Photoclub Alpha

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Sony World Photography Awards 2011

• 2011 competition open for entries
• London to host Sony World Photography Awards ceremony
• World Photography Festival expands to Mexico, San Francisco, Shanghai and London
• Student Focus programme partners with Young Tate Online

• World Photography Organisation website re-launched – www.worldphoto.org

The Sony Alpha division is sponsoring the British Journal of Photography’s Vision09 show which takes place in London on November 27th.

Vision09: The Essential Event for Pro Photographers
Come and learn from the world’s leading experts
Vision in association with Sony Alpha

Picture © Eugene Richards/Reportage by Getty Images

British Journal of Photography is delighted to announce its second key speaker for its November show, Vision – Europe’s only event dedicated to aspiring and early career professional photographers.
Eugene Richards will be flying in from New York to speak at Vision on 27 November, where he will be joined on the day by Martin Parr – giving visitors the chance to see two of the biggest legends of photography under the same roof on the same day.

Known for his uncompromising documentary work, award-winning books and critically-acclaimed short films, Richards will present an exclusive insight into his latest project, War is Personal, together with his first major colour series, The Blue Room. Among his numerous honours, the American has won the W Eugene Smith Memorial Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three National Endowment for the Arts grants, the Leica Medal of Excellence, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the Olivier Rebbot Award from the Overseas Press Club, three Canon Photo Essayist Awards, and the Robert F Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Journalism Award.

Vision’s unique one-day event features a packed programme of talks, demos, seminars and portfolio reviews.  Located at the Business Design Centre in the heart of London, Vision provides inspiration, information and essential ideas to help aspiring professionals and early career photographers get their careers moving.  Many of the industry’s leading manufacturers will also be there to showcase their latest products and services.
With an emphasis on creative cutting edge, and focusing on effective tools and solutions to further photographers’ businesses, Vision is this year’s don’t miss photography event.

SIGMA redesigned their 70-200mm not long ago to change the EX version to DG, introducing new coatings which greatly improved microcontrast and eliminated digital camera sensor reflections. In 2008, this was further upgraded to the Macro II model with HSM sonic motor focusing, a new optical design capable of focusing down to 1 metre distance. In 2009 this became available, along with matched HSM-compatible 2X and 1.4X converters, for the Sony Alpha mount.

AWARD winning event photographer Keith Trainor – winner of the first ever UK Event Photographer of the Year title in the annual British Professional Photography Awards – hits the road with Sony shortly in the UK to bring a profitable, high energy new line of business to established photo studios and new business entrants.

By Shirley Kilpatrick – transcribed from recording made during the conference in Edinburgh.
(This is a close transcript of speeches delivered by Sony execs, with photos).

The first SONY World Photography Awards were presented in the late April sunshine of Cannes, to what must have been an exclusive gala dinner audience – at €250 a head, our ‘man on the spot’ Thomas Goseberg decided against the opportunity to take his wife out for a quiet meal…

The World Photography Awards (WPA), sponsored by Sony, proudly announces an impressive number of entries in its inaugural year. Submissions closed on 31st January with a total of 25,934 amateur photograph entries and 44,641 professional photograph entries across the categories.

We have a Photoworld day in Edinburgh on February 10th 2008, to which all Photoclubalpha registered members are welcome (it is strictly by prior arrangement, so please do not turn up on the day). It starts at 10.30am and ends around 4.30pm, and will be held at Edinburgh Photographic Society. There is a small fee for refreshments. Details follow.

BEFORE we publish a fuller assessment of the Sony Alpha 700, here is a taster of just one improved function, the Dynamic Range Optimisation (DRO) system built into the camera. For social, wedding, sports, music, theatre, news and event photographers DRO Advanced Manual settings are a real magic bullet zapping the bugbears of excess contrast, poor lighting, and inadequate flash penetration.