Technology

Magazine Recaps Camera News, Ponders Future of Imaging

PHOTOGRAPHERS. If you earn your living from photography, it’s smart to watch trends in technology and photo usage that might affect the demand for your services. One excellent source for learning about the “future of imaging” is 6Sight, an organization which has been which has been tracking advancements in imaging since 2006.

When you download the February/March issue of “6Sight: The Future of Imaging Magazine,” you’ll find a wealth of news and insights. The 48-page issue includes a round-up of camera-related news from the 2012 PMA@CES show in Las Vegas in January, noting trends such as ultra-compact models, cameras with with long stabilized lenses, low-light sensitive imagers, and cameras  with WiFi connectivity. You can also read about what’s new in smartphones and video cameras, including:

To help you understand some of the rationale behind these new imaging devices, the February/March issue of the 6Sight magazine features transcripts of three provocative panel discussions among imaging-product manufacturers and photo-industry analysts.

Social Imaging: Does Sharing Threaten Profits?

In this article, panelists discuss how the imaging industry should respond to the fact that smartphone cameras have made it incredibly easy for everyone to snap photos everywhere they go and instantly share them with Facebook.  They talk about how this new reality affects the businesses of companies that manufacture and sell cameras, process images, and print photos. And they raise the question: What can people who have made a living in photography for three decades do now to continue to make a living?

While discussing photo prints as a way of preserving special memories, panelist Jason Mitura of Viewdle expressed this viewpoint: “Paper is a lousy display medium; it degrades, it’s limited, it has no fidelity, you can’t tap it, you can’t tag it, you can’t share it.”  He foresees a future in which people display their favorite shots on a 55-inch LED TV screen.  And if the house burns down, all of your favorite photos will be recoverable because they will be backed up in the cloud.

Will Compact Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses Replace DSLRs?

In this discussion, panelists consider what type of cameras the next generation of photo enthusiasts might buy when they want to move beyond the camera in their smartphones. Will the new compact, interchangeable-lens cameras without moving mirrors replace the bigger, bulkier, classic SLR camera design? When camera users move up from their camera phones, will they be shopping for cameras with a bigger sensor? ease of use? new lenses?

Everything Captures HD Video: Making the Most of Mass Communication

In the introduction to this article, Paul Worthington notes that our smartphones have become mini-TV studios: “The power that was once in the hands of a few people is now in the hands of just about everybody.” But editing 30 long minutes of boring video into 30 watchable seconds of video takes more work than snapping and sharing hundreds of stills.  So he asks panelists to consider what opportunities exist for creating video—particularly videos for viewers with short attention spans.

Terrence Swee, CEO of muvee, observes that “There is a kind of instinctual style of editing that professionals have that the rest of us simply don’t. Even if you’re a computer-savvy guy and you know how to use all 500 functions in a video-editing app, you are not a film-school-trained person. You’re not Spielberg. You are unlikely to be able to make a compelling story.”

Trends in Picture Taking

The February/March issue of the 6Sight magazine is also packed with market-research reports, summarizing trends in picture taking and camera, smartphone, and tablet usage.

For example: According to estimates compiled by the photo-sharing website 1000memories, about 10 percent of the 3.5 trillion photos that have been taken since the invention of photography less than 200 years ago have been taken in the last 12 months. And, Facebook’s collection of 140 billion photos is over 10,000 times larger than that of the Library of Congress. (Wow!!)

In a world in which we are bombarded with tidbits of news from blogs, video clips, and sound bites, reading a good magazine can be enlightening. While consolidating a wealth of imaging-related news in one place, editor/analyst Paul Worthington helps readers make sense of some of the marketing forces and trends behind the technology news.

2012 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference

For the first time, the 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference will join the Consumer Electronics Association’s CE Week event on June 25 and 26 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York.  6Sight 2012 will focus on the potential of the trends in connected devices, sharing and social imaging, mobile apps, sensors, processors, optics, and displays. 6Sight experts will also spotlight trends such as augmented reality, 3D, and intelligent image-recognition technology.

CE Week, June 25-29, brings together global companies and innovators for conferences, exhibitions, workshops, and networking events. Last year’s event drew more than 5,500 attendees, including more than 640 media representatives and analysts.

LINKS

About 6Sight

6Sight Magazine: February/March issue

2012 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference

Photographer Uses Aurasma to Bring Still Photos to Life

PHOTOGRAPHERS. Have you heard people talking about Aurasma yet? You will soon—particularly when ad agency, editorial, and marketing clients start asking you to shoot videos along with your stills.

