Photoshop Express launched

The new online version of Photoshop launched today. Although you can not do everything you would be able to do in the full version (no layers here), with Photoshop Express you can do minor spot correction, adjust exposure, set white balance, sharpening and much more. They also offer photo sharing, file storage, and a pretty extensive photo sharing community. Best of all it is free. Here is Jack Nack's run down of the features:

• Includes tools for applying spot healing, distortions, sharpening/softening, color tweaks, image filters, and more
• Offers 2GB of space for storing images
• Supports tie-ins to Facebook, MySpace, and Picasa
• Runs in any browser on Mac, Windows, or Linux using the Flash Player (v9) [Update: Sounds like there are some beta-ish glitches in some browsers]
• Will include an AIR-based desktop version (useful for editing images offline) and printing services
• Will remain free, with paid service adding more functionality

A wealth of digital photography tutorials

I quite literally Stumbled Upon this website today. Sean T. McHugh on his site, Cambridge in Colour, posts a quite and extensive and comprehensive list of digital photography tutorials. He covers topics from understanding your camera, to Photoshop techniques, to how we perceive color, and many more. Lots of technical data, but written in a way that is easy for users at any level to understand and apply. A great resource!

Here is a little background on Sean:

To provide some background, much of this work was conducted while pursing my PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge. I have previously conducted undergraduate studies at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, also in chemical engineering. My doctoral research focused on understanding reactive flow in multiphase plumes (applications to carbon dioxide sequestration, cloud growth and volcanic eruptions).

As a scientist by training, I am fascinated by the interaction between technological developments and the range of creative options available to photographers. Improvements in sensitivity, ex post facto white balance control and real-time feedback from digital imaging are providing photographers with unprecedented low-light capabilities. Much of this fascination has been channelled into finding unique times, perspectives and techniques for capturing many of these low-light scenes in Cambridge.

As part of the Cambridge University Photographic Society, I conducted student workshops relating to general camera and SLR technique, photographic post-processing and low-light photography. These included participants ranging from those with their first camera, to more seasoned users wishing to refine their techniques. I encourage you to contact me if you would like further information about joining the society.

Computer Viruses as Art

A virus is usually something to be avoided at all costs. They can be fatal for you body or your computer. Artist Alex Dragulescu recently released a series called Malwarez that features computer viruses in a whole new light. It is an interesting concept to display these debilitating viruses as art. It is amazing how beautiful and organic these codes become when transformed in to their visual representations. Also check out National Geographic's video of his show in London.

Malwarez is a series of visualization of worms, viruses, trojans and spyware code. For each piece of disassembled code, API calls, memory addresses and subroutines are tracked and analyzed. Their frequency, density and grouping are mapped to the inputs of an algorithm that grows a virtual 3D entity. Therefore the patterns and rhythms found in the data drive the configuration of the artificial organism.

HDR Eye Candy

Smashing Magazine posted 35 gorgeous HDR photos this week as part of their Monday Inspiration series. Inspirational indeed, they are some really beautiful pictures. I am dying to see an HDR image printed as a wall mural. A subtle hint to any of our photographers.

35 Fantastic HDR Pictures

Applied carefully, High Dynamic Range-technique (HDR) can create incredibly beautiful pictures which blur our sense of the difference between reality and illusion. In graphics HDR imaging is a set of techniques that allow a far greater dynamic range of exposures than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to the deepest shadows. This is usually achieved by modifying photos with image processing software for tone-mapping. And the results can be really incredible; in fact, many artists and designers come up with some pretty fancy results.

This post covers 35 extremely beautiful and perfectly executed HDR-pictures. Some of them might look surreal, too colorful, even magic or fake, but they are not — keep in mind that they’ve all been developed out of usual photos, and not a single image is an illustration.

Long lasting Duratrans prints

The technology that runs the LightJet has been repeatedly recognized as having a superior imaging quality over other output devises. This also true when it comes to long lasting Duratrans printing. Backlit advertising is frequently utilized by marketers because of its ability to captivate people's attention. Bright vibrant colors that don't fade in a couple of months of use are vital. Not only to capture the consumer's attention, but also to keep the cost of the advertising down by not having to frequently replace pieces. Duane Fast in the March 2008 addition of Digital Graphics (an industry trade magazine) also touts the advantages of LightJet Duratrans printing.

Digital Sunshine

Technology has given us the power to light previously dark spaces. The digital printing industry is uniquely positioned to take maximum advantage of that technology in a constantly expanding market for backlit prints.

...Sometimes the prints need to last a long time. And if these prints are indoors, they also need the highest print quality. Permanent retail graphics and museum exhibits are a good example of this need. Photo printing still wins out in this area.

In my opinion, backlit prints from photo imagers, such as the LighJet from Oce and the Durst Lambda, give the most beautiful, dense colors of any printing source.

Champagne reception with James McGrath

It is always fun to work with new artists. With the internet being a global market, we have the pleasure of working with artists from all over. In this case, half way around the world. James McGrath is an Australian artist who found us on-line, and we were able to produce some stunning large prints mounted to 1/4" plexiglas for sale at Champagne’s Home Decor in Scottsdale, Arizona. His art, described as 'Baroque', is something else. It is a unique marriage of old world meets new. It is something you must see to experience for yourself. Please join us March 20th at Champagne's Home Decor for a champagne reception and a chance to meet the artist in person. Hope to see you there!

Champagne Reception for Australian Baroque Artist James McGrath

Thursday March 2o, 2008; 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Meet the artist and visit about his work

Born in Sydney, Australia in 1969, Mr. McGrath studied the techniques and principles of the 16^th and 17^th century masters at the studio school of Patrick Betaudier in Paris. Before graduating as an architect he worked as a studio assistant to Australia’s greatest expressionist painter, Arthur Boyd. While a lecturer in design and communications at New South Wales University, he was awarded several prizes for architecture and art including the Australian Post-Graduate Award, several design awards, and a residency in Paris. Over the last ten years he has exhibited in London, Paris, and Sydney. James has produced highly acclaimed digital installations and videos commissioned by several Australian museums which have subsequently been presented at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles [2000]. His work was also included in the Sydney and New York film festivals [1999 & 2001].

