February Focus

February 21, 2013 —

Rangefinder presents a variety of exhibits; book releases; new products tools and software; special projects by photographers; and more. 

MFA Hosts Bruce Davidson’s Harlem Exhibition

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is currently hosting the show “Bruce Davidson: East 100th Street,” a 43-print exhibition featuring works that were originally displayed 43 years ago as part of Davidson’s “East 100th Street” at the Museum of Modern Art. Taken during the late 1960s, Davidson’s striking images reveal the reality of life on the East 100th Street block in Harlem, New York, which was described during the 1950s as the most dangerous location in the city. Davidson began his photography career at age 10 with a darkroom his mother built for him. He attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and Yale University, and would eventually become a colleague of Henri Cartier-Bresson with the Magnum photo agency. Davidson’s portfolio covers the Civil Rights Movement as well as numerous celebrity portraits, including Marilyn Monroe, Leonard Bernstein, Kiki Smith, Andy Warhol, Jack Kerouac, Fannie Lou Hamer and John Cage. Among his awards is the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards. The “Bruce Davidson: East 100th Street” exhibition can be seen at Gallery 335 now through September 8, 2013.
www.mfa.org/exhibitions/bruce-davidson

Flashpoint DG600 Blue Monolight

Adorama recently introduced the newly enhanced Flashpoint DG600 300 w/s AC/DC Blue Monolight. Featuring a cool LED-modeling light housed in a rugged, heat-resistant body, the monolight works with all of Flashpoint’s camera accessories and gear, including Flashpoint Speed Ring Adapters and Flashpoint Softboxes. It features flash durations from 1/1500s to 1/800s, stepless control from full power to 1/32 power, a digital readout in 1/10th of a stop increments, and 5600K color temperature. Capable of firing 180 full-powered flashes with the Flashpoint portable power pack, the DG600 allows photographers to operate cord-free when onsite electricity is unavailable. Price: $199.95; when bundled with power pack and charger: $299.95.
www.adorama.com

Eyeist Provides Expert Portfolio Reviews Online

Eyeist is the first Web-based photography review service that connects photography experts with photographers seeking private guidance and feedback on their images. Eyeist services include the $100 Basic Review for 30 images or less, the $150 Website Review, the $200 Live Review using VOIP voice technology, the $200 Editing Review for up to 150 images, and the $350 Editing and Sequencing Review. Eyeist is affiliated with ASMP (American Society of Media Professionals), APA (American Photographic Artists) and the Lucie Foundation, which give discounts to their members for enrolling in Eyeist.
www.eyeist.com

Handcrafted Deckle Edges from Hahnemühle FineArt

Hahnemühle FineArt is now offering Digital FineArt papers with handcrafted deckle edges on all four sides. Available on Photo Rag 308 gsm, William Turner 310 gsm, and Museum Etching 350 gsm papers, these new papers give professional digital fine-art printing the look and feel of traditional artistic papers. Sheet sizes include 8.5 x 11 inches, 13 x 19 inches and 17 x 22 inches.
www.us.hahnemuehle.com

Freedom in Text

Getty Publications launched Leonard Freed’s new book, This Is the Day: The March on Washington, on February 5 at The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Designed to coincide with Black History Month as well as the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Freed’s long-anticipated photo book features 75 images taken during the day of the march, including wide-angle views of the hundreds of thousands of marchers overflowing the National Mall, intimate group portraits of people straining to see the speakers, and tight close-ups of individual faces filled with hope and yearning. The 128-page book culminates with images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his prophetic “I Have a Dream” speech at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. Freed’s visual testimony is accompanied with essays by Julian Bond, Michael Eric Dyson and Paul M. Farber. Price: $29.95
www.getty.edu/publications

Art Photo Index Launches Online Service

Art Photo Index’s new online image and information resource lists nearly 3,000 vetted photographers and photo-based artists from 85 countries. Designed as a visual index of art and documentary photographers, their images and their websites from throughout the world, the new service makes it easy for editors, publishers, curators, and gallerists to access and discover new photography. The system’s cloud-based architecture includes a powerful search engine, a world map showing photographer locations, a collections module for keeping track of interesting work, and an alert system that notifies viewers when new work has been uploaded.
www.artphotoindex.com

Touchscreen Pen from Neil Enterprises

For those who want to keep their touchscreen devices fingerprint free, Neil Enterprises offers the Photo Stylus Pen. Featuring basic black ink on one end of the pen and a soft rubbery tip for making selections on a touchscreen device on the other, the new pen holds an easily installed, personalized photo insert. Price: $4 each, sold in cases of 50.
www.neilenterprises.com/7796-photostyluspen.aspx

Serif Rolls Out Powerful Image-Editing Software

Serif is marketing PhotoPlus X6, the latest version of its comprehensive image-editing application. Certified compatible with Windows 8 (64-bit), PhotoPlus X6 features a variety of new tools, such as non-destructive cropping, improved noise reduction, a Tilt-Shift Effect Tool, and a Depth-of-Field Filter. It also supports vector masks and fill layers. Other new and improved features are a powerful Raw engine with adjustments such as curves, lighting, color and lens corrections, and a Smart Edge Refinement Tool, which easily selects and adjusts intricate parts of photos, such as hair and leaves. PhotoPlus X6 is compatible with Windows 8/7/Vista/XP. Price: $89.99
www.serif.com/photoplus

Unisub’s ChromaLuxe Cell Phone Cases

Unisub recently introduced ChromaLuxe cell phone cases with interchangeable photo inserts. The new cases can be used as marketing tools or as one more product professional photographers can offer their clients.
www.unisub.com

New 4K Cinema Player from Red Digital Cinema

Red Digital Cinema, manufacturer of high-resolution digital cinema cameras, recently introduced Redray, the world’s first ultra-high-definition 4K Cinema Player. Designed as an OTT (over the top) network-based appliance, Redray features 4K resolution playback at either 4096 x 2160 or 3840 x 2160, 2D and 3D. It supports up to 12-bit 4:2:2 color, dedicated HDMI output for 7.1Ch Surround Sound audio at 24-bit 48Khz, and it’s the first 4K 3D playback system capable of 4K 3D at 48- or 60-fps. Price: $1,450.
www.red.com/products/redray

Zenfolio’s Unlimited Music Streaming

Photography website provider Zenfolio Inc. and Triple Scoop Music are currently offering Zenfolio clients unlimited access to Triple Scoop Music’s entire 10,000-plus song library. The expanded music options can be added to any Zenfolio subscription plan. The TSM 10K Package provides access to the entire Triple Scoop Music catalog of 10,000-plus songs for $100 a year. The TSM 100-Song Package provides a pre-selected collection of songs for $50 a year. Both packages allow unlimited streaming of songs within Zenfolio slide shows, including slide shows that can be easily embedded on other websites.
www.zenfolio.com;
www.triplescoopmusic.com

Color Correction Filter Kit for Event Photographers

ExpoImaging, Inc. has expanded its selection of Rogue Flash Gels with a new Color Correction Filter Kit specifically designed for event photographers using speed lights. The new kit improves color balance and consistency, particularly when shooting indoors under incandescent and fluorescent lights. Each kit includes three Rogue Gel-Bands, 18 color-correction gels (three each of six different gels), and a durable padded storage pouch with quick-reference insert to keep gels safe and organized. The new Kits are currently available through ExpoImaging’s distribution partners worldwide or from its website online. Price: $29.95.
www.expoimaging.com