News

Willard (Bill) Clark, a photo industry icon and the former executive director
of Photoimaging Manufacturers & Distributors Association (PMDA), died on Sept.
24. He was 77 years old. Cause of death was cancer.



Mr. Clark was associated with the photo industry for more than 40 years primarily
in consumer and trade journalism, both as a writer and photographer, and more
recently with PMDA. He worked with the senior executives of virtually every firm
in the photo industry, serving as confidant and advisor to many and earning the
respect of all.



Mr. Clark came to New York as a photographer for United Press after working for
a small Ohio newspaper as a reporter and photographer. His equipment in those
days was a 4x5 Speed Graphic, standard issue for a news journalist at that time
but now seen only in photo museums and period movies. In 1954 he became associate
editor of U.S. Camera magazine and then founding editor of Camera 35 magazine.
"I was a staff of one," he once said. He subsequently was appointed
editor.



After a variety of other magazine publishing positions, Mr. Clark came back to
the photo industry in 1981 as editor and associate publisher of Photo Weekly Magazine,
which evolved into Photo Business Magazine. His final publishing stint was a short
one as editor of PTN.



Mr. Clark retired from his position as PMDA executive director earlier this year.



At the time of his retirement, some industry associates paid tribute to him. Stacie
Errera, chief marketing officer for Tamron USA, Inc., and current president of
PMDA, said, "Bill always acted as a professional and was liked by everyone.
Everything Bill did was in the best interest of the organization."



Dan Unger, Agfa's director of marketing and PMDA board member, said of Bill:
"He was an easy-going guy who did everything right."



Mr. Clark is succeeded by two sons, Paul, Ashland, OR, and Bruce, Hopewell, NJ,
both attorneys, and two granddaughters, Fiona, 3 ½ and Emmeline, 1. He
was pre-deceased by his wife, Olga.



Editor's Note: The notes on Bill's life were kindly
provided by Jerry Lansky. I knew Bill for almost twenty years and he was always
a class act, with a kind word and encouragement for all. His "How are you
doin', man!" greeting will always echo in my ears. Those fortunate
enough to have known and worked with him understand that he was a great contributor
to photography and the photo industry and a genuinely good soul. I will miss him
greatly.

--George Schaub ...

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) has introduced its first USB smart drive using
U3 technology, a powerful new platform that enables users to store and manage
their "personal workspace" -- including files, programs, passwords
and settings -- on a tiny device the size of a pack of gum.

...

Alien Skin Software has announced updates to several of their popular Adobe Photoshop-compatible
plug-ins. These updates address Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger compatibility as well as a
few, minor bugs. Updated products include the following:



· Eye Candy 5: Nature, both Macintosh and Windows versions

· Eye Candy 5: Textures, both Macintosh and Windows versions

· Eye Candy 4000, Macintosh version only

· Xenofex 2, Macintosh version only

· Image Doctor, Macintosh version only

· Splat!, Macintosh version only



These updates are available to registered users as free, downloadable patches
on the Alien Skin website:

http://www.alienskin.com/support/patches/index.html



Users with problems updating their software or questions regarding the updates
are encouraged to contact Alien Skin for technical support.



· Toll-free phone: 1-888-921-SKIN

· Non-U.S. customers: 1-919-832-4124

· Email: support@alienskin.com
...

X-Rite Photo Marketing announces a special upgrade for photographers that purchase
a MonacoOPTIXXR between October 1 and December 31, 2005. A free upgrade to MonacoOPTIX
Pro will be sent directly from X-Rite Photo Marketing, a $169 value.

...

Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR) JumpDrive Lightning combines powerful read
and write speeds and massive (2GB) storage capacities to provide portable data
storage and transfer capabilities. With a distinctive stainless steel casing,
JumpDrive Lightning is capable of a read/write speed rating of 120x (18MB/sec)
minimum sustained write speed capability and 160x (24 MB/sec) minimum sustained
read speed capability.

...

Manfrotto will be a sponsor of the 2005 All Roads Photographers Program. In connection
with National Geographic's All Roads Film Project, this program recognizes and
supports talented photographic storytellers from around the world who are documenting
their changing cultures and communities through photography.



The 2005 All Roads Photographers Program is a key component of the All Roads Festival,
which is designed to recognize, support, and spotlight the next generation of
photographers and storytellers who have been documenting their changing culture
and community. Manfrotto is proud to be a sponsor of this National Geographic
initiative.



The Festival provides a forum for indigenous and under-represented minority-culture
filmmakers and photographers to showcase their work to a global audience and share
their unique culture and experiences through exhibitions, panel discussions, and
workshops.



The All Roads Festival, an event comprised of cutting-edge film, videos, live
music, art, and a photographic exhibition, will feature work from the program's
2005 awardees. Featured artists will include: Marcela Taboada, Sudharak Olwe,
Neo Ntsoma, and Andre Cypriano. Awardees will receive, among other prizes, photographic
equipment from Manfrotto.


The 2005 Festival will be held in Hollywood, CA, September 22-25, 2005 and in
Washington D.C. September 29-October 2, 2005.



Manfrotto products are distributed exclusively by Bogen Imaging in the United
States. For information, contact Bogen Imaging at info@bogenimaging.com
or 565 East Crescent Avenue, Ramsey, NJ 07446-0506.
...

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) has announced Adobe Photoshop Elements
4.0, dubbed a significant upgrade to the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing
software. Photoshop Elements 4.0 delivers an impressive array of new ways for
consumers to easily edit photos, show them off in creative and entertaining
ways and always have them at their fingertips. Available for Windows, Photoshop
Elements 4.0 is the software that consumers choose for quick, one-click fixes,
in addition to more sophisticated editing techniques when they need advanced
creative control.

...