The judges have come back with the final 30 lucky entrants from the PEN Test Drive Competition who will ALL get to test drive the brand new Olympus PEN E-PL1 next generation digital camera!

Now remember this was not just a competition judged on imagery alone but also on the heartfelt, poignant and descriptive reasons why these photographers felt they should be one of the test drivers.

Congratulations to all those that entered and of course to the 30 finalists of which 3 will walk away with the Olympus PEN E-PL1with 14 - 42mm Lens Kit!!

 

Umbrella by Luan

 

Essential Animal by Chris

 

Vintage Girl by Monique

 

Fire Amongst the Pilons by Harimou

 

Washing Day by Naomi Frost

 

Abstract Art in Life by Luke Brown

 

London Calling by Nicolas Gonzalez

 

Vines Under the Nets by Maurie Roche

 

Drink by the Pool by Linda Nguan

 

And even though by Jess Tremp

 

Waves on Green by Phil

 

Smoke Figurine by Gamand

 

My Beach by Andy

 

Sydney Downpour by Cmitch

 

Reflected by Heather

 

Light Through the Ice by Leopold

 

Balloons Aloft by Judy

 

Please!! No Photos! by wildimagenation

 

5am Sydney Angel by Boraxtz

 

A Mount Buffalo Morning by jjb

 

At Glass at Must by tegans

 

Thirsty by Lenny

 

Green Gully by Twlake

 

Hilltop Grazing by Papatac

 

Marble Eye by Thomas

 

Australia by John White

 

Lengthening Shadows by Alohamae

 

Sleeping Beauties by Jazzyjane

 

The Cellist by Bradley Cummings

 

Twister by Leonard Metcalf

 

The Easter Bunny has come early!! and he’s got gifts!!

Why not get something this Easter that will last on your wall instead if melt in you hands?

PhotoartCentre are offering 25% off all 12x12 inch Canvas Prints from now until April 6th.

Simply enter the code "Easter" When purchasing your 12x12 inch Canvas to receive your discount.

Remember if you want your gift to arrive before Easter you need to get your order in at least 2 weeks before so get cracking!!

 

You may have already heard of the photographer who won the wildlife photographer of the year, only to have it stripped after it was discovered the main subject matter in his photo, was in fact a domestic trained animal, not a wild one. It was a massive coup, in that this was one of the most well respected and anticipated photography competitions in the world, and to have the judges duped with some cleaver angles and perhaps a little digital trickery, was astonishing.

Well its happened again, in possibly an even bigger photo competition. Today, the organisers of World Press photo announced the disqualification of an entry that was originally placed third in the sports category section of the competition. After the image was declared a finalist it became aware to the attention of world press photo that the story had violated a major contest rule. After requesting the RAW image files, it became evident that an element had been removed from an original photograph.

This is outrageous in the World Press Photo circles. The biggest photojournalist awards in the world, and a faked image has made it through to be placed third before having to be removed from the contests site and the entrant disqualified.

Of course these images where altered digitally, as it is so easy to so on computers now days, but this is no new feat. People forget that photographers have always faked images to result in the desired effect. One of Australia’s most famous exploration photographers, Frank Hurly, was a known concoctor of images, never letting an ordinary picture get in the way of what could be a fantastic story. During his coverage of WWI he was in a bitter battle with his historical counterpart that wanted everything to be true to form and fact, Hurley however stated it was impossible to convey the sheer scale of such a battle without the use of composites. Often putting different skies, bomb explosions, soldiers, artillery and even planes into the original picture to create a more dramatic picture and a better story.

However its not just us mere mortal photographers who are effected, arguably one of the most well known photographers in the world, has recently been fired from his job. Peter Parker, Spider Man to those who aren’t up on their Marvel comic knowledge, photographer by day, super hero by night. Has been fired from his photography position with the Daily Bugle after, you guessed it, being caught photoshoping his images!  In a new edition of "the amazing Spider man" Peter Parker will be fired, as he struggles in both his super and regular life.

Although I must say, in a world of economic downturn and uncertain jobs, if a Spidey cant hold down a job, what hope do the rest of us have!!?

Keep an eye out for The unemployment issue — “Amazing Spider-Man #623"

click here to read more about the World Press Photo disqualification.

 

Sydney Siders of all shapes, sizes and colours today took off their cloths and stood naked on the Sydney Opera house Steps. Posing for renowned photographer Spencer Tunick, they helped create some installation art that will help celebrate Sydney’s Mardi Gras.

An amazing 5200 people helped create the artwork, Organisers had expected around 2500 people to turn up. Commissioned by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras, "Mardis Gras: The Base" was an amazing spectacle. Not to mention the Naked Sydney siders beat the number of Naked Melbourne residents who turned out for a similar style shoot in 2001.

