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Photo by Scott Bourne

The contest is LIVE! Now’s your chance to enter for one of four prize packages including a trip to Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming and more than $2500 worth of photo - related prizes including:

1 USB Drobo - approximate value $500

1 Lensbaby - approximate value $350

1 Premium subscription to lynda.com value $375

1 set of all current Peachpit Press Photo-related books - approximate value $500

1 ThinkTank 360 Photo Bag - approximate value $350

1 Apple Aperture 2.1 - approximate value $200

1 Lifetime Pro Membership to Photrade - approximate value $500

Go our contest page at Photrade before the end of this month if you want your entry to count in this first of four sessions. If you can’t get an image ready for this event, check back in a month or so and we’ll be accepting images for our next event in Yellowstone National Park.

Please read our complete contest rules located in the right side navigation bar. Contest rules are also available at Photrade.com on our contest page, but in short; one entry per person, must be 18 or older, must own the photo being submitted and must be a US resident.

Thanks and good luck.

Ubermind has released a new (free) plug-in for Apple Aperture called Maperture.

According to the company, it combines the power of Aperture and Google Maps and makes geotagging your photos a snap.

Feature List
Add or update global positioning system (GPS) data to your digital photos
Scales from a few images to your entire library
Elegant, responsive user-interface
Location aware photos, just a few clicks away

I tried it and it is very easy to use.

One of my favorite things about Aperture is it’s extensibility. With the adoption of Plug-ins in version 2.1, Apple has opened up Aperture - allowing third-parties to apply their magic to photos living in the Aperture environment.

Apple has created a special site for Aperture plug-ins. Take a moment to visit and you’ll see more than 70 great ways to expand Aperture.

You’ll find new ways to edit, export, and enhance your photos. There are also automation plug-ins and even some new book and web themes for you to explore.

Some of my favorites are Tiffen’s DFX plug-in and Nik’s Color Efex Pro as well as their new B&W plug-in Silver Efex Pro.

We’ll be showing off some of these plug-ins while we’re out at America’s most beautiful National Parks with the ANPW.

Apple updated it’s powerful photo editing and management software, Aperture.

Apple says the Aperture 2.1.1 “update supports general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.”

The 48MB update can be downloaded from Apple’s Web site.

Announcing our first expedition!

September 24-27, 2008, our first group of photographers will descend on Grand Tetons National Park to make lots of great images and learn more about Apple’s Aperture.

We’ll be photographing all the great sites. Our planned itinerary* includes the famous Mormon Row Barns, Oxbow Bend, Snake River Overlook, Gros Ventre Road, Signal Mountain Overlook and Schwabacher Landing.

The team will gather in Jackson Hole, WY at our hotel on Wednesday night and work through Saturday.

While there will only be eight of us shooting on this trip, our audience will get to come along by way of podcasts, blog posts, twitter messages, friend feed posts, and extensive video coverage of the entire event.

If you have favorite places at the Tetons National Park you think we should check out let us know.

*Itinerary subject to change based on weather, road and light conditions.

Photo by Scott Bourne

While we’re still ironing out some details and specifics will be dependent upon location, a general agenda for the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops will look something like this:

The workshops begin on Wednesday night.

4-5:30 PM registration
6:00 PM welcome dinner and orientation
7:00 PM opening slide show
7:30 PM Aperture introduction
9:00 PM end of 1st day activity

Thursday/Friday

Dawn - field photography in the park (breakfast snacks)
10:00 AM back to hotel to download and clean up
11:45 AM lunch together and morning shoot debrief
12:45 PM relaxation
1:15 PM Aperture training
4:30 PM afternoon field photography in the park (dinner sandwiches)
8:00 PM optional image critiques

Saturday

Dawn - field photography in the park (breakfast snacks)
9:00 AM back to hotel to clean up
9:30 AM Aperture training
11:00 AM checkout and then meet for goodbye lunch

Photo by Scott Bourne

HOW: Each participant may submit one photograph in total. All images must be digitally uploaded.

Digital entries: Camera-made digital images or scans of slides or prints should be uploaded as low-resolution jpegs. Images must be emailed in with the following size limitations. This is VERY important. In the event that your image does not meet these guidelines, your entry will be disqualified.

72 PPI
1024 pixels on the longest size
8-bit
all layers flattened

WHEN: Submissions open August 15 at Noon, PST and close September 5, 2008 at 5:00 PM, PST.

WHERE: Photographers will be given a special URL available at this site within the next two weeks.

Questions and inquiries can be emailed to aperturenatureworkshops@gmail.com. Due to the expected volume of entries and possible questions, we cannot guarantee a personal response to each question, but we will try to answer questions on the blog as often as possible.

Photo by Scott Bourne

WOW! That’s all I can say. Our marketing partners have generously donated some pretty cool stuff that we will provide for each professional and amateur photographer joining us for the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops.

Each photographer will receive:

1 USB Drobo - approximate value $500

1 Lensbaby - approximate value $350

1 Premium subscription to lynda.com value $375

1 set of all current Peachpit Press Photo-related books - approximate value $500

1 ThinkTank 360 Photo Bag - approximate value $350

1 Apple Aperture 2.1 - approximate value $200

1 Lifetime Pro Membership to Photrade - approximate value $500

In addition, we’ll be providing lodging, ground transportation, food, park admission and instruction to the amateurs bringing the total value of goods and services committed to this project to more than $100,000.00!

Stay tuned for more information.

Photo by Scott Bourne

Coming Soon!

Keep checking back here for the announcement you’ve been waiting for. You’ll have a chance to win an all expenses paid trip to one of four National Parks. It’s a photographer’s dream so stay tuned.