CHAMPAGNE’S HOME DÉCOR
7175 East Lincoln Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
480.483.1010

If you miss the champagne reception, there will also be a book signing Saturday March 22nd from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Wildflower workshop with Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

This is a great time of year to be in Arizona. The weather has been beautiful, spring training Cactus League games have started, and the wildflowers are starting to bloom. With all of the rain we have gotten this winter it should be an excellent year to photograph the wildflowers. Colleen Miniuk-Sperry (one of our featured artists) will be leading a wildflower photography workshop for the Arizona Highways. She has done all of the leg work for you and has the best locations already scouted out. Space is limited, so be sure to call to reserve your spot today.

Special 1-Day Wildflower Photography Workshop on March 16!

Calling all photographers! Get your cameras out for the brilliant desert wildflower bloom here in
Arizona! Poppies, lupine, owl clover, and scorpionweed are just a few of the wildflowers creating colorful blankets on the desert floor and hillsides right now.

The Arizona Highways Photography Workshops are offering 1-day workshops focused specifically on these wildflowers. Join me on Sunday, March 16 as I lead a Spring Wildflower workshop to help you learn more about photographing this spectacular display in the desert in the best locations around.

The price is $180 per person, with a maximum of 12 participants to ensure individualized attention. This includes a classroom session, lunch, an on-site photo shoot, hands-on field instruction, and a photo technique handout. As your instructor, I might even throw in a little fun too!

For more information, please visit http://friendsofazhighways.com/calendar.htm and select the March 16 Spring Wildflower link. To register, please contact Robyn or Laura at the Arizona Highways Photography Workshops office at (602) 712-2004 or toll free at (888) 790-7042.

Visual art in advertising

As we talked about in our previous post Shop with your eyes, consumers are very visual when it comes to advertising and what motivates them to buy that product. A new study released by the University of Georgia expands this point further. They found that when art is used in conjunction with the product you are trying to sell it is subconsciously perceived by the consumer as being more 'luxurious'. Use this psychology to your advantage when designing the graphics for your campaign.

Visual Art Can Boost Advertising, Study Says: by ARTINFO

ATHENS, Ga.—A new University of Georgia study has found that exposure to visual art in advertising, even if the exposure is fleeting, makes consumers evaluate products more positively, ScienceDaily.com reports. Researchers conducted three studies, including posing at a restaurant as waiters, showing 100 patrons sets of silverware in black velvet boxes with either a print of Vincent van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night or a photograph of a similar scene. Diners rated the silverware in the van Gogh boxes as more luxurious. The two other studies showed that "a relatively unfamiliar artwork can successfully compete with a famous celebrity in conveying a luxury appeal," and "the content of the specific artwork is not necessarily important, but that general connotations of art matter," according to ScienceDaily. Researchers said all of this points to art as a powerful marketing tool.

Liven up your walls

We are very excited about the new services we can now offer with our U/V curable roll to roll / rigid hybrid printer. One of them being wallpaper. It is a perfect marriage of cutting edge technology and design. Imagine creating your own wallpaper design for your home. Or take an image of your favorite locale and turn a wall of your home in to a tropical paradise. The possibilities are endless. USA Today's Weekend magazine agrees.

3 great ways to liven up your walls: by Megan Kaplan

Check out these solutions to take "wallpaper" to a whole new level.

Until recently, wallpaper was a bit of a wallflower in the world of interiors. Paint -- available in an array of colors and decorative finishes -- had all but pushed it aside. "We were wallpaper-starved," says Thom Filicia, New York City designer and host of "Dress My Nest." "And now we're a little obsessed. The idea of bringing interest back to our walls is undergoing a real renaissance." The upshot: wall coverings that are more sophisticated, less difficult to work with and cheaper than ever. So long, fusty cabbage roses!

"Wallpaper has finally caught up with people toady who want to express their creativity without destroying their walls," says Sharon Hanby-Robie, the spokeswoman for the Wallpaper Council and author of "Decorating Without Fear." Decals, digital photo murals and 3-D applications are the trends leading the way....

--LARGER-THAN-LIFE MURALS

Innovations in digital technology and printing have taken the mural to new heights -- literally. "We are not restrained by that 27 1/2-inch roll size anymore," Hanby-Robie says. "You can have an image blown up 19 feet high to cover an entire wall." Even better, the oversize options are virtually endless.

New Mighty site launched!

After several months of fine tuning, we are proud to announce the launch of the newest version of our website, MightyImaging.com.

There have been many cool additions to the MI site since our prior version. First thing we wanted to highlight is our gallery of artists and their art for sale on the Mighty site. One thing we have learned, is that regardless of the artistic merit of the work, art buyers and consumers really want to know how the artwork will look in a real environment. Don Giannatti of SteelID, who designed our site, put together a stunning flash movie using various pieces of our artist's work that change out above a sleek modern couch. It is a killer perspective that you must check out.

We have also added new service options to the website. One of them being our newest piece of equipment, the U/V curable roll to roll / rigid hybrid printer. This machine can do amazing things. Since our U/V inks are environmentally friendly (no VOC's) our customers can add value to their graphics by being GREEN and PROFITABLE at the same time!

Our company goal is to make big prints and graphics that will make people money. We wanted to create a website that illustrated this point clearly as well as make it crisp, clean, visually interesting, with fewer features and more benefits. We think we got there. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

Stickk to your goal

You may have already forgotten or given up on that New Year's resolution you made to loose weight, get a new job, quit smoking, or whatever you wanted to improve or change in your life. Stickk is here to help. It is a free online service that will help remind you of your goal (whatever it may be) and keep you on target. Thanks to Don for the find!

You could always use Stickk for Don's suggestion of finally getting your portfolio done. A project that can be a vital and crucial part to your success, but one that many photographers will procrastinate to complete. Of course, we are here to help you achieve that goal as well.

Lightroom tutorials

Staying in this weekend? Maybe you can spend your time trying out new techniques in Adobe Lightroom. Jack Nack on his blog has posted links to "a wealth of" Lightroom tutorials from the Adobe Design Center. Check them out. It should keep you busy this weekend.

Speaking of Lightroom, Stephen Shankland of CNET reports that Adobe has plans to support HDR image creation and panoramic image stitching in future versions of their software. More on that here.

