophotometers to calibrate my computer monitor before and I personally found them to be boring, though essential devices. Sure, I want the photo on my screen to match what I print and save me time, paper, and printer ink. But if only the calibration process wasn’t so tedious! So I was excited to find out that the ColorMunki Photo offers more - the color accuracy that photographers need as well as creative tools for sampling and experimenting with color in new ways. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a Photoshop Eyedropper Tool for the real world, read on.

Key Functions

• Calibrates your LCD monitor or LCD projector
• Calibrates your printer
• Scans in colors and creates palettes for use in Adobe and Quark software

MSRP: $499

Color management is especially important in photography as even a slight color cast can change the mood of a photo. My Phoxle review was about white balance filters for your digital camera that ensure your photos start with accurate color. But the original digital photo is only a third of the color challenge. What happens to that balanced photo when you post-process it on your computer? How about when you print it?
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Osprey Talon 22 Backpack - The Ultimate Outdoor Photo Backpack?

I’m kind of a backpack whore. Those of you who know me or my photography know I spend a lot of time on the mountain bike, skis, or hiking. I have all kinds of backpacks - both camera-specific and hydration packs made for action sports. I’m always on the lookout for the perfect bag that can pack a bunch of camera gear along with my mountain bike tools, extra clothes, and water for epic rides. I’ve used one camera-specific backpack that also accommodated a hydration bladder. But I always end up going back to dedicated hydration packs because they fit the best and water is mandatory when you’re doing backcountry mountain biking.

Enter the Osprey Talon 22…
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Phoxle makes two unique products to help you manage your white balance: SpectraSnap white balance filters and flash-matching filters. The SpectraSnap filters even come in a pocket-camera size. A variety of white balance products exist out there from ExpoDiscs to grey cards to do-it-yourself Pringles cans and gels with velcro. If you’re wondering what makes Phoxle’s offerings different or if you’re wondering, “why is this so much better than AWB?” read on. Trust me, it’s more than just saving you time in Photoshop.

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Lowepro Primus AW Backpack
List Price: $279
Quick camera access is key for the Primus AW backpack from Lowepro.

by Alan Davis www.alandavisphoto.net
As an active mountain biker, hiker and photographer I have always been on the lookout for a photo backpack that carries well and allows for quick camera access to help capture fleeting photographic moments. The Primus AW immediately caught my eye with its unique side-access pouch. A U-shaped side zipper gives fast access to a complete SLR without removing the pack or even one shoulder strap.

The primary feature in this pack is its lower storage area that has both side and a lumbar access. By unzipping a U-shaped zipper on the right side of the pack via the extra-long zipper tab I can access a compartment big enough to fit my Canon EOS 5D with a 70-200 f/2.8 L lens without removing the pack (It’s not big enough for my 1D body however). I can also use the U-shaped lumbar zipper, but I have to remove the pack to do so. This option gives additional access to my camera and lens, a few small accessory pouches for batteries or filters plus I can reach another padded pocket just big enough for my 24-70 f/2.8 L (an optional divider is provided for use with a combination of smaller lenses or flash).
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