While photokina could be considered a distant memory, we have a number of reports yet to run that deal with products that were new to market and caught our reporter’s eye, and that in many cases are just becoming available now. Here’s a report on useful items filed by Roger Hicks that covers interesting accessories and other products he found at the show.—Editor

Actor Richard Gere is best known for his roles in over 40 films, but few may be aware he is also an avid photographer and collector. Taking pictures on his many trips to India was always more of a personal project, until photography book and exhibition designer Elizabeth Avedon happened to notice a 3-foot stack of beautiful 8x10 photos in his loft. “A lot of these photographs I didn’t show anyone because it was such a private experience for me,” Gere recalls. “I had no interest in sharing them.” Fortunately, Avedon was able to convince him they needed to be seen, and these and other photos have been exhibited around the world and published in his book, Pilgrim.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced that the new NX1100, compact system camera (CSC) with built-in Wi-Fi and AutoShare, is now available nationwide bundled with Adobe® Photoshop Lightroom 4 for a MSRP of $599.99.

Manfrotto Distribution has introduced a slimmed down lineup of Kata rollers, shoulder bags, video backpacks and rain covers. Designed especially for professional videographers, Kata's products offer a wide selection of carrying and protective solutions.

The Stile Plus collection by Manfrotto combines Italian style with functionality and great protection. On the outside no one can tell the bags were designed for cameras, but one peek inside exposes the ingenuity of Manfrotto designers.

The Nikon D600 is the smallest of the company’s full-format sensor cameras yet due to the same seals and protections as the Nikon D800 and its very robust body, it can be used outdoors under rugged and rainy weather conditions.

Mark Katzman has been shooting professionally for over 25 years. Originally, he studied filmmaking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In college, and for a short while thereafter, he found he could earn money by taking pictures of baseball teams.

Adorama has introduced the Flashpoint 3 Lighting Kit with Light Stands, 3-33” Umbrellas, Socket, Bulbs & Case.
Designed with photographers in mind, the Lighting Kit’s fluorescent lighting system handles a wide variety of complex lighting needs. Easily customize the lighting setup by adding diffusers for a softer effect, or collapsible reflectors to alter the quality of the light. All pieces break down easily for storage in the included case. Designed for both studio and location work, the Flashpoint 3 Lighting Kit gives the photographer plenty of lighting choices while on a shoot.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Patterns, a subject near and dear to every photographer’s heart and eye. The challenge is to frame the scene so that the flow of the pattern is reinforced, or at times interrupted, in a visually surprising way. A pattern can be repetitive in terms of subject and rhythm, or it can be composed of diverse textures and forms that, through composition, become unified. Color, shadow and highlight, and creative use of depth of field all work together to create an effective image. Readers sent in images that covered nature, architecture, landscape, manufactured goods, and a wide variety of structures from all around the world. This was one of our most popular topics in terms of the number of submissions we received, so it was tough to narrow them down to the photos you see here.

The PRO X Tungsten lights is the continuous lighting solution for professional photography. Also suitable for certain video applications, the PRO X continuous lighting system is the most compact, lightweight and yet powerful halogen light available today. The PRO X light is equipped with a 1000 W halogen tube with a lifetime of 75 hours and delivers Tungsten light at a color temperature of 3200 K. Fan cooled, these tungsten lights are very well suited for the heavy work load of professional photographers. In addition to the vast assortment of reflectors, rotating barn doors, and umbrellas, Multiblitz exclusively developed heat resistant soft boxes (24” x 24” and 24” x 32” in size) for the PRO X system.