Always leave them laughing

It looks like more of our “Mighty” Big Prints have made it to Chi-Town.

Comedy Sportz brings its interactive improv experience to a new location at 929 W. Belmont in the heart of Chicago. Managing Director, Greg Werstler, was in the final stages of an incredible build out that began nearly two years ago, when Mighty Imaging got the call. As you can see the new digs are insanely beautiful with Greg focused on the slightest detail, however at the end of the day the walls of his stairs and halls needed more than just a coat of paint.

Greg described his place as moderately priced, wheelchair accessible with a full bar that is great for groups that want to enjoy a unique brand of fast, fun and smart improv comedy. Since audience participation is so much a part of the fun, most of the attention of the build out was on the theatre. With the Grand Opening right around the corner, Greg needed the finest visual solutions for his stairs and halls as quickly as possible. This, of course, is no problem for us here at MI since our normal turnaround is only 24 hours for most orders.

After receiving a couple of the 4 foot by 5 foot prints that we produced, Greg was astounded by the clarity and vibrancy of our LightJet prints. Wait until he gets some of our U/V Curable custom wallpaper up on his stair walls. Talk about taking improv to a new level!

Thanks Greg for letting our company play a small part in your Theatre's success, and break a leg!

Shop with your eyes

You may not think that large graphics can help you sell clothes, but they can. Jeff Grant from Trio Display illustrates how to create an effective clothing display. Adding visual interest to your display can help you tell the story of your product, and in turn sell more of those items you want to promote.

The ABCs of Clothing Displays: by Jeff Grant

If variety is the spice of life, it’s the cayenne pepper of clothing display. Monotonous, uninspired presentation leads to flat sales and flatter profits.

We encourage our clients to mix the displays to once again create wall texture that is more compelling then a long slatwall covered with faced out t-shirts. You have to mix things up. Try creating merchandising areas in 4′W x 8′H story sections. Use selected fixtures to tell a story that may include:

Clothing displayed face out
Clothing side hung
Folded clothing
Accessories on a shelf
A life style photo or brand graphic.

The story might be about T’s, travel, men’s women’s, trunks, dresses, suits, etc. The message will vary as will the product but the type of fixtures chosen and the presentation will be what captures the attention of your customer.

Large graphics should be incorporated into the layout, especially if yours is a lifestyle store. Use vendor graphics or go with a royalty free site such as Shutterstock.com to acquire relevant images that can make your clothing presentation sing.

Print a 30x40 from your cell phone

Well, not quite yet. Researchers in the UK and Jordan have been working on a new method of image enhancement using the Swarm approach. PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) uses a computer algorithm that can intelligently boost contrast and detail in an image without distorting the underlying features. The current application being to help those pesky traffic cameras read your license plate better. If the technology ever disseminates to consumer cameras and printers, like our LightJet, the possibilities could be endless.

Swarm Approach to Photography Improves Contrast and Detail in Digital Photos; Science Daily

There have been several approaches to image enhancement developed by image manipulation software companies and others. However, none comes up to the standards of the kind of image enhancement often seen in fiction, where a blurry distorted image on a screen is rendered pin-sharp at the click of a mouse. PSO, however, takes image enhancement a step closer to this ideal.

PSO is based on a mathematical model of the social interactions of swarms. The algorithm treats each version of an image as an individual member of the swarm and makes a single, small adjustment to contrast levels, edge sharpness, and other image parameters. The algorithm then determines whether the new members of the swarm are better or worse than the original according to an objective fitness criterion.

"The objective of the algorithm is to maximize the total number of pixels in the edges, thus being able to visualize more details in the images," explain the researchers. Such enhancement might be useful in improving snapshots of CCTV quality for identification of individuals or vehicle number plates, it might also have application in improving images produced with lower quality cameras, such as camera phones, that are required for use in publishing or TV where image quality standards are usually higher.

The process of enhancing step by step is repeated to create a swarm of images in computer memory which have been graded relative to each other, the fittest end up at the front of the swarm until a single individual that is the most effectively enhanced.

"The obtained results using grey scale images indicate that PSO is better than other approaches in terms of the computational time and both the objective evaluation and maximization of the number of pixels in the edges of the tested images," they add.

This research was published recently in Inderscience's International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications.

What'd ya know?

The Picture Business magazine in their November '07 issue published an interesting story that traditional film is gaining a resurgence in popularity with photographers. It is hard to believe in this digital age that many photographers would choose film over a digital camera, but they do so with good reason. We have seen the proof when producing large graphics shot on a digital camera versus one produced by scanning a 4x5 piece of film on our Heidelberg drum scanner.

According to the US survey results [Conducted by Kodak], more than two thirds (68 percent) of professional photographers prefer the results of film to those of digital for certain applications including: film's superiority in capturing more information on medium and large format films.

The article goes on to say...

"I find film invaluable because the details and look of the photographs are crucial in re-telling the events playing out in front of me," said Pep Bonet, international award winning photojournalist and founding member of NOOR, a new photo agency committed to documenting social issues worldwide....."The stories may be stunning, disturbing or inspiring. But above all, they are real. There's nothing like film to capture those realities."

Puzzling...

Here are a couple ways that puzzles, art, and printing have been creatively combined. Kent Rogowski created this image for his series entitled Love = Love by mixing pieces from store bought puzzles. Found [Via]

Flowers and skies were taken out of over 40 store bought puzzles and combined to form a series of spectacular landscapes. Although puzzle pieces are unique and can only fit into one place within a puzzle they are interchangeable within a brand.

Kent sells 16x20 limited series runs of his puzzle art.

Last year art and fashion publication, Visionaire, released these puzzles from six different artists for their 51st issue. The large scale 25 piece puzzle with 8 inch puzzle pieces were designed so they could be mixed and matched. Found [Via]

Visionaire, the fabled art and fashion “magazine”, is about to appear in its 51st incarnation. While the issues differ radically from one to the next, each is dedicated to a particular theme that a host of celebrated artists set out to interpret. The latest, published in a couple of weeks, takes the theme of “harmony” and contains six large-scale 25-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Each puzzle can be assembled to reveal the singular image created by each artist, or they can be mixed up together – in “harmony” we imagine – to create wild and crazy abstract pictures.

