Stack of iPhone’s, Photo by Jaap Oostinjen.

Announced today Monday, July 26, 2010, owners of iPhone can now legally break electronic locks on their precious phone in order to download software apps from third party sources not approved Apple.

The decision to allow the practice commonly known as “jailbreaking” is one of a handful of new exemptions from a 1998 federal law that prohibits people from bypassing technical measures that companies put on their products to prevent unauthorized uses. The Library of Congress, which oversees the Copyright Office, reviews and authorizes exemptions every three years to ensure that the law does not prevent certain non-infringing use of copyright-protected material.

In addition to jailbreaking, other exemptions announced Monday would:

— Allow owners of used cell phones to break access controls on their phones in order to switch wireless carriers.

— Allow people to break technical protections on video games to investigate or correct security flaws.

— Allow college professors, film students and documentary filmmakers to break copy-protection measures on DVDs so they can embed clips for educational purposes, criticism, commentary and noncommercial videos.

— Allow computer owners to bypass the need for external security devices called dongles if the dongle no longer works and cannot be replaced.

Other Sources :

• New York Times
• NPR

This photo was taken on April 26, 2009 inside the Lincoln Memorial. I was observing all the people that are coming in and out of the Lincoln Hall, as tourist we all have one thing in common, we want to take pictures President Abraham Lincoln and capture that very moment I myself have probably taken hundreds of photos of the Lincoln Memorial from different angels, so at that time I decided to do a little experiment, I wanted to make it look like people are in a hurry which is very much the reality inside the hall especially during summer. And this is the result, it looked like it was shot in a train station where all people come and go and are always in a hurry to get to their destination.

Taken with a Canon Rebel XS with the EF-s 18-55mm IS Lens.
Shot at 32 mm in Manual mode with an aperture of F/5 and shutter speed of 1/10. Converted to black and white using Adobe Lightroom Ver. 2.7

You can get your discounted EOS 50D here:

Amazon.Com

Adorama.Com

Taken with my Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens, in Aperture Priority Mode set at F/5.6 at 43mm using ISO 100. With my Aperture set at F/5.6, the camera automatically set the Shutter Speed to 1/13 of a second, which cause this spinning colorful windmills to look blurry. A slow shutter speed are selected to show the motion or movement in a still photograph of a moving subject, while a fast shutter speed can cause a moving subject to appear frozen.

Also with the help of image stabilization i was able to use take this photo even at a slow shutter speed of 1/13.

Take a moment each day, relax and observed in your backyard. You don’t have to go anywhere to look for great subjects to photograph. Just grab your camera, a chair, a cup of coffee and wait, you’ll be surprise that there are lots of things going on.

Shot Details for First photo:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera
Lens : Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 135 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: +1 EV
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE

Shot Details for Bottom photo:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera
Lens : EF 70-210mm F/4 Macro
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 202 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Shutter speed priority AE

Photography taught me to look at life in a different way.

I admit it, I’m hooked, this photography thing is really something. Day after day, I want to see more, I want to shoot more, and now I can see things that I would have not seen in the past.

Then only thing I can tell you now is, “Just keep on shooting and enjoy what you are shooting”.

Taken with a Canon Rebel XS
Lens : Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 135 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: Shutter speed priority AE

In photography it is important to learn to use the available light, if we take time to learn to see the light and the direction of light we can create images in our own mind before we even take the picture.

Taken with a Sony Point and Shoot DSC-T20
ISO : 80
Focal Length : 19mm
Aperture : F/4.3
Exposure : 1/100
Mode : Program Auto (Auto Exposure with Adjustable Settings)

This simple HDR was processed using Adobe Photoshop CS3.

You can read my other post to learn the steps to using Adobe Photoshop to create a simple HDR.

My Gear:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
Lens : Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
Tripod : Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head
Digital Darkroom App: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

Going back on the photos the first one on the left you can see three Monuments, the World War II Memorial on the foregound, The Washington Monument also known by DC residents as the Pencil and on the very end is the Dome of The Capitol.

Now if you take a look at the other photo on the right you will see the World War II Memorial and The Monument with its reflection on the pool of the Lincoln Memorial. Both photos were taken from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the first was taken around 8:31pm and the second was taken at 9:54pm.

Camera and Gear:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera
Lens : Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
Tripod : Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head

Camera and Gear:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera
Focal Length : 34mm
Lens : Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
Tripod : Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head

Equipments I Used when I shot this photo:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
Lens : Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
Tripod : Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head
Digital Darkroom App: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

This is my first attempt to create an HDR image so bear with me.

