For the 6th year in a row, the Lucie Awards will commence on Monday, Oct.20th.
For the second year, the famous Lincoln Center will host the event, and the masters of photography will be properly honored.
Being surrounded by their peers, and admirers, honorees will be presented the Lucie Statue, a new standard in excellene .

Hossein Farmani, started this awards show years ago, out of love and a passion for the art of photography.

Their Mission ?

To salute the achievements of the world’s finest photographers, to discover new and emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography.

Here is a list of this years honorees”
Lifetime Achievement
Gianni Berengo Gardin

Achievement in Fashion
Patrick Demarchelier

Achievement in Sports
John Iacono

Achievement in Documentary
Josef Koudelka

Achievement in Portraiture
Herman Leonard

Achievement in Photojournalism
Susan Meiselas

Achievement in Fine Art
Richard Misrach

Achievement in Advertising
Erwin Olaf

Humanitarian Award
Sara Terry
The Aftermath Project

Spotlight Award
Visa Pour L’Image Festival

The world does see, and with the Lucies, the masters work is now honored, and shared by a broader audience.
Thanks Mr. Farmani, for celebrating the greats with the respect they deserve..

Cheers to THAT!

LowePro is the acknowledged leader in camera bags for the outdoor photographer. Agreed?

So when they came out with this “green” backpack, it was no surprise. An environmentally aware company, this CompuPrimus AW has the right credentials: All bags in the series are constructed of 100% post-consumer, recycled Cyclepet® exterior fabric—using the equivalent of at least 22 PET bottles while conserving landfill, energy and crude and refined oil.

OK, as we all get on board with green goods, the question is always, “does it work like we need it too?”

No worries.
This particular model has some of the coolest features and attention to detail, that I’ve already been using one of its modular components in day-to-day use.

Let’s first go through some of the main features:

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This unit will hold a DSLR with about 4-5 lenses, a tripod, a 15″ laptop AND gear.
What gear? Well, there is a storage area that’ll take care of ropes, outerwear, flashlights, maps, hats, and yep, lunch. Positioned at the top end, this design, maintains the heavy stuff at the base, so the weight is properly distributed.

These guys are masters at comfort so the padded straps all fit right and make sure your trek will be a comfortable one.

OK, onto a couple of brilliant touches:
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The laptop sleeve is rugged, protective, and has a built in folding Sun Screen.
Ever use your laptop in the field? Yeah, plenty of companies sell and add-on to flag your screen, but this one is…well…just perfect. Now it comes along everywhere I go. It also has a band of Velcro that hooks it into the case. Nice and tight, which is good and bad. Takes some extra effort to remove. No worries, though.

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Once you have your gear loaded, there is an easy access side zipper which lets you grab the DSLR without taking off the backpack. It’s a solid entry , which unzips from the top so you can make sure you have a solid grip on your camera for that quick shot.

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So here is another sweet attention to detail: there is a stiff, pull stick for the zipper, so you can grab and unzip MUCH easier. Small but very useful.

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And a easy way to strap your tripod to the outside of the pack, while you travel.

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A little protection from the elements is a common, and built in feature on many of the LowePro bags. This cover is kept in a velcro slot on the bottom of the bag, always available to you.

With plenty of side pouches, internal card holders, and strapping choices, before you hit the trail, take your gear down to the local camera store and try this on for size.

You’ll dig it for sure.

AND we have one of these for one of you. If you want to be eligible for this awesome giveaway, you MUST be signed up for the NEWSLETTER. The details on getting this CompuPrimus AW sent to you totally free, will be in there.
Just so you know, the reason we do weekly giveaways is to learn what you like. The more people respond, the more we know how to tailor our editorial coverage to meet your needs and desires. All we ever ask in return is that you let us know how you like the item, and share it on the site.

The official specs:

CompuPrimus AW accommodates one pro DSLR with attached lens and 3-5 additional lenses, tripod, accessories and personal gear, and features a removable notebook sleeve with integrated sunshade that fits most 15.4” notebooks and offers protection from glare. Both have a dual-compartment design for flexible carrying options, organization pockets, an 8-point harness system with DryFlo™ lining, an All Weather Cover™, a Glide-Lock™ system, a Hideaway Tripod Mount™, a side-access panel, a safety whistle and SlipLock™ attachment loops and compression straps. All bags in the series are constructed of 100% post-consumer, recycled Cyclepet® exterior fabric—using the equivalent of at least 22 PET bottles while conserving landfill, energy and crude and refined oil.