Just how big is a pixel anyway?

Scott Condray from Visualville was kind enough to share this lesson plan with us from his Photoshop course. This knowledge combined with the fact that our LightJet images files at the equivalent of 4,000 dpi can be a powerful tool when preparing your files.

It’s Not The Size Of Your Pixel… It’s How You Use It!

In this Lesson we’ll explore the concepts of resolution, dpi and ppi.

A pixel is the smallest unit in a digital file. Digital files consist of a series of pixels running the length and width of the file, thus creating a two dimensional image. Open an image file in Photoshop and zoom in as close as you can, (1600% is the maximum) and you’ll be able to see the individual pixels that make up the image. The higher the number of usable pixels per inch, the higher the resolution. Resolution is more about the ability to show sharp image detail and less about the physical size of an image.

Digital capture devices, (Scanner and Digital Cameras) measure resolution in pixels per inch (ppi). Output devices, (photographic printers and printing presses) measure resolution in dots per inch (dpi) they are not equivalents. Scanners and digital cameras create pixels, not dots, however the pixels will eventually be output as dots.

For example:
A 300 pixel per inch scan, output on a printer with a 300-dpi resolution will yield a print that is one inch in size (one dot was created for each pixel).

It might be better to ask, “How big is a dot?” For a printer capable of printing 300dpi, each dot is 1/300 th of an inch. If you print a file that is 2400 pixels by 3000 pixels on a printer that prints 300 dpi, and the printer produces dots that are 1/300 th of an inch then one inch of paper will be printed for every 300 pixels in the file. The size of the print output will be 8 inches by 10 inches. How big is the pixel? 1/300 th of an inch.

If you output the same file on a printing press that produces a 600 dpi output each dot will be 1/600 th of an inch. With 3000 pixels in the file, the press will produce one inch of image on paper for every group of 600 pixels. The total output will be 4 by 5 inches. In both cases there are 2400 X 3000 pixels in the file, but one output device yielded an 8 X 10 and the other a 4 X 5. Which device produces the higher resolution… the printing press.

Think of resolution in another way. Digital files do not have any size other than the space they occupy. How big is an RGB file that is 2,400 by 3,000 pixels? About 20 MB. How big is that? The answer is we don’t know until those 2,400 by 3,000 pixels are output.

So how big is a Pixel? As big as you want it to be. Wouldn’t it be great if everything worked like that!

Lincoln images rediscovered

A little piece of history was rediscovered at the Library of Congress. Some previously mislabeled glass negatives were correctly identified as being from Lincoln's inaguration to his second term on March 4, 1865 by Carol Johnson, Library of Congress curator of photography. You can see a good size crowd gathered outside the Capitol building for the event.

"These negatives add to our knowledge of this special event," said Johnson. "They show what that wet Saturday looked like with the massing of the crowd. They also convey the excitement of the people."

Johnson was prompted to examine the negatives after a Library of Congress patron alerted her to the fact that these visually similar photos had radically different identifications in the Library's online Civil War photographic negative collection. But instead of choosing between Grant and the Grand Armies Review, she opened a new door to the past by looking closely at the images and recognizing Lincoln's second inauguration.

MacBook Air

The much awaited and highly anticipated announcements from the opening of the Macworld Expo have flooded the internet today. One very cool new product they have launched is an ultra thin laptop. The new 3 pound MacBook Air will start shipping in 2 weeks. To get an idea of the size check out this video posted on Gizmodo.

Apple Launches 13-Inch Ultralight MacBook Air- Christopher Null for Yahoo! Tech

As widely expected, Apple is launching an ultra-thin notebook called the MacBook Air. At 0.76" thick at its widest point, the three-pound Air has a wedgelike shape that tapers down to 0.16" thick at the front base. LED backlighting on its 13.3-inch screen, multi-touch trackpad (which offers some nifty features like rotating photos, all in the touchpad), and a backlit keyboard. Specs are decent: 1.6 or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (on a cleverly shrunken socket), 2GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive (or 64GB SSD option). No optical drive (of course), and just one USB port. It'll set you back $1,799, which is on the inexpensive side for ultralight notebooks with specs like this.

ASU Art Museum receives 1.4 mil bequest

Wilhelmine “Helme” Prinzen, who passed away in 2007, left her more than $1 million estate in Paradise Valley to the ASU Art Museum. She had originally planned for her donation to remain anonymous, but later changed her mind to encourage others to consider including the ASU Art Museum in their estate planning.

Prinzen’s endowment will be used to assist and advance emerging artists through exhibitions organized by the museum and purchases of works by emerging artists for the museum’s permanent collection. In addition, the endowment will fund research and education in the area of contemporary art with emphasis on emerging artists.

“The Prinzen Endowment recognizes the ASU Art Museum's history and ongoing commitment to exhibitions, publications and educational programs that focus on emerging artists,” says Heather Lineberry, senior curator and interim director of the ASU Art Museum. “Helme's bequest significantly enhances our ability to continue these programs and to provide extraordinary experiences with contemporary art and artists for our students and audiences.”

Prinzen loved the ASU Art Museum, a place she found that reciprocated her interest in contemporary art, especially that of emerging artists.

“While Helme recognized that showing the work of artists already consecrated by art history or the market was important, she was attracted to our more adventurous approach,” says Marilyn Zeitlin, retired director of the ASU Art Museum and curator of its 2000 exhibition of Prinzen’s work, the first in a U.S. museum. “We were the first to show and collect work by Heidi Kumao, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, and gave the American audiences the first opportunity to see the works of Cuban artists in 1998. Helme liked that we often produce the first printed documentation of emerging artists’ work.”

Avedon show at the PAM

The Phoenix Art Museum continues their great series of loan exchange with the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson with a new showing of Richard Avedon's work. Avedon, perhaps one of the most recognizable names in photography, captured portraits of the famous from Henry Kissinger to Marilyn Monroe. He never stopped working, even up until his death at age 81 he was on an assignment for the New Yorker magazine. Constantly re-inventing himself and his subjects. One of his most famous images "Dovima with Elephants" shown here. The PAM's exhibit opens January 12th and runs until April 20th.

