Apple MacBook Air

 

Design

• Amazingly thin. Amazingly full-size.

The thinness of MacBook Air is stirring. There’s a full-size notebook encased in the 0.16 to 0.76 inch of sleek, sturdy anodized aluminum. And at just 3.0 pounds, it’s with you everywhere you go.

• A no-compromise display.

The glossy 13.3-inch, widescreen LED backlit MacBook Air display is the same viewable size as the screen on MacBook. The 1280-by-800 resolution gives you vibrant images and rich colors at full brightness the moment you open MacBook Air. So you get full-screen performance with all the benefits of a slim design.

• Full-size, full-feature keyboard.

The keyboard is full-size with crisp keys just like the ones on MacBook. But MacBook Air goes further by adding backlit key illumination, making it easy to work in low-light settings such as airplanes and conference halls. A built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts keyboard and display brightness for optimal visibility. And with the oversize multi-touch trackpad, it just keeps getting better for fingers.

Features

• The brilliance of multi-touch.

MacBook Air includes an oversize trackpad with multi-touch technology. You can pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image. This gesture-based input so successful on iPhone and iPod touch now comes to MacBook.

• A smart LED display.

The backlit LED display allows for an even thinner build. It provides instant full-screen brightness the moment you open MacBook Air. The mercury- and arsenic-free display is also more power efficient, which translates to longer battery life.

• Thin is in the details.

The innovative now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t port hatch flips down to reveal (and closes to hide) all the ports you really need: a USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a micro-DVI port that supports DVI, VGA, composite, and S-video output. Even the MagSafe power connection has been reconsidered and slimmed to fit MacBook Air.

• So thin yet so expansive.

MacBook Air comes with a way-more-than-generous 2GB of RAM built in — ample memory for working with your favorite applications. The 80GB hard drive provides plenty of storage space. And you have the option to upgrade to a 64GB solid-state drive, which has no moving parts for enhanced durability.

• Micro. Chip.

MacBook Air performance is as impressive as its form, thanks to its 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This chip was custom-built to fit within the compact dimensions of MacBook Air.

• Built-in iSight camera.

Unlike most other ultraportable notebooks, MacBook Air includes a built-in iSight camera. It’s so smartly integrated, you hardly notice it’s there. The iSight camera and iChat software make video chatting easy anywhere there’s a wireless network.

• The battery is slimmer. The performance isn’t.

The MacBook Air battery is our thinnest ever, yet it doesn’t compromise power. You can access the web wirelessly for five full hours

 

Wireless

• Without wires, you’re free to go anywhere.

MacBook Air is the notebook that allows for a fully wireless lifestyle. It all starts with the fastest-available, next-generation 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR built in. And that’s just the beginning of the unprecedented wireless capabilities of MacBook Air.

• Ahead of the curve.

In redefining thin, MacBook Air has shed something you no longer need: the optical drive. That’s because MacBook Air is built for the wireless world. So instead of watching DVDs, you can rent movies wirelessly from the iTunes Store. And instead of backing up files to a stack of discs, you can back up files wirelessly using Apple’s new Time Capsule.

However, for those times when you still need to install software on MacBook Air from a CD or DVD, a new feature called Remote Disc lets you wirelessly use or “borrow” the optical drive of a Mac or PC in the vicinity. So you can have full access to an optical drive without having to haul one around. 

• Even migration is wireless.

How do you transfer all of your files, music, photos, and other valuable content from your old Mac to your new MacBook Air? Forget the FireWire cable — that’s the old way. MacBook Air lets you migrate everything wirelessly.

When you turn on MacBook Air for the first time, Setup Assistant walks you through the initial setup. Install the Remote Disc Setup software on the old Mac, and it will then be available to transfer information onto your new MacBook Air. It’s all wireless. All simple. And all secure.

• Introducing wireless backup.

Mac OS X Leopard brought you Time Machine, the built-in backup that automatically copies files to an external drive. And now, Time Capsule — the new hard drive plus Wi-Fi base station — lets you use Time Machine to wirelessly back up your files. It’s effort free and yet another way MacBook Air lets you live and work untethered.

