Microsoft Pro Photo Community Blog

by Jeff Greene /

Matthew Jordan Smith is one of the world’s most respected fashion photographers; creating portraits of celebrities, appearing on America’s Next Top Model, and shooting for major corporate advertising accounts.  My article in this months’ Studio Photography magazine “How to Be a Celebrity/Fashion Photographer” profiles Matthew’s career and style

and can be previewed on the magazines website at ImagingInfo.com

But Smith also possesses an amazing eye for creativity in his photography. Using a “dream book” where he sketches ideas, he formulates tableaus in his minds eye and then brings them to life in a personal collection of artistic photographs. 

Matthews’ artistic work is currently being shown in Brescia, Italy at the Wave Photo Gallery from November 10 through December 12, 2008.   If you have the means, make the trip to Italy or, stay right here and view some fantastic images on his amazing website.

Finally, if you’re in New York City on December 7th, Microsoft is hosting a live photo shoot and workflow demo with Matthew at Splashlight Studios.

Space is limited, please email seminars@fotocare.com
or call (212) 741-2990 to register.

By Jeff Greene /

For those of you who are too lazy to drive to your local computer store prefer the convenience and environmentally sound option of shopping online, Microsoft has just announced the Microsoft Store – the first online store where you can purchase the full selection of Microsoft products directly from the source.  

Go to www.MicrosoftStore.com and find the largest selection of Microsoft software, devices and hardware. 

Features include:

· Immediate software download option of most Microsoft titles

· Simple and secure purchase

· Complete selection of products for Xbox, Zune, Office, and Windows 

· Up-to-date product information

Just a reminder to those of you considering a purchase of Expression Media 2.  If you shoot in RAW, you can purchase BOTH Expression Media 2 AND Phase Ones’ RAW processing software, Capture One 4, with our “Better Together” promotion price of $199.  It’s like getting Capture One 4 for free!   Check the Better Together site for more details.

“Surprise Me”

By Jeff Greene /

Our good friend and Microsoft Icon of Imaging Reed Hoffman is profiled by writer Mark Lapin in a new article posted on the Microsoft Pro Photo website. 

Reed discusses his award-winning career and explains how life’s surprises, making the best of fortunate circumstances, and being in the right place at the right time all contributes to a successful career as a visual story teller.

In addition to his career as a photojournalist, Reed also shares his knowledge by leading workshops and photo tours through Blue Pixel, a company he co-founded with photographer Kevin Gilbert.

"Teaching has been extremely rewarding, especially with digital photography," he says in the article.

"With a few tips and a little explanation of what's going on with the camera, people can progress so quickly. Every trip I've been on, people come back with some wonderful pictures, regardless of their experience level."

Read the article here and visit the following websites for more information:

Microsoft Icons of Imaging site

www.reedhoffmann.com

www.bluepixel.net

by Jeff Greene /

First of all, if you haven’t done so already, quit reading this and go vote. Now.

If you are not sure where your polling place is located, take 30 seconds and check here: http://www.voteforchange.com/ I’ll wait…

Today is a historic one in the annals of American politics and one I have awaited with great anticipation. Aside from the obvious factors of race and gender, there are several additional aspects that make this a unique election.

• For the first time since 1952, none of the candidates are an incumbent President or current Vice President.

• Regardless of who wins, there will be a new President or Vice President in their 40s, the youngest to hold office since JFK and younger than a vast majority of the voting public.

• Political experts are forecasting a record voter turn-out in both sheer numbers and percentage of registered voters casting ballots.

All of this makes for an exciting period in our nations’ history and should be documented for the ages. The New York Times Polling Place Project, asks photographers to photograph voters and polling stations in their area and submit them to the online collection. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America. Rules vary from state to state regarding taking photographs inside the polling areas, so please ask before you shoot….

After the polls close, follow the returns tonight with your friends and family and witness the results and ultimate conclusion of two long years of presidential campaigning.

