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Nikon users get in line.  Everyone’s about to get enlightened.  A new training video titled “A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting” is on its way for Nikonians of all experience levels.

Two very knowledgeable photographers lead the training: Bob Krist and Joe McNally.  Both have done work for National Geographic and have a close relationship with Nikon.  Both are multi-award winners, authors/photographers of best-selling photography books, and have shot for major magazines and companies.  Both men also teach seminars and workshops.  It is without question these men know their stuff.  Who better to learn from than masters of the craft?

Read on for more info on the DVD…

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Seems as though the folks over there at Microsoft have really been busy as of late. Their Office Labs recently released the the Speed Launch Program , and now Microsoft ‘s Live Labs just released their Photosynth program for consumers.

What was once just a “oh isn’t that so pretty” tech demo, the program is now something that just about anyone can actually go on and use now. While before, the process took weeks of stitching photos together on specially configured server arrays; it is now able to be done by taking groups of photos that you’ve taken with your digital camera or even your mobile phone, and the program then stitches them into a faux 3D environment converted right onto your computer.

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Sections: Computers, Software / Applications, Imaging, Accessories, Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Websites

Google is getting ready to launch their Street View technology in the UK, and it isn’t being met with open arms. Although the mapping tool is already in place in some major US cities, folks in the UK are protesting the implementation on their turf.  Street View works by taking photos of, logically enough, streets to match maps. However the photos also include any people on those streets. This is where the problems come in for the UK folk. They feel this is a blatant disregard for privacy; and that permission should be granted by any individual photographed since the pictures are being used in a commercial regard. 

Personally, I don’t see how Google is getting away with this. As a freelance photographer myself, I know that any photographs that I take (even in a public setting) must have release forms signed by each recognizable person in the photo, if I am to be using them in any way for profit. (They even consider a person to be “recognizable” if the photo only shows the back of them for the record.) Apparently, Privacy International, a UK rights group, agrees. They believe the technology clearly breaks data protection laws. 

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