What is HDR? HDR which means High Dynamic Range, is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques of photographic methods.   from Wikipedia…

Equipments I Used when I shot this photo:
Camera : Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
Lens : Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
Tripod : Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head
Digital Darkroom App: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

How to Create An HDR Image

• Taking Photos for merging to HDR

1. Secure the camera to a tripod.
2. Take enough photos to cover the full dynamic range of the scene. You can try taking at least five to seven photos, but you might need to take more exposures depending on the dynamic range of the scene. The minimum number of photos should be three.
3. Vary the shutter speed to create different exposures. Changing the aperture changes the depth of field in each exposure and can produce lower-quality results. Changing the ISO or aperture may also cause noise or vignetting in the image.
4. In general, don’t use your camera’s auto-bracket feature, because the exposure changes are usually too small.
5. The exposure differences between the photos should be one or two EV (exposure value) steps apart (equivalent to about one or two f‑stops apart).
6. Don’t vary the lighting; for instance, don’t use a flash in one exposure but not the next.
7. Make sure that nothing is moving in the scene. Exposure Merge works only with differently exposed images of the identical scene.

• Merge Photos to HDR
  1. Choose File > Automate > Merge To HDR.
  2. In the Merge To HDR dialog box, click Browse, browse to select the images, and click Open.
  3. (Optional) Select the Attempt To Automatically Align Source Images option if you held the camera in your hands when you photographed the multiple images.
  4. Click OK. A second Merge To HDR dialog box displays thumbnails of the images being used in the merged result, a preview of the merged result, a Bit Depth menu, and a slider for setting the white point preview.
  5. If necessary, do one of the following to set the view options for the merged result preview:
     • Click the Minus or Plus buttons below the preview image to zoom out or zoom in.
     • Choose a view percentage or mode from the pop‑up menu below the preview image.
  6. (Optional) Deselect or select the thumbnails in the Sources filmstrip to specify which images to use in the merged image.
  7. Choose a bit depth for the merged image from the Bit Depth menu. Be sure to choose 32 Bits/Channel if you want the merged image to store the entire dynamic range data of the HDR image. 8‑bits and (non-floating point) 16‑bpc images files cannot store the entire range of luminance values in an HDR image.
  8. Move the slider below the histogram to preview the merged image. Moving the slider adjusts the image preview only. All the HDR image data remains intact in the merged image file. If you’re saving the merged image as 32‑bpc, the preview adjustment is stored in the HDR image file and applied whenever the file is opened in Photoshop. The preview adjustment is always accessible and adjustable by choosing View > 32‑Bit Preview Options.
  9. Click OK to create the merged image. If you chose to save the merged image as an 8‑bits or 16‑bpc image, the HDR Conversion dialog box opens. Make the exposure and contrast corrections to produce an image with the dynamic range (tonal range) you want.

You can also find these set of instructions at the Adobe Website.

Photo Processing and Management App: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

How I ended up with the final photo:
This photo was taken in late Spring of 2009 at around 8:00 PM using my Canon Rebel XS and the the Kit Lens EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens. The camera was set to Manual Exposure using center-weighted metering and the exposure is set at 1.6 sec at f/8.0 to capture the lights sorrounding the Capitol Building. I also use a Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head to mount my camera, hand holding the camera at 1.6sec is too much for me.

I use the Rebel XS Liveview feature when I took the shot, the Liveview really was a big help in focusing and framing the subject, I can zoom up to 10x on the cameras lcd. The liveview is a handy feature when doing long exposure shots especially for someone wearing eyeglasses. I use it mostly when the camera is mounted on a tripod.

Finally I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 to import my raw files from camera to my computer. I also use Lightroom to convert this photo from the original colored version to black and white and to export the raw file to jpg format.

Converting to Black and White.
Converting an image to black and white has never been easier with Adobe Lightroom, you can probably have a good black and white image in a few minutes, here are some basic steps on how to easily convert a raw file to black and white:

1. In Lightroom, Click on the Develop tab.
2. Don’t ever use the Grayscale option beside the Color, leave it in color mode.
3. Select the image you want to convert to black and white.
4. Right click on the image and select Create a Virtual Copy. Don’t worry creating a Virtual copy of your image doesn’t create a duplicate file.
5. You will use this Virtual Copy to create a black and white version of your photo. It’s good to always create a virtual copy so you can compare the updated images to the original shot.
6. Scroll down a little bit until you see the Presence adjustment panel.
7. Now, on the Saturation adjustment slider, slide it all the way to the left.
8. You now have a black and white version of your image

This is the original shot of the photo above.

If you have some suggestion or comment, please do post them in the comments below. I love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Book recommendation:
The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book)Michael Freeman—our top digital photography author and a worldwide name—presents the most comprehensive book yet on black-and-white digital photography. Oversized, beautifully illustrated, and far-reaching in scope, this guide is destined to be a standard reference for years to come.

Freeman covers all aspects of black-and-white digital photography: its fine art tradition as well as its techniques. Learn how to see and expose in black and white, digitally convert color to monochrome, and develop a black-and-white digital workflow. Explore creative choices and how to interpret various subjects most skillfully in monochrome. Finally, get an expert’s advice on printing and displaying black-and-white photographs to best effect.

By: Bert P. Krages II | Attorney At Law

The Photographer’s Right is a downloadable guide that is loosely based on the Bust Card and the Know Your Rights pamphlet that used to be available on the ACLU website. It may be downloaded and printed out using Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may make copies and carry them in your wallet, pocket, or camera bag to give you quick access to your rights and obligations concerning confrontations over photography. You may distribute the guide to others, provided that such distribution is not done for commercial gain and credit is given to the author.

