News

Kubota Image Tools announces that there are still spots available for professional
and advanced amateur photographers that would like to attend Kevin Kubota's
4th creative Italy photography workshop. This inspiring 7-day photography workshop
(October 5-11, 2008) includes several exciting photo excursions, classroom instruction,
photography critiquing and more.



This year's Secret Italy workshop attendees will tour Southern Italy. Highlights
include excursions to the breath-taking Amalfi Coast, the ruins of Pompeii, as
well as visits to some of the oldest and most picturesque towns in the world.
The photographic opportunities are endless.



For photographers who have never had the opportunity to travel to Italy, this
is the perfect way to experience it and photograph it. For those photographers
that have been to Italy before, then they already know why they want to go back.
This time husband and wife team Kevin and Clare Kubota will share some of the
undiscovered gems of this beautiful country that they know so well.



Daily photo excursions will include escorted trips to:

· Pompeii

· The island of Capri

· Amalfi Coast

· Adriatic Coast

· National Park of Abruzzo
...

xTrain.com, a leader in online video training for photography, media, arts, and
design, announced that the company has licensed over 100 training segments that
will be featured on Adobe TV. In addition, xTrain's parent company Splash
Media LP, an innovator and market leader of online content communications and
training, and producer of xTrain content, has created original programming content
for the Adobe TV audience of creative professionals.

Olympus, a global leader in endoscopy solutions and a precision technology leader
in award-winning consumer products, will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from
its consumer products sold through the eBay Giving Works auction to C3: Colorectal
Cancer Coalition and the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal
Cancer Research Alliance (EIF's NCCRA), to benefit advocacy and research.
By demonstrating its commitment to the fight against colorectal cancer, Olympus
hopes to raise funds to benefit these leading nonprofit organizations over the
next 12 months. To visit this site, log on to http://stores.ebay.com/Olympus-Auctions.




Through this unique endeavor, Olympus is utilizing its expertise in both endoscopy
and consumer electronic products to support research and awareness efforts in
the fight against colorectal cancer. The proceeds from sales of Olympus products
via the eBay Giving Works auction will be divided between C3: Colorectal Cancer
Coalition and the EIF's NCCRA, with the goal to directly support the eradication
of this disease.



As the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States for both men
and women, colorectal cancer is not only one of the most preventable cancers,
but also one of the most curable when detected at an early stage. According to
the American Cancer Society, nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal
cancer annually and an estimated 50,000 die.



The donated profits received by C3 will be used to further its legislative and
advocacy mission, whereas the profits received by EIF's NCCRA will be used
for to advance promising research.



"C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition is grateful to Olympus
for supporting our efforts to fight colorectal cancer through research, empowerment
and access," said Carlea Bauman, president of C3. "We hope to one
day make colorectal cancer no more deadly than the common cold -- and we
will only accomplish that through an increased commitment to ending this terrible
disease. We applaud Olympus' efforts to raise awareness, and raise the bar."



"On behalf of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal
Cancer Research Alliance and co-founder Katie Couric, we are so grateful for Olympus'
steadfast commitment to our colon cancer initiative," said Lisa Paulsen,
President and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "Olympus'
ongoing support helps us with our efforts to generate greater awareness of this
cancer, as well as accelerate important science that will hopefully lead us to
better tests, treatments and, ultimately, a cure."



In addition to the proceeds raised, all Olympus cameras bought on eBay will be
shipped with information about colorectal cancer screening. "At Olympus,
we believe it is our responsibility to help educate, inform and create awareness
about colorectal cancer," said F. Mark Gumz, president and COO of Olympus
America. "Our hope is that through our many Olympus initiatives, we will
increase awareness and facilitate discussions about the disease."



Building on Olympus' five-year history of selling products via eBay, the
company believes it can create a positive philanthropic impact through the online
program. Of note are the more than 3,000 unique visitors per day to the Olympus
store on eBay. For more information regarding Olympus' colorectal cancer
efforts, please visit www.crcawareness.com.



