To qualify for this program, purchases must be made through
this qualifying Amazon.com Store URL

The 7.0 quake that rocked Haiti on January 12 is one of the greatest natural disasters in recent history, with deaths now estimated at more than 100,000 and many more displaced and injured. As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere prior to this disaster, the people of Haiti are desperately in need of support from all quarters.

Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, PRESSlite is the manufacturer of the PRESSlite VerteX, conceived and engineered in Silicon Valley, USA, as a solution to a variety of flash-related problems that have plagued photographers for years.

Silicon Valley inventor Kenneth Law’s patent-pending design combines a wide range of light modification features into one single, easy-to-use lightweight device.

With the VerteX, photographers are able to (1) easily control the diffusion of light while on the move, using only one hand, (2) manipulate the flow and quality of light in ways not possible with other existing devices and (3) achieve longer battery life, faster recycle times, higher f-stop and lower ISO options.

“As a socially conscious company on the leading edge of world developments, we choose to show our support for the people of Haiti, in a very clear and dramatic way,” says Kenneth Law, PRESSlite’s founder and lead designer. “Rather than simply donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of the VerteX during this critical period, we have decided to donate a full one hundred percent.”

The widely acclaimed VerteX can project diffused and specular light at virtually any angle, in multiple directions simultaneously from a single flash unit, introducing on-the-go lighting solutions never before possible. An interactive demo and further details are available online at presslite.com.

Partners in Health (with website at PIH.org) is a non-profit corporation based in Boston, affiliated with faculty and colleagues from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for more than 20 years, providing badly needed modern medical care and working to alleviate the root causes of disease through educational programs and other activities.

© 2010, The F Stops Here. All rights reserved. (Jessica D. Korman)

“I was amazed by how much I learned through the certification process,” says Kopernick, a mechanical engineer and accident reconstructionist. “The class helped me improve my skills and learn many new things about the field of evidence photography, forensic photographs and crime scenes.”

The evidence photographer certification process consists of a strenuous combination of education, testing and image taking and was created from nearly a year of research with a team of leading experts in the industry, including educators and crime scene specialists from top law enforcement organizations. It is backed by the Professional Photographic Certification Commission, the world’s leading certification agency for imaging professionals.

Image submission is the last phase of the program, and its scrupulous requirements help evidence and crime scene photographers practice the image types they would be required to record on the job. Experts review the images to ensure that the entrant includes necessary measurements, correct lighting in extreme conditions and more.

Bedard, Dilich, Kopernick and Kelly were awarded the Certified Evidence Photographer certificate (CEP), recognizing their successful completion of the program and their ability to uphold the strict standards of EPIC. The next EPIC School for evidence and crime scene photographer certification is in January 2010. For more information, visit www.evidencephotographers.com or call 866-868-EPIC (3742).

© 2009, The F Stops Here. All rights reserved. (Jessica D. Korman)

Save high-resolution digital images on MyPhotoAlbum, then share and print photos on Facebook with one easy upload.

Ewing, NJ (PRWEB) June 29, 2009 — MyPhotoAlbum Inc. (Symbol “FCT”) announces a new way to save and share photos on the Internet. For the first time, users can upload high-resolution photos to MyPhotoAlbum, a full-service online photo album, and share smaller versions of the same photos on Facebook, the world’s largest social networking.

Full-Scale photo sharing for Facebook with the new MyPhotoAlbum App
“Unlike most photo applications on Facebook, this is Full-Scale Photo Sharing,” says Jessy Hanley, Vice President, Products at MyPhotoAlbum “With one upload, digital photographers get the best of both worlds: full-sized image archiving plus photo sharing in the world’s largest social network. The Facebook Application is an extension of our strategic vision – provide the most unique, personalized tools to share memories. Full-scale sharing provides both the printing and high-resolution archiving that have been missing from Facebook until now,” said Hanley. The application is free to Facebook members, and can be installed via the Facebook Application Directory or by visiting this address: MyPhotoAlbum Application for Facebook

The MyPhotoAlbum App for Facebook is a seamless complement to Facebook, working with Facebook’s existing photo albums. MyPhotoAlbum allows users to save original full-size images and the ability to share photos with the huge Facebook network. The App copies photos directly to Facebook photo albums, not an obscure tab or a “new” type of album. Copied photos also appear in the “news feed,” and profile tab just as they would if the user uploaded to Facebook directly. Enthusiasts can also order prints, mugs, T-shirts, posters and other popular, customizable photo memorabilia.

“The challenge with digital photos is that they often exist in two formats: the full-size, high-resolution picture captured by your camera and the smaller, down-sized files shared on computer screens through Facebook,” explains Peter Macnee, CEO of MyPhotoAlbum. “You need the original file to make prints, books and gifts, but Facebook shrinks photos for web sharing.” MyPhotoAlbum stores photos of up to 100 megabytes, which accommodate even very large files from today’s popular 12 megapixel cameras. In contrast, Facebook limits images to 604 pixels, or about a tenth of a megabyte. Facebook photos are optimized for sharing on computer screens, but would appear blurry and “pixilated” if printed. The MyPhotoAlbum App bridges this gap.

