Seventeen news, photographers’ and First Amendment organizations have sent a joint letter to the U.S. Forest Service protesting a move to make a temporary plan to restrict filming in wilderness areas into a permanent rule.

Signs are equal parts art and science because they must deliver information to potential customers at a single glance. Signs can be found everywhere—in every city and town around the world—and each one must be designed to be as eye catching and memorable as possible while still maintaining a certain level of cultural identity.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Rich and Color-Full, and we asked readers to submit images that displayed an intense play of richly endowed images, with vividness married to content and that also showed how photographers see and interpret our many-hued world. Readers responded with everything from natural to man-made subjects. While we accepted some “juicing” using hue and saturation controls, we tried to pick those that did not stray too far from what the eye and camera could record.

When you see a crowd of people snapping photos, can you spot the professional photographer?

If, like most of us, you think that you know all about the Dust Bowl/Depression Era photography of the Farm Security Administration, think again. While you may have seen some of the FSA’s greatest hits, like Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother,” there is a rich vein of images still to be discovered.

All artists must learn to harness the power of light in order to create successful images. Author, and noted photography educator, Rosanne Olson’s new book ABCs of Beautiful Light: A Complete Course in Lighting for Photographers offers readers an in-depth study on the use of proper lighting techniques for photography, videography—and art in general.

The George Eastman House is currently hosting the Innovation in the Imaging Capital exhibit from September 20, 2014 to January 4, 2015. The main focus of the show is the major contributions to the development of imaging technology made possible by the various inventions that were created—or developed—in the town of Rochester, New York. Since 1888 Rochester has been widely known as America's center for imaging innovation. 

Corel has launched its new AfterShot 2 software for Windows, providing photographers with a Raw photo editing and adjustment application at an affordable price. Available for just $39.99, AfterShot 2 offers 64-bit performance and a variety of features including: complete photo adjustment tools include Crop, Straighten, Highlight Recovery, Noise Removal, Color, Temperature, Exposure, Highlights and Fill Light.

Beyond learning how to handle cameras and photo equipment, working as a photo assistant will teach you many lessons that will go a long way toward helping you build a successful career. Skills you’d most likely garner include learning about project management, studio protocols, location procedures, dealing with clients, preproduction and postproduction work, and more. These are all essential business skills and can often be learned only “on the job.” Indeed, talk to many established pros today and you’ll find that’s how they got their start.

The new AeroTab series allows tablet users a sleek way to mount their tablet to any tripod, light stand, arm or clamp used for photography/videography work. Created for use with tablets from Acer, Amazon, Apple, Asus, Dell, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Wacom and more the series has four AeroTab options to choose from that will safely accommodate a wide range of tablet sizes with variable mounting options.