Essence of Avedon: Photographer's evocative works offer insight into his subjects, himself By Richard Nilsen for he Arizona Republic

When he was just 23, Avedon began taking photographs for Harper's Bazaar magazine and turned fashion photography on its ear.

"For the first time, you saw fashion photography taken into the streets," says Dennita Sewell, curator of fashion design at the Phoenix Art Museum, whose collection includes several of the gowns Avedon photographed in his first work.

"Before that, women posed properly in front of a chandelier in a beautiful hotel, or in a studio with perfect hair, but Avedon gave the pictures a bit of adventure.

"He captured this excitement, that if only you were in Paris, if only you were in that suit, if only you ran across these scenes, fabulous things would happen to you, too."

Suzy Parker, Dovima and other models leaped over the sidewalks in the Marais district or stood in evening gown in front of elephants. It was all new, all energy, all somewhat outrageous.

"Mixing that beautiful satin with the wrinkled skin of the elephants was so striking, so unusual for the time," Sewell says.

Kevin Dyer at Celebration of Fine Art show

Kevin Dyer will show in the Celebration of Fine Art, which takes place under the “big white tents” January 12 – March 23, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. A resident of Phoenix, this is the 1^st year that Dyer is participating in this prestigious, juried and invitational art show and sale. In it’s 18^th year, the Celebration of Fine Art, a fusion of the best art galleries, art studios and art shows, brings 100 of the finest international and U.S. artists to Scottsdale.

Dyer is known for his “sense of place” photography and has been recognized by National Geographic, Art Talk, American Art Collector and The Art of Seeing and has recently exhibited at the Herberger Theater Center. Dyer received his degree in Media Arts and Journalism from the University of Arizona. “I am pleased to be selected for the 2008 Celebration of Fine Art show and sale. I especially like the show’s personal yet professional environment. It offers me a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with people who love and buy art,” said Dyer.

The show is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week from January 12 through March 23, 2008. Celebration of Fine Art is located in Scottsdale, Arizona on North Scottsdale Road just South of the Loop 101 in the big white tents.

Good luck to Kevin! We hope it is successful for you. If you are not able to make it to Scottsdale, you can also check out Kevin's on line gallery.

New art from Lindsay Palmer

It is always such a treat to be able to work with new artists and get to be a part of local art scene. Lindsay Palmer is an artist, curator and writer living in Tempe, Arizona. Currently, she is the curator of the Shemer Art Center and Museum. She has a show of her photography coming up the first week of January that will run until the end of the month. Start the new year off right and support local artists!

Lindsay Palmer presents a series of large-scale, color photographs in a solo exhibition, Through a Glass... at eye lounge: a contemporary art space, artist-run gallery in downtown Phoenix. Palmer’s work examines the nature of photography, challenging the medium’s perceived ability to represent reality. Her latest body of work juxtaposes objects from popular culture against an idealized portrait of nature, suggesting a collision between material culture and the environment. In the words of the artist “I expose the landscape for what I see it fast becoming: a backdrop for our metropolis”. The exhibition, “Through a Glass...” questions the ethical responsibility of aesthetic appeal.

Happy holidays!

All of us at Mighty Imaging would like to extend warm wishes this holiday season. We hope your home is filled with love and joy. May you be blessed with health and happiness in the year to come.

Photo Miami 2007

Last week the Wynwood Art District in Miami hosted photo MIAMI. An international contemporary art fair that features photo-based, video, and new media art. The event takes place in conjunction with the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair. Although I was unable to make it across country to check out the event, it looks like there was some amazing new work shown. James Danziger did travel to the show, and have many pictures of the work on his blog; The Year in Pictures. Looks like many of the artists chose to create big prints to show their work. That is what we like to see.

photo MIAMI, the only fair during Art Basel Miami Beach dedicated exclusively to contemporary photography and media based art, offers an expansive and immediate overview of these current international trends. It showcases a range of established to emerging galleries, presents curated sections by global artists and curators, and partners with local and international art institutions. This year the fair will host an even greater number of selected exhibitors from 11 countries.

Painted glass photo mat

This is a great way to add a personal touch to your artwork for yourself, or as a gift. You can use items that you may already have laying around the house. Nothing too out of the ordinary that a quick trip to an art supply store couldn't take care of. Instructables is a great site full of these kinds of useful ideas. You may need to sign up as a member to see all the steps.

Painted Glass Photo Mat

Create a great looking Photo Mat, without cutting Mat Board, or requiring any special tools.

Materials Needed
Here's the list of materials needed for this Instructable:

- A Photo to Frame (any size you wish)
- Picture Frame (with glass, precut photo mat not required)
--- NOTE: The picture frame MUST be at least 2-3 inches larger in all directions than the photo you are planning to put into this frame. The extra area will provide the space for you to paint, while still allowing your photo to be fully viewed.
- Acrylic Paint (buy individual paint tubes, or a set of many colors)
- Paint Brushes for Acrylic Paints (in whatever sizes/design you prefer)
- Poster board (or large piece of cardboard)

Misc items from around the house:

- Ruler
- Pen/Pencil
- Double-sided tape
- Scissors

Use photos to make a holiday gift

We are in the midst of the holiday shopping season. If you are like me, you still have people on your list that you are desperately trying to think of something unique and creative to get "the person who has everything". A photo gift could be the perfect solution.

There are many ways you can make your gift unique.

• You can do a large print of a particularly memorable day and have it framed.
  
• If your camera does not take images big enough to do one large photograph, how about making a collage in Photoshop of special memories and turning it in to one big print?
  
• Get a print made of your child's drawing for the grandparents. Printing it on canvas will make it look even more like a masterpiece.
  
• Find an old photo of an ancestor, we can restore it, and then make prints for all of your family members.
  
• You can also purchase a fine art print of one of their favorite locations or a theme that will fit their decor.

You get the idea. There are many ways to make your photo gift personal and memorable. There is still time to order and get it by Christmas. Anything you choose to do will be a one of a kind gift that they will cherish for years to come.

Better color for your photos on the web

This is another reason to love Mozilla's web browser, Firefox. Their latest incarnation Firefox 3.0, which is now still in beta and will launch next year, has an exciting color profiling feature as one of their upgrades. The new version will read the color profile saved in your images and then take in to consideration the characteristics and settings of the monitor it is being viewed on to give a more accurate appearance. This is good news for many photographers out there.

