I've got several important announcements.
Annoucement #1: Thom in Person. First up is one that I know I'm going to regret. That's because it's a one-time, limited space, not-to-be-repeated thing that most of you are going to miss. On July 22nd from 3 to 5pm at the B&H Event Space in New York City I'll be presenting "Converting Africa: Producing Different Styles." This free, two-hour presentation starts with a four-minute slide show of images from one of my trips to Eastern Africa. A few of those images have appeared on this site, and you might have noticed that they don't look like "normal" DSLR images. That's because I've been converting and processing them differently. During the bulk of this presentation, I'll step you through processing a couple of the images in different ways, outlining the choices I make and why.
As most of you know, I don't show my work often these days. That's partly because I've been spending a lot of time working on different approaches to try to achieve the look and style I want to be associated with. Much like any artist, I've discarded a lot of different techniques and still continue to play with many aspects. Some day, I'll have a grand coming out party, but until then, this seminar is the only glimpse anyone will get for the time being of how I go about exploring some of the possibilities.
Why did I say I'll regret it? Well, because B&H's Event Space has limited seating capacity so not everyone who wants to will get in. Plus, of course, those of you not in the tri-state area that's convenient to NYC have no chance to see the presentation. So I expect I'm disappointing more of you than I'm making happy. To keep from disappointing too many of you, I've asked B&H to let me announce the event first so that those of you who are interested can start watching the B&H site for the July event signups and try to grab up the first-come, first-served spaces (hint: use the Event Space RRS).
Announcement #2: Nikon Book #20 appears, plus another updated. The D60 Guide is now complete and has moved into production, and I've also updated the Introduction to Nikon Software companion piece a bit to bring it up to date (mostly which camera needs which version, as the features have been stable since the last update). Since there was a lot of overlap, this was a perfect time to update the D40/D40x Guide, as well, so I've completed a 2nd Edition of that book, too. You can find the links to the new eBooks in the right column. If you already own the D40/D40x Guide but want an update, that's possible, too--again, just follow the link for that book. But there's something a bit more special about these eBooks, which leads me to...
Announcement #3: Printed eBook Trial. Many of you have asked for printed copies of my works, or at least a more convenient method by which to get your eBook printed. After looking at a number of options, I've found a local solution that can provide me with reasonable quality, perfect bound, printed copies of my eBooks in small quantities at a cost that's affordable. Thus, for the D40/D40x Guide 2nd Edition and the new D60 Guide, starting today I'm going to offer the option of also purchasing a professionally-produced, bound, black and white copy of the eBook in paperback size. You'll still need the eBook itself, as there are a great number of color references and image samples that simply don't print well in black and white, plus the eBook CD has the Introduction to Nikon Software, the videos, worksheets, and other tools I include with my works on it. Thus, I consider the printed copy I'm offering a "convenience printout" of the main work. It's your option whether to order it with your eBook or not (for an additional cost to cover my expense of producing it). I'm offering this same option to those updating their D40/D40x eBook, as well. If the print versions of these two eBooks are well received, I'll start doing it for all future books and my existing ones as I update them. However, at the present time only the D40/D40x Guide 2nd Edition, and D60 Guide are available in printed form. One further note: I won't start actually shipping these printed versions until June 17th, and, if demand is very high, it may add a week to my shipping your order until I get a better sense of what demand really is.
Just to be clear, this announcement is just what I labeled it in the heading: a trial program. As you might guess, adding printed copies into my inventory becomes a logistics and space problem (I need to write shorter books!), and also means that I have to commit money up front to acquring sufficient copies to meet likely demand. I really don't know how well this will work and how it will be received. But because you, my customer, asked for it, I've tried my best to come up with something that should work for both of us. The first samples I've gotten look quite good (though I did notice a couple of minor things I'm going to change for future editions).
Don't let this trial keep you from ordering my other eBooks because you think you'll miss something. If the trial works out okay, I'll be offering printed versions to existing customers via updates.
I hope you like this new option. Your feedback on it will determine whether I proceed with doing other eBooks this way. And please continue to let me know what it is you want. I may be a little slow--after all I'm just an overworked one-person company nearing retirement--but I do listen and try to respond.
Announcement #4: Spring Cleaning 2009. Yes, it's once again time for some Spring Cleaning. I don't have a lot to offer this time around, as like many of you, I'm hunkered down during the recession and not accumulating stuff that I don't need. But my assistant is moving to a smaller place and needs to get rid of a lot of things. So check out what's available here. As always, this is a first-come, first-served process, so don't hesitate too long if you're interested in something that's posted for sale.
Announcement #5: Workshop Update. The Patagonia and Botswana workshops are full, and the South Africa one is nearly full as I write this. Don't let that dissuade you. If you're interested, keep the dates blocked and make sure you talk to the appropriate person at Wilderness Travel and get on the wait list (it's free). As far as these are planned in advance, we usually have a last minute cancellation or two. Those on the wait list get first crack at any cancellations. And I just might be convinced to repeat my "Converting Africa" lecture during those workshops ;~).
Announcement #6: Nikon DSLR Survey: What? You think there should be more? That I'm capable of an infinite number of announcements? I'm a writer, not an autoscribe. (Yes, that was a Star Trek reference.) But since you want more, I'm conducting one of my periodic surveys about Nikon DSLR use. If you've like to add your voice: click here to enter the survey.