How about some great photo tips for your summer shoots!

In recent photography news, Arsenal has a Kickstarter AI project that will automatically set your camera settings depending upon current light conditions..  Fred and Jim wonder if this is really necessary or even desirable!  Binded is a new free service for ensuring no one is stealing your images for unauthorized use.  It doesn't currently include copyright registration, but that may be coming soon!  Google has announced it will no long update the Nik plugins.  Microsoft is working on a technique to create curved sensors from conventional silicone sensors.  A swiss village, Bergün officially banned photography in their town, but then had to retract the ban due to all the negative press they received!

Every photography has favorite gadgets and techniques that allow them to capture unique and exciting images.  Jim and Fred share some of their favorite tips and techniques as well as gadgets and items to consider this summer for improving your image captures.  Why not share some of your favorite tips or gadets or DIY items on our Facebook page or send them to us - jim@thefotobug.com or fred@thefotobug.com.  We'll share them with the rest of our viewers!

Coming up in September is the Black Hills Photo Shootout - www.thephotoshootout.com.  Pre-registration is now available, so sign up now and meet us in Spearfish South Dakota at the end of September!

Lots of news in the last two weeks!  PLR IP Holdings and it Polaroid brand have sold a major stake in the company to an investor who owns a majority stake in the Impossible Project.  A Kickstarter campaign has been created to support FilmLab negative scanning app. Sony released a new CMOS sensor for industry that can capture up to 1000fps. Google has developed an algorithm that can quickly remove objects from digital images. An appeals court has upheld a case that indicates the FAA cannot require hobbyists to register drones. Photokino in Germany will now become an annual event.  DJI has released the Spark a new smaller UAV with a larger sensor camera.  Triggertrap has put their design into the public domain as open source.

Since Fred was not available, Jim teamed up with Jason Hahn and headed over to Melbourne, FL to visit Vanelli who has been working on a project he calls the Assassin series. This series is to create pseudo movie posters that resemble action films.  Our theme was to move photographers out of their 'comfort zones'.  Jim and Jason are nature, wildlife and travel photographers, Vanelli is primarily a sports and portrait photographer.  Unfortunately, the weather in eastern Florida didn't cooperate nature-wise, so Jason and Jim headed into Vanelli's studio for a behind the scenes look at an 'assassin' shoot and Jim even moved out of his comfort zone by being placed in front of the camera for a portrait!

Pre-regiatration is now open for The Black Hills Photo Shootout - www.thephotoshootout.com .  The event takes place the end of September.

Welcome to podcast 182!

In recent photography news, DjI has announced a new drone to be released later this year fitted w.ith a 100Mp Hasseblad camera.  US filter Aurora Aperture has announced new ND filter that reduces exposure by 16 stops.  These filters come in screw in as well as square formats and even one that will fit the rear of some Canon lenses.  Harbortronics has released DigiSnap Pro which is a complete controller for time-lapse photography and can be paired with the Cyclapse Pro housing.  Recent industry figures indicate that the camera market may have finally hit bottom and company profits may pick up.  Finally, Phase One has announced a mono version of it's 100Mp medium format camera back priced at a cool $50,000.

Our guest is Jim Burnham who discusses some very interesting time-lapse projects that he is involved in.  We met Jim at the Black Hill Photo Shootout last year and welcome him to The Fotobug! We highly recommend after watching our interview to check out Jim's website at http://www.artistasylum.com/jimburnham and also check his amazing time-lapse videos on his YouTube channel.  We plan to have Jim back in the near future to talk about his latest time-lapse project which will take months to create!

Save the date - September 29-October 1, 2017, for the Black Hills Photo Shootout.  Registration is at www.thephotoshootout.com . Jim and Fred will be there!