Capacity:
1 pro DSLR with lens attached (70-200mm f/2.8) or a compact 3-CCD DV camcorder, plus 3-5 additional lenses, charger and cords, filters, flash unit and 2 memory cards. Fits most 15.4″ widescreen notebooks.
Size(Interior):
12W X 6.9D X 11H in./
30.5 X 17.5 X 28 cm
Size(Exterior):
14.4W X 11.5D X 23.5H in./
36.5 X 29.2 X 59.7 cm
Notebook Compartment Inner Dimensions:
10.6W X 2D X 14.6H in./
27 X 5 X 37 cm
Top Compartment Inner Dimensions:
12W X 6.9D X 12H in./
30.5 X 17.5 X 30.5 cm
Outer fabric:
Cyclepet® Fabric: 100 post-consumer recycled Cyclepet® exterior fabric combines highly water and abrasion resistance with an ecologically minded design.
Interior Fabric:
Velex, Tricot, BK Knit Polyester
Weight:
7.7lbs/3.5kg

A little romance to start your weekend.

What happens when 2 photographers fall in love across an ocean ?

You get a visual love story that could only happen with today’s technology.
[photopress:2754569187_99602e6a74_b.jpg,full,centered]© Aaron Nace and Rosie Hardy

24-year-old designer and photographer Aaron Nace and 17-year-old student and part-time waitress Rosie Hardy found each other’s photos on internet on the same day. Kismet.

But Aaron Nace is in North Carolina, and Rosie Hardy is in the UK.

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Both incredibly talented artists, check the site called ARF (aaronrosieforever.blogspot.com), who have been sharing work remotely and fell in love online in the most visual way: they fell in love with each others photographs.

And now, they make images together, called Collaboration Sundays, and have started the business we mentioned above. Two artists following their hearts and passion, as one. That’s the best.

Follow this touching digital love story by checking back to the site.
And visit their Flickr pages at Aaron and Rosie on Flickr.

And get some valuable , technical, information in the process. I’m thinking it’s a good call to learn from these two. They have an amazing on-line course that they teach in 2 hour blocks. Seems like a good investment.

[photopress:2929649372_79c8a40851.jpg,full,centered]© Rosie Hardy
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Incredibly talented. Incredibly in love.
Fairy tales can come true.

As a matter of fact, Aaron just emailed us , and this is what he had to say:
“First off we both started our 365 projects after seeing other talented photographers on Flickr already involved in the project. Rosie and I had some interest in photography at the time, but had no idea where it would take us. When we each started the project we had no idea who each other was. We would meet about 2 weeks after Rosie started posting photos on Flickr. In an amazing coincidence we discovered each other’s photo streams on the same day! Instantly we both made it a priority to contact each other. There was something special about Rosie and i knew it right away – we were destined to be together.

We started sending messages back and forth on Flickr, which turned into an amazing adventure series. in 2 weeks time we were writing each other for about 3 hours a day, taking our characters in the adventure series to far off places and exotic fantasies.

It became clear through all of this that we were VERY compatible, and from the begenning we said that we share the same brain, something I know is true now more than ever. After a few months of talking literally ALL the time, I made the trip to Europe to see Rosie, it was perfect in every sense of the word. I have never felt more myself around anyone, I know she loves me for exactly who i am and I love her for who she is. It is a modern day fairy tale.

As far as our work goes, we both continue to take self portraits every day, but we each have very different styles, and I think that is as important as anything. We are never in competition, we are always a team.”

Or the digital photos.
A few weeks ago Debbie Zeitman wrote a great article on sharing photos in a physical fashion.

Well, they’re on to us-
Yep, all of the manufacturers have realized that sharing your photographs means more than posting them on the web.

And they’ve been answering the call with products that are getting better. And easier. So look forward to everyone improving their services on this subject.

We sat in a few presentations by HP earlier this week and wanted to bring back to you something you could use. Plus we scored some freebies for you, listed at the end of this article.

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HP has just upgraded their Creative Studio to include a ton of options in one place. A veritable cornucopia of ways to get your digital photos off of your hard drive, and into your hands. This includes giving you online access to various other partner programs, like our favorite for books, “Blurb.com”.
We hope this is going to be trend and just improve with age.

Of course, since HP is a PC manufacturer, this works best with the 93 percenters; those of you on PC as opposed to MAC.