MSNBC - www.msnbc.msn.com
FOX - elections.foxnews.com
ABC - abcnews.go.com
CNN - www.cnn.com

For the record, my prediction for the final Electoral Vote is 326 – 212.

Daylight Saving Time Ends

by Jeff Greene / 

It’s the first Sunday in November and that means it’s time to run around the house setting all your clocks back one hour.  Well, with all the confusion don’t forget to set the clocks on your digital cameras as well.

The days are shorter with brighter mornings and darker evenings, but if you forget to change the time on your Digital SLR, you can use Microsoft Pro Photo Tools and it’s Date Time feature to adjust the time in your images’ metadata.  Works great when working in different time zones too…

Tempis Fugit….

by Jeff Greene /

The Peace Caravan Project is an ongoing collection of images by photographer Marla Mossmann that aims to “nourish the principles of international co-operation, exchange cultural values, share understanding of the environment, and foster the equality of all peoples including women and children.”

Mossman and her Peace Caravan Project are traveling from Jerusalem, Israel to X’ian, China by car, foot, horse, mule and camel to document places of historical and religious significance mentioned in the Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the Veda’s. In a quest to explore her heritage and spirituality and the connection to Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam she has already taken four expeditions to photograph India, Turkey, Afghanistan and the Middle East countries of Syria, Jordan and Israel.

Fully supported by the New York Foundation for the Arts and voluntary contributions, Mossman’s photos capture the people along her journey reminding us that, though we have differences, we all share the same fears, hopes and dreams in our daily lives.

Whether viewed on the website gallery or on display in the exhibitions; the Peace Caravan endeavors to inform and inspire others to achieve understanding, tolerance, and acceptance.

To view the Peace Caravan Project in it's entirety, visit the website at:  www.peacecaravan.com/

by Jeff Greene /

PhotoShelter is offering a rescue package for Digital Railroad customers who wish to transfer their images from their existing DRR archive to a PhotoShelter Personal Archive 2.0.

According to PhotoShelter, the following terms apply:
- Sign up for a PhotoShelter Personal Archive 2.0 account
- Provide proof of your DRR membership
- PhotoShelter will then credit your account with an additional 3-months free service
- PhotoShelter will provide FTP instructions on how to transfer your archive -

The PhotoShelter's Personal Archive service includes (from their website):

Complete details here

John Harrington’s Photo Business News & Forum blog has reported on the issues facing Digital Railroad for weeks and has offered a complete set of instructions for transferring their collections from DRR to PhotoShelter's Personal Archive service.

Digital Railroad Jumps the Tracks

By Jeff Greene /

This announcement from Digital Railroad was posted on the

DRR.net  site today recommending immediate action for member photographers:

We're sorry to inform you that Digital Railroad (DRR) has shut down. On October 15th we reported that the company had reduced its staff and was aggressively pursuing additional financing and/or a strategic partner. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful. Therefore Digital Railroad has been forced to suspend all operations. This archive may only be accessible for the next 24 hours.

The Stock Artists Alliance had this comment in an email earlier today:

The SAA recommends that any photographer with a DRR archive act without delay to:

• Ensure that all of your files and data are backed up.
• Download all details of licenses made with outstanding royalties due.
• Download a list of all registered users who have accessed your Archive.
• Check that any monthly or annual fees do not continue to be billed to your credit card.

SAA is greatly concerned about the status of outstanding royalties due to photographers from DRR's Marketplace stock portal, as well as the manner in which this closure has been handled, giving loyal customers no reasonable advance warning or support. We will continue to monitor the situation and try to assist in any way we can on behalf of photographers.