 

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers (Paperback)

 

 

 

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is designed from the ground up with digital photographers in mind, Photoshop Lightroom offers powerful editing features in a streamlined interface that lets photographers import, sort, and organize images. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book was also written with photographers in mind. Best-selling author Martin Evening describes Photoshop Lightroom’s features in detail from a photographer’s perspective. As an established commercial and fashion photographer, martin knows firsthand what photographers need for  an efficient workflow. He’s also been working with Photoshop Lightroom from the beginning, monitoring the product’s development and providing feedback on the public beta. As a result, Martin knows the software inside and out, from image selection to image editing to image management. 

 

In this book you’ll learn how to:

• Work efficiently with images shot in the raw formatn  import photographs with ease and sort them according to your workflow
• Create and manage a personal image library
• Apply tonal corrections to multiple images quickly
• Integrate Photoshop Lightroom with Adobe Photoshop
• Export images for print or Web as digital contact sheets or personal portfolios

Photographers will find Adobe Photoshop Lightroom—and The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book—indispensable tools in their digital darkroom.

 

Table of Contents

Copyright 

Foreword 

Introduction 

Acknowledgments 

Chapter 1. Introducing Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 

           What Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom? 

           What You’ll Need 

           Introducing the Lightroom Interface 

           Installing Lightroom 

           A Quickstart Guide to Lightroom 

           Working Through the Book 

Chapter 2. Importing 

           Importing Images 

           Importing Photos by Copy 

           How Imported Images Are Organized 

Chapter 3. Managing the Library 

           The Library Module Panels 

           Working with the Library 

           Navigating the Library 

           Refining Image Selections 

           Library Management 

           Exporting from Lightroom 

Chapter 4. Image Processing 

           Image Editing in Lightroom 

           Steps for Getting Accurate Color 

           Quick Develop Controls 

           The Develop Module Interface 

           Fine-tuning Images 

           Black and White Conversions 

           Fine-tuning Black and White Images 

           Assessing Your Images 

           Image Retouching Tools 

           Easing the Workflow 

Chapter 5. Printing 

           Preparing for Print 

Chapter 6. Presenting Your Work 

           The Slideshow Module 

           The Web Module 

Appendix 

Lightroom Settings and Templates 

The Lightroom Library Folder 

Customizing the Lightroom Contents 

The Lightroom RGB Space 

The Ideal Computer Setup for Lightroom 

 

Based in London, Martin Evening was a founding member of the UK Digital Imaging Group, one of the first organizations dedicated to exploring digital photography in Britain. As a commercial photographer, Marting specializes in fashion and beauty shots as well as editorial subjects. He has written for magazines like MacUser, the British Journal of Photography, PEI, Amateur Photographer, and Image. A frequent speaker at industry events and presenter of Photoshop techniques, he is author of Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers. He is also a founding partner of PixelGenius, developer of software for Photoshop.

 

Take Your Photography to the Next Level: From Inspiration to Image [ILLUSTRATED]

 

 

 

Take Your Photography to the Next Level is based on a series of essays originally featured on the popular Luminous Landscape website. Barr tackles some of the rarely discussed, yet essential aspects of successful photography. Here is where photographers will learn what is required in order to grow in their creativity and to gain a deeper understanding of their craft.

 

This book is for the photographer who strives to achieve a higher level of results in their work. 

 

Topics include:

Creativity

Dealing with disappointment

Developing an “eye”

Making stronger images

What photographs well

Where to go looking for the best photographic subjects

How to approach subject material

A great image is just around the corner

Dealing with failure

Mind games

Becoming a self-aware photographer

Framing, cropping, & manipulating prints to create mood and transmit your message

 

George Barr is a photographer living in Calgary, Canada. Serious about photography since age 12, working initially with a WWII Zeiss Ikonta in a basement-bathroom “darkroom”, he has progressed through medium format, 4X5, and now digital SLR’s. He earns his living as a family doctor with a special interest in psychiatry but his primary passion has always been the fine art print.