After trying some of the applications – Calendar, postcard and a Halloween card (who sends those??) it became pretty easy and fast. Now you’ll be using some major inkage because, well, every inch is pretty well covered.
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But, it’s easy to do at home. And if you have some time, it hooks into the other services including Martha Stewart, Snapfish, Skinit (allows you to create customs skins for your personal electronics, Stamps.com, Dreamworks, Disney, and YouTube to name a few. Good partners? We think so. Look, HP just announced partnerships with Viacom and MySpace. They apparently have the bandwidth to offer you lots of good stuff.

[photopress:HP___HP_Creative_Studio___Photobooks.jpg,full,centered] The navigation is excellent on the site as each project, has a pop-up dialog box that tells you what you’ll need to do the project. You’ll find out easily if you can do it at home or visit a partners site and order it, so you can decide if this is the right one for you.

These folks are pretty smart about knowing how you want to share your photos. If you remember, they partnered up with Gwen Stefani last year, and had a service allowing you to upload your personal photo and have it printed into a customized concert program, blending the momento of pro stuff, with your stuff. Nice concept.
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And now you can get her designs on cards.

Plus there is a full plate for small business projects, also.
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Anyway you should check out the site, see what appeals and know that options for printing your work are all in one convenient place, nicely laid out for you.
It does work for MAC, but honestly, not quite as smoothly. We’re sure they’ll get there though.

By the way, we have a gift card for 5 of you, good for 50 free digital prints from Snapfish, and 20 more if you are new to that service. The first 5 people who email us, will be sent a gift card.

It’s time to release the photos and hold em in your hand. In a book. On your fridge. In a frame.

When opportunity Knocks..Make Sure Your Camera is Ready.

Whether you shoot on the street, or only within your immediate sphere, there are some very cool opportunities to shoot ’em up, coming up.
Of course the holidays, as families and friends gather and you can utilize all of the new facial recognition software in some new cameras, to ensure you have some solid shots for sharing.
But one of our favorite deals is Halloween.

Everyone who dresses up is just aching to be photographed. Truly.
Hey, why else would you go out in public with tails, fakes bolts in your neck and purple hair ?
Ok, scratch the last one. Here in Hollywood, it’s not so unusual.
Aside from the Naughty Whatever costumes on a lot of women, there are some pretty darn creative and expressive costumes that are there for you to shoot.

And the organized events: parades, parties, and competitions are just waiting for you to record.
So with all of these subjects available to you, what will you do have your photographs to stand out?
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[photopress:c74d_1_sbl.JPG,thumb,alignright] Is it going to the “arms length” self portrait with your subjects? You know, hold out your point and shoot – with a little height- so you get a nice personalized series? Kinda like Jean C. Pigozzi did in the 70’s? (great book to add to your collection)
Or can you tell a story, while the revelers are wearing theirs?

To help get you in the mood we are going to give away a book this week from the penultimate night shooter.
WeeGee., Unknown WeeGee published by Steidl And ICP. (yep, lots of links with info here)

Too much of a stretch? We don’t think so.

He captured the costumes of real life. The streets of NYC were his studio, as the night dwellers became his subjects.

But he joined the fray. His was a symbiotic relationship with the streets.
From the publisher:
“The viewing public’s image of Weegee is of the prototypical New York tabloid news photographer: tough, garrulous and on the scene, ready to cover two murders in one night. But the inventive Jewish immigrant Arthur Fellig (1899-1968), who assumed the self-mocking nickname Weegee, was also one of the most original and creative photographers of the twentieth century. His work for The New York Times, the Herald Tribune, World-Telegram, Daily News, Post, Journal-American and Sun, his images of the masses at Coney Island, the confrontation of wealth and poverty at opening night at the opera, and the aftermath of brutal crime scenes are, by now, classics. But beyond the iconic images that have been so widely circulated, what do we know of Weegee the photographer–his history, his methods, his meaning? Drawing on ICP’s unique archive of nearly 20,000 prints by this celebrated master, Unknown Weegee presents 120 photographs that have never been made available to the public. They reveal a politically astute and witty social critic and attest to the seriousness and self-consciousness of his photographic endeavors. With essays by Luc Sante and ICP curator Cynthia Young.”

Details on getting a copy of this book for free will be included in this weeks NEWSLETTER, so sign up to be eligible.
We know that we’ve been getting a bit bookish lately, so next week we have a big geary-y one for the subscribers to the NEWSLETTER: A sweet LowePro Camera Bag,
So come back for more info on that next weeks giveaway.