Ferbuary-March Network Newsletter

INSPIRATIONPHOTOS FOR MOTIVATION

SPECIAL OFFER Only

for RITZPIX NETWORK MEMBERS

VIDEO EDITINGNew Video Editing Service

PHOTO PROJECTSSEEING THE WORLD IN BLACK AND WHITE

PARTING SHOT

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2012 ISSUE 7

THE

PHOTO PATROLNEW EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

TECH CORNERTAMRON - THE COMPACT ROAD WARRIOR

wildcat canyonby BRANDON CLARKmill valley, california

A Message from The Photo Patrol

Wherever the road takes you, always remember...

There are memories to capture, share & display for generations to come.

2 THE NETWORK FEBRUARY 2012

RITZ&WOLF CAMERA&IMAGE

FEBRUARY 2012 THE NETWORK 3


Classic Leather 12x12 Photo Book!

It is always nice to keep one or two large coffee table books out for when guests are over. They are great conversation starters and they make a great way to pass the time.

The brown leather cover option for your 12x12 photo book will really boost its appeal. You can control the book’s topic and your pictures. Keep it interesting!

RITZPIX NETWORK MEMBERS ONLY

offer expires 2-29-12

RitzPix Network Cardwith your75%OFF

Purchase a 12x12 Classic Brown Leather Photo Book

at one of our In-store Kiosks and get

Details:12”x12” Photo Book with 20 pages(2 pages = 1 sheet)Printed on 100lb offset paperPages have classic white border

Brown Leather 12x12

Regular Price - $59.99RPN Member Sale - 75% off

Final Price $14.99

F E B R U A R Y I M A G I N G S P E C I A L F O R

(In-store purchase only. Valid towards the purchase of one 12x12 Classic Brown Leather Photo Book

order. Certificate code = RPN12x12)





little pumpkinby UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHERsomewhere, usa

lollie popby UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHERsomewhere, usa

landscape curvesby CHRISTOPHER MOSS

salt lake city, utah

state of colorby KIMBERLY WORLEYbatavia, illinois

lightingurwayby CHARLES RIENHART

bellevue, washington

INSPIRATION

simple beautyby PATRICK WEBSTER

sandy, utah

From our Family of Associate Photographers





window to the soulby UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHERsomewhere, usa

last danceby CYNTHIA MAXWELL

sandy, utah

arsty junkby BEN FORNECKERcary, north carolina

seedless colorby GRANT LAEHRdenver, colorado

time2relaxby GAYLE SMITHwilmington, delaware

pretty in pinkby NICHOLE MERRIT

pittsburgh, pennsylvania





Longhorn State Gets New Video Service

Our Video Editing Services Include:

Video Duplication, Organization & ConsolidationWe will organize all of your video footage into one professional video.

Sports Highlight Reels/Recruiting VideosWe can create a montage video set to music including some ofthe best and most inspiring moments of your competitions.

Premium Photo Slide ShowsWe offer a wider selection of musical choices, the option toinclude images from the Getty Image archive, and up to 1,000 images!

Video highlights and memories for eventsPerfect for anything from Bar and Bat Mitzvahs to Weddings.

Memorial VideosCreate a video tribute to a loved one. We can incorporate stillimages and video footage celebrating your family’s memories together.

PowerPoint ConversionsConvert your presentation into a digital video. We can convertyour materials into an exciting video resume, or presentation.We have everything you need to make your presentation moreexciting and ultimately memorable.

Video to PrintsCreate Photo Books from your Vid-eos! We can take your old home movie footage and create a series of jpeg files you can use to make prints or even Photo Books!