According to Phillip Demanczuk, a nature photographer based out of Reno, NV, PhotoShelter,  a competing online storefront and archive has reportedly made offers to migrate the entire collections of current Digital Railroad subscribers over to their service.  More details to follow….

by Jeff Greene /

Microsoft will once again be presenting at Photo Plus in New York City, the years’ largest pro and prosumer trade conference for photographers.  Over 30,000 photographers and digital imaging professionals are expected at the Javits Convention Center in New York City for three days of seminars, panel discussions, and the largest tradeshow expo in the event’s history…

Microsoft Pro Photo Community team is sponsoring seminars by the Microsoft Icons of Imaging and presenting a special panel discussion on Thursday, October 23rd that

brings together Joyce Tenneson, Phil Borges, and Matthew Jordan Smith for  Focus on People: Photographs that Raise Awareness .  Renowned New York Times Art & Photography critic and award-winning author, Vicki Goldberg has graciously agreed to moderate the panel discussion.  Last years event, ““Women Behind the Lens: A Female Perspective of Photography” drew a standing-room crowd of over 500 attendees and a larger crowd is expected for this year’s opening night event. 

Microsoft Expo Booth
New this year is a 20x20 booth on the Expo floor to promote and demonstrate the bundling of Capture One 4 and Expression Media 2.  The “Better Together” program will feature a schedule of live photo shoots with the Icons immediately followed by a RAW workflow demo showcasing the strengths of both programs.

Microsoft Event Schedule

Once again Microsoft will sponsor the Icons of Imaging by hosting their seminars and workshops.  This years’ presentations by Peter Krogh, Phil Borges, and Matthew Jordan Smith will be offered in addition to those of Denis Reggie and Bambi Cantrell and sponsored by our good friends at Epson.

Thursday, October 23

Blog Updates

We will be posting to the Microsoft Pro Photo Blog daily from the site with the latest news, announcements, and insights.

by Jeff Greene /

Microsoft is once again proud to sponsor the Epson Print Academy which will be back on tour featuring an all-new curriculum and instruction from world-renowned photographers, master printmakers and color management experts using the latest digital workflow and printing technology.

The 15-city touring program kicks off on Nov. 8 in Atlanta, GA and continues through May 2009 with stops in the following cities throughout North America:

Nov 8     Atlanta   

Nov 16    Washington DC   

Dec 6     New York    

Dec 13    Dallas

Jan 31    Seattle   

Feb 7     San Francisco

Feb 21    Los Angeles   

Feb 28    Boston

Mar 14    Chicago

Mar 21   Toronto

April 4    Minneapolis   

April 25   Denver   

May 3    New York    

May 9    Orange County, CA

May 16  San Francisco

In each city, the Epson Print Academy will offer two simultaneous yet unique tracks. Track One is ideal for advanced amateurs and photo enthusiasts interested in learning how to create award-winning prints from the latest generation digital SLRs. Track Two is designed exclusively for working professionals and covers advanced techniques for increasing productivity and optimizing workflows.  Both tracks will incorporate Epson’s latest printing technology.

Track One will be hosted by well-known New York City-based photographer and lecturer Jack Reznicki. It will integrate video interviews, including a special nature photography segment with Microsoft Icon of Imaging John Shaw, and feature live digital printing workflow tutorials that cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Improving images and print quality with easy-to-use lighting techniques
• Basic color management creating and using custom color profiles
• Exciting new ways to create incredible black-and-white prints
• Printing with Photoshop CS4 and using new Photoshop plug-ins
• Maximizing print quality with the Epson Stylus Photo R2880
• Sneak Peek at new Epson UltraChrome HDR ink technology

Track Two features live presentations and demonstrations by renowned industry experts such as John Paul Caponigro, Greg Gorman, Mac Holbert, Andrew Rodney, and Jeff Schewe, as well as fine art print handling, mounting, framing, and image permanence with Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape and Henry Wilhelm of Wilhelm Imaging Research. Other topics include:

• Advanced techniques for maximizing image quality and improving productivity using Camera Raw 5 in Photoshop CS4
• Advanced techniques for producing black-and-white prints
• Fine art printing techniques for creating exhibition-quality prints
• Advanced color management techniques for custom color profiling
• Updating workflows to take full advantage of Epson’s new UltraChrome HDR ink technology for increased print quality and productivity

Finally, the Print Academy Expo area will present a gallery of images created with Epson UltraChrome HDR ink technology and feature a product demo area where partnering companies will be on-hand to answer questions and demonstrate products.

by Jeff Greene /

Some photos from around Photokina. Words cannot describe the immense size and scope of this bi-annual expo so I’ll let a few pictures do the talking:

Canon World

Pentax built a desert with REAL sand….

