There's an online article ( http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/5001/grand-theft-photo.html ) in American Photo magazine's sister website, PopPhoto.com, highlighting the importance of registering your photos with the U.S. Copyright Office even if you're an amateur. I initially came across the article scrapped into a blog - which is theft in its own right (taking an entire article, even if crediting the source is still plagiarism). While the article is long, there are a couple of key takeaways: "If you've posted pictures on a website in order to sell them, they're considered published ..." Benefit to the photography community as a whole: As more people register their images the risk/reward ratio for thieves goes up, and photographers who make a living from their creations are more able to be paid for their art. There's an easier way to submit your work for registration (note that you can submit a collection of images for each $45 registra...

Magazines Digital Video: Jay Holben's regular column DV 101 is a treasure trove. Each month it's filled with helpful tips. In February's column titled "Picture Perfect: Monitor Calibration is an Often Overlooked Key to Attaining Expert Images," Jay reveals that "as [he] spent most of [his] career shooting 35mm film, [the fact that you can immediately see the image you're capturing when you shoot digital] was a novel discovery for [him]." I think amateurs sometimes take it for granted that professionals don't experience similar "AH" moments. While Jay was referring to video, I found myself relating as I'd felt the same wonder in transitioning from 35mm film stills to digital film stills. In addition to the insight that amateurs and professionals aren't so different, he focuses on monitor calibration - a step that can make or break your finished image. One tip that stood out "[t]he most vital thing to understand about evalua...

February 2006 found me pining for a Canon EOS 30D. I held out - using my tax refund to finance a two-month sabbatical and refine my "eye". February 2007 found me breaking down and wanting a Canon EOS 30D NOW, rushing to Fry's to find the kit and discover they didn't want my money and discovering B&H Photo and having my kit shipped out NOW and saving money. So it's February again and I'm eying my refund again. Once again I'm wishing for a Canon EOS 30D. February 2008 finds me not considering the Canon EOS 30D in isolation. This time it's a backup for my current Canon EOS 30D (which I still love) and as a backup for another camera that I'm craving... the next step in the transition to a professional full-frame digital camera - the Canon EOS 5D. Unlike the 30D which was just released when I first started dreaming of it and the images I would take, the 5D has been around. This is a carefully researched purchase. The backup Canon 30D is even a caref...

When I made the decision to switch from shooting JPEG to RAW, I went to the bookstore. Since I had Adobe Creative Suite 2 and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) came with that suite and it was well documented, I defaulted to ACR as my RAW converter. My first book was chosen based on page layout design - I'm a sucker for nice paper and visually exciting images and text placement. I chose The Art of Raw Conversion: How to Produce Art-Quality Photos with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Leading RAW Converters . It provides high-level introductions to RAW files, color management, and workflow as well as overviews of the various RAW converters. I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to effectively use ACR with the knowledge I'd gained. I went out and got another book Getting Started with Camera Raw: How to make better pictures using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements . I started processing images. I liked the results but wanted to know more. I got a third book Adobe Camera Raw for Digital P...