Longhorn State Gets New Video Service

Video Editing Services

DallasFlower Mound Highlands at Flower Mound 972-691-5500Arlington Arlington Park Square 817-557-2464Dallas 11171 Harry Hines Blvd 972-241-0582Dallas Old Town Shopping Center 214-691-3430Dallas 5974 Northwest Highway 214-691-7540Frisco Center at Preston Ridge 972-668-7990Ft. Worth 6733 Camp Bowie Boulevard 817-731-2716Grapevine Park West Shopping Center 817-481-0231Plano Creekwalk Village 972-881-1677Plano Preston Highlands 972-769-9901*Cedar Hill Cedar Hill Pointe 469-272-3196Garland Firewheel Market 972-530-6164

HoustonThe Woodlands The Woodlands Mall 281-367-6564Houston Town & Country Shopping Village 713-467-0433Houston Meyerland Plaza 713-838-0416Houston North Oaks Center 281-397-7503Houston Copperfield Landing 281-856-2419Houston Post Oak Plaza 713-621-4262Houston Rice Boulevard Shopping Center 713-630-0720Stafford The Fountains 281-494-6161Webster Baybrook Square 281-316-1330Katy Grand Parkway Crossing 281-574-3464

*Production Studio

Post Production Services Available at the following stores:

Expanding to

Colorado, Utah &

Minnesota!





Olympus OM-D Coming in Spring?

Kyodo News International, a Japanese news service, is reporting that Olympus will introduce a 16MP camera, based on its classic OM series. The news would tie-in with a recent Olympus press advertisemnet in the UK that highlighted the letters ‘O’ and ‘M’ in the text. The report suggests such a camera would sell for over ¥100,000 (around $1300) and feature ‘high-speed autofocus and image stabilization functionality.’ Meanwhile, Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei is reporting that Sony is considering investing in Olympus and forming a business alliance. Fujifilm which, like Olympus, has extensive medical interests is also rumored to be interested.

The News Wire...

Kodak May Leave Photography and

Focus on Printing

Kodak filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy just last week and the company is strongly weighing its options moving forward. The company is not without

its strengths. For example, Kodak owns a great deal of patents that bring in money from licensing. The company also does pretty well when it comes to printing for packages and other business uses and is stationed to do even better thanks to new inks.

One area Kodak isn’t doing well in - and this should come as no surprise - is cameras. It’s no secret that consumer products have been a weak point in recent years, and CEO Antonio Perez doesn’t seem to have a lot of attachment to that division. Perez says that the plan going forward is to keep Kodak “competing in large markets, where we have fundamental technology advantages, such as in digital printing, in packaging, in functional printing, in materials.”

Just because there’s a chance of Kodak dropping cameras doesn’t mean the brand is dead though. The other possibility going forward is that Kodak will instead license the brand to another company with more interest in pursuing the project.





Sigma Announces Prime Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras

After much speculation about their place in the market, it’s become clear that mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (what we like to call EVIL or ILC cameras) are here to stay. Sigma agrees wholeheartedly and has announced the launch of the Digital Neo (DN) line of lenses designed for Micro Four Thirds and E-mount cameras.

The first of the two lenses announced is the 30mm F2.8 EX DN, which provides the same viewing angle as a 60mm lens on Micro Four Thirds cameras and a 45mm equivalent on E-mount. It’s made of two aspherical glass lenses to help correct any type of aberration and offers a seven-blade diaphragm.

Next up is the 19mm F2.8 EX DN which provides the equivalent of 38mm for Micro Four thirds cameras and 28.5 on E-mount. The 19mm lens packs a trio of aspherical lenses and a seven blade diaphragm. It also boasts a minimum focus distance of 7.9 inches.

Sigma has not yet announced a release date or price for these lenses.

Tamron’s Latest Mom-to-Mom Photo Exhibit -

“Taking Photos Indoors”

Unless you’re living in one of those wonderfully warm states to the south, you’re probably dealing with gray skies and roads covered in snow. It’s exactly this time that outdoor photography loses its appeal. The choice between braving the cold and staying inside with some hot chocolate is an easy one to make.

The latest installation of Tamron’s Mom-to-Mom program is all about shooting photographs indoors, with color, texture and lighting being themes throughout. You’ll find photos of children, pets and family as well as advice on how to capture a similar picture of your own.