Among the many people that bared all, where Footy stars, TV celebrities and a Pregnant women who is due to be induced later today. However we at photoart gallery are hearing rumours that our very own resident photographer Emma was on the opera house steps herself!

As we eagerly await confirmation of these rumours we treat you to some of the rather pixelated scenes captured by Sydney’s media this morning.

Photograph: Herald Sun; Tony Zerna.

With the Test Drive of the New Olympus E-PL1 being launched yesterday in conjunction with Olympus Australia, the entries have piled in!

Lots of great images from people who want to be the first in Australia to get their hands on this great camera!

A few things to remember when you are uploading your images however:

In the description section we need the following information:

• What Camera you captured the image with
  
• What type of photography your are interested in
  
• and WHY you should be considered a test driver for the Olympus PEN E-PL1
  

Without this information your image Will not be eligible

 

So get that one image you're really proud of and get it into the running!

 

We are pleased to announce the release of the New Olympus PEN E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds System interchangeable lens digital Camera.

This Camera will be positioned to join its kin, The Olympus PEN E-P1 and E-P2. Both Widely acclaimed cameras that aid even the most inexperienced photographers to take high quality images through its live guide interface.

The Photo Art Gallery is aiding in the Launch of this amazing piece of gear and in an interesting twist, the Australian Public will be among the first to actually trial this camera and give their thoughts on how it performs. More information on this will be revealed shortly here and on the Olympus website so Stay tuned for more news on that front.

 

      
PR1002004
February 3, 2010

Digital Photography School have just launched a new Photo E-Book for their readers.

Photo Nuts and Bolts is a brand new downloadable PDF E-Book designed to help you know your camera and take better photos.

This resource has been written by regular contributor to DPS – Neil Creek and works through a series of 10 lessons centered around the basics of photography.

Take note photographers this guy is one of the best teachers in the business and will save you invaluable time with your business.

Just click on the pics!

  

Don't miss the opportunity to learn Lightroom from start to finish in this series of two-day “hands on” Australian Lightroom workshops this February. Jerry shares his strategies for making clear choices on how the application can simplify your photography workflow. See why Lightroom puts the focus on the word “speed”. Photographers will spend less time in front of their computers and more time behind their cameras.

Registrations and complete workshop information can be found at

www.jerrycourvoisier.com/workshops/photoshop-lightroom/

2010 Lightroom Workshop Schedule:

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.0
Start to Finish Workflow for Photographers w/ Jerry Courvoisier

 February 5th - 6th   (Fri-Sat)   Melbourne, VIC
 February 12th - 13th  (Fri - Sat)  Sydney, NSW
 February 19th - 20th  (Fri - Sat)  Brisbane, NSW 
 February 22nd - 23rd  (Mon-Tues)  Perth WA
 February 26th - 27th  (Fri - Sat)   Adelaide SA

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Start to Finish Workflow for the Photographer
with Jerry Courvoisier

 

"Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is the essential software of choice for digital photographers on both Mac and Windows. This unique hands-on application experience is an intensive two-day workshop focused on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, in which participants learn to download, organize, manage, develop, and present digital photography using their own laptops. Led by Jerry Courvoisier, a master teacher of digital imaging, this workshop ensures a smooth transition to the digital workflow.

We begin with an introductory overview called “Wrap Your Head Around Lightroom,” which covers database components, catalog files, previews files, the metadata structure, and the steps for setting up application preferences specific to your personal workflow requirements. Topics include digital camera setup, choosing appropriate file formats for image capture, efficiently downloading images from camera or hard drive, sorting, rating, editing, global tone and color correction, critical local corrections, input and output sharpening, presenting slideshows, and printing photographic images using Lightroom from start to finish."

Jerry emphasizes using Lightroom to its fullest potential by generating timesaving keywords and metadata searches, presets, and templates. Once images are processed, participants learn how to produce slideshows and web sites within Lightroom. We also study slide presentations and look at ways to integrate Photoshop or Elements for further image processing if desired.

Jerry shares his recommendations and strategies for making clear decisions based on how Lightroom benefits each participant’s personal approach and workflow needs. Under Jerry’s expert guidance, participants come to see why Lightroom puts deliberate focus on the word “speed,” for this program allows photographers to spend less time in front of their computers and more time behind their cameras.

The Lightroom tutorial exercises provided on the workshop DVD supply a broad assortment of images to work on, so you can continue to revisit the DVD when you finish the workshop. Jerry’s book Lessons in DSLR Workflow with Lightroom and Photoshop is a brilliant companion to this workshop.

