For this installment, I offer a quick tip related to matting/framing, and I offer some links to a podcast, exhibition, and some interesting articles.

Inkjet Heavyweights I just launched a new section on the companion site for my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques entitled Inkjet FAQs. There, I'll be answering popular questions that I receive from people, or which I come across on forums or newsgroups. Below is a Frequently Asked Question about inkjet paper. When I give seminars and do a "show and tell" of various papers, a lot of people ask me why I prefer heavyweight inkjet papers (generally over 250gsm) compared with medium-weight inkjet papers (about 200-250gsm). The heavyweight papers are generally more expensive, and many people note that the prints will be framed and thus, no one will know how thick the paper is. First, I really like the feel of a heavyweight print in the hand. A heavyweight print (especially in sizes over 11x17 inches) on a paper like Hahnemuhle Museum Etching (350gsm) or Epson Exhibition Fiber (325gsm) is very impressive when you hold the print and examine it. It is similar in a way to the feeling of holding a tightly-stretched canvas.

Specifically aimed at those high-end 35mm DSLR users who are increasingly looking to buy in to the superior quality offered by a Hasselblad H3DII DSLR - now available at a far more attractive price point - Hasselblad recently launched its HCD 4-5.6/35-90mm Aspherical zoom lens. Complementing their existing HC 3.5-4.5/50-110mm zoom lens, the new HCD 35-90mm lens offers a wider angle of view to provide new Hasselblad users with a range corresponding to a 25-70mm zoom on a 35mm DSLR. The HCD 3.5-4.5/35-90mm Aspherical, which can be used with all H3D camera systems, is also the first HC/HCD lens to employ glass elements with aspherical surfaces, allowing more compact designs with fewer lens elements. Compared with the HC 3.5-4.5/50-110mm lens, not only does it provide a wider angle of view, but it is also thinner and about one third lighter, while still delivering an image quality far superior to a zoom lens on a 35mm DSLR, without any loss in the flexibility.

"Like all HC/HCD lenses," Christian Poulsen, Hasselblad's CEO, said, "the new HCD 4-5.6/35-90mm Aspherical zoom lens has been designed to generate the highest optical quality, but the use of aspherically-surfaced glass elements has, for the first time, also allowed us to design a lighter and more compact lens. The zoom range of the lens also lends itself to universal usage to such an extent that photographers may well find that it covers all their needs - we like to think of it as the Swiss Army knife of zoom lenses!" The Hasselblad HCD 4-5.6/35-90mm Aspherical zoom lens is priced at $6996.00 excluding tax and will be available from January 2009.

By Allen Weitz/B&H Photovideo: Soon after receiving a Nikon D90 to play around with I slipped off to shoot images along the Delaware River. Nearby, a family of kayakers had stopped for a breather and a bite of lunch. It wasn't long before "Dad" moseyed up alongside me for a closer look at what I was doing. Available as a "body only" or with an 18 to 105mm Nikkor AF-S VR II zoom lens, the D90 is a dead-ringer for the D80, but a closer look reveals a 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor hiding behind the mirror (up from the D80's 10.2-megapixel sensor), which is driven by a Nikon EXPEED image processor. Shutter-response times are wickedly fast (0.15-second start-up time) and shutter-delay times at 65-milliseconds, are all-but-zip. From this day forward if you miss the picture you have only yourself to blame.

Proximity, new body fragrances by AXE, is putting local Los Angeles artists on assignment by asking them to visually capture the new scents through photography. LA participants can submit up to 20 photos (free submission) that bring to life the essence of one selected fragrance, Bergamot, which is edgy, masculine and vibrant. Five finalists will be chosen, but only one winner will attend the celebrity-studded event, "Behind the UnScene," on October 23rd at the swanky Stone Rose Lounge in Los Angeles and display their "winning shot" alongside AXE Proximity Chicago and Atlanta winners.

This workshop, Tuesday, October 21, 7pm, at the Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, will illustrate the variety of prints produced by Adams throughout his career and discuss the current values of his photographs. Included in the discussion will be the early Parmelian prints, the portfolios, mural prints, and the Special Edition Prints for the Ansel Adams Gallery. This workshop will be led by Jennifer Stoots, a private dealer and appraiser of photographs. She is the owner of STOOTS Fine Photography, which specializes in the sale of modern prints by 20th century masters and contemporary photographers. From 1998 until its close in spring 2004, Ms. Stoots was the manager of the S K Josefsberg photography gallery in Portland, OR.

