In the latest new in the world of photography, DJI has disputed the Department of Homeland Security's claim that the China-based company is collecting logs and images to send back to the Chinese Government.  Fujifilm has issued an advisory that someone is selling counterfeit rolls of film bearing the 'Fujifilm' brand name.  Polish artist Michal Karcz shared a post that 500PX has asked him to no longer post his images on their site even though they once praised his work.  They claim they are photo manipulations and not photography.  The Wingo Pro is a Kickstarter project that uses a single action camera to simulate the 'bullet time' effect as seen in the movie "The Matrix".  Finally, you can pick up the Insta360 Titan 11k 360 degree cinematic camera for a cool $15,000!

Jim and Fred pay a visit to Jason Hahn's new location for the Cypress Creek Studio - more diversity, bigger area, larger studio space and now accommodates musicians as well as photographers.  During the recent basis the studio was hosting a modeling event with 50-60 models and photographers attending.  If you are in the Tampa area we encourage you to check out the new facility - www.cypresscreekstudio.com for more information and to sign up!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is back again this year and will be in Deadwood, South Dakota.  Check out the Facebook page for information about registration.  There will be lots of new instructors, many previous instructors are returning and we recommend you save the dates for the last weekend in September!

Please tune into the podcast for all the latest photography news!  In summary, the winner of the African Geographic Photographer of the Year has been disqualified for photo manipulation. Facebook may be reconsidering their policy on nudity. DxO has updated the Nik Collection. A Sony investor wants the sensor division to be a separate company. Researchers have developed an AI program that can animate a figure from a single photograph or artwork!  Watch the podcast for even more!

Jim purchased the HP Zbook X2 G4 2 in 1 computer and has now had 3 months to work with it.  HP worked with Adobe to produce a laptop that is optimized for Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects and other Adobe graphics products.  However, the machine does have some issues despite the high price tag and specifications - many due to HP!  Jim explains and discusses the Good, Bad and Ugly issues with the machine as well as dealing with HP ordering and product support!

If you have experience with HP and/or the Zbook line of computers, please leave comments!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout will take place this year the last weekend in September, this time in Deadwood, South Dakota.  Keep tuning in for more details as they are released, including registration.

Before we get into the tutorial, first recent photography news!  

Ricoh has reported that it will not drop the Pentax name and are planning more Pentax products.  The FAA has expanded LAANC to increase access for commercial drone pilots in controlled airspace.  Sony has reportedly overtaken Nikon for the largest market share in the global digital camera market, based upon revenue. Alter RFS is a hinged camera filter holder now available on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. North Face has placed themselves in hot water by replacing images on Wikipedia with its own images to promote the brand!

In this episode, Fred and Jim demonstrate how to photograph a car - and make it look good!  One important criteria was to use minimal equipment.  In this example, simple speedlights were used along with a softbox and a flash trigger (all Canon equipment - but any camera manufacturer's camera and flash can be used!).  In addition, a second method is discussed in case you only have a single flash.  Simply lock the camera down on a tripod, using a hand-held speedlight - use the camera pop-up flash or a flash trigger and take several images of the automobile from different angles.  Finally - stack the images in Photoshop and use the Lighten mode on each upper layer to apply the lightest part of each image to the final scene.  You may also apply masking to the various layers and even adjust opacity as needed!  

Please post any questions - check out The Fotobug YouTube channel (and please subscribe!) and please share any of your images with us!

News Flash!  We were informed just before we began to tape the podcast that the Black Hills Photo Shootout will take place this year in Deadwood, South Dakota.  We will keep you updated as details become available - save the date, Sept. 27, 28 and 29th!

Lots of news to share! As always more details in the podcast!  Adobe Creative Cloud will no longer allow downloads more than two versions back.  Also, companies that haven't updated Creative Cloud could be facing fines or lawsuits!  DJI has released an action camera - the Osmo.  Adobe is looking for beta testers for Photoshop for the iPad. FAA has tightened rules for flying near airports with control towers for non-commercial pilots. Also DJI will being including ADS-B in their drones to notify pilots of nearby helicopters and airplanes.

Jim and Fred visit one of their favorite places in Florida for nature photography - Circle B Bar Reserve (4399 Winter Lake Rd, Lakeland, FL 33803) not far from Orlando and Tampa.  Lots of Florida wildlife can be found there, just bordering Lake Hancock: alligators, bobcats, herons, eagles, turtles, limpkins, moor hens, palliated woodpeckers, hawks, osprey and lots more! Great place to add to your list if you visit central Florida although, be aware that some of the trails are closed when the alligators begin to nest in late spring and early summer.  No charge to enter and plenty of parking (and hiking!).  Be sure to bring sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a hat, good walking shoes and plenty of free memory on your cards!

More photo education in today's podcast, but first recent photo news!