“Jerry Courvoisier is, plain and simple, one of the best teachers of digital workflow and image management working today. He demystifies the digital world for both the beginner and the advanced user. --Joe McNally, photographer and author of The Moment It Clicks

Who Should Attend
This workshop is for photographers just entering the digital camera realm as well as those who already have one foot in the digital door. If your skills are more advanced, please contact Jerry to determine whether this workshop is appropriate for you.

 

Skill Level
Computer literacy is essential. No first-time computer users please!

Equipment Requirement
Each participant is required to bring a digital camera, camera manual, a card reader , and a laptop computer, PC or Mac, with DVD drive and a minimum of 1 GB of RAM (2 GB preferred). The laptop must have the current version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software installed and at least 10 GB of available hard drive space.

 

 

 

Lady Gaga is set to " finally get a real job", when she tries her hand

on the other side of the camera as creative director of photography company

Polaroid.

 

 

Georgie Sharp, the Festive Finale's first prize winner was absolutely over the moon when we contacted her with the news that she had won the whole thing! Part of the $2500.00 first prize package (see here for details) was a deluxe Christmas Hamper courtesy of one of the sponsors Hampers Only. Well she wanted it to go to someone who, "needs it a lot more than we do" and asked us to donate it.

So Annie scooped it up at took it down to St John Ambulance Australia in Surry Hills, Sydney yesterday to spread the goodwill and feed a few hungry stomachs.

Good on you Georgie, that's what this time of year is all about!!

Hello all!

Remember Trent? (photo gallery member, TMphoto) He won our essence of Australia comp and has since gone on to do some great things!

This Friday the 18th Trent will have his first ever solo show at Concrete Gallery in Mona Vale. It kicks off at 6pm and wraps up around 9pm.

Like all art shows, if your life is too "busy" it's always a good excuse to have some beers, wines, relax and kick-off Christmas and check out something a little different!All the pieces will be up for sale and all of them are one-off works.

If you can't make it on the Friday, he also is part of a group show on Thursday 17th at The Palmer Projects Gallery in Darlinghurst. For some this may be a more accessible option! Lifelounge and Boag's are supporting the group of 6 emerging photographers in this show, with the project eventually producing a special edition book/magazine.

It should be a pretty interesting show, given the diverse range of subjects and styles on show.

For more details check out these details below!

See you all at the shows!

xKat

You heard it right, this is the fourth and final weekly winner. FOUR weeks seems like four seconds!

The worthy winner is joydeepm's wonderfully emotive "Friendship for Ever"! Congratulations Joy your $50.00 Photo Art Centre voucher has booked a VIP place on Santa's sleigh and will be on it's way to you very soon!

 

We have enjoyed a fanstastic month of Festive photo entries and there have been Four amazing weekly winners. But it aint over til the fat man sings! There is still the Grand Festive Finale where 20 of the best from each theme of Family, Friendship, Food and Fun will be judged best overall Festive image. That means you still have time to enter and have a chance at the $4000.00 prizepool!!!

Better be quick and get them in because as of this Monday 14th December, 8:00am to be exact, we close the comp and start the judging. Best of luck to you all.

The digital camera in all it's guises proves to be an omnipresent wonder of capturing modern day life. When you think about it, it was not long ago at all that we were still stuffing film into our cameras for special events and of course for fun and the sake of art.

Present day is a far different story. Digital image capturing devices come in all shapes and forms like watches, phones, compacts, DSLR's.....even swimming goggles! When something even remotely interesting happens anywhere in the world it will no doubt be captured and shared within minutes. When something really interesting happens anywhere in the world, these technologies allow image sharing to spread virally and globally within minutes. Nothing and no-one is safe anymore. The next image taken at the top of Sydney's historic clock tower on Broadway  (courtesy of the daily telegraph) is a classic example of this but we have a feeling these two "friends" didn't mind one iota!

 

"Romp around the clock!"

Imagine being a photographer who totally loves what they do... imagine scoring a highly sort after position as a photojournalist covering incredibly important global issues around the world. Now imagine this happening to you...

The perils of taking your vocation into real life danger zones became only too apparent for Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan and Canadian reporter Amanda Lindhout. 15 months ago these two were kidnapped by Somali rebels, help hostage and tortured regularly. One of the kidnappers said a ransom of $US1 million ($1.09 million) had been paid for the pair's release (paid by their families). Let's think about that for a minute, 15 months of chains, isolation and pistol whippings. 15 months with no family or friends, no exercise, bad food, no smiling and a cold lonely corner. That was their reality. Heavy.

The pair's long overdue freedom came less than 48 hours ago much to the relief of of their families and of course themselves. The Somali government has been warring with rebel groups for control of the lawless country for about two decades. Gunmen regularly target foreign journalists and aid workers and kidnap them until a ransom is paid. Many have been murdered.