Firefox 3 to enable better color online

The look of images differs between managed and unmanaged applications (screenshot of the same image in Safari vs. Firefox 2), so FF getting on board with color management is great news for designers & photographers who value consistency. For more background on why this is an important advance for the Web, see my notes on the color-managed Safari coming to Windows.

James Cowlin featured in PhotoMedia

If you have never had the opportunity to pick up PhotoMedia magazine, you are missing out on a great photo publication. It comes out four times a year, and consistently prints compelling stories and photography. In their Fall 2007 issue they featured a large spread on James Cowlin and his favorite project, the Historic U.S. Route 89 Society. James wrote and provided the images for the article highlighting the beauty of this unique stretch of highway. If you are up for a road trip, Jim offers 7 different destinations to visit from the Southern border of Arizona and Mexico up through to Southern Utah, along with shooting tips for each location. James has also just launched a new design of his website. Of course, you can also purchase Jim's images through his gallery. Congrats to Jim on all his success!

Border to Border
A photographic journey north on U.S. Route 89, the West’s most ‘Western’ highway.

Here’s are some other facts I discovered about U.S. Route 89:
• The highway traverses all of the geographic provinces of the interior American West, from the Basin and Range to the Colorado Plateau, across the Rocky Mountains and into the Great Plains.
• In addition to the national parks, there are 13 national monuments, one national recreation area, 14 national forests, 22 national wilderness areas, and 20 state parks and historic sites on or near the road.
• Highway 89 passes through three major metropolitan areas: Tucson, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. It also passes through numerous small towns, where travelers can still get a taste of the Old West.

Just driving along this road, you can learn much about the people and cultures that populated the West — from the Ancestral Puebloans and other native peoples on through the Spanish conquistadors, the westward expansion of the United States, the Mormon settlement and the growth of modern cities.

Route 89 provides access to some of the most iconic Western landscapes, but alert travelers can also find some lesser-known gems where landscape and travel photographers can practice their craft. Here are a few starting points for the southern portion of your explorations.

The importance of a portfolio

Tom Miles of Photosmudger has a great post on the importance of always having a good portfolio of your work ready and on hand. Printing some of your images on Kodak Metallic or FujiFlex could make a lasting impression as well. Thanks to Don for the find!

Portfolios - What and Why

Even in this high-tech, information superhighway, digitised, sci-fi, skinny latte, post-modern, post-impressionist, post-everything world there's still a very important place within photography for the distinctly old-school portfolio. There's very little here that will be news to experienced photographers, as without making good use of their portfolio they're unlikely to have lasted long in the commercial world. However for people just starting out, or those whose only real experience of showing their work off is is via flickr and other websites, read on.

Why?

The most important aspect of a physical portfolio lies not so much in the pictures themselves as in the fact that to view it an Art Director will pretty much always have to meet you in person, and this can have as much influence as the work itself. I will go into this aspect in greater depth in a later post, but for now it's sufficient to say that in many areas of commercial photography (advertising/editorial/fashion and so on) your personality can be as important as your work, and you should never miss an opportunity to meet clients face to face and have a good natter.

Holiday digital camera buying guide

The holiday shopping season is upon us. A new digital camera is on many people's wish list. If you are thinking of buying a new camera for yourself or a photo fanatic in your family and are not sure where to start Yahoo! has posted a shopping guide by David Elrich of DigitalTrends that can help. The most sensible advise is to be purchase a camera that most fits your needs. If you plan on making big prints make sure you buy a camera that is 8 megapixels or larger.

Digital Cameras: Buying Made Simple

You've decided to buy a digital camera - or upgrade to a newer, more powerful one. You're not alone.

According to industry experts, close to 30 million digital cameras will be bought this year. And these hefty figures don't include the millions of camera-phone owners who take zillions of snapshots every day.

When you're researching different cameras, manufacturers will state the maximum file (or picture) size you can take. In the case of a 6 megapixel camera, it's 2816 horizontal pixels x 2112 vertical pixels, with 7MP it's 3072 x 2304 and so on. Simply multiply the numbers and you get the effective resolution of the imaging device. We suggest you avoid anything less than 6 or 7MP at this point unless you're looking for an inexpensive camera for the kids.

Pros have access to 21-megapixel imagers in very expensive D-SLRs. You don't have to go this route or spend that much money for great everyday photos, but 6MP should be your minimum. If you plan on making very large prints, such as 13x19s, or you think you might experiment with imaging software, consider 8 or more megapixels. There are no hard-and-fast rules, since so much depends on your final end use.

Creating your own gigapixel image

Photopreneur is a blog that offers ideas, inspiration, and opportunities for photographers on how to market themselves and inventive ways to generate revenue from their photography. If you have never visited them before, you should check it out. You will be dizzy with ideas and might have several "Why didn't I think of that?" moments after an hour of reading. It is a great resource for photographers.

They had a feature on photographer Max Lyons. He specializes in gigapixel photography. He shot his first gigapixel image in 2003 of Bryce Canyon. Technology has helped speed up the once daunting task of merging the many shots taken to comprise the gigapixel image, he developed a software program called PTAssembler. The post has several tips if you are considering trying to create a gigapixel image of your own.

"The software I’ve created to produce these images (originally written in 2003) has no size constraint. From a purely technical standpoint, it would be a trivial matter to produce images of two, 20 or 200 gigapixels."

Of course, it’s not quite that easy. Max points out that while his program has now cut the time to assemble a one gigapixel mosaic from several weeks to just two hours, most of which is automated, capturing each photo “tile” with a long focal-length lens can take “a considerable amount of time.” It took Max seventeen minutes with a six megapixel Canon D60 to shoot the 196 separate images that went into the Bryce Canyon panorama. That in turn creates problems with movement, changing light and depth of field, and can limit the range of subjects that can be shot using this method:

"In fact, if you look at the works of other high resolution photographers, you’ll see that most really large images (gigapixel and beyond) tend to be either (a) of interior, flat surfaces where depth of field, motion and lighting changes are not such problems, (b) scenes that look OK when viewed at tiny size, but have such a narrow depth of field that most of the image is hopelessly blurry when viewed at full size and/or (c) suffer from obvious misalignments and obvious lighting changes…"

What also impressed me about Max's work is his choice for printing his gigapixel files. He uses a LightJet to print his highly detailed images. It is a perfect illustration of the power of the machine. You can read the title off of the books in this shot of the Library of Congress Reading Room. You can't do that with an inkjet.

