The 2012 Tour de France in pictures

This summer of sport has thrown up so many memorable moments and images, none greater than the 2012 Tour de France and the magnificent Bradley Wiggins. These pictures from The Atlantic are just a taste of the majesty of the toughest sporting competition on earth.

The 99th Tour de France cycling race began on July 1, as 22 teams of nine riders raced through Belgium, Switzerland and France. The entire tour covered a distance of 3,497 km (2,173 mi). Sky Procycling rider Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain became the first Briton ever to win the tour on Sunday, July 22. Gathered here are images from the second half of the 2012 Tour de France. Part 1 can be found over here.  [42 photos]

Bradley Wiggins of Britain — he first Briton to ever win the Tour de France — kisses the trophy as he celebrates his overall victory on the podium after the final stage, on July 22, 2012. (Reuters/Jerome Prevost)

Sky Procycling rider Mark Cavendish of Britain (left) sprints to win the 18th stage of the Tour de France in Brive-La-Gaillarde, on July 20, 2012. (Reuters/Jean-Paul Pelissier)

Thomas Voeckler of France, center, crosses the finish line ahead of Michele Scarpone of Italy, left, and Jens Voigt of Germany, right, to win the 10th stage of the Tour de France in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, France, on July 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The peloton passes a woman on a horse during the 13th stage of the Tour de France, on July 14, 2012. (Reuters/Stephane Mahe)

The peloton passes through a sunflower field during stage eighteen in Blagnac, France, on July 20, 2012. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The pack with Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, Tejay van Garderen of the US, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, and Fredrik Kessiakoff of Sweden, wearing the best climber’s dotted jersey, awaits the start of the 14th stage in Limoux, on July 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Overall leader Bradley Wiggins celebrates at the end of the 53.5 km individual time-trial and nineteenth stage of the Tour de France in Chartres, France, on July 21, 2012. Wiggins won the stage, all but securing his overall win of the entire tour. (Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images)

See the rest of these fantastic images here

London 2012: The Opening Ceremony – Best Photos

Thanks to The Atlantic for this roundup of images from the opening night of the London Olympics. These images are so much better than anything seen on tv, make sure you have a look at these fantastic pictures

Last night the 2012 Summer Olympics kicked off with a huge Opening Ceremony in London’s new Olympic Stadium, an event watched on television by an estimated 1 billion viewers. Performances paid tribute to British heritage and culture, from agrarian beginnings through pop culture successes like the Beatles and J.K. Rowling. Contingents from more than 200 nations marched in the athletes parade, and the evening was capped off by the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, a performance by Paul McCartney, and a huge fireworks display. Collected below is just a glimpse of last night’s ceremony, as the 2012 Olympics are now underway. [44 photos]

Newly “forged” Olympic rings light up the stadium in London, on July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Britain’s flag bearer Chris Hoy holds the national flag as he leads the contingent in the athletes parade in the Olympic Stadium, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters)

Union Flags, commonly known as the Union Jack, are projected on the Palace of Westminster next to Big Ben on the bank of the River Thames, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Sergio Perez)

Actors perform in a sequence meant to represent Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), on July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Britain’s David Beckham (center) drives a powerboat with the Olympic torch as fireworks are launched over Tower Bridge during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Eddie Keogh)

Actors portraying the Queen of England and James Bond arrive via parachute after jumping from a helicopter during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Murad Sezer)

A giant marionette of Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books makes an appearance in the Opening Ceremony, on July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Fireworks on display at Tower Bridge on July 27, 2012 in London, England. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

A wide-angle view of the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski)

 

SEE THE REST HERE

 

The Naked World of Spencer Tunick

The Atlantic has 33 images by Spencer Tunick of nakedness around the world, as it says: For 20 years now, New York-based photographer Spencer Tunick has been creating human art installations all over the world, calling together volunteers by the hundreds or thousands, asking them to remove their clothes, and photographing them in massive groups. His philosophy is that “individuals en masse, without their clothing, grouped together, metamorphose into a new shape.” He aims to create an architecture of flesh, where the masses of human bodies blend with the landscape, or juxtapose with architecture. Collected here are images from several of his installations as they were being composed. Warning: The following photos all depict naked human bodies, and are not screened out. The nudity is central to Tunick’s art.  See all of the images here

Naked volunteers pose for the US photographer Spencer Tunick on the largest glacier in the Alps, Aletsch glacier, in Switzerland, as part of an environmental campaign about global warming near the mountain resort of Bettmeralp, on August 18, 2007. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers lie on Aletsch glacier, posing for photographer Spencer Tunick as part of an environmental campaign about global warming, on August 18, 2007. The campaign organized by Greenpeace is aimed at drawing attention to melting Alpine glaciers, a clear sign of global warming and man-made climate change according to the organization. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers stand look toward Aletsch glacier, posing for photographer Spencer Tunick as part of an environmental campaign about global warming on August 18, 2007. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Naked volunteers, numbering around 1700 people, pose for U.S. artist Spencer Tunick in downtown Munich, on June 23, 2012. (Reuters/Michaela Rehle)

You can the rest of these strange but compelling images here

Terry O’Neill Award calling for entries

An International Competition in Contemporary Photography

Olivier Laurent writes in the BJP about this forthcoming competition: Photographers have until 22 November to enter the Terry O’Neill Award, which splits £4500 in cash between three photographers.

