Stock Indexhttp://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1747Model-released shots from africanpictures.netafricanpictures.net have released an interesting set of images that show homely black lifestyles in South Africa. They perceived a need for model released images that reflect South African cultural expression. Durban based photographer, Kim Thunder, has been working to fill this gap in the market. He shoots locally, nationally and internationally. His specialist advertising fields are food and lifestyle, whilst commercially he shoots assignments for most of South Africa's big corporates. Above is one of Kim's charming African lifestyle images. africanpictures.net is a professional marketplace which is oriented to selling publication rights to pictures and photo features produced by African photographers and delivering the required pictures anywhere in the world. africanpictures.net also facilitates the commissioning of African photographers by African and international publications. Tel: 27-(0)33-345-9445 E-mail: pictures@africanpictures.net Website: http://www.africanpictures.net http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=174620 new CDs from agefotostock RF brandpixtal, the Royalty Free brand of the renowned photographic agency age fotostock, has released 20 new CDs and more than a 1,000 new images with styles, contents and concepts as lively and stimulating as the approaching summer season. With titles such as healthy pregnancy, funky objects, loft life or color & beauty treatments, pixtal puts within the reach of designers and creative people a great quantity of images that are endorsed by the pixtal guarantee seal. This seal implies that all images have been submitted to a strict and rigorous process of production in order to maximize the digital quality of the files and assure the impact of the final image. With the incorporation of this new material, the pixtal collection now embraces more than 80.000 images and 350 CDs. This solid stock of Royalty Free photography contains images of the most requested subjects, and is put together using the work of photographers from around the world. As a result, pixtal is a very versatile collection with a global focus. All of pixtal's images and CDs, including those of this last launch, can be purchased worldwide through www.agefotostock.com or the brand's international network of agents. Tel: (New York) 212 625 9000 (Barcelona) (34) 93 300 25 52 E-mail: age@agefotostock.com Website: www.agefotostock.com http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1744Iconic shots of Professor Stephen HawkingProfessor Stephen Hawking is one of the most iconic people alive today, with his pioneering science work, bestselling books, and notably wheelchair and synthesized voice. His indomitable spirit in the face of huge adversity is a beacon to many people. It is nearly 25 years (and over 25 million copies in 40 languages) since the superstar scientist published A Brief History of Time, with global impact. TopFoto represents major photographers David Gamble and John Hedgecoe, both of whom took wonderful shots of Hawking at different periods of his life. Professor Hawking’s latest book is a joint project with his daughter, novelist Lucy Hawking, this time for children (out in September). Above: David Gamble's portrait of Professor Stephen Hawking for the front cover of A Brief History Of Time TopFoto presents a gallery of Stephen Hawking images, as well as some of those people who have inspired him. Tel: +44 (0) 1732 863939 Email: requests@TopFoto.co.uk Website: TopFoto Hawking Gallery http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1743International Photobank covers Spanish capitalInternational Photobank photographers have been updating their files. Gary Goodwin spent a few days discovering the real Madrid. Yes, he did photograph the stadium, which has been home to David Beckham, the former England captain but much, much, more besides. Spain's tourism has grown to enormous proportions over the last four decades but many tourists who visit the Spanish Costa's have never been to the Spanish capital because of its situation, far removed from the beaches of the south. Madrid has it's share of traditional architecture, The Metropolis Building, a well known landmark, is typical of the fine buildings dotted around the city but by contrast the ultra modern Kio Towers in Plaza de Castilla is a splendid example of today's design. There are many imposing statues and monuments throughout the city and some of these made impressive pictures for Gary. The statue of Don Quixote and monument to Miguel de Cevantes in Plaza de Espana are typical of these and feature prominent characters in Spanish history. Tourists can watch the mounted horse guards at the Palacio Real or visit the wonderful indoor market and as evening draws near, join the crowds who flock to the Plaza Mayor a big square lined with open air caf?s or join the diners in the more intimate Plaza de Santa Ana. These and other scenes of Madrid can be found on International Photobank’s frequently-updated website. Tel: 0044 (0)1305 854145 Email: peter@internationalphotobank.co.uk http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1742A big upgrade for the industry-standard applicationPhotoshop CS3 has been released by Adobe. This is a large upgrade of the industry-standard image manipulation product. In particular it has moved further into integration with 3D and Movie compositing applications. The extended version is aimed at high end users mainly in the movie or scientific communities. First impressions are that the interface has been redesigned so the palettes come in docks, a slight increase in convenience. New tools include the Quick Selection tool, and non-destructive Smart Filters – which preserve the underlying image so no permanent mistakes are made. Auto-align helps users stitch different images together quickly and easily. The curves dialogue box has been improved. Conversion from colour to Black and White has been vastly improved and the new converter is an excellent way to change to monochrome without losing any of the feel of the image or clipping tones. The rendering and editing of 3D images and textures is a marked step forward in capability for Photoshop. Photoshop Extended supports common 3D interchange formats, including 3DS, OBJ, U3D, KMZ, and COLLADA, so users can import, view, and interact with most 3D models. Animation capacity is likewise improved, with the ability to export to Adobe’s (formerly Macromedia’s) Flash. A few nice features are incorporated in Adobe Bridge: images can be filtered by type – e.g. JPEG or PSD, and also grouped, so they are easier to find. Another improvement comes in raw images processing. CS3 gives increased speed and superior conversion quality using the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in, which now adds support for JPEG and TIFF formats; new tools including Fill Light and Dust Busting; compatibility with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software; and support for over 150 camera models. More image formats are supported too: new ones include DICOM, Cineon, JPEG2000, OpenEXR. For those who are using High Dynamic Range (HDR) images the improved 32 bit processing will be helpful: For instance, a 32-bit image can contain layers, with layer masks, and a several types of adjustment layers (Solid Colour, Gradient, Pattern, Levels, Hue/Saturation, Channel Mixer, Photo Mixer, and Exposure). Some of the filters now work with 32-bit images (as do the normal layer blending modes), and with two special 32-bit modes, Height and Linear Height. For re-touching, the Brush, Pencil, Pattern Stamp, Eraser, Gradient, Blur, Sharpen, Smudge and Type tools now work on 32-bit images, and Adobe threw in a new HDR colour picker. Overall, this is a noticeable step forward. Every time Photoshop is upgraded Adobe finds some new way to enhance, improve, make quicker or easier a process. CS3 continues that fine tradition. Website: Adobe Photoshop http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1741The Professional Photographer’s Legal HandbookThe Professional Photographer’s Legal Handbook is destined to be the legal primer for US copyright issues in the stock photography industry. Written by attorney and industry expert Nancy E. Wolff, it is an accessible guide to licensing rights to pictures. This entertaining volume takes readers through the nuances and subtleties of copyright, trademark, and the laws of privacy and publicity. With a look at cases, statutes, and news items from today’s headlines, Wolff covers the most timely and pressing legal matters confronting photographers and their representatives, including: Rights and licensing under copyright Infringement Protected trademarks Photos on the Internet Fair use The public domain First amendment considerations The Digital Millennium Copyright Act Moral rights The book is aimed at non-lawyers, and written in an easily-accessible manner. The Professional Photographer’s Legal Handbook will be an essential tool for photographers, photo buyers, stock agents, picture researchers, reps, and other professionals in the field of photography. Website: The Professional Photographer’s Legal Handbook http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1740Human figures placed around London for Anthony Gormley ExhibitionThe Hayward Gallery is presenting Blind Light, the first major London showing of the work of British sculptor Antony Gormley. The exhibition features a series of brand new monumental works specially conceived for The Hayward’s distinctive spaces, including one of the largest ever urban public art commissions, Event Horizon, which features sculptural casts of the artist’s body on rooftops and public walkways across central London, dramatically transforming the city skyline. View Pictures has pictures of this unusual artistic installation. The above image is by Peter Cook. Tel: +44 (0)20 7284 2928 E-mail: info@viewpictures.co.uk Website: www.viewpictures.co.uk http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1739Industry major sponsors international advertising festivalCorbis has a packed sponsorship and activity schedule for the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2007, showcasing the company’s commitment to providing the advertising community with leading creative resources including imagery, footage and Rights Services. “It’s important to help recognize the creative talent and tremendous work over the past year, which has really seen some standout advertising from agencies around the world,” said Gary Shenk, incoming CEO, Corbis. “We are here to celebrate great work as a partner that helps creatives, from start to finish, bring their ideas to life with the best pictures, footage and Rights Services.” Corbis is celebrating its third consecutive year as the exclusive entertainment sponsor for the Festival. Corbis will host both the Opening and Closing Gala events, two of the most prestigious international advertising events held each year. Tel: 020 7644 7644 Email: info@corbis.com Website: www.corbis.com http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1734Flowerphotos represents symbolic plant artFlowerphotos has recently started representing the incredible flower mandala images of David J. Bookbinder. “My personal motivation in creating these images was to heal from a decade of physical and emotional trauma, the consequence of a near-fatal event in Albany, New York, in 1993. On each piece I spend anywhere from a few hours to a sequence of several hour sessions spread out over a couple of months. The experience is reminiscent of meditation. My choice of the hexagaram (the Star of David) as the organising shape for these mandalas was subconscious, but I believe this choice was no accident. The Star of David represents the reconciliation of opposites – male/female, fire/water, and so on. Their combination symbolises unity and harmony.” Bookbinder’s intriguing images are available from Flowerphotos. Tel: 0044 (0)20 7684 5668 Email: info@flowerphotos.com Website: Flowerphotos http://stockindexonline.com/index.php?q=IndustryNews&id_new=1732DAM system and keyworder application availableCapture, the technology arm of Travel Ink Photo Library have launched two new products. The first is Capture Web Direct. This image & digital asset management system now has great features designed for image production companies. It includes agent distribution tools, enhanced image processing as well as user configurable metatags and sophisticated content management system giving users control over the look and feel of their site. The other is Capture Keyworder - a fully web based, cross platform, multi-lingual metadata system created in co-operation with leading keywording experts. The system includes thesaurus functionality and content, speed features, and quality control tools. It handles all the latest IPTC and XMP standards. Tel: +44 (0)1491 873011 E-mail: info@capture.co.uk Website: www.capture.co.uk