By Bob Coates, PPA Certified, M.Photog.Cr.

I was a little skeptical when I first heard about Unibind's PhotoBook Creator, in part, because of a press-release claim that it only takes three seconds to create the book. (Unibind information no longer makes this claim.) I tested one myself and spoke with other photographers about how they use it. It takes more like a minute and a half for the Unibind heater process to finish and then another minute until it cools. Nevertheless, you can still create a nice finished product in a short period of time.

Photo © Bob Coates

By Joey Ikemoto

Joey Ikemoto Photography keeps a record of when weddings book with our studio. I am able to use this to report to forecast financial strength since weddings are a large part of our income as a whole. I project wedding bookings a year in advance. Not many other business have this information to be able to forecast this far in advance.

Here I share an account of how this forecasting worked for my studio in real-world terms. We survived an economic downturn and emerged thriving thanks to planning for the future.

Photo © Joey Ikemoto

By Karen Sperling

Corel Painter IX.5, the latest version of Painter, has new tools that speed up the process of turning photos into paintings, making them ideal for the professional photographer who wants to offer his or her clients painted portraits. These tools let you automate the blending and painting process so that you can produce unique portraits without having to close your photo studio for three months while you paint them.

This tutorial shows you how I turned this photo by Mary Wynn Ball into a painted portrait.

Photo © 2006 Mary Wynn Ball; Painting © 2006 Karen Sperling

Fire up Adobe Photoshop This Summer and Get Cooking

The 2006 O’Reilly Photoshop Cook-Off is underway. Just take up to three of your own photos and manipulate them with Adobe Photoshop, using recipes from any of the five O'Reilly Photoshop Cookbooks (no purchase necessary). Adapt the recipe as necessary for your creative vision. Then use the online entry form to reveal which recipe(s) you used, and submit both your original, unmanipulated digital image and the "cooked" image you've created. Submission deadline: August 15.

Grand Prize

• Adobe Web Bundle (Creative Suite 2 & Macromedia Studio 8)
• Epson Stylus Photo R2400 printer
• Pentax K100D Digital SLR and DA 18 - 55mm Lens Kit
• Pantone Reference Library
• GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 Pro monitor calibrator
• Nik Software Nik Sharpener Pro
• Premium Subscription to Lynda.com online
• iView Multimedia iView Media Pro3
• JupiterImages 1-year subscription to Photos.com
• Shutterstock.com 3-month subscription
• Lensbabies Lensbaby 2.0
• Software Cinema DVDs:
  - Working with Adjustment Layers
  - Photoshop Fundamentals and Advanced Techniques
  - Advanced Masking Techniques;
  - Image Restoration, Repair & Enhancement;
  - Pro Techniques I & II Plus Color Management;
  - Best of Photoshop CS2
• Total Training DVD: Advanced Photoshop CS2
• O'Reilly Media Gift Certificate
• iStockPhoto Gear & Free Credits
• Lowepro Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW Bag
• Wetzel & Co. Backgrounds/Textures 6 CD Bundle
• Pexagon Technology 1.8" 20 GB Store-It Portable Hard Drive

By Joan T. Sherwood

You want a multimedia storage and player device. There are a few choices out there. With the Epson P-4000 and the FlashTrax XT you get a bigger viewing screen. With the Wolverine 9000 MVP series you get more built-in memory card support, larger storage capacity options, a smaller and lighter-weight package, and a better price, all in a cherry-red chassis. Despite a few quirks, I think this is a great option for a photographer who's willing to sacrifice the big viewing screen for a much lower price tag without giving up much else.

Features interviews with photographers Arnold Newman, Eve Arnold And Elliott Erwitt

There is an oft told tale of Marilyn Monroe walking down a New York City street, incognito, turning to her companion and saying, “Do you want to see her?” With that, she threw off all vestiges of Norma Jeane and miraculously transformed. There were no grand gestures, no change of clothes, no make-up.  It was a simple shift, a slithering out of one skin into the other. Arguably the most photographed person ever, the “outing” of Marilyn is something she looked at with both skepticism and awe. She once said, “I carry Marilyn Monroe around with me like an albatross.” In a new film, American Masters offers a unique take on one of the world’s first superstars by turning to the still photographs that captured Monroe’s beauty, her complexity and, ultimately, her own complicated relationship with the star side of herself.  AMERICAN MASTERS Marilyn Monroe: Still Life premieres Wednesday, July 19 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).      

Caption: Marilyn Monroe during a photo shoot for The Seven Year Itch, 1954, © George S. Zimbel 2005

Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility with Adobe Photoshop

Press release—DxO Labs today revealed details of the next version of its flagship application DxO Optics Pro software which improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, noise and exposure corrections in an easy-to-use, feature-rich application for Mac and PC users.

Visual Aids is a recurring feature of Professional Photographer magazine Bonus Content, providing you with Web links to spur your creativity, stir your thought process, or liven your mood.

Visual Aid #001

Warning: Contains extreme cuteness, including puppies and kittens. May cause ill effects among the jaded ilk.

Twice the speed of current SanDisk Extreme III cards, ideal for medium-format digital cameras and backs, high-performance and high-resolution DSLRs

Press Release—SanDisk Corporation today introduced the new SanDisk Extreme IV line of CompactFlash digital film cards for professional photographers. The line is targeted at photographers who require the highest possible performance and the largest capacities for their medium-format and high-end digital SLR cameras. The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are available in capacities of up to 8GB and deliver minimum read and write speeds of 40MB per second (based on SanDisk internal testing), making these the fastest flash memory cards in the world. This exceptionally fast card speed is critical when shooting large numbers of high-resolution images.

SanDisk also introduced the new SanDisk Extreme FireWire reader that can transfer images from the SanDisk Extreme IV cards to a computer at up to 40MB/sec. for significantly improved workflow efficiency. These new products were announced at a press conference held today at the NASDAQ Market Site in New York City.

Press Release—Sinar Bron Imaging announced that it has inked an agreement with Calumet Photographic to add the major photo retailer to its dealer network. Five Calumet stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco will begin carrying a full line of high-end Sinar cameras and camera backs, Broncolor professional lighting equipment, and Foba studio accessories. The sixth Calumet store in Cambridge, MA, will be added at a future time. Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston are new markets on the Sinar Bron Imaging dealer map.

PhotoPlus Expo 2006 Photography & Design Conference, a comprehensive photography expo and eduational conference, is set to open at the Jacob Javits Center in New York on Nov. 2. This is one of the biggest photo industry shows of the year, with a trade show featuring more than 200 manufacturers, speakers and an exhibition of winning entries in an ultimate travel photography contest. 

Visual Aids is a recurring feature of Professional Photographer magazine Bonus Content, providing you with Web links to spur your creativity, stir your thought process, or liven your mood.

Visual Aid #002

Look into the far reaches—curious and amazing.

Press Release—Once again, studios across the country will join together this October to benefit Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that works to provide free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has designated October as Family Portrait Month. Professional photographers who pledge to donate a portion of Family Portrait Month sales to PPA Charities will benefit charatible partner Operation Smile.

More than $15,000 was raised during last year’s drive and more PPA member studios have pledged to contribute a portion of this year’s October sales to the cause.