Aurasma is free “augmented reality” platform that can be built into apps for higher powered Android devices, newer-generation iPhones, and iPad2 devices.  Aurasma-equipped apps can then blend still images with rich, interactive content such as videos and animations.

For example, when you point your mobile device at a print ad in a magazine, bus shelter, or retail store, the ad will transform itself into an interactive video. Aurasma can be used to create “auras” for printed images, product packaging, instructional manuals, clothing, and physical places.

One professional photographer who has incorporated Aurasma into an app is Sam Robinson who provides photography and filmmaking services for commercial and editorial projects.

He says that when he first saw Aurasma demonstrated, he was completely bowled over: “This technology is a completely new medium that dissolves all of the boundaries between photography and film.”

A Visual Browser

The Aurasma “visual-browser” platform was developed by the British software company Autonomy, which is now an HP company.  Since being launched in 2011, Aurasma has been downloaded more than 2 million times. Aurasma is being used by publishers, advertisers, and visual communications professionals in fields such as retail, sports, automotive, and consumer electronics.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) used Aurasma technology as part of a month-long print campaign in a Chicago commuter-train station. John Monahan, president and CEO of the HVCB, said, “Bringing one-dimensional images to life puts commuters as close to being in Hawaii as possible in a compelling way,”

How Photographers Can Use Aurasma

Sam Robinson is using Aurasma to add a new dimension to the stills he includes in his postcard mailings to prospective clients.  Clients who want to learn more about Robinson’s work can download the free Sam Robinson Photography App, point it to a still image on the postcard, and instantly see videos that are linked to the still photo.

Sometimes clients will see behind-the-scenes video of a particular shoot or examples of the video footage Robinson shot along with the still photos planned for use in a print ad campaign.

 

Aurasma App from Sam Robinson on Vimeo.

Tamas Szabo, of the app-development company Megatomi, said incorporating Aurasma into Robinson’s app was intuitive and user-friendly: “With just two lines of code, we were able to integrate Aurasma into the existing app. From start to finish, it took just a few hours and the result is incredible.”

“Building Aurasma into my app seemed to make total sense,” says Robinson.  “The demand for multi-channel campaigns is growing, and Aurasma’s Developer Studio lets me bring together my stills and film work for the first time. I’m completely hooked.”

Martina King, managing director of Aurasma, believes the creative possibilities are just beginning to be explored: “We’re working with some of the world’s largest corporations, but we’re also working with internationally renowned creatives such as Sam Robinson. Artists, photographers, filmmakers, animators, designers—the creative industries instinctively understand Aurasma’s potential and are using our free technology to push the boundaries and change the way people see and interact with the world.”

LINKS

Aurasma

Sam Robinson Photography App

Sam Robinson Photography

App Developer: Megatomi

Collect Limited-Edition Art in Digital Form

ARTISTS. Here’s an example of how technology is transforming how art will be collected, sold, and displayed in the future.  Although this particular site (www.seditionart.com) is still in the “private-beta” stage, it’s good to be aware of new business models that are being proposed and tried.

S[edition] is a digital platform for collecting contemporary art. With prices starting under $10, S[edition] enables you to view and display limited-edition art by contemporary artists on all of your devices, including your mobile phone, iPad, computer display, and television screens.

The platform was developed to help stimulate the growth of a new generation of collectors. The goal is to make art collecting more affordable, instantly gratifying, more social, and less intimidating.

Featured artists include: Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, Isaac Julien, Mat Collinshaw, Michael Craig-Martin, Tracey Emin, Bill Viola, and Wim Wenders.

Every edition is numbered and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist. Certificates are automatically generated upon the completed purchase of an artwork. Then, the certificate and purchased art are stored securely in each collector’s digital “vault.”

As a collector, you can view your purchased art in high resolution or send it to any of your connected devices. You may not print copies of either the certificate of authenticity or the artwork itself. Digital watermarking technology is used to track every purchased edition.

With the free iPad app, you can view or show your entire collection on the iPad anytime, anywhere—even without an Internet connection. The recently announced App for Facebook Timeline lets you show your personal s[edition] art collection to friends, and highlight your favorite artists.

One benefit of buying art through s[edition] is that you can receive regular information directly from the artists, get priority access to new collections, and connect with other collectors.

The creators of s[edition] have announced plans to launch a marketplace through which a collector can sell works to other collectors after editions are sold out .

