There are stories we tell to explain ourselves, to clarify who we are, and to account for why we are who we are. And no matter what the apparent subject of these stories, what they are always really about is the past. “The past is never dead,” William Faulkner said. “It’s not even past.”

LPA Design, manufacturers of PocketWizard Photo Products announced a major update to its ControlTL firmware for the MiniTT1®, FlexTT5®, PowerMC2 and PowerST4 radios and minor updates for the Plus® III and MultiMAX radios.

The redesigned Phottix US-A3 is an affordable umbrella swivel for off-camera-flash. Made from tough and durable quality aluminum alloy and fireproof PA66 plastic, the US-A3 is ready for any photographic situation. The ball head design is easy to adjust for fast on-scene lighting changes. With an 8mm locking umbrella mounting hole, the US-A3 will accept most standard sized umbrellas. Included are a locking ring and a metal cold shoe for mounting flashes. The US-A3 3/8” threaded female lug (with 1/4” threaded insert) mounts onto many light stands.

The new lens represents Samsung’s innovation in 180-degree lens technology, and is compatible with the NX system, including the new NX300. Its expanded field of view makes the new 10mm fisheye lens the perfect companion for landscape photographers – allowing users to compose stunning images of sprawling cities, picturesque scenery and beautiful skies that stretch further than the eye can see. The lens’ ultra-wide fisheye perspective also lets users create unique portrait images, producing interesting effects and striking portraiture, allowing shooters to have more fun with their photography.

The Olympus XZ-2 is the successor of the XZ-1 which was the first compact camera made by Olympus with a large sensor (1/1.63”). The new camera has a new CMOS sensor (the XZ-1 had a CCD sensor) which is slightly smaller but has a slightly higher resolution (12MP instead of 10MP).

Walking on the Greenbelt along the river in Boise, Idaho, always presents interesting photo ops. This was taken when they were putting together the framework for a new building at Boise State University.

Alien Skin Software announced the immediate availability of Exposure® 5, the new version of its flagship photography effects software. Exposure 5 enables digital photographers to achieve accurate film simulation, using a wide range of creative effects in a simple interface. Significantly, Exposure 5 can be used as a plug-in with popular host software or as a stand-alone program for even greater flexibility.

onOne Software, Inc. announced the availability of Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Apple Aperture, and as a standalone application. The update includes a new Quick View Browser, refinements to the Perfect Brush, tested compatibility with the upcoming Lightroom 5, performance improvements, and general bug fixes. Also included since the initial launch of Perfect Photo Suite 7 are tools that tackle problems commonly encountered in photo editing—Red Eye reduction tools and a Clone Brush that removes distractions.

It used to be fun selecting film and developer combinations back in the Dim Ages of Photography, before digital happened. You can enjoy nearly the same experience today by processing images with Alien Skin Exposure 5.

Compared to the first generation of Nikon’s compact system cameras, the V1, the design of the V2 has changed radically. Instead of a small body with minimized dimensions, it has attained extra girth, although we feel it has also acquired better handling agility as well.