Welcome to the next podcast!  In recent news, DJI's new Phantom 4 Advanced offers more storage capacity and longer flight times.  Sony has now replaced Nikon as the 2nd in USA full-frame interchangeable lens camera market.  Canon has published a free tutorial for photographing the solar eclipse on August 21 - http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2017/eclipse.shtml .  A new Kickstarter campaign is seeking funds for Solarcam, a long exposure pinhole camera in an aluminum can that records on a 5x7 B&W Ilford paper.  GoPro has unveiled Fusion, a spherical camera that can capture regular and VR video at 5.2k resolution.  Even more news on the current podcast!

Jim recently returned from a photo tour of Colombia, South America to evaluate sites for future photo tours/workshops.  He presents some of the video shot during the tour including a hike in Cocora Valley and a ceremony planting a young wax palm.  Jim plans to return next spring to Colombia to visit the best sites he recently visited with a group of 6-8 photographers.  If you would be interested in receiving information on this tour, contact Jim at jim@thefotobug.com to be added to the contact list!

Coming up in September is the Black Hills Photo Shootout - go to www.thephotoshootout.com for more information and to register for the weekend workshops.

Be sure to subscribe to our podcast for more exciting interviews, reviews and how-tos!

A couple of news items from Canon:  Canon has introduced a compact 35mm F2.8 macro lens with a built-in LED ring light and they have introduced a drone that can fly in nasty weather and can see in the dark.  The drone is capable of ISO speeds up to 4 million and is intended to be used in disaster relief.  Chinese stabilizer company, Gudsen, has introduced a range of powered gimbals aimed at users of compact cameras and medium-sized DSLRs.  Gudsen claims it is "the smartest camera stabilization and control system for mirrorless cameras and DSLRs and will set you back $599. Sony is planning to launch sever medium format sensors in the 100-150MP resolution next year. US-based GoPro customers can get a discount on a new HERO5 Black or Session camera when trading in an older HERO model. Existing GoPro owners can receive $100 off a new HERO5 Black, or $50 off a HERO5 Session when they trade in any older GoPro HERO model.  This is a limited time offer.

Jim and Fred welcome back photographer Ron Wyatt who recently toured and photographed the Russian Moscow Ballet company.  In addition, Ron shares some equpment recommendations and lighting tips.  Ron just recently started his own photo tour company and has trips planned to Tanzania, Tuscany, indo-china and many other locations.  We recommend you check his website at www.ronwyattphotos.com to see more of his work and information on his upcoming workshops.

Today's podcast features a segment on creating bismuth crystals for macro photography.

In recent news, Popular Photography magazine is shutting down operations, including their website.  The Azure rock formation, featured in Game of Thrones has fallen into the sea after a large storm.  Olympus has announced the end of it's four thirds system.  A camera lost in a shipwreck in 2012 has been found and the images on the Lexar memory card were able to be recovered!  A judge dismisses charges against a Kentucky man who shot down a drone flying over his property.  Also watch the podcast to learn the correct way to pronounce 'bokeh'!  Watch the podcast more even more news!

Jim demonstrates how to create bismuth crystals for closeup photography.  Bismuth is an element similiar to lead with a low melting point, but is not harmful to people or the environment.  In fact, it is the main ingredient in Pepto Bismal! Do be careful if you try this yourself as bismuth must be heated to 500 degrees F to melt and requires a slow cool off period in order to form crystals.  We recommend melting it out doors and be sure to wear proper gloves and eye protection and keep everything away from other flammable objects!  Please share your images on Facebook with us if you decide to try this for yourself!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout will soon be open for reservations and more information can be found at www.thephotoshootout.com.  Hope to see you there!

Our entire podcast this time is devoted to the Tamron 150mm - 600mm zoom lens, the first generation versus the newest version! We at the Fotobug want to thank Tamron for allowing us to borrow the newest version of their long zoom lens in order to test and to Fred who purchased the original version of the lens.  We also want to thank Jillian from Tamron and Jeff for showing us the USB Tap-in Console and software.  Also, to Michael from Johnson PhotoImaging in Bradenton Florida for his comments on using the newer lens with older digital camera bodies.  We welcome your input and your own experiences with the new Tamron 150-600mm!