Download The Photographer’s Right in PDF Format here:

More Info, Click here:

You might want to check the book by Bert P. Krages II. Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images (Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights & Liabilities of)Beginning with the basic laws that govern photography, this legal manual helps photographers understand the basic matters of access and privacy, covering issues such as shooting images on private property, consent, and the photography of public groups. Subjects addressed include the legalities of photographing currency, stamps, securities, trademarks, seals, and insignia; military and nuclear installations; copyrighted materials; children; and animals. This updated handbook closes with a helpful glossary that decodes complicated legalese.

Because of the ever increasing issue on the War Against Photography and Photographers, I have decided to compile the articles that were written by others about this issue:

• Who Started the War On Photography – By Scotte Bourne
• The War on Photography. By Bruce Schneier
• War On Photography
• Going Rogue in the War Against Photography
• DHS photography guidelines
• DOT Response to Photo Harrassment
• DOT on Photography
• Five things Photographers Should do When Confronted by Police
• The War Agaings Photographers a Panel Discussion (PDF)
• NYPD Officially Ends War Against Photography
• PIX-NIX OUTCRY WINS EASE-UP FROM NYPD
• Added Dec. 14, 2009 | British Journal of Photography | Met Police re-issues guidelines on use of anti-terrorism legislation on photographers
• Added Dec. 14, 2009 | Guardian | I’m a train spotter.
• Added Dec. 14, 2009 | Photo This and That | Cops & Togs
  
• 
  

I will continously add more sources the moment I come accross them. If you have one or if you know one that isn’t in the list please let me know, so I can include it the list, or you can post it on as a comment below. Thanks.

Here is a another great book by David duChemin.
VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
For those who want to make the transition into the world of vocational photography—staying true to your craft and vision, while fusing that craft with commerce VisionMongers is a great place to begin your journey. With a voice equally realistic and encouraging, photographer David duChemin discusses the experiences he’s had, the lessons he’s learned, and the practices he’s adopted in his own winding journey to becoming a successful working photographer.

When it comes to this personal, honest combination of craft and commerce, there is no single path to success. Everyone’s goals are different, as is everyone’s definition of success. As such, VisionMongers does not prescribe a one size-fits-all program. Instead, duChemin candidly shares ideas, wisdom, and inspiration to introduce you to, and help you navigate, the many aspects of transforming your passion into your vocation. He addresses everything from the anxiety-riddled question “Am I good enough?” to the basics—and beyond—of marketing, business, and finance, as well as the core assumption that your product is great and your craft is always improving.

Along the way, duChemin features the stories of nine other photographers—including Chase Jarvis, Gavin Gough, and Zack Arias—whose paths, while unique, have all shared a commitment and passion for bringing their own vision to market. With VisionMongers, you’ll learn what paths have been taken—what has worked for these photographers—and you’ll be equipped to begin the process of forging your own.

Book Recommendation:
For those of you who are interested in Documentary Photography / Photo Journalism, here is a great book for you.
Witness in Our Time: Working Lives of Documentary Photographers By Ken Light
Illustrated with a compelling image from each photographer, Witness in Our Time traces the recent history of social documentary photography in the words of twenty-two of the genre’s best photographers, editors, and curators, showing that the profession remains vital, innovative, and committed to social change. Featuring interviews with Hansel Mieth, Walter Rosenblum, Michelle Vignes, Wayne Miller, Peter Magubane, Matt Herron, Jill Freedman, Mary Ellen Mark, Earl Dotter, Eugene Richards, Susan Meiselas, Sebastião Salgado, Graciela Iturbide, Antonin Kratochvil, Donna Ferrato, Joseph Rodriguez, Dayanita Singh, Fazal Sheikh, Gifford Hampshire, Peter Howe, Colin Jacobson, and Ann Wilkes Tucker

Witness in Our Time: Working Lives of Documentary Photographers

Book Recommendation:
The Digital Photography Book
By Scott Kelby
Scott Kelby, the man who changed the “digital darkroom” forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography–how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today’s top digital pros use (and it’s easier than you’d think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ You d say, ‘OK,’ and you’d get the shot. That’s what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—it isn’t full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here’s another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There’s never been a book like it, and if you’re tired of taking shots that look “OK,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.

Book Recommendation:
The Digital Photography Book
By Scott Kelby
Scott Kelby, the man who changed the “digital darkroom” forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography–how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today’s top digital pros use (and it’s easier than you’d think).

This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, ‘Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?’ I wouldn’t stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I’d just say, ‘Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.’ You d say, ‘OK,’ and you’d get the shot. That’s what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak.”

This isn’t a book of theory—it isn’t full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic “tricks of the trade” to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.

Here’s another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There’s never been a book like it, and if you’re tired of taking shots that look “OK,” and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, “Why don’t my shots look like that?” then this is the book for you.