For those of you Lightroom users who may be holding off on upgrading to the newly released Lightroom 4, this post from DP Review might just make you change your mind. It's an explanation of how to make extreme contrast edits within LR4, but it doesn't just serve as a simple how-to. It also helps to explain how the processing controls work differently within this version of Lightroom as compared to previous versions. In the end, the new processing engine allows for less overlap among lighting adjustments, which means greater control, more fine tuning, and the ability to extract the absolute maximum amount of useful image forming data from today's supersensitive high-dynamic-range digital camera sensors. Lightroom 4 isn't just the next step in the workflow software's evolution, it's a big step forward in editing control. And that means it can help you create much better photographs right out of the box. Read all about it at www.dpreview.com.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/1205103502/extreme-contrast-edits-in-lightroom-4-and-acr-7.

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Carry a trash bag. There, I blew all the mystery about this post right there in the first paragraph. Steve Berardi, the PhotoNaturalist, thinks there's one item everyone who ever sets foot in the out of doors with a camera in hand should be carrying inside their camera bag. It's a simple trash bag, which has a million uses. Most notably, it's the perfect protector in case it starts to rain. But it's also handy to become a makeshift light diffuser for a macro photograph, and it can even become a bit of a softbox for a flash if you're in a pinch—something I've written about on this very web site. Check out PhotoNaturalist to get the scoop straight from the horse's mouth, and then be sure to peruse the plentiful reader comments for a bunch of other great reasons why you should carry this must-have accessory. And in the meantime, just trust me and stuff a trash bag inside your camera bag. 

http://photonaturalist.net/something-that-should-be-in-every-camera-bag.

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This post combines a few of my favorite things: light painting and backlighting. Add the fact that it's a translucent subject and I'm in hog heaven. The post to which I'm referring was written by Ken Hubbard of the Tamron Angle of View blog, and it really features a lovely photograph and some helpful information about painting with light. It's also good advice if you're looking to set your work apart by approaching a fairly standard subject with a unique technique. In this case, Mr. Hubbard used light painting (interesting) as a backlight (even more interesting) to light a flower and make it appear as if it were really glowing from within (most interesting of all). A great example of a simple technique and a subject we've all seen before, having been combined to great effect. Well done on all counts!

http://tamrontechstips.typepad.com/tamron_blog/2012/04/macro-flowers-part-1-backlit-painting-with-light.html.

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Care to use your iPad as something more than a portfolio display device? There are some options out there that allow you to do that, but the one that really intrigues me is the M.I.C. All-in-One card reader for the iPad. It allows users of a variety of media types to download directly to the iPad, whether they're working with CompactFlash, SD or MicroSD cards. It even has a USB port which this reader very useful for practically any photographer. The ability to display RAW files straight from your Nikon and Canon cameras is pretty great too. Learn more at M.I.C.'s web site, http://store.micgadget.com/ipad3-card-readers/315-cf-sd-high-speed-card-reader-for-ipad-3.html.

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