Check out their website, http://tamron.myphotoexhibits.com/





Long Island - The Compact Road Warrior from our Friends at TAMRON

Capturing the natural environment on an afternoon trek requires a multipurpose zoom lens—and the Tamron SP AF18-200mm Di-II does the trick.

When you’re heading out into the great outdoors for a day of recreational shooting, a versatile zoom lens can be the ace in your photographic pocket. Ken Hubbard recently took some time to wander around the scenic seascapes of Sunken Mead-ow State Park and the picturesque valleys of Hoyt Farm, both located in central Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. His travel companion: Tamron’s SP AF18-200mm Di-II, which recently made its official debut at PMA 2005.

This high-powered multipurpose zoom lens, one of the premiere lenses in Tamron’s Di-II lineup, offers photographers with a wanderlust a wide range of focal lengths, from wide-angle to telephoto. “The range of the 18-200mm was perfect for me—with a 1.5x conversion, it brought me to the 28-300mm range, which is ideal for travel photography,” says Hubbard.

The 18-200mm’s compact size doesn’t hurt, either. “The weight and size of this new lens is also perfect for the traveling photographer,” says Hubbard. “At just 3.3 inches long and weighing only 14 ounces, this lens can stay on your camera all day without weighing you down or getting in the way,” he says.

Adventures in Versatility

Modeled after the product concept of the 28-300mm XR Di lens (when converted to 35mm format, it comprises a focal length equivalent to the 28-300’s), the 18-200mm lens offers digital photographers a wide-angle to telephoto focal length range that will allow them to explore nearly every photographic possibility without having to change lenses.

“This lens covers everything, from wide-angle shots when you’re in a tight spot and limited space to a midrange of 85mm (perfect for portraiture) to 200mm telephoto for landscape images such as distant mountains that you want to bring in close,” says Hubbard. “When I first shot with the lens, I had only a few hours to test it out. This range made it very easy to find closeup, wide-angle, and everything in between during my limited timetable.”

The lens also realizes a revolutionary minimum focusing distance (17.7 inches, with 1:3.7* macro capability), allowing photographers to easily achieve the close-up capabilities they need. “The 17.7-inch minimum focusing distance was actually one of the most useful aspects of the lens for my day in the parks,” says Hubbard.

Sauntering along the Sunken Meadow shoreline, Hubbard was able to run the 18-200 from one end of its focal length range to the other when he spot-

ted a set of freestanding binoculars poised on the boardwalk. “The images of the binoculars were shot at both 18mm and 200mm to show the powerful focal range of the lens,” he explains. “You can capture your subject from a wide-angle view, and then get a nice closeup of the same subject. This helps with

Article by Jennifer Gidman Zumpano - Images by Ken Hubbard





tech CORNERyour creativity in re-creating a certain scene. When you’re limited with your focal length, you’re limited with what can be created in that scene. The 18-200mm lens gives you the ability to capture your subject even if you can’t get as close as you’d like.”

Hubbard put the zoom to the test once again when he stumbled upon a quaint wooden bridge nearby. “I knew the angle and the cropping of the shot I wanted, but the only place to achieve that was pretty far away from the bridge,” he recalls. “If I didn’t have that extra length from the 18-200mm, I would have never gotten the shot.”

He captured the bridge at 200mm, with a shutter speed of 1/750 and an ISO of 400mm. “I used an f-stop of F/8 because I wanted a limited depth-of-field to help cre-ate a more interesting image,” he says. “The 1/750 shutter speed was used to keep the image sharp.”