A drone pilot managed to capture some amazing videos of a tornado in Oklahoma that even impressed meteorologists!  DJI has partnered with RMUS to provide drone training in the US. If you are a Mac user and still use Aperture, be aware that Aperture will no longer work after upgrading the OS to Mojave. B&H circumvents online sales tax collection with it's new PayBoo credit card.  Adobe may raise the monthly fee for the Creative Cloud Photo Bundle (Photoshop and Lightroom) to $20 and include 1TB of cloud storage. DJI is introducing an Osmo action camera to compete with GoPro!

If you are still shooting JPG, then please pay attention to today's photo lesson!  RAW gives you more control over your final image and has lots of advantages over JPG and you needn't be afraid of processing the images on your computer.  There are even many free software solutions out there, so cost is not an excuse to using RAW capture.  There are more photo lessons on The Fotobug YouTube channel and we would appreciate if you would subscribe to our channel!  More goodness to come!  Please leave your thoughts or comments on RAW vs JPG capture!

Welcome to The Fotobug Podcast number 233!  In recent news, the first ever photograph of a black hole was released after more than a year of analyzing and processing.  Parrot has released an updated Anafi drone with FLIR thermal imaging capabilities.  A recent patent application from Canon suggests they may put LEDs in future pop-up flashes.  Multi Turret is working on a 3 turret attachment for Sony cameras.  World wide camera sales are falling and CareerCast suggests professional photographers are in the lowest 25% of worst career options.  China has banned the word "Leica" on social media due to the latest Leica ad which features the standoff at Tienamen Square.

Jim just returned from an extended trip to Australia and New Zealand and caught up with one of the Fotobug fans who took him around to some of his favorite photographic spots.  We appreciate his enthusiasm and thank Anu again for taking his time to escort Jim around his city!

Lots of news since the previous podcast!  Yashica has announced a 35mm ISO 400 negative film stock, CIPA released a report that camera sales are continuing to fall. Lexar is releasing new SSD drives that will fit into a pocket and Rode is releasing a new tiny wireless microphone system.  Skydio is in trouble for falsely geotagging a promo video on Instagram. Sharp is joining the Four Thirds system  CixxFive filed suit against Getty Images for selling images in the public domain.  More detail and more news in the podcast!

Jim recently returned from an extended trip to Australia and New Zealand where he taped extensively with the GoPro Hero 7 Black camera.  So, the Fotobug guys decided to finally review the camera and point out the positives and few negatives.  In addition, Jim shows off and discusses some interesting accessories for the GoPro.

Links to the items mentioned in the review:

GoPro HERO7 Black — Waterproof Digital Action Camera with Touch Screen 4K HD Video 12MP Photos Live Streaming Stabilization

TELESIN 6''Dome Port Camera Lens Transparent Cover for GoPro Hero 7 Black, Hero 6 Hero 5 Black Hero 2018, with Waterproof Housing Case Pistol Trigger Floating Hand Grip, Underwater Diving Accessories

Litra LitraTorch LED Video Light (2 Pack) with Triple Bracket Mount + Battery Hand Grip + Flex Tripod + Kit

GoPole Reach - 14-40" Extension Pole for GoPro Cameras (36-101cm)

Jim is currently traveling in New Zealand and Australia, and it has been awhile since The Fotobug presented a How-to - so for this podcast, Jim and Fred share a video from their new photography lesson series currently on The Fotobug YouTube Channel.  We hope you will check out the other videos and consider subscribing to The Fotobug Youtube channel!  

Tune in for the next podcast for more interviews, reviews and how-tos!!  Please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube Channel!

In recent photography news, William Optics from Taiwan has posted a Kickstarter project to make a flatfield Petzval lens which claims to be the world's sharpest 250mm lens.  Cough up $648 to get in on the campaign!  The FAA has announced that as of February 25th, all consumer drones must have the registration number posted on the outside of the drone.  Camera Rescue, a Finnish company, has preserved 46,000 analog cameras and intends to save 100,000 for future generations.  Kosmo Foto has announced the release and are taking pre-orders for a new mono 120 B&W film.

Jim recently returned from a trip to the western Florida Everglades with the Pinellas Friends of Florida Master Naturalists, which Jim is the Vice-President.  The group toured many locations which are not only off the beaten path, but are not necessarily open to the public.  If you are interested in more information about the Florida Master Naturalist program - check out the following website: http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

In recent Photograph news, DJI is implementing a Geospatial Environment Online 2.0 system as a safety zone replacement for airports. ProGrade Digital has expanded beyond hardware with a digital recovery program. Three legged Thing is releasing a new L-bracket called "Ellie". A photographer found a Fujifilm digital camera that was dropped from Angels Landing in Zion National Park 4 years ago and is looking for the owner to return the SD card.  Watch the podcast for more details!

Sometimes even the digital professionals make serious errors when manipulating images with Photoshop.  Fred and Jim have found a few and share them on this episode of The Fotobug!  We hope none of our viewers make these obvious mistakes!  If you find any glaring errors in published images, please send them to us!

Please subscribe to the new Fotobug Youtube channel!!