Gallery owners and artists who are interested in creating a limited digital edition should send an email to: info (at) seditionart.com

LINK

About s[edition] art

RELATED POST

Five Art and Marketing Technology Trends to Watch in 2012

The Future of Imaging Is on Display at 2012 International CES

PHOTOGRAPHERS. This will be a big week for imaging-technology rollouts, as the 2012 International CES opens today and runs through January 13. The Consumer Electronics association (CEA) expects this year’s consumer-electronics show to be its most innovative show on record.

More than 20,000 new products are expected to be announced this week as more than 2,700 exhibiting companies vie for the attention of 140,000+ attendees and 5,000 journalists.

At a private reception hosted by WIRED magazine and Condé Nast, Magnetic 3D will showcase high-quality 3D visual content on their autostereoscopic “glasses-free” 3D displays and digital signage .

If the latest forecasts from GfK Digital World and CEA prove correct, 2012 will mark the first year that global spending on consumer technology devices surpasses $1 trillion. This represents a 5 percent increase over the 2011 figure of $993 billion. The key drivers for growth are expected to continue to be mobile-connected devices, such as smartphones and tablet PCs. Sales of tablet PCs, which reached $39 billion this year, are expected to show double-digit increases in 2012.

PMA@CES

For the first time, the annual convention and trade show of the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) has been integrated with CES.  The convergence seems natural as digital photography has enabled visual communications to play an integral part of our everyday lives.

Consumers today carry camera-phones everywhere they go, and take pictures as a means of documenting and sharing day-to-day experiences more than preserving memories. The Instagram app has become one of the most popular apps in the ITunes.

At CES, exhibitors will be showcasing hundreds of new apps and smartphone accessories, new 3D and touchscreen displays, and innovative standalone cameras such as the Lytro and the Zink-enabled Polaroid Z340 instant digital camera.

Polaroid’s Z340 combines a 14 megapixel digital camera with a printer that uses the ink-free Zero Ink Printing Technology from ZINK Imaging to deliver a 3 x 4-inch print.

 

With the Lytro light-field camera, you can focus and re-focus the image anywhere in the picture after the capture.

Should professional photographers feel threatened by the growing power and versatility of smartphone cameras?  Not those who make the effort to adapt.

An essay in the December/January issue of 6Sight Magazine recaps comments Joe Byrd made at a PMA@CES press preview: “Photography is a booming business across the world today. More photos are being taken by more people and shared in more ways than ever before, and it’s all steadily trending upwards. With so much activity and interest there are plenty of opportunities for everyone in the industry to make money. The only remaining question is: How? How do I need to change what I’m doing to capture my share of revenue from this rising tide of interest?” He advises photo-industry professionals to find a niche in the expanding sea of opportunity, then learn what it will take to prosper in that niche.

“The bright future of imaging is yours to grab,” says Byrd. “If you only take this opportunity to figure out what works best for you.”

6Sight: Future of Imaging Magazine

A good way to get a sense of perspective on imaging-related products exhibited at CES is to read the December/January issue of 6Sight: The Future of Imaging magazine.  The December/January issue includes 16 pages of product news (including many apps), as well as the following feature stories:

Flixab Automates Editing: Instant Video for Social Media
David Slater talks about the platform Flixlab is building to intelligently handle video. The Flixlab service automatically makes editing decisions, so people don’t have to invest a lot of time or acquire special skills to produce engaging movies. The initial iPhone app also shares video clips and pictures to Facebook.

Mobile Imaging: Ericsson Advancing Phone Photos
Ericsson research engineer Mats Wernersson talks about what lies ahead in mobile imaging.

From High-End Film Photos to iPhone Photography
In an interview conducted by Paul Worthington, long-time pro photographer Jack Hollingsworth explains why “iPhoneography” has made him more passionate about photography than ever been. Hollingsworth says, “I really feel it’s the greatest time alive to be a photographer today. The opportunities for the entrepreneur in the photography space are astounding.”

For more detailed coverage of new product introductions, tune into the CES Channel on YouTube.

LINKS

 Official 2012 International CES Channel on YouTube

6Sight Future of Imaging Magazine: December/January issue

6Sight Future of Imaging Magazine: The Shape of Cameras Today (November issue)

JWT List of 100 Things to Watch Includes Book Club 2.0, LCD Art, Lytro Camera

JWT, a global leader in marketing-communications, has released its list of 100 Things to Watch in 2012. The list was compiled by the agency’s JWT Intelligence group, which strives to make sense of the chaos of hyper-abundant information and constant innovation.

“Many of the items on our list reflect broader economic, environmental, technological and social developments we’ve been tracking, while others have potential to ladder up to bigger trends,” says Ann Mack, director of trendspotting at JWT.