Turn your image in to vector art for free

VectorMagic, developed by Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, is a free online service that will allow you to take any image and turn it in to vector art. If you have ever had to work with placing a logo that was way too small for your layout, this could be a lifesaver. Once you have your new vector image you can download it as an EPS and manipulate it as needed. Since it is now vector art, you can make it as big as you need to for your design or big enough to cover an entire wall. It can be used for photo, but you will loose detail. It takes on an animated kind of pop art type look. We have printed files prepared in a similar style on Metallic paper that looked incredible.

What is vectorization?

Vectorization (aka tracing) is the process of converting a raster image to a vector image.

Raster images are pixel-based, whereas vector image are represented by geometric shapes such as lines, circles and curves.

Deck the halls

Now that Halloween has past, the holiday retail push is on. Any store you walk past or frequent has their own display to promote their holiday merchandise. Trio Display has some great ideas on how to keep your seasonal display creative, fresh, and (most importantly) drive sales. Large graphics of winter scenes or abstracts of holiday themes (like this close up image of a Christmas ornament) can add some visual interest to the shopping experience. It is also another chance for you to promote your company's brand.

The Retailer's Guide to Holiday Themes:

How can you carve a niche for yourself this holiday season? You don’t have to spend big bucks to draw people into your store. But don’t be a Scrooge, either. You should be on the lookout year-round for holiday-season design elements.

Changing out your windows displays regularly conveys to shoppers that yours is a store that keeps up with the times.

If you don’t feel artistic enough to tackle such projects, consider students or recent grads of local design schools. They’re usually eager to add to their portfolio, so have them come up with a holiday concept for your store. If you like it, reward them with merchandise, cash or an internship.

Remember to check out the windows and interiors of stores that are know for great holiday themes. Eddie Bauer, Target and Restoration Hardware are chains that come to mind. But each city and town has its own cadre of retail stores that are known for their imaginative themes. Pay them a visit to get some free lessons.

No more naked walls!

Naked? Bueno! Naked walls? No bueno!

As you know we here at Mighty Imaging love BIG PRINTS. We love making photographs in to really large (huge) prints of astounding sharpness and clarity. With that in mind, we set about the mission of dressing up one of our favorite customers.

Global Spectrum; a leader in sports, entertainment, and facility management, is in charge of operations for the award winning state of the art University of Phoenix stadium. Like many things in the Vally of the Sun, the stadium is brand spanking new. That means that Global's offices were nothing but naked walls. The first thing that we thought of was what a great place for large images. Just imagine how cool a bunch of big prints custom framed would look. Since everybody from the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL to the Rolling Stones have played there, how about tying it in to a theme of the company and the events that take place? Talk about inspiring interest!

Making a great first impression is always a good idea, and these exciting and vibrant event images make the office look fun and creative. Not only do our prints tell the Global Spectrum story to their customers, but it also creates a strong statement and fun work environment for their own people as well.

If your company's walls need to get dressed up here are a few ideas. First pick a theme, whatever you think will make the statement that you want. Not only will this unify the look of the images on the walls, but it will also unify the workplace. You could hire a photographer and have them find quirky abstract shots around the company plant or office. Then make huge prints that would attract attention by being familiar, yet not so easily recognized. Another idea is to collect a group of snapshots from the company picnic or holiday party and make a collage out of them. Your 30x40 lobby print can show that your company is proud of its employees and that you are a close team of workers.

Either way, the walls of your business should never be bare, so let's dare to dress them up!

A good time was had by all

Dennis Scully put together these time lapse videos of the two opening nights of the Through Each Other's Eyes Mexican Exchange Exhibition at the Historic Southwest Cotton Company last month. What a terrific venue for the artwork. There was great art, music, and food. Truly a good time was had by all. Our thanks to Dennis for the fun recap of the event.

To read more about Mighty's involvement with TEOE see our earlier post.

First Friday


Saturday Artist's Reception

'Cleanliness is next to fastiness'

Scott Byer and Adam Jerugim of Adobe gave a lecture at Photoshop World this past September about optimizing your computer's performance when working with big files. Scott has posted the lecture notes on his blog Living Photoshop. There are guides for Mac and PC settings you can change and ways to test your system's speed. Most of our customers will spend hours of their day working with large files for big prints. This comprehensive guide could help you shave off some time in your work flow. Couldn't we all use some extra minutes in the day?

Photoshop World - Heavy Lifting:

I wanted to call out a couple of things that are currently buried in the speaker notes, and I'm not sure if I got them across appropriately. First, setting Photoshop's memory percentage to 100% only makes sense if you've got more than 4GB of RAM in the machine, and again, only if you haven't run into trouble running the filters you need that way, and are on CS3. We've improved our ability to back off in the case that the machine we're on starts to page every version. However, it's still important to watch that free RAM (or, in the case of Vista, the amount still being used for the system file cache). It's important that you watch what's going on on your system when pushing things to their limit. If you're regularly seeing free memory (or the amount of free memory + system cache on vista) go below 20MB, it's time to back off that memory percentage setting and try again.

Christine Taft gets the blue ribbon

Christine Taft was awarded 1st and 2nd place in the Arizona State Fair photography competition. They receive submissions from all over the state and limit entries to 4 photographs per category. For Christine to place 2 out of the 4 pictures she submitted, and beat out all the hundreds of other submissions, is a big accomplishment. She was awarded 1st place for her Calm of Fall image and 2nd place for Awakening to the Light. Congrats Christine!

You can go see Christine's prints at the Arizona State Fair Grounds at the Coliseum North Hall through November 4th (closed Mondays).

PMA 2008

You may not need much coaxing to go to Las Vegas, but if you are debating whether or not to make the trip in 2008 for the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show this could help you make your decision. They have released their initial list of exhibitors and booth locations. There will be over 600 exhibitors attending. If you have any energy left after you are done, you might have time to hit the casinos. The 2008 PMA trade show will run from Jan 31 - Feb 2, 2008.