Boat Ban During his promenade through Sunken Meadow State Park, Hubbard spotted a “No Boats” sign hanging on the middle of the bridge he had photographed earlier. “I’m not really sure what the sign was referring to, since you normally walk across a bridge—you wouldn’t use a boat to cross it,” Hubbard laughs. But while the 18-200mm lens allowed Hubbard to capture this creative closeup, he had to think about the best way to retain image sharpness. “The

Boat Ban

During his promenade through Sunken Meadow State Park, Hubbard spotted a “No Boats” sign hanging on the middle of the bridge he had photographed earlier. “I’m not really sure what the sign was referring to, since you normally walk across a bridge—you wouldn’t use a boat to cross it,” Hubbard laughs. But while the 18-200mm lens allowed Hubbard to capture this creative closeup, he had to think about the best way to retain image sharpness. “The most important aspect to this shot was the shutter speed,” he says. “Any movement of the camera will be exaggerated when you’re zooming in so close, so the higher the shutter speed, the better your chances of getting a nice, sharp image.” Hubbard shot the sign handheld at 200mm, F/8.0, using a shutter speed of 1/750 and an ISO of 400mm.

Tip Box





Do you dream in color or black and white?Do you see the world around you in color or black and white?

We are not trying to psychoanalyze anybody or interpret the meaning of your dreams. Have you ever thought about what that image would be like in black and white instead of color?

Many cameras today have a “Black and White” mode built into them already. If your camera does not, most image editing programs and just about every online imaging site has a black and white filter option.

Your challenge...spend 1 month taking the color out of your photographs. Your eyes will be opened to some truly amazing images. Think about the emotion and the drama you can create with a colorless photograph.

Taking the color away can help the viewer focus on a particular subject. Take a close look at the water drops on the leaf. By turning the image into a B/W, your eye is drawn to the water drops a little bit more then in the color version.

Take a look at this small town cityscape. It seems to be a quiet small town. Once you remove the color it adds a historic feeling to the image. Let your imagination run wild. Maybe it was once the home town a of famous president or the town hall that overlooked the bay during the early war.

PHOTO PROJECTS





And when we are talking about drama and emotion, take a look at the subjects to the left and below. Remove the color and you intensify the feeling of the photo.

Check out the brides below. The color images are beautiful and the B/W images are classic.

Remember for the next month look and photograph everything in B/W!

Seeing the World in Mono





Photo Patrol is a Customized Education program that offers One-on-One Tutoring, Fundamental Digital Photography Classes, and Advanced Digital Photography Seminars. More than 180 class locations throughout the country have combined to conduct thousands of classes annually.

visit www.ritzpixphotopatrol.com to obtain the latest class schedules

3. Advanced Digital Photography Seminars Inexpensive advanced digital photography seminars designed to expand on the basic classes. Seminars are scheduled periodically throughout the year at select locations and offer tips and techniques on a wide variety of specific photographic topics.

1. Private Tutoring One-on-One consultation that can be tailored to fit your specific needs. Whether it be the operation of your specific camera equipment, computer or software training, even hands-on training for your specific photographic purpose. Almost any educational need is available either in-store or on-location.

2. Digital Photography Classes Four classes are included with camera purchase and are designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the principles of digital photography that apply to all cameras.

3 Steps to Success!





Two New Photo Patrol Educational Services now being offered in select areas

Group Tutoring (Groups are limited based on educational topic)Group instruction on specific camera model operation or other digital photography instructional topics for groups may be available.

Photo ExcursionsExpand your photography horizons with a Group Photo Excursion. Our RitzPix Photo Patrol Consultants will take you on a field trip and teach you the specific techniques for capturing the moment as accurately as it is seen.

For detailed information on all Photo Patrol Educational Services visit

www.ritzpixphotopatrol.comv Private/Group Tutoring Pricing Information

v Photo Patrol Consultant and Seminar Locations

v Photo Patrol Consultants Pictures and Biographies (Categorized by Location)

v All Class Schedules (Categorized by State and City)

v Class Support Files (Glossary of Digital Photography Terms, Mac & Windows Keyboard Shortcuts, and more)

v Special Event Schedules (Details on hands-on photo excursions, manufacturer classes, and other educational opportunities being conducted throughout the country.

New digital photography educational information and opportunities are continuously developed and being added to the Photo Patrol website.

Photo Patrol Education





parting shot

here’s looking at you

by HILARY PETERKAhouston, tx

Ferbuary-March Network Newsletter

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