I am so happy to hear of their safe release and these events have definately stirred up a few issues. I am a photographer and I love it. I have been blessed with a great photographic career that has taken me all over Australia to travel and play tourist... for a living. Then I hear about Nigel Brennan, travelling to worn torn countries, making a difference and then going to hell and back. I actually feel pretty soft right about now. Photojournalism crossed my mind as a divergent career path but never would I have considered doing what Nigel has. Full respect to you and Amanda for getting out there and opening the world's eyes to the various human right's atrocities being committed even as I type this out in my safe little office on my happy little desk.

One last thought to leave you to ponder. How is it that we hear more through the media about Shappelle Corby than what has been going on with these two journalists? It took their families 15 months to come up with the ransom. Surely if there was some noise made in the media on an international level, that long torturous 15 months might have been drastically reduced. Perhaps the media need to think more about the bigger picture here and not just newspaper selling vitriol.

Paul

 

 

I guess we're like those sneaky peeps that nearly let the whole day go by without letting on that's it's their birthday. Well we are officially ONE today!!! (in web years that's actually 4!!) Yep November 24 2008 was the first day Ph.Art Gallery opened it's doors, went live and let everyone one in.

What a year it's been! As it stands a year on... 11,000 members and over 30,000 images on display from all over the world. Too many enhancements to mention but still never enough. We really do want to make this photographic community as rewarding, informative, beneficial, inspiring and as fun as possible. So our hearfelt thanks to all of you for all your wonderful support, we wouldn't be here without it.

Here's to an absolute crackin' year to come!! Now where's that cake?.....and beer!

  

Well the first week of the Festive comp has been and gone but definately not forgotten! Announcing the very special weekly winner Josie Mackerras!! wwaaahh come on down.....wwwaaahhh you have won yourself a $50.00 Photo Art Centre voucher!!! Her image titled "Freedom" just screamed out Fun and it just gave us all a great Festive feeling. Beautiful composition too Josie!

Who will be next weeks winner???

High brow interior design magazine belle contacted us recently looking for an image of the American desert. Lots of rocks and Joshua trees they said. So we sent them a few examples from the gallery and they loved KJohnson's image titled Joshua Tree National Park.
What exactly did they want to do with it? Oh just enlarge it to 3 x 3 METRES as a vinyl print and use it as the whole backdrop on a photography shoot. The studio wall became a desert scene and the art director then brought elements of the image out into real life, like rocks, cactus etc. The resulting shoot looks amazing!
Both the artist and the gallery were credited. Look out for it in the latest edition with belle embossed in gold. As for the lucky KJohnson, we will have a copy of the magazine off to you shortly Kimberley. Congratulations! Here's what the print looks like when we strung it up in the office. That's Glen aka gephotog casually checking the time whilst strolling through the desert.

There are certain accomplishments made by people pushing beyond the limits of what we think is possible. When you hear about these accomplishments, words are simply not enough to do the story justice. World number 1 hanglider Jon Durand fulfilled a lifelong dream to surf the rare phenomenon known as the Morning Glory Cloud in Queensland.  This is where photography comes into it's own as a spectacular vehicle of visual communication. Go here for the story. Extreme sports photographer and Nikon ambassador shot using a Nikon D300S + 10.5mm fisheye.

The following photos are a poignant display of powerful emotive eye-popping photography. Incredible!

The video is in the blog here

 

 

 

In February 2008, Polaroid announced that they would be ending the production of the famous and well-loved instant film. The company reportedly cut 450 jobs and decided to focus on other endeavours such as a portable printer for pictures from mobile phones, and Polaroid-branded digital cameras, etc.

For a while there it looked like it was the end of instant film. Polaroid lovers had to take action. Soon after Polaroid's announcement, The Impossible Project was launched with the aim to "reinvent and restart production of analog INTEGRAL FILM for vintage polaroid cameras." Impossible got a hold of the film production equipment in the Netherlands from Polaroid, signed a ten year lease agreement on the factory building, and has connected with the most skilled team of Integral Film experts in the world.

The Project has recently announced a "history making cooperation between Polaroid and The Impossible Project:"

As we have created quite some buzz about Analog Instant Photography over the past 12 months, the Polaroid licensee - The Summit Global Group - now can't resist any longer and announced at a press conference on October 13th in Hongkong that they will re-launch some of the most famous Polaroid Instant Cameras. They are commissioning The Impossible Project to develop and produce a limited edition of Polaroid branded Instant Films in the middle of 2010.

Large-scale production and distribution of the new integral film materials under The Impossible Project's own brand will commence at the start of 2010, with a brand-spankin'-new black and white Instant Film. The first colour films will follow throughout the course of the year.

For more information, visit The Impossible Project website here. There is also some Phorum fodder on Polaroid film here.