 

Major milestones include learning to make quality prints from Fred Picker, learning to really “see” photographs from Hubert Hohn of the Edmonton Art Gallery, looking at Edward Weston prints bare, attending workshops, working with galleries, and being published.

 

George has had his images published in the magazines Black and White Photography, Black and White, Focus, Lenswork, and Outdoor Photography.

 

By the time George closed his darkroom, he was making very high quality prints and carried on this quality with digital cameras and inkjet printing, producing some of the finest inkjet prints made, surprising many traditional 4X5 photographers with the level of quality.

 

Throughout his life George has been a teacher of medical students & residents, patients, and fellow photographers. A writer of understandable patient newsletters and handouts, it was a short step to writing essays on photography. George has bravely tackled the challenging subjects of aesthetics, seeing, and composing in a style that is clear, practical, and applicable to many.

 

Pantone huey Monitor Color Calibrator

There’s a reason your blues aren’t always true. Same goes for your reds, greens and every color in-between. What you’re seeing onscreen isn’t necessarily accurate – it all depends on your monitor. huey is an easy-to-use monitor color correction tool that automatically adjusts the color of your monitor so what you’re seeing is spot on. huey can even make further adjustments to your monitor to compensate for changes in the room lighting. Everything becomes more accurate and predictable: digital photos just as you remember the scene, game graphics that give you the intense edge you’re after, movies with brilliant life-like color and a Web-browsing experience that delivers colors that you can trust. huey is easy to use on any CRT, LCD and laptop monitor for the best possible color. Pantone’s Huey is essential for digital photographers, designers, desktop publishers, gamers and any computer users who need absolute color and clarity. 

 

Pantone huey Monitor Color Calibrator

Designed for calibrating and profiling all types of monitors–LCD and CRT. Each individual package includes a huey measurement device (emission only colorimeter) with ambient measurement capabilities, and software for monitor calibration.

 

huey corrects the color on your monitor so photos and designs print more accurately, game graphics are more intense and movies are more true–to–life. Easy–to–use right out of the box, huey adapts your monitor for changing room lighting and applies your personal preferences for viewing accurate color all of the time.

 

Pantone the global authority of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced the availability of huey, an easy-to-use monitor calibration tool designed for digital photo enthusiasts, gamers and any computer user wanting absolute color and clarity. Developed in partnership with GretagMacbeth and brought to market by Pantone, huey is based on GretagMacbeth’s technology for professional-level products and delivered in an easy-to-use, a true breakthrough in terms of function & usability. About the size of a small marker, huey delivers excellent results on LCD, laptop and CRT displays without requiring users to have any knowledge of color management.

 

System Requirements:

• CRT and LCD Monitors
• Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
• Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
• USB port

Pantone, Inc., developer of the globally accepted PANTONE Color Systems, is the leading source of traditional and electronic products for the selection and accurate communication of color. With over 40 years of experience, Pantone is recognized as the worldwide market leader in color communication and color technology for the graphic design, printing, publishing, textile and plastics industries. Pantone is an ISO-9001:2000 certified company. 

 

Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide

 

This unique book is designed to address users of the Nikon D40 and the D40X, with 272 pages of beautiful photos, essential photography how-to information and cool techniques for getting great digital pictures. Both colorful and portable, it will be packed with useful information, offering “information at your fingertips” that “goes where you go” for instant reference, anywhere! Includes step-by-step techniques that cover exposure, composition, and professional shooting tips on perspective, impact, and more.

 

This guide’s Quick Tour is the perfect way to get started with your new Nikon D40 or D40x digital SLR camera, and fits in your camera bag to go wherever your Nikon goes.

 

 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Quick Tour: Shooting Your First D40/D40x Picture.

Part I: Using the Nikon D40/D40x.

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D40/D40x.

Chapter 2: Nikon D40/D40x Essentials.

Chapter 3: Setting Up Nikon D40/D40x.

Part II: Creating Great Photos with the Nikon D40/D40x.

Chapter 4: Exposure Essentials.

