It’s Thursday, and that’s means it’s time for “news stuffage!”

First, thanks to my buddy Terry White for yesterday’s guest blog post which garnered lots of love from my readers. Had I known the interest in Lightroom to iPhoto uploading was as big as it was, I would’ve written a book on it by now (totally kidding). ;-) Here’s what up:

  • This week we had Adobe Photoshop Product Manager Bryan Hughes as an in-studio guest on Photoshop User TV, and we talked with Bryan about the advantages of converting your files to DNG vs. just working with the Raw image files. Very interest stuffing (here’s the link to watch it online).
  • USA Today ran an article yesterday called “Attention to lighting can make a huge difference in your photos“ and in the article they asked me for five tips about light and shooting outdoors this summer. They ran an example photo from my book “The Digital Photography Book, Vol. 1″ and if you read the comments posted in the online version of the article, people think the photo was “faked.” (Actually, they’re sure of it). The funny thing is; it’s SO not. I asked the model (who was there as part of a photo workshop), to stand in the harsh direct 2:00 pm bright sunlight, and I took the first shot. Then I asked her to move over into the shade of a large tree, about 25 or 30 feet away, and as soon as she got in place, I took the 2nd shot. The whole thing took all of 30-seconds (if that). She didn’t put on makeup (as some allege) or redo her hair (they’re sure she did)—she just walked into the shade and I took the shot. The only reason these folks think it was faked is; they haven’t tried it themselves. Once they do; they’ll be amazed. Anyway, you can read the article right here.
  • I did an interview on TechTalk Radio about the upcoming Photoshop World, which aired on Sunday, but you can still listen to the interview right here.
  • Here’s a workshop I’d love to take: it’s an on-location full-day architectural/interior photography workshop (held just outside Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, California), on how to light home or business interiors using off camera flash (like a Nikon SB-800 or a Canon 580 EX). The instructors are interior photographers Scott Hargis and Thomas Grubba and the full-day workshop is coming up on Saturday, August 2nd (the tuition is only $275). For full details, click here.
  • Reminder: there’s only eight days left to take advantage of the Photoshop World $100-off Early Bird registration. Here’s the link for info, and to sign up.
  • Lastly, Alan Hess pointed out this site called “Keep Your Copyrights” which was created by the Columbia University Law School. Here’s that link (Thanks Alan!).

Hope you all have a really fantastic Thursday! Here’s a way to guarantee it: If you want to do something that will really make you feel great, make a donation to Springs of Hope Kenya. They are building a small clinic and orphanage in Kenya. Here’s the link to where you can make a donation or sponsor a child. (I know the local family behind this project personally, and your donations go directly to help people who need it very badly). It’ll make you feel like you did something really important today (and believe me, you will have). :)