I just got back from the first ever Photolucida Summer Review Session, and by all of my indicators, it was a resounding success. I personally reviewed the portfolios of 24+ photographers, and I have to tell you the quality was very consistent. This was a claim made many of the other reviewers I talked to.

There was a great amount of innovative, high-quality, well-printed work. From the absolutely wonderful peanuts of Wendy Givens to the surreal "portraits" of Cyrus Karimipour to the delicate nudes of Dana Davis and the whimsical, somewhat introspective work of Julie Meridian, I was seldom at a loss for memorable pictures for the photographers sitting across from me. Maureen Delaney swept me off my chair with her self-portrait platinum/palladium prints, as did Judith Fox with a portfolio of work referencing her 10-year documentation of her husband Ed's challenge with Alzheimer's. The images are warm, personal, and even subtly humorous, but always respectful of the situation.

There was a Portfolio Walk on Saturday night at the Art Institute of Portland that was so full of photography lovers that, at times, it was very difficult to get around. But it was about the only way to see all of the work by all of the photographers. And, of course, there were a couple of parties, including the Closing Party on the rooftop of the Blue sky Gallery. Most of the portraits included in my portfolio were taken there.

Laura Moya and her highly-dedicated staff are to be commended (once again) for putting together an outstanding event, even if lodging was provided at a truly unique, quirky, individualistic hotel. Saturday night a group of us (who shall remain nameless for legal considerations) went from room to room to see who had the smallest room. There was a tie with three separate rooms. Go figure! My room at Portland's Ace Hotel was very comfortable. By the way, did anyone else, besides me, Crista Dix, and Lisa Sutcliffe have chocolate at the Sweet Masterpiece Coffee & Chocolate Bar? If you didn't stop there, you missed out on a delectable, low-calorie (HA!) treat. You can take a look at some of my photos in a portfolio from the weekend at www.reddognews.com, right under the archives section.

Fine Art and Advertising Photographer Phillip Toledano has posted a series of highly personal portraits centered around his 98-year-old father. The series explores the effects of Alzheimer's in the barest sense, with supplementary text that conveys a number of stories about the photographer's cherished visits with his father. The physical toll of age is another theme, and the image in which Toledano's father grapples with his unrecognizable reflection (he worked in Hollywood as an actor in the 1930s) is a perfect example of the photographer's precise eye for capturing raw emotion. The layout and design of this online series is a feat in itself, and will likely be emulated by future photographic projects. Click below to visit the online exhibit.

The Prix De La Photographie (Px3) People's Choice Winners have been announced in professional and non-professional categories, both of which include Advertising, Book (series), Fine Art, Photojournalism, Nature, and Portraiture. The top three winners from each of the many sub-categories will be listed in the 2008 book to be released in Fall 2008. Click below to view the winners by category. Px3 is now offering two new calls for entry. "Water," an environmentally-themed juried exhibition to run in New York in 2009, will offer awards ranging from $500 to $2000, and feature the top 20 photographs at the exhibition. Deadline is October 15, 2008. The Px3 Photo Competition, to be exhibited at the PX3 annual festival in Paris, will be accepting entries until January 16, 2009.

We have already had a few sign-ups for the new Dreamscapes, to be held October 3-5, 2008. The Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch (3:10 to Yuma, Lonesome Dove, Silverado, and Kid Nation were filmed there) is our primary location, while a very secluded private residence near Cerrillos, NM with many shooting opportunities, will be our base of operations. Sharpen your nude photography skills, while photographing One Model Place models Ashley Rae, Rose, Christie, and Rachey P. For the limit of ten photographers who sign up, the fee includes lodging, food (home-cooked meals), model fees, transportation, and snacks. Go to the official website to find out more. There is a $250 discount if you sign up before August 15, 2008, or if you have previously taken a Rio Grande Workshop.

Having long been a pillar of the high-brow arts community in Budapest, the Museum of Fine Arts has presented its first fine art photography exhibition in its history. The exhibition, titled "Soul and Body-Kertesz to Mapplethorpe through the eyes of the greatest masters of photography," seems to acknowledge the long wait with a comprehensive selection of traditional legends including Robert Capa, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Berenice Abbott, Dorothea Lange, Joan Myers, and many others. Record numbers for a photography exhibition in Hungary came to see this visual history of fine art photography.

Panasonic's long-awaited new model in the LX Series, the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3, combines the high quality Leica lens associated with the Lumix line with an exclusive ultra-sensitive 10 megapixel 1/1.63 inch CCD and a wide range of manual controls for optimal shooting in low-light environments. Few compact digital cameras feature the caliber of image quality and dynamic range offered by the LX3, which is capable of shooting at 3200 ISO at full resolution, and 6400 ISO in high sensitivity mode. If that weren't enough to excite Lumix devotees, the LX3 also boasts High Definition Video Recording with television connectivity features. Slated for release in August 2008, the LX3 will carry a price tag of $499.95.

B+H is offering a special price for the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. Equipped with a Sony SAL-18200 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Autofocus Lens, the camera is also compatible with all Minolta A-mount lenses sold around the globe, thanks to Sony and Minolta's ongoing collaboration (in spite of the fact that Minolta stopped making cameras independently in early 2006). The Sony Alpha also features Super SteadyShot in-camera image stabilization, Sony's exclusive Dynamic Range Optimizer, and much more. This is the ONLY camera Red Dog uses!

The Center for Fine Art Photography has announced a workshop to be taught by renowned conservation photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum, titled "Making a Social Impact with Your Photography," taking place November 7-9, 2008. Photographers will learn not only how to capture images, but also how to approach an issue, how to fund raise, and how to present arguments to any level of government. The workshop costs $400 (or $360 for Center members) with a $250 deposit, due October 7, 2008.