Unfortunately GE denied my request for a test drive….

Natalie Dybisz, aka “Miss Aniela”

Microsoft Hostess Tamara                              

by Jeff Greene /

Today at Photokina in Cologne, Germany, six industry-leading companies announced the Metadata Working Group, whose mission is to publish technical specifications that propose standards for effectively storing metadata into digital media files.

Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, Canon, Nokia, and Sony are the founding members of the Metadata Working Group and today they introduced the first specification providing guidelines designed to increase interoperability and preservation of metadata in digital images across all applications, devices, and services.

“Lack of metadata interoperability has led to significant frustration for both consumer and pro photographers, and our companies have spent considerable resources trying to deal with the problem,” said Josh Weisberg, chairman and founder of the Metadata Working Group and director of Microsoft’s Rich Media Group.

“Getting these industry leaders together to rally around metadata interoperability is a real turning point, one that we believe will result in technology that’s easier for photographers to use.”

Although there are several existing metadata standards, they are often inconsistent and lack interoperability between devices, applications and services resulting in incompatibility issues when searching for information embedded in the file.  The Metadata Working Group’s initial guidelines target photo metadata, with a focus on still images and common consumer uses.

“We’ve chosen to address the most common issues photographers face as we feel this will make the biggest impact for the average photographer,” Weisberg said. “Down the road, we will expand our work to include other metadata issues relevant to photographers.”

Addtional coverage about the Metadata Working Group:

ComputerWorld: Microsoft leads effort to solve photo metadata problem.

CNET: Software, camera allies try easing photo data pains.

DPReview: Metadata Working Group

GlobeInvestor: Metadata Working Group Introduces First Specification for Interoperability and Preservation of Metadata in Digital Photography.

CDRInfo: Working Group to Create Metadata Specifications For Digital Photography.

Metadata Manifesto: Metadata Working Group releases Guidelines for Interoperability and Preservation of Metadata.

Consumer Electronics.Net: Adobe, Apple, Canon, Microsoft, Nokia and Sony form Metadata Working Group.

For more information, press only:
Kate Whitman, Edelman for Metadata Working Group, (206) 268-2222, kate.whitman@edelman.com

by Jeff Greene /

Press Day here at Photokina which means we’re putting the finishing touches on the Microsoft booth, briefing the staff, and fine-tuning the demo stations that will showcase the Microsoft digital imaging products I mentioned yesterday.

Microsoft Event Coordinator Liz Bennett briefs the Microsoft troops..

Elsewhere in this absolutely massive complex (think of the BIGGEST convention hall you’ve ever been in – and multiply by ten.  Not kidding, it’s that huge…), there were some very newsworthy announcements and expectations:

Kodak is here in a BIG way with a 42,000 sq ft booth and announced their revolutionary KODAK OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) wireless digital picture frame, which displays images and videos in sharp, bright colors viewable from a full -degrees on either side.

Leica Camera AG introduced the Leica S2, a new digital SLR camera  for professional photographers that offers the high quality optics and craftsmanship that Leica is known for, but now coupled with a 37MP sensor that is over 50% larger than a 35mm frame. Stunning images…

Lensbabies has announced a new line of selective focus lenses dubbed The Muse, The Control Freak, and The Composer,The first two replace the existing Lensbaby 2.0 and Lensbaby 3G. The Composer is new to the line and uses ball and socket technology for composing and focusing.  This allows photographers to creatively focus and then shoot hands-free with greater control (and less hand cramping). I going to pick up one of these as my “trade-show treat”.

Adobe has announced major unveiling tomorrow (Oct. 23) at 9am Eastern.  Although the release of Photoshop CS4 is the expected news, our booth is directly across the aisle from theirs and it has been heavily shrouded all day… so, based on a little Intel, I’m expecting something more….