If you would like to try out the new Tamron lenses for yourself, plan to attend the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota in September!  www.thephotoshootout.com.

The third annual Tampa Bay Photo Shootout is now history, but the Fotobug guys will share some highlights from the event in the current podcast! 

In recent photography news, Microsoft has released a free, open source simulator to help engineers test and even crash drones in a photorealistic environment.  The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art has just released thousands of scanned artwork and photos for public licensing.  ADOX of germany is doubling the size of its facility that produces photographic chemicals film and paper!  Godox has released a new wireless speedlight.  Online e-learning platform Alison has launched a course to allow students to build their own drone - alison.com/courses/introduction-to-drones.  Also, AirSeflie is now available to the publiic to allow a small drone to take your selfies. Finally, Google has been granted a patent for a ball cap with a built-in camera and acts as a portable studio.

The feature in today's podcast is highlights from the third annual Tampa Bay Photo Shootout from Clearwater Florida.  Photographers from all over the United States gathered at St. Petersburg College to learn techniques in portrait photography, HDR, long daytime exposure, macro photography, night photography and also fellowship with other like-minded photographers.  If you were unable to attend, there will be another Shootout next year and there is time to plan to attend the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota in September.  We hope to see you there! http://www.thephotoshootout.com.  Also, thank you to the sponsors: Tamron, Johnson Photo Imaging, Think Tank, and all the great instructors!

Be sure to subscribe to The Fotobug as next time, Jim and Fred pit the first generation Tamron 150-600 versus the second generation!

Welcome to our next podcast!  In recent news, FILM Ferrania has announced the release of its P30 B&W filn which will be available on a limited 'ALPHA' edition for now.  GoPro is likely to release a new Hero 6 camera this year.  DxO is giving away OpticPro 9 - deadline February 28th.  To get a free copy - go to http://www.dxo.com/us/digitalcamerauk .  You will also receive a discount on version 11. Manfrotto has launched a magnetic filter holder for attaching and removing filters quickly.  Sony's new sensor has a 3-layer structure that permits capture speeds up to 1000fps and reduces the so-called "Jello-effect'.  Apple has filed for a patent that allows a focus stacking technique for portraits.  All this and more news in the current podcast!

Rob Daugherty - The Vest Guy - returns to talk about his latest travels, share images and give photography tips.  Rob creates custom vests for hunters, fishermen, first responders, the military and PHOTOGRAPHERS!  To find out more, or to rent one of his vests go to http://www.thevestguy.com.  Rob also leads workshops around the world as well as his home state of Utah - check out http://www.robswildlife.com for information.

Next time - highlights from the Tampa Bay Photo Shootout!  Keep checking The Fotobug Facebook page for live broadcasts from the event.

In recent photography news,  the programmers behind GIMP are asking supporters for financial supp ort to add new features, Iridient X-Transformer is coming to Windows.  Three of the four Canadian filmmakers who were arrested for walking off-limits in Yellowstone have pleaded guilty.  Chinese drone maker ZeroTech has announced a gimbal operated action camera.  Kodachrome is likely NOT coming back.  Triggertrap has announced it is closing its doors and going out of business.  Adobe will no longer be selling Creative Suite and GoPro has re-released the Karma drone.  More details on the podcast!

Jim continues with his recent trip to the  Galapagos from the previous podcast.  He features underwater video, a 10 mile hike up a volcano, work with a scientist tracking giant Galapagos toroises and more!  All wildlife photographers should add the Galapagos Islands to their bucket lists.

Also coming up at the end of February - the Tampa Bay Photo Shootout - please go to www.thephotoshootout.com to register.  Jim and Fred will be doing live Facdbook broadcasts from the event - so if you can't make it, be sure to Like the Fotobug Facebook page to be involved!