Mary Ann Lynch's photographic exhibit Marilyn Monroe: More Than You Know, freshly illuminates the woman who lived and died in the Hollywood spotlight, and her ever-evolving place in our culture worldwide. Opening at TCC PHOTO | GALLERY on October 7, 2008, the show will run through January 31, 2009. The gallery will host a reception for the artist during the Second Annual Downtown Longview ArtWalk on Thursday, October 16, from 5pm to 8pm; in a featured ArtWalk event, Lynch at 6:30pm will do a walk & talk of the show. The thirty plus color photographs include some not previously exhibited as well as a selection from Lynch's 2005 retrospective, Forever Marilyn: The Enduring Legacy of Marilyn Monroe. A video will be availble on Youtube and iTunes in the very near future.

Swann Galleries' October 21 auction of Important 19th & 20th Century Photographs offers an outstanding selection of vintage and contemporary works by a host of American, European and Asian masters. Desirable lots with photographs of exotic lands and people include 75 rare Japanese landscapes, street scenes and views of temples by Felix Beato, the first photographer to devote himself entirely to photographing Asia, circa 1870 ($25,000 to $35,000); and a remarkable album containing 68 photographs of Brazil by Marc Ferrez, late 1880s-early 1890s ($25,000 to $35,000). Early images include a sixth-plate ruby glass ambrotype of abolitionist John Brown, circa 1859; Charles Nègre's photograph of the Charles-Antoine Coysevox statue Flore, albumen print, 1859; Julia Margaret Cameron's Shepherds Keeping Watch by Night, albumen print, 1865-1866; Timothy O'Sullivan's Ancient Ruins in the Canyon de Chelle, N.M., albumen print from his geological survey of the U.S., 1873; and Edward S. Curtis's luminous orotone, The Vanishing Race, in an original Curtis frame, 1904.

The Online Photographer has just published the fifth and last part of its epic series of articles called "Great Photo Books You Can Buy New." The series encompasses reissues, current books, a backgrounder on photo book collecting, and lists by Martin Parr and by Jeff Ladd of the photo book review site 5B4. Part V, by T.O.P.'s regular book reviewer Geoff Wittig, concentrates on classic books by major figures, with a concentration on Dr. Wittig's favorite genre, landscapes. Links to all the earlier posts are listed at the end of the new article.

A deadline is looming at The Center for Fine Art Photography, October 14, 2008. the show is Negative Space. It is not always the subject, but the Negative Space around the subject that makes a photograph truly stunning. This exhibition will highlight the compositional element that makes up the space not commonly seen. The juror is Brooks Jensen, who is the founder and co-editor of the publication LensWork Magazine. He is a prolific writer and photographer, and his podcasts and published interviews of the famous and not-so-famous provide valuable content for the community of photographers. Exhibition and Awards: With selection for this exhibition, artists and their work will be seen by an international audience of collectors, curators, art consultants and others who appreciate the fine art of photography.

Western Digital is introducing "ShareSpace," a high-speed network storage system that provides cost-effective, centralized storage for photographers, creative professionals, small offices and personal home networks. Small offices and workgroups often employ cumbersome methods for sharing data but WD's ShareSpace network-attached storage systems make it simple for small offices and workgroups to centralize storage for easy accessibility - both within the network and remotely via WD's MioNet remote Web access service. For creative professionals and families with growing digital media collections on multiple computers, ShareSpace will allow them to establish a centralized network for easy sharing of music, movies and photos anywhere in their home, office or studio.