The eBay Giving Works program (http://givingworks.ebay.com)
is a dedicated charitable listing initiative, providing organizations with a creative
way to support causes important to them. Since 2000, more than $94.5 million has
been raised for charity from listings sold on eBay worldwide. eBay Giving Works
combines the market of active buyers and sellers on eBay with the nonprofit certification
and donations processing power of MissionFish. Its many features and functions
are designed to make fundraising and cause marketing on eBay both simple and successful.




About Olympus:

Olympus is a precision technology leader, creating innovative opto-digital solutions
in healthcare, life science and consumer electronics products. Olympus works collaboratively
with its customers and its affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment
in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines.



These include:

· Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical
products;

· Advanced clinical and research microscopes;

· Lab automation systems, chemistry-immuno and blood bank analyzers and
reagents;

· Digital cameras and voice recorders.



Olympus serves healthcare and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product
solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers
to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus
develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality
for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader
in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. For more
information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.



About C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition

C3 pushes for research to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment of colorectal
cancer; for policy decisions that make the most effective colorectal cancer prevention
and treatment available to all; and for increased awareness that colorectal cancer
is preventable, treatable, and beatable. Visit www.FightColorectalCancer.org
for more information.



About the Entertainment Industry Foundation

The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a leading charitable organization
of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars
to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social
issues.



National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance

EIF's NCCRA is dedicated to the eradication of colon cancer by promoting
education about the importance of medical screening and funding cutting-edge research
to develop better tests, treatments and, ultimately, a cure. The NCCRA was co-founded
by journalist Katie Couric, cancer activist Lilly Tartikoff, and the Entertainment
Industry Foundation in 2000. As a result of the attention focused on colorectal
cancer since the NCCRA was established, the number of colonoscopy screenings has
increased almost 20 percent, a phenomenon dubbed the "Couric Effect"
by the University of Michigan researchers who documented it.



About eBay Inc.:

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the
world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together.
eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce,
payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include
some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com
and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.



About MissionFish:

MissionFish provides service and support activities including nonprofit verification,
donation collection and disbursement, tax receipting, and online contribution
tracking. By combining the power and reach of the eBay marketplace with the nonprofit
expertise of MissionFish, eBay Giving Works makes it easy for buyers, sellers,
nonprofits, and cause-marketers to come together, Building a Marketplace for Change.



Please note: No part of the purchase price can be considered
deductible by the purchaser as a charitable contribution.

Freestyle Photographic Supplies and The Creative Center for Photography are
proud to announce the opening of an exclusive group show: emerging (I) 3.



The diverse images in this show represent the keen eye and emerging vision of
a talented new generation of photographers. emerging (I) 3 opens with an artist
reception Thursday, April 24th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. The exhibition runs through
June 25, 2008.

...

WD (NYSE: WDC) has introduced its My Book Studio Edition II high-performance
dual-drive storage systems, which are designed to seamlessly work with Mac computers.
Available now at select retailers and the WD online store (www.shopwd.com),
the new My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available in
capacities of 1 TB and 2 TB.



The new eco-friendly dual-drive My Book Studio Edition II external storage systems
use WD's GreenPower hard drives for power savings and cool and quiet operation.
The system's dual-drive, RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces
deliver high performance for creative professionals, workgroups, small offices
and anyone looking for fast data transfer.



Formatted for Mac computers, these new storage systems feature: extra-fast performance
with four interfaces (FireWire 400/800, eSATA, USB 2.0); factory-shipped in
RAID 0 (Striped) configuration [RAID 1 (Mirrored) configurable]; cool, eco-friendly
operation with WD GreenPower drives that consume approximately one-third less
power than standard dual-drive external storage systems and efficient convection
cooling architecture and power-saving mode; designed without a fan to run quietly;
5-year limited warranty; automatic and continuous backup software; capacity
gauge to see at a glance how much space is available on the system; intelligent
drive management features, including automatic power-up, Safe Shutdown and LED
status and activity lights user serviceability, enabling owner to open the enclosure
and replace the drive inside; and elegant silver metallic finish that perfectly
complements other Mac products.