Follow me on Twitter for random observations, comments, and witticisms….

Photokina officially opens tomorrow and runs from September 23-28.

Microsoft booth almost finished and ready for the Photokina crowds…

Samsung Booth

   Photo Galleries

by Jeff Greene /  …and yes, I’m a PC.

Photokina is the largest international photography trade show in the world and this year Microsoft is once again proud to be a major part of it.

Held every two years in Cologne, Germany, Photokina attracts a diverse cross-section of photographers, manufacturers, and media who are focused on photography and digital imaging. Taking place September 23-28, 2008, the trade fair is the largest in the world for imaging and covers everything from image capture, editing, transmission, output, and archiving. In addition, Photokina offers in-depth product previews and major product announcements from leading camera and software manufacturers.

Photokina Fun Facts

• Location: Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
• Conference Site: http://photokina.en.koelnmesse.info/thefair/
• Dates: September 23 – 28, 2008
• Estimated 2008 attendance 175,000
• Attendees from 150+ countries
• 15,000 industry professionals
• 1700 exhibitors with staff
• Over 6000 journalists

Microsoft will have a large facility in Hall 4.1 / Aisle G in the Koelnmesse Congress Center where we will be showcasing many of our digital imaging assets, including some innovative new projects from Microsoft Research and Microsoft Live Labs. In addition, we’ll have plenty of staff on hand to answer questions and demo the following software applications:

• Photosynth
• Windows Home Server
• Windows Live Photo Gallery
• Microsoft Office Mac 2008
• Microsoft Pro Photo Tools
• Expression Media

We’ll also be working with our industry partners showcasing how teaming up can provide serious photographers with the best solutions possible in hardware and imaging workflow. 

• Photo Laptop Project
• Better Together - A Workflow for Windows and Mac with Capture One 4 and Expression Media 
• Cewe photobooks
• Eye-Fi wireless memory cards with geo-tagging

Our teams are looking forward to participating in this spectacular event, both as exhibitors and as photo enthusiasts, eager to spend the next week discovering new products and engaging with the most dedicated digital imaging professionals and  enthusiasts from around the world.

Keep checking this blog for daily updates from the Photokina expo and follow me on Twitter for periodic dispatches, observations, and random comments during the day.

Pro Photo Tools v2.0

by Jeff Greene /

The latest version of Microsoft Pro Photo Tools has been released with some newly added features and improvements in performance. Microsoft Pro Photo Tools provides a set of tools for photographers allowing them to perform various tasks with their images—including RAW captures. The current version enables you to quickly geotag your photos, edit metadata, and organize your images by leveraging the power of Microsoft Live Local.

New features include:

• Support for reading & writing XMP side car metadata enabling interoperability with Adobe products.
• Viewing actual RAW images, in addition to thumbnails
• Conversion of RAW files to JPEG and TIFF using “As Shot” camera settings.
• The ability to resize RAW images.
• Support for 64-bit Windows
• Support for geotagging international locales
• Improved functionality for geotagging images.

It’s even easier now to add GPS information to your photos:

As geotagging gains popularity, photographers want to quickly identify the location for their images. With Pro Photo Tools, you can gather location information from a variety of sources and apply it to the metadata in your images.

1. Drag your photos from a folder onto the main viewing window.
2. To load recorded GPS data, in the Track Route section, click the Load from File button .
3. Select all images by pressing Ctrl+A
4. Click the Place Images button under Track Route and the images will be placed on the map.
5. When the images are in the correct position along the track route, go to File –> Save All Images with New Data, and the GPS coordinates will be added to your photos based on the time stamps in the track route file.

Pro Photo Tools 2.0 still offers the same features as earlier versions including:

• Determine location name automatically
• Determine GPS coordinates from location name
• Identify location on a map
• View images on Windows Live Maps
• Use Microsoft Virtual Earth for a 3D view of the image location.
• Edit image metadata
• RAW support

For a link to the free download and more information, read the Microsoft Pro Photo Tools article on the Microsoft Pro Photo website.