“The Terry O’Neill Award is aimed at finding new talent, creating a platform for upcoming photographers,” say the organisers, who are now calling for all photographers to submit up to six images from a series for a chance to win up to £3000 in cash.

Photographers can enter images no matter the category: fine art, photo-journalism, still-life portraiture, landscape, wildlife, or fashion. READ MORE ON THE BJP SITE HERE

From the organisers site we have:

“Every year the entries for this award get better and tougher to judge. I’m so proud that it attracts so much talent – and that those on the shortlist can use the award as a springboard to great careers.” ― Terry O’Neill

Submissions are now being invited for the Terry O’Neill/Tag Award 2012.

The Terry O’Neill Award has been running since 2007, it has developed through the support of Sunday Times Magazine, Remote New Media, Hotshoe Magazine, and TAG Creative and all the photographers and the photographic industry to become one of the most “hotly” contested photographic Awards of current times.

1ST PRIZE £3000 / 2ND PRIZE £1000 / 3RD PRIZE £500

A selection of the top ten photographers’ work will also be published in a special feature in The Sunday Times magazine

Ten Photographers will be shortlisted for the Award and exhibited at The Strand Gallery in London, in January.

Martel Colour Print will be sponsoring the shortlisted photographers with printing and mounting for the exhibition.

Closing date: 22nd November 2012

Fairtrade -Image © Kenneth O’Halloran.

“Fairs are more than places of trade in Ireland. Women regard them as occasions worth dressing up for, often with great care, lending a kind of delicacy to the day, a femininity to counterweigh the spit-in-the-hand dealings of the men folk. There is a vibrancy of colour, red hair, freckles and a range of ensembles guaranteed, at the very least, to attract your notice.
Many of these are travelling people, part of an ancient tribe of Gaelic nomads who have never remained in one spot for very long despite numerous integration attempts by settled society. Though they lead very simple and basic lives they have a reputation for ostentation and pomp in marking certain occasions.
But there’s business to be done. On days like these horses and ponies are their stocks and shares; the towns and squares of Ireland morph into their trading floors. In the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger, seen by many as a vacuous and immoral age, these old meeting grounds are flourishing arenas of openness and transparency. They barter. They laugh. They sing. They row.”

This weeks photography links, tips and tutorials

As another week passes us by, the online community has been busy sharing great photographs, tutorials and blog posts.  Toad Hollow Photography has spent the week busy searching for the very best of these pieces, and has compiled this list.  The Toad hopes you enjoy checking out these fabulous images as much as he did in bringing this list to you.

Trey by Jordan Chan, on Flickr

Check out the Toad’s “Free HDR Guides, Tips and News” for the latest news in the world of photography, with a leaning toward HDR.  The Toad is busy finishing off the 2nd edition of his eBooks that will be made available exclusively for free to all subscribers, so sign up now!

Click Here: Enough Links to Make Photography Lovers Waste the Next Few Hours

How to Select Lenses for DSLR Filmmaking

Lightstalking has a tutorial By Jordan on using a DSLR for making video and the way you may choose the most appropriate lenses.

DSLRs with video capabilities has really democratized filmmaking, putting cinematic quality video within financial reach of amateur and independent filmmakers. The best feature that most have found is the ability to utilize interchangeable lenses for different shooting environments and techniques.

While there are many lenses out there, a lot of them are still designed for still photography, especially lower end kit lenses. There are a couple of things that you should take into account when selecting lenses for DSLR videography that can really help enhance your filmmaking, and things you should avoid as to not hinder your work.….MORE

 

Click Here: How to Select Lenses for DSLR Filmmaking

The World’s Best Food Photography Competition

After an incredibly successful debut year, the international Pink Lady^® Food Photographer of the Year 2013 is now open for entries!  (Don’t you just hate the way press releases and teenagers use too many exclamation marks, or is it just me?)

This year’s award also introduces four exciting new categories for entrants. The hotly anticipated Food off the Press category for previously published work in books and magazines will open up the competition to a wider range of entries. Similarly, the Food Snapping category is for images of food taken on mobile phones, and is in support of Action Against Hunger.

The third and fourth categories are Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year, for images of wine, producers and all things related to the subject and Food for Celebration, images of festive, celebratory food from across the world.