Chapter 5: All About Lenses.

Chapter 6: Working with Light.

Chapter 7: Photo Subjects.

Chapter 8: Downloading and Editing Images.

Appendix: Troubleshooting.

Glossary.

Index.

 

 

David D. Busch has operated a commercial photo studio, shot sports for a newspaper, and spent more than twenty years as a roving photojournalist. He has shared his experience in more than 90 books, including the bestselling Nikon D80 Digital Field Guide, Digital Travel Photography Digital Field Guide, and Digital SLR Cameras and Photography For Dummies, all from Wiley.

 

Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit

Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit

with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

The Nikon D40 is an all new affordable, compact, point-and-shoot digital SLR from Nikon, it follows on from the D50 but at a significantly lower price point and with a subtly different feature set. The biggest news however is probably fact that Nikon resisted the temptation to keep chasing megapixels (hooray for that) and instead appear to have concentrated on what makes a good camera, a decent viewfinder, short shutter lag, very short viewfinder blackout.

 

The D40 is compact, lightweight and designed specifically for ease of use, yet contains all the top-quality, high-performance technologies that you expect from a Nikon digital SLR. And with world-famous Nikkor lenses, you know you have the sharpest and most reliable optical performance available. All in a camera light enough to carry with you everywhere. Beautiful photography has never been easier. 

 

Key features

• 6 megapixel DX format CCD (1.5x FOV crop, as D50)
• Nikon Image processing engine (as D80 / D200)
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 420 pixel sensor (as D80 / D50)
• New Multi-CAM530 three area AF sensor
• ISO sensitivity range 200 – 1600 plus HI 1 (3200 equiv.)
• Custom Auto ISO (selectable maximum ISO, minimum shutter speed)
• 2.5 fps continuous shooting (as D50), unlimited in JPEG
• No status LCD, new LCD monitor based status / settings screens
• Help suggestions on LCD monitor (eg. scene too dark, try using flash)
• Large 2.5″ 230,000 pixel LCD monitor
• Bigger viewfinder view (x0.8 magnification, 95% coverage)
• Short shutter lag and viewfinder blackout
• Support for SDHC (SD cards over 2 GB in capacity)
• In-camera retouching
  • D-Lighting (shadow / highlight enhancement)
  • Red-eye reduction
  • Trimming
  • Monochrome
  • Filter effects
  • Small picture
  • Image overlay
• USB 2.0 with PTP and Mass Storage device support
• Very compact, light body (smaller, lighter than D50)
• Improved menu user interface (as D80 / D200)
• New EN-EL9 Lithium-Ion battery (7.2V, 1000 mAh)
• New ‘Version II’ AF-S DX 18-55 mm kit lens

 

The lightest, most compact Nikon digital SLR ever, featuring intuitive controls and an ergonomically designed operation that even first-time SLR users can enjoy.

 

Digital Food Photography

Great food always elicits strong reactions-the smell of freshly baked bread, the taste of a perfectly prepared steak. The job of a food photographer is to elicit that same mouth-watering reaction, but without the benefit of scent or taste. A well-shot photograph can send crowds flocking to a new restaurant or boost the sales of a culinary magazine. Capturing the perfect image requires a trained eye, finesse, and photographic skill. Digital Food Photography gives you the ingredients to cook up your own recipe for success-with professional lighting techniques, composition, food and prop styling, retouching, and tricks of the trade. You’ll learn how digital photography combines teamwork, creativity, and technology, and how to make money creating delectable works of photographic art. 

 

Intended for professional photographers, this guide explains how to use a digital camera to take high quality photographs of food, reveals the secrets of food stylists, and offers advice on planning the shoot, lighting, shot composition, props, and retouching the image with Photoshop. The author provides several color shots of the same dish to illustrate his work process.