Essentially a self-taught photographer, Robert Stivers has been fortunate to wear many hats over the years. Stivers' successful career as a professional dancer with the Joffrey Ballet was abruptly thrown to a halt when he suffered a traumatic back injury, shifting his artistic focus to choreography, and ultimately to photography. His dance influences can greatly be seen in the depths of his photographs. Rebecca Klein of Picture Magazine wrote, "Robert's out-of-focus photography technique has separated him as a unique and innovative photographer. In the beginning, this decision to print soft-focus images was a means of breaking away from conventional photography techniques. Now, it has become a way of expressing himself within themes such as loss, memory, rapture, eroticism, death, and rebirth. His methodology has grabbed the attention of many, and his talent is eminent. Robert Stivers is one of the best fine art photographers living today." Dresses and Shoes captures the very soul of these objects, elevating them to mysterious totems of the unconscious, clothing seen not merely as a disguise for what's hinted underneath, but as the body's ultimate revelation. The photographs of Robert Stivers hover somewhere between the realms of representation and the actual.

The Ricoh GX200 is a 12-megapixel update to the Ricoh GX100 and features a 24mm wide angle 3x optical zoom lens, 1cm macro, ISO1600, full manual controls, a new 2.7" screen, a new image processing engine, Smooth Imaging Engine III, and various accessories are also available such as the electronic viewfinder kit reviewed here. The Ricoh GX200 VF-1 Kit is available from around $640. The camera is enclosed in a black plastic body and measures approx. 111.6mm(W)×58.0mm(H)×25.0mm(D) (excluding protrusions), and weighs approx. 208g. excluding lens, battery and memory card. "A super wide-angle high performance 24-72 mm/f2.5 (wide), f4.4(telephoto) zoom lens with superb optical performance comparing favorably to SLR interchangeable lenses. Attach the unique tilting electronic viewfinder, linked to the focal distance to zoom and frame your subject with the feel of an SLR or medium format camera and add the GX200's host of versatile accessories to enter a wider realm of creative photography. For the photographer who knows the depth and joy of photographic expression, the GX200 transcends the limitations of a compact camera." (From Ricoh)

Delkin Devices, Inc. has just released several new Pop-Up Shades, expanding its line of protective camera accessories. The latest shades are for the Nikon D3, Nikon D300 and more recently, the Nikon D60 and Canon Rebel XSi. Also introduced was a 2.8" Universal model that fits compact cameras with either 2.7" or 2.8" LCDs. Pop-Up Shade LCD covers are available in several models which easily attach to digital cameras. The two part design closes to provide rugged protection for LCD screens, and lifts up to shade the LCD for improved visibility when the camera is used in bright light. Go to the link below to see what shades are available for your camera. Even in the "Pop-Up" position, an optically clear plastic shield covers the LCD screen, providing the protection users need while ensuring a crystal clear view of the images. Unlike other "one size fits all" LCD hoods out on the market, our Pop-Up Shades are designed for specific DSLR camera models. Also, aUniversal Pop-Up Shades fit hundreds of Point-and Shoot models, allowing the best option for finding a shade that works perfectly for your camera.

The Photo Review, a critical journal of photography, will hold its Annual Benefit Auction on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the Dorrance-Hamilton Building at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The event will feature an international slate of photographers as well as a host of Philadelphia artists. Beginning and experienced collectors alike will have the opportunity to bid on work by such historic masters as Ansel Adams, Edouard Boubat, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward S. Curtis, F. Holland Day, Will McBride, Barbara Morgan, Sonya Noskowiak, Herb Ritts, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen. Among the contemporary photo stars whose work will go on the block are Lois Greenfield, Chip Hooper, Henry Horenstein, Michael Kenna, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Mark Klett, Jeffrey Milstein, Joe Mills, Duane Michals, and Joel-Peter Witkin, while featured local luminaries include Paul Cava, Jenny Lynn, D. W. Mellor, and Andrea Modica. In addition, a broad range of 19th-century photographs is up for bid. According to Photo Review editor Stephen Perloff, prices will range from $50 to $8,000. A silent auction, concurrent with the live auction, will feature photography and computer equipment and software, film and paper, restaurant meals, museum memberships, theater tickets, books, etc. (Pictured: Barbara Morgan: Spring on Madison Square, 1938/1972, silver print, signed, titled and dated in pen by artist on print margin recto, 12.5x15.375-inches, will be offered at the 2008 Photo Review Benefit Auction.) A New York preview will be held from October 10-12 at Phillips de Pury & Company, 531 W. 15th St., New York, NY 10011. Hours are Friday and Saturday 10-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-6 p.m.

