US Presswire Photographer Jerry Lai is one of many Olympic photographers finding ways to make otherwise mundane photos interesting. Photo by Jerry Lai/US Presswire.

Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals, gymnastics has wrapped up, and it doesn’t appear as if the I.O.C. will investigate the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. Despite the fact that there are five days left of the 2008 Olympics, the Games are pretty much over, right? Maybe for many viewers, but not for the photographers who are still working overseas.

Although Alicia Sacramone’s Olympics are over, you can still enjoy the rest of the Olympics through viewing blogs of photographers that are still in China making great photos. For these men and women, they are no longer shooting images with news value, instead, they are over there making the best of the opportunity and looking for creative photographic opportunities to exploit during the remainder of the Games. Vincent Laforet who’s personal blog we linked to last week ), Donald Miralle, Mike Powell, Mark J. Rebilas and Jerry Lai are five photographers who are still taking stunning images in Beijing.

Vincent Laforet, Donald Miralle, and Mike Powell are shooting for Newsweek and blogging about their experiences online on Newsweek’s Web site. They offer insight into every aspect of the Games, from the technical side to social and emotional sides of being in Beijing as well. They talk about getting access despite unprecedented restrictions, setting up remote cameras around a venue, how to travel with tons of photo gear, and what it’s like to be there as Michael Phelps kisses his mom after winning his eighth gold medal. Check it out, it’s an absolutely fantastic photo blog; watered down enough so that everyone can understand but no one will find under- or overwhelming.

Mike Powell (”M”), Donald Miralle (”D”), and Vincent Laforet (”V”) shoot from different locations during the 100 meter dash to make sure that every angle is covered. Photo by Vincent Laforet for Newsweek.

Mark J. Rebilas and Jerry Lai are two photographers working for the US Presswire, a national sports wire service. Despite the fact that wire service photogs typically shoot to just get the photo, not to get too incredibly creative if it will hamper their ability to get an image that will sell, these two photographers are shooting great images and writing about them online on their blogs. Definitely check these out as well.

And if you’re looking for a great place for some of the best images from the games, visit Sports Illustrated’s photo galleries from the Games. Their photos are incredible. They sent more than nine staffers to the games, and since SI photogs typically get great access, you’ll see many photos shot by SI photographers that no one else has.

So, check these images out if you feel like the Olympics are pretty much over, because for many of the photographers that still have five days left to shoot, the games are far from over.

This photo of his was already featured as Newsweek’s photo of the day from August 9.


Copyright Vincent Laforet for Newsweek

Read Laforet’s blog here.

Strobist has pages and pages of instruction on how to use small, cheap off-camera flashes to light various situations, anything from cavernous rooms to intimate portraits and macro shots. Hobby gives his expertise and breaks down a ton of real-life examples from his time at the Sun to gives the reader an idea of how to approach the shot.

Since Strobist was founded, it’s become a bit of a phenomenon. The site is supported by a huge Flickr group, which has become a great photography resource in and of itself. If you get a chance, take the time and search Strobist on Flickr … you’ll see pretty quickly just how interesting using Strobist techniques can make your photography.

Photo by Joshua Targownik

The crew over at Photoassignment.net were some of my first readers to stumble upon Cheapshooter, and it was an honor. Their site is an example of a cool concept and innovative photography that you don’t often see on the Internet.

The concept behind Photoassignment is each week, three friends come up with a concept. They have all week to shoot their photos before posting them to the site each Monday, along with a brief comment on how they took the photo. As they put it:

“This isn’t a competition - there are no judges, no scores. The goal is to become better photographers, and share ideas while we’re doing it.”

It’s a really cool idea, and the photos the three produce are innovative, creative and often stunning. If you are looking for an interesting idea on a different way to approach a concept, Photoassignment offers a wealth of ideas.

This week, the Photoassignment, well, assignment, is toys. Nuno Correia - whose cool photo accompanies this article - said they will post some of the results to the Cheapshooter.com Flickr Group this Monday. I plan to join in and I’d love to see your shots as well.

Read the Photoassignment rules here. If you want to join in, post a picture to the Cheapshooter.com Flickr Group by noon Monday.

Lichtfaktor slideshow

The Guinness Book of World Records certified a new Pasadena, Calif. exhibit as the world’s largest photograph on Tuesday, also saying it was produced by the world’s largest camera.

The black-and-white photograph, dubbed The Great Picture and depicting an abandoned California airfield, is on display at the Art Center College of Design and measures 31ft 7in x 111ft. It was produced by six separate artists within a aircraft-hanger-turned-camera measuring 45 x 160 x 80 ft. Development of the picture took place in an Olympic-sized swimming pool containing nearly 2,000 gallons of chemicals.

The image was taken by creating a pinhole camera out of the abandoned hanger. After development, fire hoses were used to wash the final print. The exhibit will remain on display at the college indefinitely.

Source: PR Newswire Press Release

The new JPEG format promises to offer improvements in the way digital cameras record date, according to Microsoft representatives. These benefits would have the most effect in the low-end camera market, with budget digital cameras and picture phones able to take better photos without requiring heavier or more expensive hardware.

“Higher compression efficiency offers faster wireless uploads for longer battery life and an enhanced dynamic range that will help improve photographs taken in low-light conditions with a mobile phone or digital camera that does not offer sufficient flash assistance,” said Lance Howarth, general manager of the Media Processing Division at ARM Holdings PLC, a group which designs many of the processing components inside camera phones and lower-end digital cameras.

It doesn’t seem like the effects will be felt as much in the digital-SLR market, although better dynamic range would be a plus. But it would be nice to get better results from budget digital cameras. JPEG will vote on the new standard by October 2007, with implementation coming at least a year later.

Click here for the full press release and be prepared for some Microsoft hype. Think the new JPEG standard will make any difference or is this all just smoke and mirrors?