PMA '08 Exhibitor List Released: Digital Photography Review

The leading international conference and trade show, PMA 08 hosts retail entrepreneurial memory makers from around the world, including photo retailers, professional photographers, mass merchandisers, professional labs, custom picture framers, and scrapbook retailers. The PMA 08 International Convention features approximately 200 sessions, encouraging the discovery of more opportunities, professional development, and the inspiration to act on emerging trends. Further opportunities are found at the PMA 08 Trade Show, offering more picture-related products than any other event. PMA® members help people everywhere create, keep, display and share memories through pictures.

Bird on a Wire

Part of what makes what we do so fun is being able to work with such talented artists. We recently had the honor of meeting and working with Patrick Rummans for his latest art show. Patrick is a interesting fellow who has traveled the world and is now spending his time here in Arizona. He is originally from Montana and his latest show of avian photography will take him back to his home state. Although I did see the prints here before he sent them off for the show, and I know they look fantastic, I do wish I could be there for the opening. Good luck to you, Patrick! Thank you for letting us be a part of your artistic process.

All of the images from the show are also available for purchase on Patrick's gallery.

The show Bird on a Wire will be at the Lewistown Art Center in Lewistown, MT. From October 30th - November 30th. There will be an opening reception on November 4th.

I have always known that birds would be my passion in life. Even now, just holding a pigeon in my hands and breathing in the musky smell of its feathers takes me back to my childhood and the days when my relationship with birds was indelibly dyed into the fabric of who I would always be. I am completely and utterly smitten, and can never get my fill of them.

Rick D'Elia's Uganda Photo Exhibition

We recently worked with Rick D'Elia on some images for his upcoming show at the Zuva Gallery. The Zuva Gallery is dedicating their space to help bring community awareness to the recent events in Africa. They will have an ongoing series entitled "AFRICA: AS IT IS". Their first show will focus on Uganda.

On Thursday, Octover 18, 2007 at 7:00 pm, Zuva Gallery is opening an exhibition of 40 photographs from northern Uganda titled "The Human Tragedy of Northern Uganda". The photographs are on loan from the U.S. State Department and were commissioned by the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda. The exhibit will be on display in the Zuva Gallery Special Exhibition Space at el Pedregal Shops at The Boulders Resort (Upper Level, Suite L2/L4). The exhibit continues through October 31.

The evening reception will begin with a brief talk and slide show by photojournalist Rick D'Elia. D'Elia shot many of the images in the exhibition and has traveled to Uganda multiple times. In 2003 and 2004, D'Elia spent a year working in Uganda with The Monitor, the national independent daily newspaper. During that time he also worked with development organizations in Uganda to document the projects in health and education. D'Elia has earned a number of awards in Arizona photojournalism competitions as well as top placing in National competitions. Rick D'Elia's talk will be held in the Tohono Center (Upper Level) at el Pedregal Shops at The Boulders Resort.

Maximize your in-store marketing efforts

Getting the customer to your store is one thing. Keeping their interest once they are there is another challenge. Using large graphics to express your marketing goal, whether it is to promote a sale or a new product you are introducing, can utilize your space to maximize your selling potential as well as help build your business brand. I found this article on Allbusiness.com, a site that offers a multitude of articles and videos that inform and inspire you to build a more successful business.

Maximize Your In-Store Marketing Efforts

While advertising can bring customers to a store, it can also work from within your store. Today many retailers realize how important in-store advertising can be to their bottom line.

Despite the drop among television viewers between 18-34, television advertising is still a 50+ billion dollar industry. Meanwhile, in-store advertising accounts for just over 15 billion dollars. This does not mean that retailers prefer advertising on television by a 3 to 1 ratio: It means that you can spend a lot less money advertising in your store. Moreover, you'll find that it can be highly effective.

...Of course, in-store advertising is most effective with a strategy. This means to first determine where to place racks, cubes, platforms, mannequins, and especially your well-designed signage in order to best display your merchandise. High-traffic areas -- doorways, cash registers, fitting rooms, for example -- should be your first consideration.

Other considerations when planning your in-store advertising include:

• Creativity. Position your products in an interesting manner or on an original backdrop. Remember: You want to catch the eye of your customers as they pass your displays.
  
• Lighting. Make sure all areas where advertising is present -- whether it's as a display or as signage -- are well lit and attractive.
  
• Hands-on activities. Toy stores have displays where kids can play. Supermarkets have in-store samples. Tech stores let you test much of the merchandise. What can you do to tempt your customers?
  
• Themes. Is it back-to-school time? Mothers' day? Thematic in-store advertising can focus around a specific season, holiday, or even a new trend or fashion.
  
• Store layout. If your toys are in the back of the store, batteries should be as well. If women's clothing is located on the lower level, fashion accessories should be advertised and displayed en route to and from those escalators. Consider the layout of your location and how your customers get to the goodies that they seek. Then, advertise along the routes that they have to take, just as you see ads for hotels and restaurants along interstate highways.

Peter Lik photography

Peter Lik is a world renowned photographer who has over 9 galleries across the globe. I recently took a trip to Las Vegas, where he has 3 gallery locations. What is so striking about his work, besides his obvious talent, is the way that the images are presented. What may be hard to tell from the shots above are that many of his large panoramic images are printed on trans material and then traditionally matted and framed. The gallery has subdued lighting and the images glow bringing all the color and detail to life. You can't help but be drawn in to look at them. It was refreshing to see an artist use trans printing for their work and present them as finished framed pieces, so that you could imagine them fitting it to any decor or setting. It takes the art to another level. If you are ever in one of the cities where he has one of his many galleries you should make time to see it for yourself.

As a completely self-taught artist, master photographer Peter Lik started in Australia and soon expanded his vision worldwide. Huge panoramic photographs of landscapes showcase the brilliant colors and elegant, spiritual terrain in Nature. These images speak for themselves and leave the casual viewer breathless. The truly conscientious observer will experience fine art. When you come to Peter Lik Galleries, you will be able to experience a kind of natural lifestyle, accented with exotic high-end furniture and sculptures.