Some of the 100 things on the 2011 list included new forms of books, entrepreneurial journalism, long-form content, and 3D printing.

Technology continues to have a prominent presence on JWT’s Things to Watch for 2012. Here are a few of the tech-related items making the list.

Access everywhere
Consumers will be accessing music, books, and video on a multitude of Web-connected devices wherever they are.

App overload
JWT predicts that the app-fyin of everything is just beginning: “The novelty of apps will wear off as consumers become paralyzed by too many choices.”

Apps for an aging world
Expect more apps aimed at older demographics.

Book club 2.0
Book clubs will use Web tools such as Skype video-calling and social-networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr to talk about books they have read.

Crowdsourced learning
Knowledge seekers will look beyond the traditional student-teacher structure. Learning is becoming more democratic as people connect with teachers, hobbyists, and experts looking to share their interests and impart their knowledge.

Digital-into-physical postcards
Vacationers and others will use Sincerely’s Postagram app and Postcard on the Run to turn snapshots into snail-mailed postcards. (The “objectifying of objects” in an increasingly screen-filled world is one of the 10 bigger trends that JWT sees for the year ahead.)

LCD art
Limited-edition digital works will be accessible on mobile devices, PCs, and connected TVs. And in 2012, Samsung will produce high-res screens for displaying artwork.

Lytro
The Lytro camera will enable hobbyists to take “living pictures,” that can be refocused by the photographer and viewers—after the image is recorded.

Screened dining and shopping
Interactive screens in restaurants will replace menus and help entertain diners. Interactive touch screens in and outside of stores will allow customers to learn more about specific products, explore the inventory in greater depth, or browse the catalog after hours.

Videograms
Just as Instagram has transformed the way people show off their smartphone photos, new apps will enable users to add cinematic filters and music to their footage and share it over their networks.

Voice-based microblogging
Users of services such as Bubbly will be able to send text carrying sound files from people they follow.

Voice control
Spoken commands will control everything from thermostats to televisions, perhaps making remote controls obsolete.

Zink
Zink (“Zero Ink”) printers use a special thermal paper that doesn’t require ink or toner. Through partnerships with Dell and Polaroid, Zink markets a device that prints photos directly from a camera, anywhere.

The JWT list also includes noteworthy events on the calendar, people to keep an eye on, and things to watch in marketing, retailing, travel, food and sustainability.

You can read the full list of 100 Things to Watch, in the Slideshare presentation below.

JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2012

View more presentations from JWTIntelligence

RELATED POSTS

JWT Lists 10 Trends to Watch in 2012

New Forms of Books Included on JWT List of 100 Things to Watch in 2011

Publishing Enhanced Novels May Require Teams of Writers, Artists, and Musicians

What will novels of the future be like? David Farland, a best-selling author of more than 50 novels, thinks he knows. He predicts authors will take advantage of advances in e-book technology and use music, art, and animation to enhance the novel’s storyline.

Then, publishing houses will become more like multimedia production houses, with book editors serving as “producers.”

To start preparing for a future in which the text of a novel comes together with images and sounds in a meaningful way, Farland co-founded East India Publishing. The company used enhanced e-book technology to produce Farland’s new young-adult novel “Nightingale.”

As he developed “Nightingale,” Farland purposefully crafted a storyline that would make use of enhanced e-book technology. Instead of adding sound and art as an afterthought to an existing manuscript, Farland created a work in which the music and art fit the story.

His story is about a young man who wants to become the world’s greatest guitarist and venerates the music of Joe Satriani. The 45-minute album of music that supports chapters in the enhanced e-book, was created by James Guyman, head of the American Composers’ Guild. Farland reports that “The music sounds like it could have been produced by Satriani, in the style of Pink Floyd, brining the music in line with the story.”

Making E-Reading More Engaging

Farland regards “Nightingale” as a first step toward creating a more engaging form of novel, the kind that kids who are reluctant readers might devour.

Although die-hard lovers of printed books swear they will never read an e-book, Farland says, “The enhanced novel, when done properly, can be something to experience” and may take e-reading to the next level.

Ultimately, the production of enhanced novels may require troupes of writers, artists, illustrators, animators, composers, and musicians commissioned to create a finished work that is far greater than a single writer could achieve working alone.

For “Nightingale,” East India Press hired several artists and inserted “cinemagraphs” in chapter.  (A cinemagraph is a minimalist form of animation in which only one element of a photo or illustration moves.) Other features of the enhanced e-book version of “Nightingale” include video interviews and photographs of the setting in which the story takes place.