 

 

Table of Contents

Introduction 

1. The Key Ingredient: Pixels 

2. Digital Photography: The Necessities 

3. Who’s Digesting It: Advertising, Packaging, Public Relations, and the Media 

4. Who’s Doing the Cooking: Working with Food Stylists 

5. Prop Styling: Who’s Doing the Shopping? 

6. Grabbing Your Attention: Composition 

7. The Recipe for Light 

8. The Digital Spice: Retouching 

9. Get Cooking and Make Some Money: Getting into the Business

 

 

Lou Manna is an award-winning Olympus Visionary photographer. He has more than 30 years of experience working with chefs, photographing cookbooks, and shooting food for publications such as Wine Enthusiast, Food Arts, and The New York Times, where he worked as a photojournalist from 1975 to 1990. Manna is an early adopter of digital technology¿he has been shooting digitally for more than 10 years. Manna has worked on location and in his studio with famous chefs such as Michael Lomonaco, Jacques Pepin, Bobby Flay, Lidia Bastianich, and Emeril Lagasse. He has appeared on ABC-TV¿s World of Photography and on the Food Network, and has lectured at the French Culinary Institute. Manna¿s award-winning photos have appeared in more than 30 cookbooks, including Dr. Phil’s The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook, Jacques Torres’s Dessert Circus, Pierre Franey’s Cuisine Rapide, and Arthur Hettich’s The Four Star Kitchen. He recently provided a number of shots for The New York Times¿s bestsellers America 24/7 and New York 24/7.

 

Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers

 

 

Time-tested lighting strategies that will improve the quality of a portrait are detailed in this book for beginning photographers. Terminology used by industry pros is explained, the equipment needed to create professional results is outlined, and the unique role that each element of the lighting setup plays in the studio is explored. Photographers learn how color, direction, form, and contrast affect the final portrait. The concise text, photo examples, and lighting diagrams enable photographers to easily achieve traditional lighting styles that have been the basis of good portraiture since the advent of the art.

 

Christopher Grey is a master of photographic lighting, and this expertise shines through in his latest book, appropriately titled, Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers. Grey eases his readers into the topic with a discussion on the properties and quality of light and a review of modern lighting equipment, both store-bought and homemade. Then, after an informative chapter on lighting ratios (a frequently misused and misunderstood term) he embarks on an instructive and comprehensive journey that covers everything from classic lighting styles to the advanced lighting methods used by today’s top studio photographers. Beautiful color photos and helpful diagrams complement each scenario.

 

Grey’s writing is conversational and witty, which is a blessing when one is digesting material that, in duller texts, can quickly veer off into technical mumbo jumbo. In addition to his lighting information, he sprinkles every chapter with plenty of useful advice – things he’s learned during his 30-year career – for saving money, choosing backdrops, building trust with subjects, capturing better expressions and much, much more. I’d recommend the book to anyone interested in portrait photography. The photographs alone are well worth the purchase price, but the lessons enabling readers to create similarly stunning photos make the book an extremely good value

 

Christopher Grey is the author of Creative Techniques for Nude Photography and Photographer’s Guide to Polaroid Transfer. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D Digital Field Guide

This full-color book is designed to tap the exploding market in serious digital photography with over 250 pages of new and beautiful photos, essential photography how-to information and no-fail formulas for getting great digital pictures with the newly announced Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D. It goes above and beyond competitive digital SLR books with step-by-step techniques that cover exposure, composition, and professional shooting tips on perspective, impact, and more. Charlotte K. Lowrie, author of two previous Digital Field Guides (see below), is an acclaimed photographer who was managing editor of editorial content for MSN Photos and now writes online instructional content for Canon.

 

Miss the moment, and it’s gone forever. That’s why you bought a digital SLR—and why you need this full-color guide that covers not only using every feature of your XTi/400D, but also getting great shots in more than two dozen situations. You’ll find step-by-step techniques that enhance exposure, composition, and perspective, plus professional advice for photographing children, pets, sporting events, concerts, street scenes, landscapes, even fireworks. Wherever you take pictures, take this book along.

• Master your Digital Rebel XTi/400D’s features so you get the best shot every time
• Experiment with different settings, lighting, and lenses
• Review the basics of good photographic technique
• Get advice on effective ways to shoot indoors or out, take panoramic views, capture action, and create fine art photos

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Quick Tour.

Part I: Using the Digital Rebel XTi/400D.

Chapter 1: Exploring and Setting Up the Digital Rebel XTi/400D.

Chapter 2: Using Your Digital Rebel XTi/400D.

Part II: Creating Great Photos with the Digital Rebel XTi/400D.

Chapter 3: Photography Basics.

Chapter 4: Let There Be Light.

Chapter 5: The Art and Science of Lenses.

Chapter 6: Composition Basics.

Chapter 7: Techniques for Great Photos.

Chapter 8: Downloading and Editing Pictures.

Part III: Appendixes.

Appendix A: Custom Functions.

Appendix B: Internet Resources.

Glossary.

Index.

Charlotte K. Lowrie (Woodinville, WA) is a freelance editorial and stock photographer and an award-winning writer. Her work has appeared in Popular Photography & Imaging and PHOTOgraphic magazines, and she is the author of the bestselling Canon EOS Digital Rebel Digital Field Guide as well as Adobe Camera Raw Studio Skills, the Canon EOS 30D Digital Field Guide, and Teach Yourself Visually Digital Photography, Second Edition, all from Wiley. Charlotte also teaches photography classes through BetterPhoto.com.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350

The Sony Alpha A350 is a Digital SLR camera features a 14.2-megapixel Super HAD CCD, Live Preview of your subject, Super SteadyShot in-camera image stabilization, Scene Selection Modes, High-resolution thumbnails for PhotoTV HD viewing, Eye-Start Autofocus System, Anti-dust technology, 1200-zone evaluative meteringa tiltable, and a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen.

 

• Eliminating the focus delay of other systems, the new models are equally responsive whether using live view or optical viewfinder.

• With its two sensor design, Quick AF Live View can even continuously focus-track the subject and provide live view during burst shooting, helping you capture that special moment.

• Taking further advantage of Quick AF Live View is the models’ variable angle 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD ™ screen. This makes it easy to frame scenes from high or low positions difficult to reach when using an eye-level viewfinder.

• With Live View and an adjustable LCD, the cameras do not need to be in front of the user’s face, allowing parents, for example, to maintain eye-contact when photographing their children.

 

Exceptional Image Quality

The new models produce images with fine detail, rich tonality and vibrant color due to their APS-C CCD image sensors and BIONZ® processing engine. To aid shooting in low light, Super SteadyShot® image stabilization enables shutter speeds 2.5 to 3.5 steps slower than otherwise possible, with every compatible Minolta Maxxum® and Sony ? (alpha) lens (sold separately) attached to the camera.

 

High sensitivity operation at ISO 1600 and 3200 and very low noise are made possible by the user-selectable high-ISO noise reduction features. Sony’s D-Range Optimizer delivers suitable tonality and exposures with rich shadow and highlight detail, even under high contrast situations.

 

 

Powerful Performance, Easy to Use

The DSLR-A300 model can shoot about three continuous frames per second and the DSLR-A350 model can shoot up to two-and-a-half continuous frames per second, when using the optical viewfinder. Both are powered by the Bionz processing engine and supplied InfoLITHIUMTM battery for fast start-up times, quick response and long battery life – up to 730 shots per full charge when using the optical viewfinder and up to 410 shots per full charge in live-view mode.

 

Featuring lighter, slimmer bodies for easy handling; an improved user interface; an automatic pop-up flash; a comfortable camera grip with an easily accessible mode dial; an anti-dust system to keep the CCD image sensor clean for spot-free pictures; and JPEG and RAW file format support. It has a slot for CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards. An adaptor for Memory Stick Duo™ media cards is also available for the cameras and sold separately.

 

The new DSLR-A350 cameras is compatible with a range of accessories, including the ergonomic Sony VG-B30AM vertical grip. Also available as an option is the new Sony HVL-F42AM flash unit. It offers advanced features such as automatic white balance adjustment with color temperature information, adjustable bounce angles, ADI metering and wireless remote operation to suit the needs of most photographers.