My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage systems are available now at select
retailers and WD's online store (www.shopwd.com).
MSRP for My Book Studio Edition II with 1 TB is $349.99 USD; MSRP for My Book
Studio Edition II with 2 TB is $599.99 USD.

...

PhotoShelter Inc., an online destination where more than 30,000 professional and
amateur photographers find tools and opportunities for selling their work, today
announced that it will participate as a technology sponsor for the New York Photo
Awards, the official awards of the New York Photo Festival. Honoring talented
photographers from all over the world whose work breaks new ground visually, intellectually
and aesthetically, the New York Photo Awards is a celebration of outstanding achievements
in the world of contemporary photography. As part of PhotoShelter's sponsorship
of the event, the PhotoShelter Personal Archive will be used to store each photographer's
images, distribute galleries to jury members, support the process of filtering
and the ultimate selection of winning images. The Personal Archive is PhotoShelter's
solution that allows photographers to archive, organize, distribute and sell their
images online with powerful tools including slideshows, lightboxes, ecommerce
capabilities, and website customization.



The awards ceremony will take place on May 16, 2008, in the St. Ann's Theater
space in DUMBO, Brooklyn and will feature guest speakers and the presentation
of awards to sixteen category winners and thirty-two honorable mentions. The winners
will be selected by the New York Photo Festival jury, which includes PhotoShelter
Director of Photography Meagan Ziegler-Haynes among several distinguished photo
industry veterans. Winners will be publicly recognized before an audience of peers
and industry luminaries.



Founded by Daniel Power and Frank Evers, and a joint initiative of powerHouse
Books and VII Photo Agency, the New York Photo Festival will be the first international-level
photography festival based in the U.S. For the inaugural edition of this annual
event, to be held May 14 through18, 2008, a group of internationally respected
curators have been selected to deliver their personal vision of the newest and
most important trends in contemporary photography. These curators include Magnum
photographer Martin Parr, The New York Times Magazine picture editor Kathy Ryan,
Lesley A. Martin of the Aperture Foundation, and Tim Barber of tinyvices.com.
In addition to the curated pavilions, the Festival will offer visitors an extensive
range of activities that will generate dialogue and buzz among all the communities
of photo professionals, amateurs, students and aficionados of art and culture,
including seminars, portfolio reviews, slide shows, book signings, photographic
workshops, live performances and events and a gallery row. More info about the
event can be found at www.nyphotofestival.com.
...

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. announced it has posted answers to a new series
of questions submitted by professional and aspiring photographers on its Ask the
Icon interactive feature on the `Icons of Photography' microsite at
www.kingston.com/iop.



"Kingston's `Icons of Photography' continues to generate
interest from photographers worldwide who have specific questions to ask of some
of the world's most-respected photographers," said Jaja Lin, Flash
memory marketing manager, Kingston. "Providing a platform for sharing thoughts
and ideas was the impetus for creating the `Icons of Photography'
program and we're pleased to see that consumers and pros alike are utilizing
this resource to forward their own careers and creative interests," added
Lin.



Questions submitted by photographers from Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Europe and the U.S.
were addressed by Kingston's Icons including Harry Benson, Colin Finlay,
Gerd Ludwig and Peter Read Miller. The Icons offered sage advice on topics including
shooting in extreme conditions, how a publication captures events from multiple
angles and finding work as a photographer.



"It is encouraging to see how many people who really want to learn more
about photography and take their work to the next level," said Peter Read
Miller, Sports Illustrated photographer who recently photographed the Super Bowl
and is preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. "Consumers are looking at
their photography as a form of personal expression and that is always a good thing,"
Miller added.



In April, Kingston will publish the next round of Critique My Image. Visitors
are encouraged to submit any photographs they would like to have critiqued by
Kingston's Icons. Submissions can be made through www.Kingston.com/iop.