According to published reports, Facebook contains more than 10 billion photos and is visited by over 90 million monthly U.S. users (Source: Quantcast.com). “Our beta users have been enthusiastic about our new Facebook Application, and we are very pleased to announce its general availability today,” says Macnee.

For more information, visit: More Facebook Info for MyPhotoAlbum

About MyPhotoAlbum
MyPhotoAlbum, Inc. is a photo sharing service offering the most extensive features for creating stunning online photo albums and photo keepsakes. By taking the online photo experience beyond ordinary uploading and printing, MyPhotoAlbum makes it easy and fun for everyone to share and store photos within their own distinctive style and personality. Founded in 2004, MyPhotoAlbum is operated by a creative team passionate about helping people get the most out of their digital photo and video memories.

© 2009, The F Stops Here. All rights reserved. (Jessica D. Korman)

Los Angeles Artist Patrick Finley unveils his provocative new painting entitled “Last Call at Bar Marmont”, a painting centered around the famous Bar Marmont on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. The unveiling will be held at Bar Marmont on Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA on Wednesday July 8, 2009. Reception will take place from 7-10pm and the unveiling is at 8:30 pm

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) June 26, 2009 — Los Angeles Artist Patrick Finley unveils his provocative new painting entitled “Last Call at Bar Marmont”, a painting centered around the famous Bar Marmont on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. The unveiling will be held at Bar Marmont on Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA on Wednesday July 8, 2009. Reception will take place from 7-10pm and the unveiling is at 8:30 pm.

“If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” — Harry Cohn, Founder of Columbia Pictures, 1939.
Bar Marmont, an extension of the legendary hotel and a Hollywood hot spot in its own right, is the buzzing scene of more than a few scandals and celebrity sightings. Tony Curtis, in his mid-80s, has been spotted at the bar with two 20-something models draped on his arms, as has a pair of wild women having sex in a bathroom stall. Nothing shocks at this A-list establishment.

“I wanted to capture my own provocative story in progress at this legendary bar,” says Patrick Finley, creator of the painting, “Last Call at Bar Marmont,” which will be unveiled at Bar Marmont on July 8 at 8:30 p.m.
“The interior of the Chateau is very distinct,” Finley continues. “There’s the beautiful art deco bar. It is unmistakably the Chateau.” When Philadelphia attorney Thomas Kline asked Finley to recreate a bar scene to hang on his wall, Finley knew Bar Marmont was the ideal backdrop.

“We went to a lot of bars,” Finley says of his location-scouting adventures. Having served up drinks in Philadelphia for five years, the fine artist has a lasting familiarity with late-night life. “All the bars were brand new,” he relays. “They looked nice, pretty crowd, but the bars lacked soul, history, meaning, its own sort of energy. Bar Marmont had a great history and story and aura.” When you step through the doors of Bar Marmont you are transported to another time and place. It is a realm where the outside rules of the world no longer apply.

Next, Finley enlisted actors/models Vincent De Paul (Hairspray, Riding in Cars with Boys, Poseidon, Raven), Laura Niles (Californication, Prince of Swine, Dire Wolf), Chad Christopher and Cherie Carlson to pose for his snapshot in time. Vincent De Paul had nothing but high praise for Finley during the entire process. “He captured the essence like Michelangelo or da Vinci did for the Medici family,” De Paul points out. “Like them, he was commissioned to capture society and paint it and comment on it.”

What is interesting about the painting is that it features modern day actors participating in the centuries-old medium of painting.”I try to steal a moment in time,” states Finley, “capture a snapshot or brief moment that maybe nobody else saw. It’s like running around at an event with a Polaroid and recording when people aren’t looking, like a quick glance.” Much like in “Last Call at Bar Marmont,” there is a story to be inferred in all of Finley’s paintings, which is left to the viewer to determine.

Finley spends his days in a digital jungle of pixels and command lines working as a Senior Technical Director for leading visual effects company Sony Pictures Imageworks in their new offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributing to films such as G-Force, Speed Racer, I Am Legend and Superman Returns. He holds a degree in Architecture and Fine Art and has been a professor at several colleges, including New York University.

For years Finley has been active in the Los Angeles art community and has participated in gallery shows throughout the area, including the Downtown Art Walk, NoHo Arts District and just last October at Bergamot Station. His work can be seen in various locations across Southern California (and at almost any movie theater across the country), and is currently on display at a Saints and Sinners-themed show through July at 105 Studios in Albuquerque.

After the unveiling of “Last Call at Bar Marmont” on July 8, a canvas print will be on display at Bar Marmont for an ongoing basis.

Event details:
“Last Call at Bar Marmont” Unveiling
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
7 p.m.-10 p.m. with Official Unveiling at 8:30 p.m.

Location:
Bar Marmont
8171 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046

Sponsored Open Bar by Roberto Cavalli Vodka, Partida Tequila and Light Fare by the chefs of Bar Marmont

© 2009, The F Stops Here. All rights reserved. (Jessica D. Korman)