Shutterbug Staff

From the beaches of the eastern seaboard to the Great Plains, and from the wetlands
of the south, to the towering sequoias of the west, America and its pristine parks
have always been hailed as top destination sites for photography enthusiasts and
their families. Canon U.S.A., Inc. and the American Park Network continue to help
define the relationship between photography and the great outdoors with the introduction
of a free photography workshop program on select dates throughout the summer in
Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks. These programs will be
artfully hosted and instructed by a select few of the world renowned Canon Explorer
of Light photographers including Adam Jones and Lewis Kemper, along with other
Canon-selected photographers such as Rob and Ann Simpson. What's more, the
Canon Photography in the Parks Photo Contest returns this year to offer photographers
the chance to display their work and win prizes in the categories of landscape
and wildlife photography in the parks.



From June 1st to September 29th, photographic enthusiasts are encouraged to submit
their favorite photographs from an American park to the Canon Digital Learning
Center. Winning photographs in the categories of landscape and wildlife will win
a trip to the participating parks of their choice, along with a full suite of
Canon photographic equipment. By logging onto the Canon Digital Learning Center
at www.usa.canon.com/dlc,
potential winners will not only have the opportunity to submit their photos, but
can also peruse the Web site to explore the various educational resources that
Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike.



With the help of the Canon Explorer of Light program, park visitors will have
the opportunity to participate in free daily guided visual photographic journeys.
Additionally, Canon will loan participants top-tier digital camera equipment to
capture those awe-inspiring sights at no additional cost. Aspiring photographers
will learn the tips and tricks to taking great outdoor photos and experience hands-on
training using some of the same equipment that professional photographers use.
Evening programs are also offered, providing visitors the rare opportunity to
spend time with the Explorers of Light, view stunning imagery, ask questions,
and receive prints and a CD of their own photos.

...

Olympus has announced its new super-telephoto Zuiko Digital ED 70-300mm (f4.0-f5.6)
lens. The lens' allows users to get up-close (38 inches / 0.96 meters)
to subjects when taking macro shots. It is compatible with all E-System and
Four-Thirds system cameras. Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses each house their own
CPU and offer the user the ability to upgrade the firmware as new technology
becomes available. The ability to upgrade firmware is said to establish optimal
communication between the lens and the camera body, enabling better compensation
for common distortions such as "shading" (darkening of the edges
of an image that may sometimes occur in photographs) or "barrel distortion"
(the bowing of vertical lines).

...

Olympus Imaging America has announced its national sweepstakes, which will
send five winners and their doubles partner on a weekend getaway (August 31-
September 2, 2007) in New York City to experience the fast action and excitement
of the US Open 2007 Tennis Tournament. Olympus sweepstakes champions will receive
hotel, airfare, spending cash and two admission tickets to the world-class tennis
tournament, including exclusive access to designated professional photography
locations at the event, enabling them to capture the on-court and behind-the-scenes
drama.



Starting in the Olympus suite located at the Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center, winners will be coached by an award-winning photographer, who is an
Olympus Visionary, on best techniques for shooting nonstop tennis action. Winners
will gain access to the photographers' lounge and other elite locations,
where capturing great pictures will be a snap. The winners' ultimate experience
will be in the photo pit, shooting elbow-to-elbow with professional photographers
and capturing amazing up-close images.



"Olympus has been the official camera of the US Open since 2003,"
said Mark Huggins, executive director, Brand Marketing, Olympus Imaging America
Inc. "Our cameras and this tournament are a perfect match, and we're
thrilled to have our consumers be a part of this unique experience."



Consumers purchasing a newly available Olympus E-410 or E-510 D-SLR (digital
single lens reflex) camera may register to win by completing a registration
form at participating retail locations, entering online at www.getolympus.com,
or by mailing a postcard or letter containing their name, mailing address, email
address and telephone number to the following address: emg3, Shoot With the
Pros, 215 Commercial St., Portland, ME 04101. Registration for the Olympus sweepstakes
contest runs through July 20, 2007.
...

DxO Labs has announced the immediate availability of the new version of its
flagship product -- DxO Optics Pro v4.5 -- for both Windows and Macintosh
computer systems. With the release of version 4.5, DxO Optics Pro offers the
first-ever third-party plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Photographers
can now integrate DxO Optics Pro and Lightroom into their workflow:

With the exclusive "DxO Optics Pro Plug-in" in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom,
users can send their images straight from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to DxO Optics
Pro for processing and save corrected files directly into their Lightroom library
(with the image metadata intact).

...