onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced a free, Lite version of PhotoTools 2 Standard Edtion. PhotoTools 2 Standard Edition is a flexible yet powerful plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® CS2, CS3 and CS4 that utilizes the power of Photoshop Actions to provide a range of imaging tools including effects, corrections and production automation in a full-featured interface.

Adobe has released a Release Candidate version of the upcomign Camera Raw 5.4. The main feature of the new version is support for a number of new cameras including:

Kerry and David talk with destination wedding photographer Gene Higa about how to discover and then promote your own niche or uniqueness.

The topic should apply to any type of photographer, not just wedding photographers as everyone should try to find what separates them from others and makes themselves unique.

I am a huge fan of my Westcott Spiderlite TD-5 studio lights with their nice soft output, low energy use, and cool operation. While they have always been great for product photography I never really liked using them for portraits because they just didn’t put out enough light. Westcott has released some new high wattage bulbs for the TD-5’s to address the needs of these types of situations.

Kerry and David talk to John Mireles from Photographer’s Toolkit fame to discuss using contracts in your photography business. during the talk we cover what elements make up a good contract, how to present a contract to clients, and why you need to have a solid contract.

Canon U.S.A. has revamped its Canon Professional Services (CPS) program. The changes they have made provide the full-time professional photographer, depending on membership level, valuable benefits and services. They have updated the application process and moved it solely on-line to make it easier for full-time professional photographers to become members.

If you haven’t heard of Zaza Gallery (which would be no surprise because I hadn’t either), they have some very affordable canvas printing services available including an 8×10 for only $25. For a limited time, they are also offering a free 8×10 canvas print if you post a link to them (assuming your site qualifies). If you are looking for something like this, go check it out. I know I am going to get in on the free promotion myself just to check out their quality.

Kerry and David take more letters from listeners and talk about “full figure” brides, lens choices, and blog hosting and then discuss some more tales of When Things Go Bad.

South Burlington, VT – Through-the-shoe communications allow PocketWizard radios, with version 4.250 ControlTL firmware, to significantly boost the performance of the High Speed Sync (HSS) feature of Canon Speedlite flashes. This means more light (which equals greater working distance), faster recycling times and more flashes per battery set when shooting in Canon’s HSS/FP Flash mode.

I am always looking for the next great camera bag, especially something that offers convenience, comfort, and functionality so I was very interested in the new Pampas sling-style backpack from Vanguard.

At first look, the sling style would allow you to rotate the back to your front to have access your gear and then fling it back over your shoulder where it acts like a normal backpack.