Presented as "The Next-Generation Digital Camera," the Casio EXILIM Pro Ex-1 defends this claim by introducing never-before-seen digital functions and unrivaled burst speed, allowing for the capture of 60 still images per second. The high speed CMOS sensor packs 6 million effective pixels. One of the most fascinating features has to be the camera's buffer memory system, which can be enabled to take captures at a continuous rate of 60 stills per second. With this feature activated, photographers won't have to fret about clicking the shutter too late when trying to capture a key moment. The EX-F1 is also capable of shooting video at 1200 fps at High Definition quality. Named one of the Top 20 Products at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show presented by Popular Mechanics, the Ex-F1 model retails for $999.

After conducting a consumer survey comprising France, Germany, Russia, and the UK, Futuresource Consulting calculated that Digital Photo Frame (DPF) ownership would reach record levels by 2011. In the UK, DPFs are expected to be found in 29 percent of households; in France, 23 percent. Prices for DPFs are expected to fall by 2011 as well, by as much as 30 percent. The European DPF market exploded in 2007, with sales increasing by an amazing three and a half million units. The vast majority of DPFs are purchased for use in the home, and 70 percent of DPF owners plan to make another purchase in the next six months.

The New York Botanical Garden, in honoring the original vision of sculptor Henry Moore, is hosting a call for entries in tandem with its landmark installation exhibition Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden. Moore wanted his sculptures to be interactive, in which viewers would experience his works in various weather and light conditions throughout the days, months, and seasons. In keeping with this theme, photographers are invited to submit images of the Moore in America exhibition on August 1, September 1, and October 1, 2008. There is a new jury selection and awards for first, second, and third place every month.

The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2008, initiated in 1979 to honor the inventor of the Leica camera, and presented at the Arles Photo Festival in mid-July, has been awarded to Slovak photographer Lucia Nimcova for her "Unofficial" documentary photography series. The ongoing theme of the annual award is the connection between human beings and their environment, and Nimcova's series exemplifies this with images capturing everyday scenes from her hometown. Since the fall of Communism, time seems to have stood still in this small community. Entries are now being accepted for the 2009 Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Deadline is January 31, 2009.

An online gallery offering collectible limited-edition fine art photographs, Pic-Press provides a new way for photographic enthuisiasts to view and buy art. The theme at Pic-Press.com is "Modern Documentary...and More." Every two weeks, four new photographs are presented at affordable prices. Santa Fe, NM-based photographer Mark Kane is being featured this week. His images can be viewed and ordered at the link below.

An annual citywide event entering its 33rd year, San Francisco Open Studios '08 will feature the works of nearly 1,000 artists from October 12 to November 2, 2008. Artspan, producers of the festival, will hold a preview launch weekend at SomArts cultural center October 4-5, 2008. Last year's Open Studios festival drew 60,000 visitors, and nearly $1.7 million worth of artwork was sold. Registration for this year's festival is now available at the link below.

Tim Grey has served photographers for years with his daily e-newsletter, DDQ: Digital Darkroom Questions, and his "Digital Darkroom Quarterly" newsletter. O'Reilly Media has released a new publication, "Take Your Best Shot," comprising the collected knowledge and information from Grey's extensive experience helping his fellow photographers. Answers to the most common and puzzling Digital Darkroom questions have been collected in this book, available for $34.99.

"Dawn to Dusk," presented by Vagabond Vistas Photo Tours, will take place August 24, 2008, from 8 am to 8 pm. For photographers unable to shoot for the full 12 hours, a 2 hour (6 am to 8 am) sunrise session will come before the main tour. The location is the shoreline of Cape May, NJ, and stops will include landmarks such as Fisherman's Wharf, The Promenade, historic houses, and views of the famous Lighthouse. Six spaces are available for The Main Photo Tour for $225, and the optional sunrise shoot brings the total to $260.

In Perpignan, Southern France, the annual Visa Pour l'image festival of photojournalism will celebrate its 20th year. Lasting August 30 to September 14, 2008, the festival will present thirty exhibitions, free and open to the public. Additionally, twelve well-known international magazines will be running special portfolios by festival regulars Nina Berman, Mike Nichols, Patrick Robert, and more. The Visa Pour l'image Daily Press Award, News Award, and Feature Award will also be awarded this year, with 8,000 Euros as the first place award for each.

Fotolia, the online source for royalty-free stock images, is offering subscription plans from 1 month to 1 year at special rates. The site's catalogue of over 3.6 million images can be accessed for $249 for one month, at the rate of 25 images a day, adding up to 750 images a month. A 6-month package goes for $999, and a 1- year package is $1,899, meaning an all-time low rate of 20 cents per images with the biggest package.

More than $7.7 million in calls for art are listed at Art Opportunities Monthly, a newly revised site featuring listings for juried exhbitions, artists' residences, fellowships, grants, and more. Access to all parts of the site is free, and users can link to any of hundreds of sponsor organizations, or subscribe to Art Opportunities Monthly, available in email format as a searchable .pdf file, for only $20 a year.. Photography is just one of many categories offered by this comprehensive resource.

Presented by the UnScene Photography Tour, Unscene Chicago is a one-night gallery event taking place August 28, 2008 at the W Chicago-City Center. Highlighted selections from two competitions will be unveiled on this date. In the first, local artists can submit photographic portfolios of up to 20 images, using the city of Chicago as inspiration, for a chance to be exhibited at Thomas Robertello gallery in 2009. Entry fee is $25. The second competition invites photographers to submit their "best shot" for Proximity, a new series of body fragrances by AXE. No entry fee. Deadline for both competitions is August 17, 2008.