Through October 31, you can receive a 25% discount on any order placed directly through our secure web site. The sale includes all trade, signed and limited editions (consigned titles are excluded). To qualify for the 25% discount, simply include the promo code "OCT2008ART" in the Notes section of your order. Your cart and order confirmation email will not show the discount, but we will apply it.

As the holiday season slides ever closer, here is a list from powerHouse Books that may suggest some great editions for your gift list: Madonna: Confessions, Photographs by Guy Oseary, But That's Another Story: A Photographic Retrospective of Milton H. Greene, by Joshua Greene and Amy Greene, We Are Experienced: Photographs by Danielle Levitt, Interview by Mark Jacobs, Art Direction by Tim McIntyre, A Miss Rosen Edition; I Am Because We Are: Photographs by Kristen Ashburn, Foreword by Madonna; 50 Photographs by Jessica Lange, Introduction by Patti Smith (Lange-50Photographs.jpg); Meadowlands: Photographs by Joshua Lutz, Text by Robert Sullivan; Prep: The Spirit of a High School Football Team, Photographs by Richard Corman, Introduction by Joe Paterno, Design by Yolanda Cuomo; Hitler Moves East: A Graphic Chronicle, 1941-43 By David Levinthal and Garry Trudeau; Cypher: Photographs by Charles Peterson, Introduction by Jeff Chang; Tompkins Square Park by Q. Sakamaki, Text by Bill Weinberg.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, and tennis superstar Maria Sharapova recently announced, the Company's "Pink" campaign, which will help raise awareness of breast cancer. Canon has created a special "bundle," including a PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH camera in pink melody, a SELPHY CP760 Compact Photo Printer, also in pink melody, a pink ribbon charm and a mammogram reminder magnet, provided by the American Cancer Society (the Society). The Company's "Pink" campaign celebrates Canon U.S.A.'s 10-year support of the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. For the month of October, Canon U.S.A. will contribute $150,000 to the American Cancer Society in recognition of breast cancer awareness month, which will benefit the Society's breast cancer awareness, research, patient service and advocacy programs. To learn more about Canon U.S.A.'s continued commitment to fighting breast cancer, visit www.usa.canon.com. For additional information about breast cancer, visit www.cancer.org.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, recently announced it is shipping its high capacity 32GB DataTraveler 150 (DT150) USB Flash drive (MSRP: $139). The DT150 offers the largest capacity in Kingston's entire line of DataTraveler USB drives and allows users to conveniently combine work-related content and personal digital content on the same drive with plenty of room to spare. Users can now transport and share entire libraries of music, photos, large business documents, and even video without ever having to change USB drives or search other portable storage devices containing specific content. "The new DataTraveler 150 has broken through storage barriers by allowing users to store all their digital files―business or personal―all under one roof," said Mark Akoubian, Flash business manager, Kingston. "As file sizes increase, especially with content such as music and photos, the need for small-form factor storage drives with high capacities will continue to go up. The DT 150 certainly addresses those needs today."

This exciting new documentary short, The Future of Contemporary Photography, provides a dynamic look into the New York Photo Festival 2008 (NYPH08), and premieres at PDN Photo Plus Expo on Thursday, October 23, 2008. The film explores the curatorial insights of four leading photo editors, the festival's founders, and the many cutting-edge artists who shared their work. The film asks curators, artists, and viewers to make their own aesthetic judgments on the state of modern photographic image making. "PhotoPlus is always on the cutting edge of what's happening in photography and imaging, so it's a natural fit for us to screen the Snorri Bros' documentary, The Future of Contemporary Photography, during this huge industry event," says Frank Evers, Co-Chairman and Co-Founder of the New York Photo Festival. "We think that the film is a brilliant documentation of the first ever New York Photo Festival and captures the incredible spirit, passion and excitement of that inaugural event. We can't give enough thanks to the folks at PDN PhotoPlus, who have proven steadfast supporters in helping us bring an annual world-class photo festival to New York City." Scheduled show times: Thursday, October 23 at 1:00pm; Friday, October 24 at 11:00am and 2:00pm; Saturday, October 25 at 10:20am and 2:40pm; Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York

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