The Evolution of Publishing Houses

The rise of enhanced e-books will mean that traditional publishing companies may eventually operate more like production houses, says Farland. They will be equipped not just to produce novels, but stories in many formats.

He regards this multimedia evolution as a way for major publishing companies to develop products that are recognizably superior to the millions of books being churned out by self-publishing companies that let everyone be a published author.

Creating e-books has become so cheap and easy that readers are being deluged with books that often aren’t very good, Farland points out. He believes readers will soon realize that the publishing-company gatekeepers (the editors and agents) served a useful purpose by  reading through the slush piles of manuscripts to find those authors whose works were ready for the marketplace.

As more and more people start using e-readers to read most of their books, publishing houses won’t have to spend as much money to print, distribute and warehouse books. Instead, he says, “We’ll spend it on creating great products.”

This means that “We’re going to need editors in the future who understand how to green-light a novel and who can recognize what will please an audience. But once a work is selected, the editor will take the role of the producer—assembling a creative team of composers, musicians, illustrators, animators, directors, sound-effects engineers, and so on.”

“We don’t want to replace reading,” contends Farland. “We don’t want to make movies. Reading often engages imagination in ways that movies fail to. We want to keep it that way. We want the reader to be a partner with us in brining a tale to life. At the same time, we hope to ‘enhance’ the story, help readers become more fully involved with it, yet keep budgets to a reasonable price. With film clips, animations, illustrations, background music, and sound effects, we can create something that fuses a lot of storytelling tools.”

For “Nightingale,” David Farland and East India Press didn’t stop with the enhanced novel. They also put the book out as a standard e-book and hard-cover print book. They also offer a full album of music and an audio book version complete with sound effects and background music from the album.

East India Press has created a web-simulation technology that mimics how the enhanced e-book appears on the iPad. So if you don’t yet have an iPad, you can see what an enhanced novel might look like by visiting: http://www.nightingalenovel.com

To read more about Farland’s vision for the future of publishing, download the plain-vanilla PDF entitled “The Future of Publishing is Self-Publishing.”

LINKS

About David Farland

Enhanced E-Book: Nightingale

East India Press

White Paper: The Future of Publishing is Self-Publishing by David Farland

 

Seven Hot Jobs for 2012

According to salary research from Robert Half, demand for positions such as mobile application developers, web developers, and user experience (UX) designers is expected to grow in the coming year as companies look to invest in their information technology (IT) infrastructure and digital presence.

“A common feature of high-demand jobs is a large degree of specialization,” said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Professionals with the best prospects have finely tuned abilities that enable their companies to take advantage of new technology and the increasing amount of information available to them.”

Following is an overview of seven high-potential jobs for 2012:

Mobile applications developer. As companies strive to reach consumers on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, they need professionals who can develop for the small screen. Starting salaries for mobile applications developers are projected to increase 9.1 percent to a range of $85,000 to $122,500 in the coming year.

Data warehouse analyst. Maintaining data has become an increasingly complex task, which is why companies need professionals who can collect, analyze and mine stored data, as well as offer effective storage strategies. Anticipated base compensation for these professionals is expected to climb 6.7 percent to between $88,000 and $119,000 in 2012.

User experience (UX) designer. Since so much customer interaction happens online, companies are looking for workers who can create positive digital experiences. The starting pay for these individuals is expected to rise 6.2 percent to a range of $71,750 to $104,000.

Data security analyst. Security threats are constantly changing, and firms need professionals who can analyze risk and propose solutions. Base compensation for these workers is expected to rise 6.0 percent to between $89,000 and $121,500.

SEO/SEM specialist. Being found online by search engines and consumers is essential to any firm looking to make its digital mark. That’s why companies seek SEO/SEM specialists who can develop strategies to optimize web projects for search and increase online visibility. Those with three or more years of experience are projected to see starting salary gains of 6.0 percent, to a range of $63,750 to $87,500.

Network engineer. Companies’ networks are more intricate than ever, increasing the need for those who can ensure the efficient and secure transfer of data and information. Starting salaries for network engineers are expected to rise 5.8 percent to a range of $75,000 to $107,750.

Web developer. Web developers are increasingly needed by companies looking to enhance their online presence. Base compensation for these professionals is projected to increase 5.4 percent to between $61,250 and $99,250.

More information about the positions listed above can be found in the Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT positions, as well as The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide, which focuses on interactive, design and marketing
jobs.

Both Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group are divisions of Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm.

LINKS

Robert Half Technology 2012 Salary Guide

The Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide

 

 

The
Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide

 

The
Creative Group 2012 Salary Guide

 

International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm.