LAUPS: The Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society
Founded 1957 - Celebrating 50 years of underwater photography

Time is getting close for the 54th Western States Pro Photo Expo Convention and Trade Show, only 10 days away.

Where is it? Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E Green St., Pasadena, CA

When is it? Convention is Feb 7-10, Trade Show is Feb 8-10. Pre-convention business seminar is Feb 6.

If you haven't registered yet there is still time to do so!

Saturday morning only "Early Bird" workshops are open to convention and trade show attendees at no extra charge!

Trade show only registration is available on line at www.prophotoca.com for just $10.00. Trade Show registration at the door will be $20.00. Sign up now and save yourself $10.00. The trade show is the biggest and best on the West Coast!

www.prophotoca.com

LAUPS sponsor Paul's Photo has announced new classes in the upcoming months:




Just added to our Saturday Class schedule:
Dave Welling's Wildlife Photography
Saturday, March 24 (9am to 4pm)
and
Sunday, March 25, 2007 (5:30 AM to 4pm)

Lewis Kemper's Photoshop Plus
Extend your Dynamic Range
Saturday, June 2
and
Sunday, June 3, 2007 (9am to 4pm)

Photoshop Essentials with Rob Sheppard
This is another "don't miss" series of 4 classes from Rob.

The post season Minke Whale Workshop on ‘Management of Swim with Whale (Dwarf Minke Whale) Activities’ in the northern Great Barrier Reef took place in Cairns, Australia on December 15, 2006.

Alastair Birtles, team leader of the Minke Project said “Minke whale sightings occur all around the Southern Hemisphere however, the predictable aggregation of substantial numbers of dwarf minkes in the Cairns Section of the Great Barrier Reef in June-July is unique. There is nothing like it known anywhere else in the World. Given the extraordinary experiences they can provide - we are immensely privileged and carry a particular responsibility to ensure our interactions are ecologically sustainable.”

Data from Cairns showed increases from the 2005 season data of:
Boat contact hours increased from 295 to 387 hours.
Whale encounters increased from 674 to 826.
Whales per-encounter increased from 2.6 to 3.2.

Members of the Cod Hole and Ribbon Reef Operators Association, including Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, Nimrod, Taka and Undersea Explorer, received awards and recognition for their contribution to the Minke Project.

For the second year running Mike Ball Dive Expeditions received the award for the ‘Highest Number of Still Images for Whale Identification’, 1591 images in total. For information on next seasons Minke Whale Expeditions contact mbde@mikeball.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jan. 29, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that Adobe Photoshop® Lightroom™ 1.0 software is now available for pre-order and is expected to ship in mid-February 2007. Photoshop Lightroom enables professional photographers to import, manage and present large volumes of digital photographs, helping photographers spend more time behind the lens and less time at the computer. With more than 500,000 photographers participating in the public beta program over the last 12 months, Photoshop Lightroom now includes a wealth of innovative features that streamline digital photography workflows. Recognizing the photography community for their efforts, Adobe is offering Photoshop Lightroom at a special introductory price of US $199 through April 30, 2007 at the Adobe Store. Photoshop Lightroom will later sell for an estimated street price of US $299.

Adobe Lightroom

The Photo Marketing Association has their expo in Las Vegas this year March 8-11. Expect to see a lot of new cameras announced over the next few weeks in the lead-up to the show.

Good sources for camera announcements are:
DP Review (grab the RSS feed to stay up to date)
Steve's Digicams

Over at Wetpixel, photographer Claude Ruff trumped the "best photo of 2006" discussion thread with his 30 image panorama of a submarine.

Head over for a look.

The nation's annual hunting season is underway, a tradition stretching back centuries. Now, though, protesters from abroad are trying to end this way of life. David McNeill reports from Taiji.

Read more

Those of you who still use AA NiMH batteries might want to take a look at the nem MAHA MH-C9000 battery charger. It has 4 independant circuits, an LCD display, and many charging and battery conditioning cycles.

Take a look

In early November, a Mexican sardine seiner working out of Puerto San Carlos on Baja California Sur's Bah'a Magdalena incidentally captured what may be the largest giant sea bass ever recorded. The fish, according to a brief report in the Spanish-language daily El Sudcaliforniano, measured 2.50 meters long (about 8 ft., 2 in.) and weighed 324 kg. (about 713 lbs.).

Read more, and see a photo

Talks tackle tuna-stock decline


Conservationists say tuna is facing commercial extinction
A five-day meeting aiming to reverse the decline in tuna stocks worldwide is under way in Kobe, Japan.
Five regional bodies responsible for managing stocks of tuna, one of the most valuable and endangered species, are at the meeting.

They are to discuss plans to set up a global tracking system to certify the origin of every tuna that is sold.

Conservationists blame illegal and unregulated fishing and unsustainable quotas for tuna's dramatic decline.

In the western Atlantic, the number of bluefin tuna capable of spawning is less than one-fifth of what it was 30 years ago, according to the body that monitors fish stocks there.

In a statement issued at the start of the meeting, the environment group WWF said Atlantic bluefin stocks were at a dangerously low level.

"Atlantic bluefin, used for high-end sushi and sashimi, is massively over fished and the spawning stock of southern bluefin in the Indian Ocean is down about 90%," the statement said.

Certificates of origin

Last year, Japan admitted over fishing southern bluefin tuna and accepted a deep cut in its quota as punishment

On December 14, 2006, Adobe announced the first-ever public beta for an upcoming version of Photoshop, its flagship image-editing software. Best-selling author and Photoshop guru Deke McClelland has teamed up with lynda.com to create the first video training on this landmark release. Photoshop CS3 Beta One-on-One Preview offers a personal video tour through a series of real-world examples that illustrate each of the key features and enhancements in the Photoshop CS3 beta. Major and minor features alike are covered in meticulous detail.

NYUPS aims to bring together underwater photographers and videographers from the tri-state area to share and learn about the world of underwater imagery. Even those from outside the region are welcome to become members.

Exciting monthly featured speakers will include internationally renowned photographers, filmmakers, marine biologists, explorers, and adventurers from around the world.

Come meet new friends who share your underwater interests. Participate in monthly workshops, photo & video contests and exhibitions. Meetings will take place in Manhattan, location TBA.

Beginning in 2008, NYUPS will host annual photo expeditions to some of the world’s most bio-diverse hot spots. The society will also launch an international underwater photo and video competition & festival.

Whether you are a novice, amateur or professional -- shoot wide or macro -- film or digital -- one strobe or two -- you’ll be among friends at NYUPS.

We hope to see you at our very first meeting this April.