Full details of this competition to find the best food photography can be found here

1st Place 2012 Jeff Adler

2nd Place 2012 Tim Clinch

3rd Place 2012 Jonathan Gregson

All the winners images are available to buy on the website as is all the information about the 2013 competition

Canon enters mirrorless market, EOS M system

 

Canon has introduced its EOS M compact interchangeable lens camera, which features an 18-megapixel APS-C-sized hybrid sensor writes Olivier Laurent in the BJP

Canon will release in October its first ever compact system camera, the EOS M, which uses its own models of lenses while being compatible, via an adapter, with a range of 70 EF lenses

The EOS M marks Canon’s entry in the highly competitive mirrorless market, and comes more than four years after Olympus and Panasonic introduced their Micro Four Thirds system. However, similarly to what Sony offers, Canon has chosen a large APS-C-sized sensor to be at the heart of its compact system.The EOS M, which will be presented at this year’s Photokina trade show in Cologne, uses an 18-megapixel APS-C hybrid CMOS sensor, and is also fitted with Canon’s Digic 5 processor. The camera offers a sensitivity range of ISO100 to ISO12,800, expandable to ISO25,600.

 

 

It will retail at £770 (€910) with the EF-M 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, at £880  with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM and Lens Adapter. The lens adapter alone will retail at £130.

There is a preview on the DPReview site which always has excellent detailed information

 

The EOS M features a clean, simple design that’s clearly designed to look as much like a compact camera, and as little like an SLR, as possible. The rounded edges and angled area around the shutter button go some way to softening the somewhat boxy profile, and the main body panels are made from magnesium alloy. There’s no handgrip as such, just a minimalist fingergrip on the front and a slightly-contoured rubberised thumbpad on the back. READ MORE HERE

The overall layout is notable for its simplicity – the front of the camera features just the lens release button and vertical window for the autofocus illuminator and IR remote receiver. The back of the camera features a red movie record button, combined four-way controller and dial, and Menu, Info and Playback buttons. The SET button in the centre of the 4-way controller also brings up a Quick Menu for on-screen access to an array of functions – this is fully controllable via the touchscreen.

This link will take you to the Canon site with all the specs and info and guff you might need

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2193345/canon-enters-mirrorless-market-unveils-eos-m-system#ixzz21eAaHmFl
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Olympics organisers refuse to clarify photography rules ahead of Games

Do you have tickets to see any of the Olympic events and thought you might take a camera along to record that once in a lifetime opportunity, well maybe you should think again. It seems that for ill defined reasons the organisers are prepared to ban the use of what they deem to be professional type cameras, my guess is this means DSLR cameras with a lens long enough to capture anything on the track or field of play. This is another example of photographers being demonised because those in authority do not understand why people take pictures. We do it because we are interested in photography and like to record our lives, where we go and what we see.  Of course it could be that the athletes, their managers, sponsors or whomever want to have complete control over what images are available. God forbid you might get a picture of an athlete throwing a hissy fit or one of the football stars doing something unmentionable to another.

The BJP, always a source of informed news and comment has an article by  Olivier Laurent, with James Temperton of Computer Active on this matter, read the full article here but this is the nature of what is being considered

“Some venues will be more flexible,” she said. “For example, if you’re attending an event in Green Park, there’ll be more space for spectators, so security might allow you to get in with larger equipment. But that won’t be the case at the Olympic Stadium,” where large lenses and tripods could interfere with spectators’ view of the sporting events.

However, BJP and ComputerActive, another Incisive Media publication, have found that Wembley Stadium, which will host football events during the Olympic Games, will prohibit any kind of “professional-style cameras [any camera with interchangeable lenses] or recording/transmitting devices”.

From the BJP: Aerial view of the Olympic Park showing the Olympic Stadium and warm-up track in the foreground.

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2191402/london-2012-olympic-games-organisers-refuse-to-clarify-photography-rules-in-advance#ixzz21e1ZId5j

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18 Essential Free Photoshop Tutorials for Black and White Photography Lovers

From those very nice people down under another great post from Lightstalking

Black and white can add drama and emotion to many different kinds of photographs. There are however, many different ways to convert your digital images to black and white and an almost limitless amount of effects that you can apply after that. Here are some of the best Photoshop tutorials for black and white lovers that we could find.

Hitchcock by 85mm.ch, on Flickr

Standard Black and White Conversions in Photoshop Tutorials

7 Black and White Photoshop Conversion Techniques – You should probably familiarise yourself with the different basic options available to you when you want to make black and white images from your colour digital files. This is a good start.

Converting to B&W – There are a lot of ways to use Photoshop to convert your colour files to black and white. This tutorial gives a fast rundown of 4 of the main ways you should know about.

Fast, High Quality Black and White Conversions in Photoshop – This is a solid way to quickly convert your colour digital images into high quality black and white images. Simple steps and plenty of screen shots too!

Click Here For More: 18 Essential Free Photoshop Tutorials for Black and White Photography Lovers