Photographer Scout Tufankjian has been covering Barack Obama since he began the campaign. This freelance photojournalist has covered history as it was just rewritten
Check out her site here.

…we were at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Some images captured with the Nikon D700, and the 24-70 2.8 lens:
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Sure you know about Lensbaby: the tilt/shift lens that fits onto your camera body. Looked kinda like a medical contraption that you would wear like a leg brace with series of pins, rods, a tube and discs.
It works great, don’t get me wrong.
And the Lensbaby folks made the special unit that was used in sequences of the Oscar nominated movie “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”. You should check that one out.
Smart people here.
And they just made the popular Lensbaby system even better and easier to use. The new system is called “The Composer”, and joins the rest of the line. Take a look:

What excites us here is the addition of that pinhole attachment. Crazy right?
“Let’s put an antiquated lens option onto an expensive DSLR”. Well , we are looking forward to doing just that.

Visit their site to see some examples of the possibilities.

Yes, you do have a choice of implementing selective focus in post via Photoshop. But isn’t it a good thing to make a decision at the time of shooting?

So now we have 2 choices in that HD capable DSLR range. Here is the Canon version, the 5D Mark II, which made a leap ahead of the Nikon D90, going right to 1080P HD video. And it has an external mic input. These cameras have made such an impact in the video world that a major vid camera manufacturer, RED (check Scarlet), has revamped a product launch and has gone back to the drawing board. Biggest news here is that the camera can shoot HD with excellent glass. That is what all of the hub-bub is about.
But let’s look at this Canon as a DSLR. We got this tour at the recent PhotoPlus Expo:

Part of the video news came from this video by Vincent Laforet. 2 million downloads in 2 weeks.
He shot it all with the 5D using this rig.

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Here is the behind the scenes vid.
Essentially adding on every pro vid tool to the setup and the camera became a strict recorder. Not for every enthusiast, but shows off the capability.Pretty impressive.

The question comes down to, how would YOU use it ? There are limitations with the video, such as the auto focus, and we think this one will appeal to the photojournalists. Is this the perfect all in one camera for you to travel with? Unless you use an external mic, you will get all of the sound of the manipulations on the camera as you operate it.
We think it is an amazing addition the to first gen of these integrated cameras. The video chat rooms are buzzing.

OK, it is a great still camera. Huge file size, excellent processor, Digic IV, and a lower price than the previous comparable model. And you can pull a pretty impressive prit, right from the HD video.
But in this age of digital leapfrogging, is any model comparable to the previous one ? We think that each new DSLR in a certain price range redefines the category each time, no matter which manufacturer.

The Canon will be available by Dec. in limited quantities, then more available in 09, and list for around $2700. The Nikon goes out for a list of around $1000.

This week we have some solid teaching materials for you, from Software-Cinema.
You see, we like their teaching methods. It’s a straight forward, clear, honest method that we warm up to. They’ve been doing it for years and have a darn good playbook. Plus they attract some of the best pros in the business to present the info.
Don’t worry, we’re going to keep presenting videos to you in the coming days and weeks, of all the new gear out there.
But it’s time to learn how to use what you have to the best of it’s ability. Or perhaps pick up a new trick. Or discover a feature you never knew existed.
So from Software-Cinema, we are offering 2 different videos in our weekly giveaway this week.
One is for the outside(mostly) and the other for the inside.

[photopress:84_product_image_1453526979.jpg,full,alignright] Compositing Exposures to Light Architecture & Landscapes
with Bob Coates

CD-ROM

“Photoshop CS3 – Learn how to make multiple exposures of a scene that will give you a look that transcends an image that you can make with one exposure. Learn how to use Photoshop to light your space as an accent to your lighting equipment. Many professional images call for an extended range to maintain proper highlight and shadow detail, not to mention good color saturation. Bob has answers that take care of the most challenging lighting situations. 1.7 hours of material.”

A buddy of mine shoots a lot of architectural photography, and we are always discussing the various methods he uses to beautifully light these multi-color temp and intensity projects. There are layers and lighting conundrums, which as a pro, he’s creatively figured out. This DVD gives you some secrets you may not get anywhere else.

[photopress:102_product_image_84179612.jpg,full,alignright] Portrait Lighting on Location
with Tony Corbell

DVD-VIDEO

“Tony demonstrates his easy-to-learn location lighting techniques. He explores unique ideas of understanding light, working with subjects, controlling backgrounds, and much more.”
They brought you Dean Collins lighting workshops, and have been making some of the best teaching dvds for lighting.
Is it the most cutting edge, dangerous, Vanity Fair lighting?
Nope, but most of us don’t need that, most of the time. You should get some solid learning here, to take some of the portraits you really are shooting.

Here’s the main deal: It doesn’t matter whether you take this learning for a specific project. One thing we’ve always found is that information meant for one thing, usually opens the creative portals for another. Take a good look at the rest of Software-Cinemas offerings.
Maybe next time you throw a DVD in to your TV, you’ll come away with a lifelong lesson. I’m just saying.

And remember, the only way to be eligible for these freebies is to be signed up for the weekly NEWSLETTER. It will come into your email inbox on Weds. @9:00 AM PST every week with all of the details.
We keep it easy. Trust us.Your emails have shown us that you dig these discs, so we’re happy to get them out to you.